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Halifax donair
Spiced beef loaf in pita with sweet garlic sauce
The donair is Halifax's official food, born in the 1970s when a Greek-Canadian cook adapted the gyro for local tastes, and it is still the late-night food of Spring Garden Road. A dense, spiced beef loaf is baked, sliced thin and crisped in a pan, then wrapped in a warm pita with raw onion, tomato and a sweet sauce of condensed milk, vinegar and garlic. Messy, sweet, salty and loved. A common mistake is a crumbly meat loaf; the mince must be kneaded until it is sticky and smooth. Chef's tip: chill the baked loaf before slicing so you can cut it really thin.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meat
- 2 lb lean minced beef
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 oz fine dry breadcrumbs
For the sweet sauce
- 1 ¼ cups sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlicvery finely grated
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Put 2 lb lean minced beef with 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 oz fine dry breadcrumbs in a bowl and knead hard for 8–10 minutes, until the mince turns sticky and paste-like. Wash your hands after handling raw meat.
10 minStep 2: Press into a loaf shape on a lined baking tray, pressing out any air. Bake for about 1 hour, until it reaches 160°F in the centre and the juices run clear.
60 minStep 3: Cool, then chill for 30 minutes (or overnight), wrapped, to make slicing easy.
30 minStep 4: Whisk 1 ¼ cups sweetened condensed milk with 2 cloves garlic, then add ¼ cup white vinegar slowly, whisking, until the sauce thickens. Chill.
5 minStep 5: Slice the meat as thinly as you can and fry it in a hot dry pan for 2–3 minutes until crisp at the edges and piping hot.
8 minStep 6: Warm 6 large pita breads in a pan, pile on the meat, scatter with 1 onion and 2 tomatoes, spoon over plenty of sauce and fold. Wrap in foil to eat.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 650 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does halifax donair take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
- What can I use instead of dried oregano?
- Dried thyme or marjoram, same amount.
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