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Sujuk
Sujuk: Beirut's spicy fresh beef sausage fried with tomatoes and wrapped in flatbread with garlic sauce
Late-night sandwich counters in Bourj Hammoud, Beirut's Armenian quarter, fry sujuk on a flat-top until it crackles, toss in tomatoes and wrap the lot in thin bread with toum and pickles. Ready-made sujuk is usually dried and cured; this home version is a fresh, uncured beef sausage mix seasoned with garlic, cumin, sumac and Aleppo pepper and shaped into skinless fingers, so it cooks quickly and safely. It is just as good at breakfast with fried eggs. The common mistake is frying on a high heat from the start, which burns the spices before the meat cooks through. Chef's tip: chill the shaped sausages for 30 minutes first; they hold together and brown better.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sujuk
For the sandwiches
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Knead 1 ⅛ lb beef mince with 5 cloves garlic, 2 tsp Aleppo pepper or mild chilli flakes, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sumac, ½ tsp ground allspice, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper and 1 ¼ tsp salt for 2 minutes, until sticky and evenly red.
3 minStep 2: With wet hands, roll into finger-thick sausages about 10 cm long. Chill on a plate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the sausages, turning, until browned all over and cooked through to 160°F in the centre, with no pink left.
8 minStep 4: Push them to one side, add 2 tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes until soft and juicy, stirring them into the spiced fat.
3 minStep 5: Spread each 4 thin Arabic flatbread with 4 tbsp toum (garlic sauce), add the sujuk, tomatoes and 4 pickled cucumbers, roll up tightly and toast briefly in the dry pan or a sandwich press until crisp. Serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sujuk take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
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