The Most Delicious Lebanese Meat Pockets With Lots of Flavour

This dish is called lahm bel ajin and it comes in different shapes & sizes. Everyone has different takes on it but this is one way to make them There is so much flavour from the vegetables so the seasoning is just a little. You can eat these for breakfast, lunch, dinner or to make for a buffet. They are so delicious yet so easy to make

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The Most Delicious Lebanese Meat Pockets With Lots of Flavour

how to make  Lebanese Meat Pockets? very simple and very yummy

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: international

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 500kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients for the dough

• 0,11 lb fresh yeast
• 2,53 cups of lukewarm water (6 dl)
• about 5,49 all purpose flour (13 dl)
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil (optional)

Ingredients for the filling

• 2.2 pounds of minced meat
• 6 onions (regular size)
• 5 green peppers (whatever kind you like)
• 5 firm tomatoes (regular size)
• about 0,66 lb tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons ground black peppe (optional amount)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 5 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (optional amount)

Ingredients for ”eggwash” (not the typical one with egg)

• about 8 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of black pepper

Instructions

• Start by making the ”eggwash”. Put all the ingredients in a skillet and cook the tomato puree for a few minutes and stir it while it is cooking. the consistency of the puree should almost be like sauce but a bit thicker like cream, if it´s too thick add some water or oil.
  
• Start with the dough. Put the yeast either in a breadmaker or in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast with lukewarm water, sugar and salt. Put the oil in there and flour as you are kneading (so that the gluten activates). The dough should be soft (on the verge of sticky). Cover the dough with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment for about 40 minutes. When the dough rises to double size it is ready!
• Start chopping the onions, peppers & parsley with a vegetable chopper or just with a knife. The vegetables needs to be chopped finely. Put the vegetables in a large bowl. Put the minced meat, tomato puree, black pepper and salt and blend it all together. Lastly chop the tomatoes finely (do not use soft and old tomatoes as they tend to release more liquid). Remove excess fluid from the tomatoes (if there is any) & put the tomatoes in a seperate bowl. U can put the tomatoes in the minced meat bowl when it is time to start just so that the tomatoes don´t make the mix runny.
• Prepare the surface you are going to work on. Take out a rolling pin. Prepare oven pans and put baking paper on them. Start the oven and put the heat on 428 °Fahrenheit.
• Put some flour on the surface you are making the pockets on. Cover your hands with some canola oil so that your hands don´t get stuck to the dough. Make small round balls (about the size of a pizza). Cover the dough of balls with a cloth and let them rise for a few minutes. Before you put the tomatoes in the bowl with minced meat remove excess fluid from the tomatoes. Blend the tomatoes with the minced meat.
• Roll out the balls with a rolling pin into a shape like my mom is showing in the pictures below (or whatever shape you like, there are so many ways to make them). Press the dough with your hands like the 2th picture is showing so it doesn´t get too thick. You can always make a shape like a regular pizza and then just spread some filling on top. Twirl the edges like it is shown in the 4th picture and then press two times each side into ”pockets” like the 4th picture show. Then brush the pockets with the tomato puree and put them in the middle of the oven until they get a nice crust and the dough is rising. It takes about 8 minutes depending on the oven.
  
• Serve with a salad or just some sliced up vegetables and enjoy!