Dürüm

The filling goes in a line down the middle and the bread is rolled tight and then toasted shut on the seam.

Lamb. Not vegetarian — contains lamb.

Ingredients

the meat

• 700 g lamb leg, sliced very thinly
• 200 g thick yoghurt
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper

to fill

• 4 lavash or large thin flatbreads
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• ½ cucumber, in batons
• 1 onion, sliced and tossed with sumac
• a handful of parsley
• 4 tablespoons thick yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

Method

1. THE FILLING GOES IN A LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE AND THE BREAD IS ROLLED TIGHT, THEN TOASTED SHUT ON THE SEAM. The roll is made and then laid seam-side down on a dry hot griddle for a minute, which does two things: it seals the seam so the whole thing holds together in the hand, and it crisps one face so there is some texture against the soft filling. That final toasting is what separates a dürüm from a wrap assembled and handed over -- which unrolls as it is eaten and goes soggy from the inside.
2. THE MEAT IS MARINATED IN YOGHURT AND NOT IN OIL AND LEMON. Two hundred grams of yoghurt with grated onion and garlic, for at least four hours. The yoghurt's acid and its calcium both work on the meat and tenderise it properly, where an oil marinade mostly sits on the surface. On thinly sliced leg this is the difference between tender and chewy.
3. THE MEAT IS COOKED IN A SINGLE LAYER, IN BATCHES, ON A FIERCE HEAT. Thin slices crowded into a pan release their liquid and boil. Two or three batches, a minute or so each side, so each slice browns. It is tedious and it is the difference between browned lamb and grey lamb.
4. THE WET THINGS GO ON THE MEAT AND NOT ON THE BREAD. Yoghurt and pepper sauce spooned over the meat once it is in the line, with the bread left dry underneath. Spread on the bread first, they soak straight through it and the roll tears as it is lifted.
5. THE LINE IS SET OFF-CENTRE, A THIRD OF THE WAY ACROSS. Rolled from the near edge, that puts the seam underneath the middle rather than at the far edge, and gives two layers of bread under the filling where the juices collect.
6. IT IS ROLLED WHILE THE MEAT IS HOT. The steam makes the bread pliable from the inside. Rolled around cooled meat, a lavash cracks along the fold.
7. The lamb sliced VERY THINLY and mixed with the yoghurt, grated onion, garlic, oil, cumin, oregano, Aleppo pepper and seasoning.
8. Covered and refrigerated at least 4 HOURS.
9. A heavy pan heated until very hot.
10. The lamb cooked in a SINGLE LAYER, in 2 or 3 BATCHES, 1 MINUTE or so a side, until browned. Kept hot.
11. A lavash laid out and a quarter of the HOT meat laid in a LINE a third of the way across.
12. The yoghurt and pepper sauce spooned OVER THE MEAT, not onto the bread.
13. The tomato, cucumber, sumac onion and parsley laid along it.
14. ROLLED TIGHT from the near edge, so the seam sits underneath.
15. Laid SEAM-SIDE DOWN on a DRY hot griddle 1 MINUTE, until sealed and crisped.
16. TESTED: it should hold together when picked up and have one crisp face. An unrolling dürüm means the seam was not toasted.
17. Cut in half on the diagonal and eaten in the hand.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Turkey · All recipes