Tom Kime had been a successful chef in Australia and the UK (working for the River Cafe and Rick Stein in Cornwall) when he decided to travel the world learning about the street food in different countries and cultures. He explored the Middle East to find out more about centuries-old ways of cooking that had grown up along the old spice routes, eating street food that was fresh and healthy. Here he adapts his most memorable dishes from Beirut to Istanbul.
Fairly easy
Lamb pizza
These are a delicious floppy sort of pizza or open-faced pie which originated in Lebanon. Lamb is traditional but you could also use minced beef. You could also make a vegetarian version with sauteed mushrooms. Much smaller in size than an Italian pizza, they are baked in wood ovens in roadside cafes from Istanbul to Beirut and Damascus.
Makes 15-20
1 quantity of dough (see below)
For the topping:
2 tbs olive oil
4 onions, finely chopped
8 large plum tomatoes
500g lamb mince
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Lebanese spice mix (see below)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs tomato puree
1 tbs pomegranate molasses, or 1/2 tbs lemon juice, mixed with 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp soft brown sugar
100g pine nuts
small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
For the dough:
30g fresh yeast, or 15g dried
450g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
For the Lebanese spice mix:
4 parts ground cinnamon
1 part ground cloves
1 part chilli powder
1 part ground cardamom
Greek-style yoghurt or tahini to serve
lemon wedges, to serve
To make the dough, mix the yeast in a jug with a spoonful of the flour and a small amount of water to make a paste. Stir in 150ml lukewarm water, and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the oil and yeast mixture, and mix together. Gradually add another 150ml lukewarm water until incorporated. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 15 minutes until shiny and elastic. Form into a ball, and place in a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with cling film or a clean cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours until it doubles in size.
To make the topping, heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweat over a brisk heat for 4 minutes until soft but without too much colour. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half. Hold one of the tomato halves with the skin side in the palm of your hand. Using a large grater, grate the flesh of the tomato. (This is a great way of making tomato pulp without having to blanch and peel the tomatoes; the skin stays in your hand to be discarded.) Set aside.
Add the lamb to the onion mixture, and saute for 4-5 minutes until browned and broken up. Season with the ground coriander, spice mix and a good amount of salt and pepper. Add the grated tomato pulp, tomato puree, pomegranate molasses and sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes or until any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the pine nuts, fresh coriander and parsley. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to suit your taste. Remove from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool. While the mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7. Break the dough into 15-20 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into rounds or oval shapes on a floured work surface. Lightly spread the meat and pine-nut filling onto the rolled pastry, leaving a border around the edge. Place the pizzas on an oiled baking tray, and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve immediately, with a little yoghurt or tahini spooned over the top, or served with a wedge of lemon.
Fairly easy
Flatbread
Bolani is a delicious flaky flatbread, which is originally from Afghanistan.
Makes 6-8
500g plain flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
150ml olive oil, plus extra for cooking
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, and add the eggs, olive oil and 250ml water. Bring together to make a ball of dough. Knead on a floured work surface for 10-15 minutes until very soft and elastic. Roll the dough into balls, each roughly the size of a tennis ball. Cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Oil the work surface and spread out one of the balls of dough, gently pulling the edges to stretch it as thin and wide as possible. Dust the surface with a little flour, and pleat the pastry over and over like a fan. Roll up this pleated piece of dough to make a curled ball. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. Leave to rest for another 15 minutes.
Heat a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Use your hands to pat a curled ball of dough into a circle 20cm in diameter. Add a little oil to the pan, and cook the flat disc of layered dough so that it is golden brown on each side. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
Serve the flatbread warm with dips such as hummus or tzatziki, or with pickles and yoghurt.
Foolproof
Sesame salad
Serves 4-6 1 garlic clove
large pinch of sea salt
100ml tahini paste
1 tbs white vinegar
3 cucumbers, cut into cubes
4 spring onions
30 flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
Crush the garlic with the salt until smooth. Add the tahini, and stir in the white vinegar until it has the consistency of yoghurt. Stir in the cucumber, spring onions, parsley and pepper. Add the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Fairly easy
Kebabs
I had this fantastic variation of spicy kofte, or kofte kebab, in Istanbul. In this version, I serve it with a white bean and tomato salad. The rich juicy meat was spiced with cumin and paprika, and studded with bright green pistachio nuts. The kebabs here are smaller than the traditional long kofte kebab, so you may need to cut down the bamboo skewers to size. Or simply make as small meatballs if you prefer, flattening them down once in the pan.
Serves 4-6 2 garlic cloves, halved
a little olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
500g lamb mince
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, picked and roughly chopped
handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
100g unsalted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
300g dried cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1/2 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped (stalks reserved)
3 tbs red wine vinegar
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice
To make the salad, soak the beans overnight in a large bowl of cold water. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Put into a large heavy pan, and cover with fresh cold water. Add the garlic, parsley stalks, and a splash of olive oil. Do not add salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes until the beans are soft with a bit of bite. Drain off the liquid. Add the vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and cumin to the beans and stir through. Season well with salt and pepper. Leave for about 20 minutes to absorb all the flavours. Add the tomato and parsley leaves just before serving.
To make the kebabs, soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes so they do not burn. Crush the garlic with a little salt to make a paste. Heat a little oil in a heavy pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onion for four minutes until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and cayenne, and fry for a couple of minutes until aromatic. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and leave to cool for five minutes. Add the mince, parsley, coriander and pistachio nuts. Season well.
Mould the lamb mixture onto one end of the skewer, making a cylinder of meat roughly half its length. Heat a little oil in a heavy pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the kofte kebabs in batches until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the salad and lots of fresh crusty bread.
Easy
Yoghurt dip
Labneh is an essential taste of the Middle East. It can be flavoured with crushed garlic, chilli, fresh mint, or made more substantial with chopped cucumber and tomato.
Serves 8 as part of a mezze
1 litre goat's or sheep's milk yoghurt
1 tsp salt
1 tbs olive oil
paprika or ground cumin to garnish
Put the yoghurt in a bowl with the salt. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Place a colander in the sink, and line with a clean fine-weave cloth such as muslin or cheesecloth, or even a new finely woven dishcloth. Pour in the yoghurt and tie the corners of the cloth around the tap. Allow the liquid to drain from the cloth for about 12 hours or overnight.
To serve, transfer to a serving bowl, mix the olive oil with the labneh and scatter a little paprika or cumin as a garnish. Eat as a dip with lots of fresh bread. Don't be deceived by the simple recipe and method; the flavour of the yoghurt is completely transformed.
· Taken from Street Food, by Tom Kime (Dorling Kindersley, 14.99). To order a copy for pounds 13.99 with free UK p&p go to theguardian.com/bookshop or call 0870 836 0875
