Sajiyeh

By Reem Kassis

Published July 14, 2021

Sajiyeh
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(275)
Comments
Read comments

Eid al-Adha is synonymous with meat across the Arab world, and, for many, the bonanza starts at breakfast with different braised cuts. Lunch can be more elaborate, with charcoal grilled meats, a whole sheep roast in an underground oven or stuffed lamb. Sajiyeh, a simple Jordanian and Palestinian dish of bite-size pieces of meat, is cooked in a saj pan — which is similar to a wok or cast-iron pan — over a wooden or charcoal grill. Cooking over fire does add a certain smoky aroma, but this version made on the stovetop in a cast-iron skillet very closely approximates the flavor with a fraction of the effort, making it more accessible to home cooks. It is best eaten with saj bread, which falls somewhere between naan and flour tortillas, so either of those would be a good substitute, as would pita.

Featured in: The Menu Evolves for a Muslim Holiday Built Around Food

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • 3tablespoons olive oil
  • 1pound beef (such as sirloin, rib-eye, skirt steak or flank steak), cut into bite-size strips
  • 2½teaspoons Lebanese seven-spice blend (see Tip)
  • 1½teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1small red bell pepper, halved, cored and thinly sliced
  • 2jalapeños or 1 small green bell pepper, halved, cored and thinly sliced
  • Saj bread, pita, naan or flour tortillas, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan over medium until shimmering and hot, but not smoking. Add the strips of meat, spice blend and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring periodically, until all the released water evaporates and the meat starts to brown all over, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Once meat is browned, add ½ cup water, cover the pan, and cook until the water again evaporates and oil visibly releases, about 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat the process: Add another ½ cup water, cover, and cook until the water evaporates and oil releases.

  3. Step 3

    Add the onion, pepper, jalapeños and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, uncovered, tossing regularly, until the onions are browned and meat is starting to soften, about 4 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add another ½ cup water and cook for a final time, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water evaporates and you are left with a thick sauce coating the meat and vegetables, about 3 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Remove from heat and serve immediately with bread to scoop up the meat and gravy.

Tip
  • You can replace the seven-spice blend with ½ teaspoon each ground allspice, ground cinnamon and ground black pepper, plus ¼ teaspoon ground cumin and a few grates of nutmeg.

Ratings

4 out of 5
275 user ratings
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Comments

Prakash Nadkarni

The 7-spice recipe at feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/how-to-make-7-spice is pretty close to the "Tip": 2 parts each allspice, cinnamon & coriander seed; 1 part each cumin, black pepper, cloves & nutmeg. Grind only 3 months supply (max) at a time. 7-spice can sub for Indian garam masala (allspice replaces cardamom) and vice versa. An Instant-Pot version (Step 1 to brown meat, then add everything else to pot + 1 c. water total, 20-30 min pressure) is feasible even if you double the recipe.

Madhura

I added lemon zest and lemon juice for some brightness . A good weeknight dinner .

rhiannon

So I made this dish a few times the way the recipe said, and it just never turned out quite right and the meat was always tough. But my fiancé loved the flavors and still requested it for dinner so I made it my own way. Seasoned the meat now it says, and cooked till medium rare. Then removed. Cooked the veggies until mostly softened then added beef stock (maybe like 1 cup, 1/12 cups). Then I added a little more spice mixture, salt, and a cornstarch slurry. Mixed the meat back in and served.

Ummm?

How is the water supposed to evaporate if the pan is covered?

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