Sajiyeh

ByReem Kassis

Published July 14, 2021

Sajiyeh — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 4(277)
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 betweennaan andflour tortillas, so either of those would be a good substitute, as wouldpita.

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

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit:Give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.Learn more.
Subscribe
Share this recipe
Print this recipe
Include recipe photo

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

Preparation

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Similar Recipes

Ratings

4 out of 5

277 user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Prakash Nadkarni4 years ago

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.

Professor XYZ7 months ago

I watched Levantine friends make their version of this dish over an open fire under the shade of an oak tree in the middle of an olive grove. They used a mixture of beef and lamb and several diced tomatoes instead of so much water. We ate it with our hands straight from the wok-like pot they cooked it in using pieces of fresh spongy pita bread to scoop up bite after succulent bite.

Madhura1 year ago

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

rhiannon3 years ago

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.

Private comments are only visible to you.