AI-generated image
Rokak bel lahma (Eid meat pie)
Rokak: paper-thin dry pastry sheets layered with spiced minced beef, soaked in broth and baked crisp
EgyptianWhen Eid comes round, Egyptian shops stack up rounds of rokak, a very thin, brittle unleavened pastry baked on a hot dome, and cooks turn them into this layered pie for the family lunch. Each sheet is moistened with hot meat broth and a little ghee, layered with beef mince fried with onion, then baked until the top crackles and the inside turns tender and savoury, somewhere between a pie and a lasagne. It is cut into squares and served with rice, salad and pickles. If you cannot find rokak, sheets of filo baked dry for a few minutes are the nearest substitute. Chef's tip: soak each layer just enough to soften it; too much broth makes a heavy, soggy pie, and too little leaves dry shards, the mistake most people make the first time.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 ⅓ lb beef mince
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the layers
- 1 ⅛ lb rokak pastry sheetsor filo baked dry at 180 °C for 4 minutes
- 2 ½ cups hot beef stockor chicken stock
- 3 ½ oz gheemelted, or butter
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions for 6 minutes until soft.
6 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅓ lb beef mince and cook over a high heat, breaking it up, until no pink is left, the meat is browned and the liquid has evaporated. Minced beef must reach 160°F.
10 minStep 3: Season with ½ tsp ground allspice, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper and leave to cool slightly.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Mix 2 ½ cups hot beef stock with half of 1 ¾ oz ghee and keep it hot. Brush a 30 cm round tin with ghee.
Step 5: Lay a sheet of 1 ⅛ lb rokak pastry sheets in the tin (break it to fit), and spoon over enough hot broth to soften it, about 3–4 tablespoons a sheet. Repeat until you have used half the pastry.
Step 6: Spread the meat evenly over the pastry, then cover with the remaining sheets, moistening each one with broth in the same way.
Step 7: Drizzle the rest of 1 ¾ oz ghee over the top sheet, leaving it a little drier than the rest so it bakes crisp.
Step 8: Bake for 35–40 minutes until the top is golden and crackling and the edges bubble. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
40 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rokak bel lahma (Eid meat pie) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moist banana bread
The blacker the bananas, the better the loaf. This one is mixed in a single bowl with melted butter and a little brown sugar, so it's soft, deeply banana-y and keeps well for days.
American
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Tarte au sucre lilloise
In Lille and across the Nord, a sugar tart is not pastry at all but a flat round of soft brioche dough, dimpled and covered with brown cassonade sugar, butter and a little egg and cream, which bakes into a sticky, caramelised top over a fluffy base. Families buy it from the boulangerie for Sunday breakfast and goûter, or bake one when guests come for coffee. The Nord's own beet sugar, vergeoise, gives it a deep, almost molasses flavour; soft dark brown sugar is the closest swap. Chef's tip: press deep dimples into the risen dough with your fingertips before adding the topping; the sugar and cream collect in them and bake into little pools of caramel.
French