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Eggah bi Lahma

This substantial omelet can be served as a main dish accompanied by salad.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound lean ground beef or veal
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cumin
6 eggs
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large potato, chopped or grated (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large, preferably nonstick skillet, fry the onion in 3 tablespoons oil until golden. Add the ground meat, crush it with a fork, and stir and turn it over for about 8–10 minutes, until it changes color, adding salt and pepper and the spices.

    Step 2

    Beat the eggs lightly. Drain off any fat through a sieve from the meat and onion, then add them to the eggs along with the parsley. Add the potato, if you like, and mix well.

    Step 3

    Heat the remaining oil in the cleaned skillet. Pour in the egg mixture, reduce the heat to as low as possible, and cover with a lid. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the eggs have set and only the top is still runny. Put the frying pan under a hot broiler until the top is firm and lightly browned.

    Step 4

    Turn out and serve hot or cold, cut into wedges like a cake.

  2. Variation

    Step 5

    Use a boiled and mashed potato instead of a chopped or grated one.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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