Lahme Bi Karaz (لحم بالكرز) : Meatballs in Cherry Sauce

Flavours are incredible, and what excites me more than simple flavours (or singular flavours), as I like to call them, is dynamic and complimentary flavours; flavours that light the pallet up and engage more than one taste centre. Sweet and sour, hot and tangy, salt and peppery, creamy and fizzy, there are so many good examples. Well known to the western eaters is turkey and cranberry and the way it pairs so finely. Complimentary flavour pairing has always excited me and my tastebuds alike. Growing up nearby a local sandwich shop, my go-to sandwich of choice was the Tuna Apple (Mitchell’s: TUNA & APPLE for $10.25: Tuna Salad, Swiss Cheese and Granny Smith Apple .mmm!!) because of the incredible flavours of the meaty tuna, and the tart green apple between two beds of fluffy turmeric loaf! I have always had a soft spot in my heart, and on my tongue for impeccable flavour pairing. The element of food that relates to flavours and pairing flavours is arguably my most faviorite part of cooking itself. It is the best expression of food science and gastronomy ever! Just as a heartbeat keeps us alive, I believe dynamism in flavour is what keeps food alive.

A traditional Syrian dish from Aleppo, named Lahme Bi- Karaz (لحم بالكرز) is the epitome of flavour pairing, and a delicacy may I add! The dish is an orderly one, comprised of gently flavoured lamb or beef meatballs lathered and bathed in a tart yet sweet cherry sauce and is an all time favourite dish of mine. The dish is served on a bed of pita bread cut out into triangles (for scoop-ability purposes), topped with a generous amount of chopped parsley. This communal meal is eaten with the hands and is made to be shared with many. Placed at the epicentre of a table or rug, this meal brings everyone together to enjoy a tastebud explosion!  

A mother knows best, and in the recent two weeks (overlapping Valentines Day, no coincidence that cherries are the fruit of love), I helped my mom prepare Lahme Bi-Karaz for us all to enjoy:

Time: 25-30 min
Recipe (serves ~ 4 humans) 

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

Ingredients

Cherry Sauce: 

¼ cup to ½ cup Granulated sugar

1-2 jars Pitted marlow cherries (or sour cherries) (I found these online and at Walmart: pitted cherries) —>

*2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice optional*

Kefta Kebab

1½ pound Beef kefta kebab** (Kefta is essentailly a prepared meatball blend of meat and spices (which vary from household to household)

1-2 tblsp Olive oil

1 tsp Arabic spice/pepper blend (known more commonly as sebaa baharat, or baharat)

Serve with

3-4 sheets Whole wheat pita bread

1 bunch fresh, chopped parsely

DIRECTIONS:

Part 1: Cherry Sauce

1. Begin by emptying the cherries into a blender (if you are looking for a tarty-er taste, you may want to rinse the cherries from the syrup, and add your own amount of sugar when cooking if you would like).

2. Once the cherries are blended into an even, semi-thick liquid, pour the cherry mix into a pot and bring to a gentle boil (on low-medium for a few minutes).

3. Once the cherry sauce has been gently boiled and begins to bubble, you can taste the cherry sauce and add sugar if desired. I usually add about 1/4 cup of sugar to bring down the tartness and balance the flavours. You may also add some lemon juice to break the acidity of the cherries at this stage too.

4. Turn your stove down to low heat, to keep the cherry sauce at a low heat to thicken. Next, prepare the meatballs.

Part 2: Meat Balls

1. Roll prepared kefta kebab meat into 1.5 inch balls

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide/open pan on med-high heat, and add the meatballs to the oil to cook (approx 8-10 min)

3. Once the meatballs are fully browned and cooked through, turn the heat off. They are ready to be added to the cherry sauce.

4. Add the meatballs to the pot of sauce, and bring back to a gentle boil for ~5 min , so the sauce can incorperate with the meat.

Part 3: Plating and Presentation

1. With a pair of clean kitchen scissors, cut the pita bread circle into even sized triangles (equilateral, so that there is enough surface area to scoop the sauce and meatballs)

2. In a shallow (between 1-3 inches deep) but wide plating bowl, lay the pita bread traingles in a circluar fashion, pointy sides of the triagles pointed up and lining the plate.

3. Gently pour the cherry - meatball sauce on the bread so the bread can absorb the flavours.

4. Garnish generously with the chopped parsely and serve!

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Don’t hesitate to use your hands to dig into this flavourful dish, using your bread (and maybe a spoon) to break a part the tender meatballs. Your tastebuds will thank me later :)

I would love to hear about what you thought of this recipe if you prepare it -  let me know in the comments below! 

**To keep things simple, I usually purchase pre-blended kefta kebab from our local butcher shop. Any medeteranian/halal shop should know what you are looking for when you ask for Kefta kebab.