Lahmahjun - Indian Style

My first job out of college was in midtown Manhattan and opened up a whole new world of food for me.  During those years, I was able explore so many cuisines and restaurants and thus began my love for food.  My boss was of Armenian heritage and had also lived in Egypt and France and introduced me to foods that I'd never even heard of.  Every year, her mother would visit from California and would make something called Lahmahjun (pronounced Lach-maa-joon).  It is a thin flat bread topped with a thin layer of ground lamb, tomatoes and spices.  It was delicious and something I will always remember.

Thirty years later, as I planned my annual holiday party menu, I thought of the lahmahjun and decided to give it a try, but with my own twist of course.  During a two hour drive for work the following week, I came up with this recipe which modifies the original into a more Indian version.  It was a huge hit, but I couldn't give out the recipe because I had just made it up in my head as I went along.  So, I made it again the following week for another dinner and this time wrote down the recipe.  With success a second time around, I decided it was a keeper and worth posting

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb (you can substitute beef or chicken also)

1 medium red onion grated

2 -3 cloves garlic mashed to a paste

1 inch piece of ginger grated

2 thai green or red chiles finely chopped (seeds can be removed for less heat)

2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp finely chopped mint

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala (I make my own but store bought is fine too)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

10 tandoori naan (available at Indian markets but can also substitute pocket-less Greek pitas)

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the naan and mix well.  With a spoon spread a thin layer of ground lamb mix onto each naan and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and cut into strips and serve with a cucumber & yogurt raita or with a small dollop on plain yogurt.  If you prefer a more crispy result, bake for an addiitonal 5 minutes. 

Unfortunately I took no photos of my dish but here's a photo of traditional Lahmahjun so you have an idea of how it looks.  Enjoy!!