Name: Meat and Tomato Stir Fry
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 500 g meat fillet (lamb or beef); tiny pinch 7 spice; tiny pinch turmeric; small pinch paprika; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 1 large onion or 2 small (sliced into strips); 1 bell pepper (any colour, chopped); ½ thai chilli (finely chopped); small handful plum tomatoes or 3 tomatoes; neutral oil; salt to taste (approx ½ teaspoon in total)

There is a time and place for slow cooking and there is a time and place for a quick and flaming spicy high heat stir fry.

This spicy Lebanese meat and tomato stir fry is known as an '2alayeh' which roughly translates to a fry up or a stir fry.

You don't want the onions and peppers to melt into the meat, you want them robust and keeping their shape with a little char at the edges.

This dish was so delicious and hearty I can't explain.

It also uses many of the same ingredients as samke harra (spicy fish), which I would definitely give a go if you are a spice lover.

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Ingredients
Instructions
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Ingredients

I've used lamb fillet as it's more tender, although of course you can use beef or veal meat.

I cut the meat into little bitesize chunks, and keep them quite thin as they will fry faster.

I season the meat with minimal spice, a tiny pinch of 7-spice (less than quarter of a teaspoon), another of turmeric, paprika, and around a ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.

This is one of those 5-ingredient one pot recipes without trying, and it only needs the following:

onions - I use a very large one or 2 small/medium ones
peppers - you can use any colour, any variety
meat - I prefer lamb over beef
chilli - I use half a thai chilli also known as a birds eye chilli
tomatoes - you can use 2-3 tomatoes or a small handful of plum tomatoes

You could also add a little cilantro (fresh coriander) but I didn't this time, just because.

Instructions

If stir fry dishes are your thing you will know that the key is to prep all the veg beforehand so they go straight into the pan.

Get the pan nice and hot with some neutral oil, and start with the onions, then the peppers, then add the meat and chilli, and finally the tomatoes.

Each time you add an ingredient sauté for a few minutes on medium high heat then bring all together.

Season with a little salt as you go along, taste before you switch off the heat and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Slice up your veggies

Chop up your meat

Stir fry veg with meat

Add tomatoes, finish off.

Top Tips

I've used a cast iron deep pan which retains heat very well and can also go in the oven to finish off cooking. This dries it a little and adds another dimension of flavour.

I've seen people put the dish into a hot wood fired oven or pizza oven to finish it off too which looks sensational.

You could also use a wok if you prefer as it is a stir fry after all.

If you like a little bit of heat, use half the thai chilli. Otherwise put the whole thing in if you can handle it.

This dish tastes very good the next day too, simply heat up by adding a dash of water and simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes.

meat and tomato stir fry with peppers and chilli

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5 from 1 vote