Ingredients:
- 1 pound lamb or beef thin steaks (see directions)
- 5 cloves mashed garlic
- 1/4- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- The choice of steak is very important for this dish. Syrians eat their meat well-done, so you need a very tender cut of lamb to get the best results. Ask your butcher to cut it into thin steaks (about 1/2-1 cm) or just like Philly steaks. If lamb is not a choice, get a tender cut of beef and follow the tips in this recipe.
- When you have tender lamb thin steaks, sprinkle them with some salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet and sauté the steaks on medium heat for 2-4 minutes on each side until well done. You can prepare them in batches, just do not overwhelm the skillet.
- Meanwhile, mix together lemon juice, mashed garlic and a pinch of salt.
- With all steaks in skillet, add the lemon-garlic mixture all at once. You should hear it sizzle right away; hence they’re named “Quenched steaks” or Sharhat Mtafay. Make sure the mixture gets to all steaks. Turn off the heat in two minutes and serve immediately.
- Now if you’re using beef steaks or less tender lamb steaks, you need to do one extra step. After sautéing the steaks, add 1/2 cup of water or stock to the skillet, turn the heat to very low, cover, and leave for 30 minutes until all liquid evaporates. Then proceed to the next step.
- Serve with flat bread or fries and Syrian Everyday Salad salad or Tabouli Salad.