Qawarma and Chickpea Pastries

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 1 kg plain (all-purpose) flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• Water for the dough, as needed
• How to make the dough:
• Filling:
• 500 g chickpeas (soaked in water overnight)
• 3 medium onions
• 2 to 4 tablespoons qawarma, to taste
• A pinch of seven-spice mix
• A pinch of ground cinnamon
• A pinch of cumin
• Qawarma meat*
• *Qawarma:
• 1 kg rendered animal fat (e.g., tallow or sheep fat)
• 500 g coarsely ground meat
• 1 tablespoon salt
• How to make qawarma:
• This traditional recipe for qawarma and chickpea pastries comes from our friend and cook on Shou Tabkhin Al-Youm:
• Hanadi Al-Ayas
• Click Hanadi’s name to visit her page on our site and discover her delicious recipes.
• For more traditional recipes from Hanadi, see Lentil Mutabbal

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients together, then gradually add water as needed and knead well.
2. Let the dough rest for one hour.
3. Wash the chickpeas and drain them, then grind them using an electric grinder or food processor and set aside.
4. Finely chop the onions, then fry them over the heat with a little vegetable oil and stir together with the qawarma until the fat melts. Add the ground chickpeas and continue stirring until the chickpeas are cooked.
5. Add the salt and spices and stir. Leave the filling on the heat for a while, stirring constantly.
6. When the filling is cooked, roll out the dough on a clean surface with a rolling pin and cut into circles.
7. Place a little filling inside each circle, then fold or seal them well.
8. Deep-fry the qawarma and chickpea pastries in plenty of hot vegetable oil and serve hot.
9. Heat the fat until about three-quarters of it has melted.
10. Add the meat and stir from time to time.
11. When the meat is cooked, add the salt and continue stirring until the fat bubbles or foams.
12. Turn off the heat and keep stirring so it doesn’t boil over on the stove.
13. Let the qawarma cool, then store it in tightly sealed glass jars. Refrigerate after opening.
14. Fry qawarma with eggs or use it in cooking as a substitute for fresh meat.