Syrian Fajitas(ish)


I was never a fan of fusion cuisine. I am still to try a fusion dish that tastes better or even comparable to its ancestors. Usually it is the flavour combinations that ruins the experience for me.

Personally I always found that fusion between two geographically close cuisines works better than two wide apart. May be because neighboring countries use similar ingredients so when you fuse the two cuisine, flavours don't come out of place.

So for somebody with such views to post a fusion recipe is a bit hypocritical, but I really love this dish and felt obliged to share it with you.

The recipe is definitely more Syrian than it is Mexican. The flavours and ingredients combinations is Syrian while the style and cooking methods is Mexican. I am not sure if that qualifies as fusion cuisine strictly speaking. See and judge by yourself.


Here is my Syrian Fajitas recipe:
Beef steak 500g (I use Sirloin steak)
One red pepper
One yellow pepper
Large onion
Salt
Pepper 1/2tsp
Paprika 1tsp
Chilli powder 1/2tsp
Allspice 1/2tsp
Dijon mustard 1tsp
Vegetable oil

Parsley and Onion Salad
One red onion
Parsley 70g
Juice of half a lemon

Tahini Sauce
Tahini 4tbsp
Juice of half a lemon
Salt
Water

Two large tomatoes

8 Tortillas



Start by slicing the steak into this strips. Marinade for an hour if you have time in all the spices, salt and a little olive oil. Slice the onion and peppers into similar size strips. Heat a large frying pan or wok until very hot. Start by frying the onion in a small amount of vegetable oil for a couple of minutes. Don't over cook as the vegetables need to be a bit crunchy. Add the meat and continue to cook then add the peppers and cook for another couple of minutes.

While waiting for the meat to marinade prepare the sides.

Chop the parsley and slice the red onion very thinly. Mix together with the lemon juice.

Add the tahini, lemon juice to a bowl and start mixing with a spoon. The mixture will become stiff and light in colour. Add a little water and mix again. Add the water small amount at a time until the mixture loosens to the consistency you want. It needs to be fairly loose but not water-runny. Add salt to taste.

Thinly slice the tomatoes. Warm the tortillas.

Serve the meat and all the side dishes and the warm tortillas. Guests can make their own wraps on the table. This recipe is enough for four people.


11 comments:

Sarah said...

I enjoy fusion cuisine especially if it combines traditional flavors in unusual ways, and not random flavor combinations. Food for me needs to have a place and history. Mexican and Syrian fusion work because it has similar flavor profiles - warm spices and fresh green salads.Your roll looks like a typical "lafa", even if it is made with a tortilla.

Kano said...

@Sarah

May be I need to experement mor with fusion cooking. The results might be surprising as it was here.

Sana Hurzuk said...

Excellent idea! I was making grilled chicken fajitas last night for dinner when I opened your blog and saw this. I changed it to this using the chicken and Tahini Sauce in Pita bread.. umm!!

tasteofbeirut said...

Great idea for a quick fajitas meal!

Kano said...

@Sana Hurzuk
Great to hear that. How did the tahini sauce work with the chicken? Traditionally tahini sauce is used with fish and red meat while garlic sauce (toum) accompanies chicken.

@tasteofbeirut
Thanks!

Victor E. Sasson said...

Kano, you have been so busy in the kitchen recently. Wonderful recipes, though I haven't had meat for months. The fusion dish is spot on. In Mexico City, tacos al pastor were inspired by Lebanese immigrants. The Mexicans broil pork on vertical spits topped with a fresh, peeled pineapple (think shawarma), then slice off meat and fruit into a small corn tortilla, add onion and cilantro and serve them with two or three wonderfully spicy salsas. An order usually includes three tacos. El Califa (The Caliph) is one of the best spots for taco al pastor.

Kano said...

@Victor E. Sasson

I never heard of tacos el pastor before! very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I'm Australian with Egyptian blood and we love Fajitas, burritos and all things South American - Thanks, its so nice to have a break from the mundane somtimes!

Kano said...

@anonymous

Welcome to my blog.

I do hope you give this one a go. It is very different but very nice.

Anonymous said...

Am an Indian brought up in middle east,Dubai.me and family love arabic food a lot.thank you soo much for such a good blog,keep it up and going.
I am expecting the recipe for manakeesh in your next posts.
thank u..........)

Kano said...

@anonymous

Thank you very much for the nice words. I hope you try many recipes. I will try to do Manakeesh soon.

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