Description
Tantuni is a popular street food from Mersin, Turkey, featuring thinly sliced lamb cooked with spices and served in soft lavash or wheat tortilla wraps with a fresh tomato and onion salad. This recipe offers an authentic, easy-to-make version that brings the rich flavors of Turkish cuisine into your home in just 45 minutes.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb, preferably leg meat, trimmed of fat
- Water (enough to cover the meat by 2-3 cm)
- 100 g butter or cottonseed oil
- 2 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- 6 lavash or wheat tortilla wrap breads (about 30 cm / 12 in diameter)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients
- 400 g tomato, cut into wedges
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced into thin half moons
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley (Italian parsley), roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp sumac
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the meat: Slice the lamb into thin strips, similar to döner, or cut into small cubes depending on your preference. Place the meat into a large pot and cover with lightly salted water by 2-3 cm (about 1 inch). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the meat is fully tender, approximately 30 minutes, depending on slice thickness.
- Prepare the salad: While the meat is simmering, cut the tomatoes into wedges, slice the onion into thin half moons after halving, and roughly chop the parsley. Combine these and season with salt and sumac, setting aside for assembling the wraps.
- Brown the meat: Heat a large thick-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat and add half of the butter. Once melted, add half of the cooked lamb. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, half of the pul biber, and ground cumin. Stir well to coat evenly.
- Warm the bread and assemble: Place a lavash bread directly on top of the meat in the pan to warm and soak up some of the flavorful fats. Repeat with two more lavash breads. Remove each warmed bread (clean side down) and fill with the meat and salad to taste. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 70 °C (160 °F) oven while preparing the rest.
- Repeat for remaining portions: Repeat the browning and assembly steps with the remaining meat and lavash wraps. Alternatively, use separate pans to cook simultaneously for faster preparation.
Notes
- For authentic flavor, use pul biber (Aleppo pepper), which adds a mild heat and smoky flavor.
- If cottonseed oil is not available, butter or a neutral oil can be used for frying.
- Adjust the amount of spices and salt according to your taste preference.
- Keeping the prepared wraps warm in a low oven helps maintain their texture and flavor before serving.
- Lavash or tortilla wraps of about 30 cm diameter work best for easy folding and filling.
