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Lahmacun

A pita topped with seasoned ground beef, onions, and tomatoes, baked until cooked.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Lahmacun

Oven400°F
Time20–30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the topping

  1. Peel, wash, place onions with tomatoes in a food processor and grind.

  2. Add salt, black pepper and meat, grind 30 seconds more.

Assemble and bake

  1. With the help of a spoon spread this mixture over pitas.

  2. Put them in oven and bake at 400°F for about 20–30 minutes.

  3. Check to see whether meat is cooked.

Serve

  1. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

322Calories
28 gProtein
15 gFat
16 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground beef
Provides the savory, meaty base of the topping and adds fat that carries flavor.
White onion
Adds moisture and sharp aromatic flavor that mellows as it bakes.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity that keep the topping juicy and balanced.
Pitas
Act as the thin base that crisps and holds the topping during baking.

The step that matters

Checking that the meat is cooked. Ground meat can stay pink in the centre while the thin pita browns quickly. Checking that the meat is cooked through ensures food safety, since ground beef must reach a safe internal temperature throughout.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, tomato, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Potatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, tomato, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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