As part of the Cookbook Festival running until November 30th, we're spotlighting exceptional titles like Sabrina Ghayour's SIMPLY. With our expertise in curating top culinary books, Santé is delighted to share this standout recipe.
Craving fresh dinner ideas? Bestselling author Sabrina Ghayour delivers vibrant Middle Eastern dishes in SIMPLY. Get a taste with this irresistible recipe:
Marinated Steak with Labneh, Pul Biber Butter & Fried Onions
Inspired by the iconic Turkish Iskender kebab, this dish from Ghayour combines tender marinated steak, creamy labneh, and fiery pul biber butter for a simple yet explosive flavor profile. Pair with soft flatbread to scoop up every bite.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 450-500 g loin steak, 2 cm thick, without fat and in 2.5 cm cubes
- 1 full tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 75 g butter
- 2 full tsp pul biber (Turkish chili flakes, e.g. Turkish supermarket)
- 400 g labneh or drained Greek yogurt*
- a large handful of ready-to-use fried onions
- 2-3 sprigs of dill, very finely chopped
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Allow the steak to come to room temperature before cooking.
- Put the cubes of meat in a mixing bowl, add the dried mint, garlic granules, cumin powder, celery salt and a generous amount of pepper and toss well. Pour in the olive oil. Let the meat marinate for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Fry the steak cubes for 1 minute on each side, transfer to a small plate and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Turn off the heat and wipe the skillet clean with kitchen paper. Place the pan on low heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the pul biber into the pan, stir until the butter turns red and remove the pan from the heat.
- Distribute the labneh over a large bowl. Remove the steak from the plate with a slotted spoon, let the moisture drain off and arrange the cubes on the labneh or yogurt. Pour the pulbiber butter over the meat. Sprinkle with the fried onions and finally the dill and serve immediately.
* The day before you are going to serve this dish, mix the Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of sea salt flakes and scoop this onto a cheesecloth. Let the yogurt drain overnight in the refrigerator over a bowl.
SIMPLY
In SIMPLY, acclaimed chef Sabrina Ghayour shares over 100 effortless Middle Eastern recipes for everyday cooking. Building on the success of her bestsellers Persiana and Bazaar, she delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort—from light snacks and aromatic mains to indulgent desserts, including vegetarian and vegan options with authentic Persian twists. Casual, flavorful, and truly simple.
