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Egyptian goulash
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Egyptian Goulash - Phyllo meat pie

Egyptian goulash- a traditional meat pie made with a savory ground meat and onion filling laced with warm spices and nestled between layers of crispy, buttery phyllo dough.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: African, Egyptian, North African
Keyword: ground meat, phyllo

Equipment

  • 1 silicon brush for brushing ghee
  • 1 9x13 inch baking dish

Ingredients

For the meat filling

  • 1 TBS ghee or oil
  • 1.5 lbs ground lamb or beef or a combination of the two
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 TBS tomato paste
  • 2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
  • 1 TBS baharat / Lebanese 7 spice or substitute with allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 TBS pine nuts optional
  • sprinkly parsley minced, optional

For the goulash

  • 1 lb phyllo dough thawed according to directions
  • 3/4 cup ghee, melted, OR or 1/2 cup melted butter plus 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

For the meat filling

  • In a shallow frying pan, heat 1 TBS ghee or oil over high heat. Add ground meat and sear until it begins to brown.
  • Turn heat down to medium and add onions, stirring occasionally, until they soften. About 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and tomato paste. Continue stirring for about 3 minutes.
  • Add salt and spices and fry a few minutes more until spices become fragrant.
  • Taste meat mixture and adjust salt and other seasoning as necessary.
  • Turn off heat and add pine nuts and minced parsley, if using.
    meat filling for goulash

Assembling the goulash

  • Remove phyllo dough from package and lay out on counter. Do not leave it uncovered as it will dry out quickly. Cover with a slightly dampened kitchen towel. If the sheets are becoming too damp, put a layer or plastic wrap or parchment paper between the dough and the towel.
    Phyllo dough covered with slightly damp towel
  • Take a 9 x 13 inch backing dish, and brush the bottom and sides lightly with melted ghee or butter and oil mixture.
  • Add a layer of 2-3 phyllo dough sheets and press into the pan.
  • Brush with a light coating of ghee/ butter all over. Fold in any excess dough.
    fold in extra phyllo
  • Add more layers of 2-3 sheets, in the same manner, brushing with ghee between each.
  • Once you have used half of your phyllo sheets, add your meat mixture in an even layer spread over the phyllo.
    meat layer of your goulash
  • Then, commence laying the rest of your phyllo. When you get to the last layer, take care to make it neat, either by tucking the excess into the sides of the pan, or by folding or cutting to size of pan.
  • Brush top layer with ghee/ butter mix, and cut into pieces, making sure the knife goes all the way through the bottom of the pastry.
    After brushing your top layer with ghee, cut into pieces using a sharp knife. Make sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Then, pour eggwash over the goulash. Tilt the pan in all directions to make sure the eggwash gets into all the cuts and crevices.
  • In a small bowl or measuring cup, beat your egg. Add cup of milk and pinch of salt and whisk until fully incorporated.
  • Pour over goulash. Tilt the pan in all directions to ensure the milk mixture runs between the cuts and the sides of the pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven until crispy and golden brown, approximately 40 minutes.

Notes

While working with phyllo dough, always keep covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.