If you’re interested in Middle Eastern cuisine (or simply want to try something new), then you got to try Sajiyeh. Sajiyeh is a Jordanian beef skillet, made of bite-size pieces of meat and vegetables. It’s a traditional Jordanian dish that is very popular in Jordan, but not well known beyond the Middle East.
Let me show you my recipe for Jordanian Sajiyeh that is easy and quick to prepare at home.
Contents
What is Sajiyeh?
Sajiyeh is a Jordanian skillet made of bite-size meat pieces (usually beef or chicken) and vegetables. Traditionally, this dish is often prepared outdoors, over a wooden or charcoal grill. It’s usually prepared in a Saj (a pan that is similar to a wok or cast-iron pan). The preparation in a saj pan is where the dish gets its name from Sajiyeh. Cooking the meat and vegetables on an open fire adds a smoky flavor to the dish.
However, Sajiyeh also tastes wonderful when prepared at home, in a regular skillet and on a regular stove. That’s what I’m going to show you in this recipe. What’s important to know for the homemade version is that the dish has to be cooked on high heat at all times (as opposed to other meat dishes which usually require medium heat).
The beef skillet is traditionally served with bread. It’s usually served with Saj bread, a very thin wheat flour bread. Classic Middle Eastern flatbread, pita bread, tortillas, naan or lavash bread will work just as well. You could also serve the skillet with rice.
Sajiyeh Ingredients
To make beef Sajiyeh, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Beef: Most cuts of boneless beef work for this recipe. Sirloin (entrecôte) yields the best result for this dish.
- Bell peppers (capsicum): Bell peppers are traditionally added to Sajiyeh. You can use any color here, or go for a bit of all colors.
- Onion: A regular yellow onion.
- Tomato: Tomato for the sauce (e.g. Roma tomato).
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves (not powder or paste)
- Ghee: Ghee is essentially clarified butter. You can find it at any Middle Eastern or Indian market, as well as many conventional grocery stores.
- Seasonings: To season, we’ll only need salt and pepper and optionally smoked paprika or Seven Spice. Traditionally, this dish doesn’t contain many spices. More on that later in this video.
Note: Quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this recipe and can be adjusted according to the amount of servings you’d like to make.
How to Make Sajiyeh (Step-by-Step)
Ready to get cooking? Let’s get started! You’ll find the detailed step-by-step instructions below. For a shorter version (to print out), simply scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Start by preparing your vegetables. Peel the onion, cut it into halves and cut each half into thin slices. You could also cut it into large cubes, thick slices or finely dice it – it’s a matter of preference.
Peel the garlic cloves. For this beef skillet, I like to cut the cloves into thin slices. This will yield a beautiful taste and texture. You could also crush them with a mortar and pestle instead.
Next, let’s chop our tomato which will add to a flavorful base for our skillet. Remove the core and then finely dice the tomato. I don’t peel my tomato, but you could do so if you prefer.
Last but not least, we’ll chop our bell peppers. Trim off the stem end, remove the core, cut the bell peppers into half and chop into thin slices or cubes. I like to use a combination of different colors, to have a more varied flavor profile and a colorful dish. My favorites are red and yellow, but green would work just as well.
Once all veggies are chopped, set aside while you prepare the meat.
Step 2: Prepare the meat
Place the beef on a cutting board and cut it into thin slices or bite-sized cubes. To ensure tender meat, cut against the grain. This helps the meat stay juicy.
Step 3: Fry garlic
To replicate the authentic Sajiyeh (which is usually prepared outdoors on open fire), I use a wok-style pan when making this on the stove. A flat skillet will also work.
Heat a generous tablespoon of ghee in a large pan over high heat. Once the ghee has melted, add the garlic. Fry for about 10-15 seconds, just until the aroma is released. Be careful not to burn the garlic, it should be fried very briefly.
By the way, I like to use ghee for this recipe, which is clarified butter. It adds to the taste and is suitable for frying at high temperatures. Olive oil is the traditional choice for most dishes that are cooked at moderate temperatures, such as most soups, stews and rice dishes. However, for frying and cooking at high temperatures, ghee, sunflower oil or canola oil are a better choice.
Step 4: Sear the meat
Add the cut beef chunks to the pan, along with half of the salt and pepper. Sear the meat for 1-2 minutes to brown it on all sides. The goal is to create a nice caramelized exterior. The meat should not be fully cooked at this stage.
Step 5: Add vegetables and seasonings
Once the meat is seared, it’s time to add the chopped bell peppers. Mix well to combine with meat and garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes until the peppers start to soften but remain slightly crispy.
Add the chopped tomato, the remaining salt and pepper and smoked paprika if using. Mix everything together and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. The tomato will beautifully blend with the ghee and the juice of meat and vegetables. This creates a super flavorful sauce for our Sajiyeh.
By the way, this beef skillet doesn’t contain a lot of seasonings, mostly just salt and pepper. The dish gets its flavor from the sauce and the smokey flavor, if cooked outdoors. That’s why I add some smoked paprika when making it on the stove, to get some additional flavor.
Finally, add onion slices and fold them into the skillet. I add the onion slices last, not with the garlic at the very beginning. That’s because we don’t want soft onions as with stews or soups, but we’d like to maintain the texture.
Step 6: Stir fry
Fry for another 3-4 minutes until the meat is cooked all the way through and the vegetables tender but still slightly crunchy. The exact cooking time depends on how much you’re making. A small quantity only needs a couple of minutes, while a large amount of servings needs longer and more stirring to cook evenly.
Step 7: Serve
Serve hot, immediately after cooking. See below for serving suggestions.
What to Serve with Sajiyeh?
Sajiyeh is traditionally served with bread. The most common variety is Saj bread, which is a very thin Middle Eastern bread. However, this type of bread is hard to find beyond the Middle East. You can use any other type of bread, such as the classic Middle Eastern flatbread, pita bread, tortillas or durum bread. Breads such as khubz tanoor (naan bread) also taste great with this beef skillet!
Instead of bread, you could also serve Sajiyeh with rice, e.g. plain white rice, Lebanese butter rice or yellow rice. Some people serve Sajiyeh with french fries, especially when served with other mezze dishes.
Serve the beef skillet with a simple green salad, or Fattoush salad. Plain yogurt, Labneh and Hummus go excellently with the beef skillet. Some people serve fresh lemon alongside to sprinkle on the meat.
Make Ahead & Storage
Sajiyeh tastes best right after it’s prepared. Serve it hot, right off the pan. If you’d like to prepare something ahead of time, you can cut all the vegetables and keep them ready. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. You can eat them with bread, rice or a salad.
Any Questions or Feedback?
If you liked this recipe, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. In case you’ve any questions or feedback, please leave me a comment (down the page). I’m happy to help you make delicious Middle Eastern food at home.
Learn Middle Eastern Cooking
Are you a new to Middle Eastern cuisine? Then this Middle Eastern cookbook is what you need! In addition to a varied choice of recipes, the cookbook offers plenty of insights on ingredients, cooking techniques and Middle Eastern food culture.
Sajiyeh (Jordanian Beef Skillet)
Ingredients
- 500 g sirloin beef boneless
- 2 bell peppers any color
- 1 onion yellow, medium
- 1 tomato
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp ghee or canola/sunflower oil
- 1 tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp pepper divided
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Start by preparing your vegetables. Peel the onion, cut into halves and then cut each half into thin slices. Peel the garlic and slice or finely chop. Core and finely chop the tomato. Core the bell peppers, cut into halves and cut into thin slices. Set aside the vegetables.
- Cut the beef into slices or bite-size cubes (preferably cut against the grain).
- Heat ghee (or canola/sunflower oil) in a large pan over high heat (wok-style pan or flat skillet). Once it’s heated, add the garlic to the pan and fry for about 10-15 seconds to release the flavor.
- Add the meat to the pan, along with half of the salt and pepper. Sear for 1-2 minutes until browned on all sides. The meat should be seared (browned on the outside) but not fully cooked before you add the vegetables.
- Now, add all chopped capsicum to the pan. Mix to combine. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomato, the remaining half of the salt as well as pepper and smoked paprika (optional). Mix to combine. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the onion slices and mix well. Stir fry for another 3-4 minutes until the meat is well-done and the vegetables are tender but still slightly crispy.
- Serve hot, immediately after cooking. Serve with fresh lemon, pita bread, hummus and a green salad of your choice. Rice or french fries as well as other mezze dishes make great sides for this skillet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is only a rough estimate and may vary depending on factors such as the cooking method, exact weight, type, and brand of ingredients used.
