Ingredients

• 1.5 lb beef (flank, skirt, or sirloin) or veal, sliced very thin against the grain Veal is the traditional gus meat; pick a fattier cut
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1 lemon (+ 1 tbsp white vinegar, optional)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Spice blend: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika, ¾ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp allspice, ½ tsp cardamom, ½ tsp clove, ¼ tsp cayenne Or swap ~2 tsp baharat (7-spice) for the warm spices
• 1 tsp salt
• To serve: Iraqi samoon or flatbread, amba (pickled-mango sauce), torshi/pickles, onions tossed with sumac, tomato, parsley

Method

1. Slice the meat very thin, against the grain. In a glass (non-reactive) bowl, whisk the oil, lemon, optional vinegar, garlic, and all the spices with the salt. Toss the meat and sliced onion through it.
2. Marinate cold for about 2 hours — don’t go much past that with a lemon marinade, or the acid starts to break the meat down. For an older, more tender style, marinate overnight in 1 cup plain yogurt plus the same aromatics instead.
3. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle until very hot and add a little oil. Sear the meat in a single, uncrowded layer so it caramelizes instead of steaming — work in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply browned at the edges. Don’t use the oven; the hard sear is the whole point.
4. Pile into warm samoon or flatbread with amba, pickles, sumac onions, tomato, and parsley — or serve on a platter with the bread and pickles alongside.