Egyptian beef shawarma sandwiches in the style of Abou Haidar

Freeze the beef about an hour to firm it, slice into steaks about 1 cm thick, stack and cut across the short side into strips.

Grate the onion, or roughly chop it and blend it to a fine pulp.

Zest the lemon and the orange with a microplane and add to the onion pulp.

Season with salt, a good amount of black pepper, sumac and a little baharat; add a good glug of white vinegar and mix.

Mix the beef with the marinade until every piece is coated. Marinate 30 to 60 minutes for ribeye; tough cuts 3 to 12 hours or overnight.

Put the meat and all the marinade in a large lidded pot (or a slow cooker) and level it; nestle in two jalapenos and a plum tomato.

Bring to a steamy boil on high, then turn down to low. Add a small amount of lamb tail fat if using, cover and cook on medium-low.

Cook half an hour to two hours depending on the cut, until fork tender, adding 15-minute stretches as needed and keeping liquid in the pot so it does not burn.

For the tahini sauce, combine tahini and yogurt, thin with water and add lemon juice; adjust the water until super creamy, then season with salt, black pepper, cumin and a little chilli powder.

Slice the red onion into strips, massage with a little salt and sumac to wilt it and separate the layers, and let it sit about 15 minutes.

Remove the thick stalks from a small bunch of parsley and chop it fairly small.

For a side salad, combine more of the macerated onions with sliced tomatoes and chopped parsley.

Uncover the meat and cook over medium heat about 15 minutes to cook off the excess liquid and brown.

Cut the heat and let cool about 10 minutes.

Stir in a couple of tablespoons of tahini sauce, most of the red onions and a large handful of the parsley.

Coat the inside of soft brioche buns with tahini sauce and fill with plenty of the shawarma.

Variation: serve in a bread roll with tahini sauce, a layer of the tomato salad, the shawarma and extra sauce.