Jerusalem Mixed Grill or Meorav Yerushalmi is one of the quintessential street foods in Jerusalem. It is said to have been invented in The Shuk, Machaneh Yehuda most notoriously by the restaurant, Hatzot, where you can still enjoy their creation.
Many places around Israel now have their own versions of the dish. Traditionally it is made with liver, heart, spleen and chicken thighs, but the dish is mostly about the seasoning. So feel free to use a mix of chicken thighs and breats if you prefer.
Mix up the spices and save the blend to simply grill up some chicken any night of the week. It is best served in a fluffy pita especially when you make your own. You will feel like you are in Israel when you take a bite of this sandwich.
Do you dare taste this classic Jerusalemite street food?
Video Credit: Pita oven shot from @BakingSteel
Jerusalem Mixed Grill
Servings
Ingredients
Jerusalem Mixed Grill Seasoning Blend
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric
- 1½ teaspoons cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- ⅜ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons curry powder
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4½ teaspoons sumac
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
Mixed Grill
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Jerusalem Mixed Grill Seasoning Blend
- 1 onion sliced
- ¼ pound kashered chicken hearts*
- ½ pound chicken thighs chopped
- ¼ pound kashered chicken liver*
- Tahini for garnish
- Parsley for garnish
Pita
- 4 cups flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
Pita
- Preheat oven to 500°F / 260°C.1. In a bowl, add flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt. Mix.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add warm water and oil. Mix until all the ingredients are combined well.
- Use your hands to form the dough and knead for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover in plastic wrap or a towel. Leave to rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Separate dough into 8 equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Flatten out with a rolling pin into a circle. Place on a sheet pan in hot oven. Bake for 5-7 mins (until lightly golden).
Jerusalem Grill Seasoning
- In a jar or bowl, mix together the cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, black pepper, ground cloves, ground chili powder, ground coriander, curry powder, minced garlic, sumac and kosher salt.
Mixed Grill
- Add olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the pre-mixed spices and stir. Add onion, chicken hearts and chicken thighs and stir. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly, which will take about 10 minutes.
- Add the koshered chicken livers and cook for a few more minutes, until hot. (Koshered chicken livers are pre-cooked).
- Slice off the top of the pita and open the pocket. Spread a spoonful of tahini inside followed by plenty of mixed grill and topped with parsley. Enjoy.
- *Click here to learn about kashering liver and hearts
Hi Suzanne!!! I am sorry to say I have not seen these cuts here with the mehadrin hasgacha. We actually shot this video in the states and special ordered everything from various suppliers. In Israel I am a big Fan of Benny’s Butcher in Beit Shemesh. Sorry again.
Hi Lynn
Thank you so so much for supporting us and buying almost all the spices. We put together this page https://jamiegeller.com/spice-collection/ when you click each spice collection you will a little more info about the spice and scroll down to recipes. A few of them don’t have as many recipes but we are working to add more and it will help give you an idea of the kinds of foods that go with each spice. In terms of the Jerusalem mixed grill spice it works amazing on simple grilled chicken or steak but also roast veggies like cauliflower. Please feel free to message us with any more questions and even more ideas for how you might like this information presented.
I have not tried this recipe as yet. I did try the chicken and Rice Za’atar recipe and loved it. I would love a guide as to which spice is good to use on which foods. I just received all the spices I ordered, I got all of them except the one for coffee. I will probably get that one too. I just wish I understood better how to use them. Thank you
Hi Jamie. As someone who lives in Israel and presumably buys mehadrin, can you advise me where you buy all your cuts of meat, offal, etc? You use joints that I’ve never seen in Israel.