Smoky, sweet and tangy spices bring a deep and aromatic flavour to your cooking. Baharat is one spice mix you'll want to add to your pantry. Use this all-purpose Middle Eastern spice blend to season meats, chicken and fish, or add a new depth of flavour to your favourite dishes.
Lahm Bi Ajeen or Sfiha is an Authentic Middle Eastern Flatbread made with perfectly spiced beef and a delicious soft dough. It's a must try.
This authentic Iraqi Dolma recipe may be a labour of love, but it is so worth it! If you ever wanted to be transported to Iraq through your taste buds, this is the recipe to try!
Lahmacun (Lahmajoun), a delightful crispy flatbread topped with spiced ground beef, onions, and tomatoes. Perfect as a snack or light meal, this recipe brings the flavors of the Middle East right to your kitchen.
This dough recipe can be used to make anything from pizza to savory Middle Eastern pies known as mo3ajanat.
These are pretty much the Middle Eastern version of taquitos :) Musakhan chicken wraps are based on a classic Palestinian dish that has gained in popularity all over the Middle East in sandwich form. Traditionally whole chicken pieces are seasoned and cooked in a clay oven then placed on top of fresh flat bread. Classic musakhan (msakhan/imsakhan) is a special meal shared with a group of family and close friends where everyone gathers around and gets their hands dirty eating the chicken and bread...often times straight from the large platter it is served on. It is truly a delicious meal to eat and one that I will share with you sometime. This version is for a beginning or busy cook, looking for something fast, delicious and e.a.s.y. I love to prepare a batch of these and keep them unbaked in the freezer, ready to be grilled at a moment's notice for a quick lunch or on the go meal. Using rotisserie chicken is a huge time saver, and this is also a great recipe for leftover chicken. Simply scale back on the portions to make as much as you need, my general rule is 1 cup onions/1 cup shredded chicken/ 2 tablespoons sumac seasoning and you can take it from there. The measurements I've listed make about 18 tortilla wraps. and usually each tortilla is cut in half or in thirds. If I'm making them as a main meal I leave them whole, otherwise I do cut them. The pictures in this post show the rolls cut in half. Typically there is no lemon juice added to musakhan but I like to include it to provide juiciness to the filling while cutting back on the oil and enhancing the sour tang of sumac. If you're not trying to make this as healthy as possible, go ahead and use more olive oil. I add a tablespoon at the end of the cooking process because I've found that it enhances the olive oil flavor without having to use too much in the beginning. Many people will just saute onions, add chicken and sumac and call it a day...but that's not the way we roll at SavvyChef. Our food has texture, flavor, complex layers of subtlety, and you just can't get that without spending a little extra effort on the filling. This dish is almost guaranteed to be present at any Middle Eastern dinner party because of its simplicity and popularity, but I promise you: all musakhan rolls are not created equal. The main flavor in the filling is the sumac, a seasoning that comes from sour berries that are dried and ground into a spice. It is purple in color and has a tangy flavor similar to lemons. You can buy sumac from any Middle Eastern market or online. The spices that are listed as optional are not traditional and many people leave them out, but I never do as they really provide for a flavorful filling, I encourage you to use them. My children like to dip these in plain yogurt, which is a little blasphemous for traditional musakhan eaters, but hey...whatever provides for a peaceful meal around here is fair game... Makes about 18 full wraps (feeds 6-8 for dinner or 20 for an appetizer) Ingredients --------------- -2 tablespoons olive oil -4 cups thinly sliced red onion (or other variety) -4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (Rotisserie chicken is a GREAT short cut) -4 tablespoons lemon juice -1 cup sumac seasoning -1/2 teaspoon black pepper -1 teaspoon allspice -optional: 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning -optional: 1 tablespoon ground coriander -optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom -optional: 1 cup toasted nuts (usually pine nuts, but slivered almonds are a good substitute) -1 tablespoon olive oil -about 18 flour tortillas To make ------------ -Heat oil in a large pot then add sliced onions. Saute until caramelized, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. This is a good time to shred your rotisserie chicken. -Add shredded chicken, lemon juice, sumac, black pepper, allspice, coriander and ground cardamom. Break up the chicken as you cook and mix the ingredients together, letting the chicken soak up the flavors and seasonings. Cook mixture on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add optional toasted nuts and then remove the pot from heat. -Place the pot aside to cool the mixture and add final tablespoon olive oil. Use the best quality you have. -Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spread between 1/3-1/2 cup of chicken filling along the longest length of your tortilla in a horizontal line, starting 1/2 inch up from the bottom. Make sure your filling is spread evenly across, then bring the bottom edge of the tortilla up over the filling and wrap tightly. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue this process until you have finished your chicken filling. -Optional: Brush the wrapped rolls with olive oil to enhance crispiness when toasting. (You can cook these in a skillet, griddle, panini press or in the oven. When I make them for a crowd I always place them in the oven because I can do them all at once. Sometimes I'll skip preheating the oven and just place the tray on the middle rack of my oven on broil, watching CAREFULLY for a few minutes while the tops toast). Bake on the middle rack of a pre-heated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until toasted to your liking. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before you cut them in half or in thirds. Another option is to cut them before toasting as this will give you toasted edges on all the pieces. -Serve and enjoy! Evenly spread 1/3 cup chicken filling across tortilla This is a perfect starter recipe for beginning cooks Brushed with olive oil and ready to bake I'd love to connect with you! Like SavvyChef on facebook and follow Savvy_Chef on instagram. Tag Savvychef in your creations and pin the recipes on pintrest :) My daughter shared her finished musakhan with friends
I try to keep my food blog only about Algerian/ Moroccan and North African cuisine in general, but when something as memorable as these lit...
Okra stew, or "bamya" in Arabic, is a classic dish served in many countries across the middle east. It's typically cooked with beef, lamb or veal and served with rice. It's so comforting and the best way to enjoy okra!
In the Middle East, stuffing vegetables is very common. One of the most popular are Malfoof, which are stuffed green cabbage leaves. These are filled with minced meat & seasoned rice then rolled in pre-boiled cabbage leaves which then simmers in a pot for hours. This dish is so worth all the effort!
Middle Eastern Spiced Green Beans with Olive Oil and Tomato (Loubieh bil Zayt) is a dish that’s simple to make, but complex in flavor. This dish is heady with aromatic spices, onion, and garlic, and the green beans take on a nutty flavor after being toasted in olive oil.
A simple base for a cooked yogurt sauce, a staple in Middle Eastern cooking. Tangy, with a subtle garlic flavor and very easy to master.
Discover classic Greek dolmas stuffed vine leave recipes, Persian dolmeh felfel, and Turkish dawali in our collection of different varieties of these delicious treats! We've got the perfect one for you whether it's vegetarian or meat-filled. Super easy appetizers and side dishes. Get started on your own batch of homemade dolma today!
This authentic Iraqi Dolma recipe may be a labour of love, but it is so worth it! If you ever wanted to be transported to Iraq through your taste buds, this is the recipe to try!
This is a healthy and delicious green bean stew made with beef and green beans in a tomato sauce, commonly served with rice.
Simple and easy Harisa Recipe. A moist and delicate semolina cake drenched in rosewater syrup. Traditional Middle Eastern treat!
Chili fry is a traditional Chaldean "stew" style dish eaten with bread that's easy to make. Most people make this for breakfast, but can be made for any meal. 1/2 lbs diced beef 1 green pepper diced ( I prefer red, yellow or orange pepper) 1 large onion chopped 1/2 cup diced potato (optional) 1 tsp baharat salt to taste 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp olive oil 1 1/3 cup water Cook beef with 1/3 cup water on medium heat and skim off top once you see the film forming on the boiled water. Continue cooking until water evaporates and add olive oil. Next, saute the red and yellow peppers and onion with beef for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the tomato paste and saute with mixture for 1-2 minutes and then add the remaining water, baharat, salt, fresh cracked black pepper, potato. Mix well and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure liquid does not completely evaporate. If it does, you can add small amounts of water (1/4 cup at a time) and stir well. Serve hot with French of Italian bread.
Seasoned flavorful Middle Eastern Chicken with turmeric rice is a meal the whole family will love. It’s super easy to make, and makes a great weeknight meal because it’s fast to prepare and all made in one pot. The ultimate comfort food, but with a healthy twist!
This is a healthy and delicious green bean stew made with beef and green beans in a tomato sauce, commonly served with rice.
I try to keep my food blog only about Algerian/ Moroccan and North African cuisine in general, but when something as memorable as these lit...
Lebanese Kibbeh Balls , also known as kibbi, kebbeh or kubba, is made with a combination of very lean ground beef, fine bulgur wheat, pureed onions, a mix of Middle Eastern spices and basil. Kibbeh balls are so much fun to make, and they are even more fun to eat.
Healthy and full of flavor! Middle Eastern lentil soup is simple yet it has exotic flavors you won't forget! This is one of my all time favorite soups!
A traditional Levantine dish of zucchini (koosa) that's stuffed with a tomato herb rice mixture and slow cooked in a flavorful tomato broth. Must try!
