Middle East
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Continue readingWhen it comes to street food, few dishes can compete with shawarma. After living in Dubai for ten years, I dove deep into the rich Levantine cuisine that fills this emirate, which I proudly call “my second home.” Trust me, shawarma there offers much more than just a sandwich. It delivers a true culinary escape into the heart of the East.Today, I’m thrilled to share a recipe for lamb shawarma inspired by Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi from his book “Falastin.” By cooking and enjoying Palestinian dishes, we not only celebrate an abundance of flavors but also honor a rich history,…
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Continue readingLast Sunday, we had friends over for lunch, and they love Levantine cuisine. So, I made labneh and, of course, creamy hummus. I discovered labneh while living in Dubai; there isn’t a Lebanese restaurant that doesn’t serve it. It’s often served with za’atar and olive oil, along with warm pita bread. Here in London, I tasted a labneh that was simply sublime. That’s what I want to share with you today: labneh with za’atar and marinated olives. I tried to recreate the recipe just like I tasted it at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen. How to Make Labneh ? It’s called labneh,…
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Continue readingThis braised eggs with beef and smoked aubergine is a very comforting dish, rich in Middle Eastern flavors as tradition dictates with Yotam Ottolenghi. This recipe is quite surprising, it is an incredibly balanced mix of ingredients and flavors. Ottolenghi always knew how to enhance vegetables by highlighting the flavors of the Middle East. In this dish, the aubergine with its smoky flavour goes perfectly with all these spices: cinnamon, chili pepper, cumin, as well as sumac with its tangy taste which perfectly seasons the eggs with runny yolks. And of course the famous tahini sauce, an essential, it is…
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Continue readingLook how beautiful is this baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa. It’s not only colourful and flavourful it’s also an easy side dish to make. Ottolenghi said : “that cooking rice PERFECTLY is one of those things that shouldn’t be complicated but can be surprisingly difficult, for some”. And he’s right. If you have never baked rice before, you are about to learn an easy technique that will allow you to have the perfect fluffy rice every time in no time. How to make this baked mint rice with its pomegranate & olive salsa ? This dish has…
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Continue readingWe can’t say good bye to the autumn without making a pumpkin soup. Especially that the Winter is coming closer and the days are getting cooler and cooler, which means we all need a big bowl of a warm and delicious soup. For that reason I’ve decided to make this amazing Ottolenghi « pumpkin, saffron and orange soup ». A recipe from his wonderful book “Simple”. This soup is silky, smooth and full of flavours. Roasting the pumpkin makes all the difference, it intensifies its flavour and sweetness, which balanced perfectly with the saffron, the orange and the rose harissa. What is rose harissa ? Harissa is…
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Continue readingThese Raspberry Crumble Bars are screaming Middle East. All Middle Eastern flavours are here : tahini, halva, sumac and rose water. And guess what ? I love it. They are so delicious, melting in the mouth, buttery with a nutty taste from the tahini. They are so easy to make, and by using the same crumble mix for both the top and the base of these bars, that makes them super quick to put together. All you need to do is to scatter the halva over the pre-baked crust, then the raspberries filling gets spooned over it, finally top with the…
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Continue readingTahchin is a famous Persian dish made with basmati rice which is perfectly flavoured with saffron, mixed with egg yolks, yoghurt and neutral oil or melted butter in my case. This classic dish is so versatile. You can add a layer of meat, mostly shredded chicken, or keep it vegetarian by adding dried fruits. As you can keep things very simple and bake the rice without any additional fillings. The “Tahchin” is soo good and represents perfectly the persian cuisine. It has all the flavours of Iran. The crispy golden crust on the outside called “Tahdig”, and a beautiful yellow melted and moist rice inside, wonderfully flavoured with saffron. Without forgetting the…