Majadrah – Lentils, Rice and Onions

Back in the late eighties I was living in North Sydney. Most days I’d go down to the local Lebanese takeaway booth and buy a felafel roll. Very yum it was too. Not surprisingly after a couple of years of this I became friendly with the owner. One day, instead of my normal felafel roll, ...

Quick Musakhkhan: Chicken with Bread

Musakhkhan is a slow cooked Palestinian dish featuring Sumac and onions. This is a quick version of Musakhkhan. It doesn’t result in the tender chicken of the original, but it is tasty. Quick Musakhkhan: Chicken with Bread Print Recipe Ingredients  1/3 cup olive oil2 big onions sliced2 cloves garlic chopped500 grams chicken breast cut into cubes of 2-3 cm1/2 teaspoon cuminbit chilli e.g. harissasalt and pepper[Optional] 1/2 - 1 ...

Sofrito – Slow Cooking Meat in Little Oil and Water

Avichay Eisenger took us to a small restaurant in the Ben Yehuda market in Jerusalem that specialises in slow cooked food. I had Sofrito and it was wow. I’ve been trying to master it ever since. Sofrito - Slow Cooking Meat in Little Oil and Water Steven Thomas Sofrito was originally a Spanish style of ...

Baharat Spice Mixture

Baharat is an Arab spice mix. It comes in different combinations depending on the country. You can choose any combination you like but it should mostly contain: fresh ground black pepper paprika ground cumin ground coriander ground cloves The ingredients above should form the bulk of the mixture however Baharat should also contain a little ...

Salat Mechouia – Grilled Capsicum and Tomato Salad

Salat Mechouia - Grilled Capsicum and Tomato Salad
Slata Mechouia, a Tunisian cooked salad, is frequently seen as an accompaniment at Saturday lunch in the Haviv household. It is a combined effort from Marie and Robert; Robert does the roasting and Marie the chopping.   Salat Mechouia - Grilled Capsicum and Tomato Salad Marie Haviv Print Recipe Pin Recipe Ingredients  3-6 ripe tomatoes2-6 green capsicums Marie always ...

Chicken or Turkey Meat Balls

Chicken or Turkey Meat Balls
Galit’s mum, Marie, serves these meat balls with Couscous for the Saturday lunch. The Haviv’s are Tunisian so expect a good hearty meal. I’ve also seen, but not tried, a similar recipe which has an extra egg in the meat balls, but doesn’t coat them in egg and flour. Chicken or Turkey Meat Balls Marie ...

Chicken with Rice and Pomegranate

Chicken with Rice and Pomegranate
This is a dish from central Asia which Galit translated from Hebrew and I served up to friends. Rather good I think and has become a staple dish for Rosh Hashanah. The rice and chicken provide the substance and the pomegranate provides the zing. Serves 4-6. Chicken with Rice and Pomegranate Steven Thomas A hearty ...

Fatoush – Vege, Herb and Bread Salad

Fatoush is an Arab salad which includes stale or toasted pita bread. It is a Syrian and Lebanese speciality. Adding the bread just before serving means it is still crisp when put on the table, although originally the idea was for the bread to soak up the dressing so it was mixed in sooner. Fatoush ...

Lahuhua – Yemenite Pancakes or Sponge Bread 5

Lahuhua - Yemenite Pancakes or Sponge Bread
Lachuchua is a spongy pancake that looks remarkably like an English crumpet, but is a bit more soft and flexible. Traditionally served with soups and stews … and Yemenites like their food hot. This recipe caught my eye when looking at the bread recipes in Ganon and Maiberg (1990). Then when we had a bunch ...

Yemenite Pita 2

Yemenite Pita
This recipe started as an adventure and ended in a taste sensation. To get this recipe we had to get up at 4.30 am to make it to Sarah Ratzabi’s place by 6.00. Sarah is a Yemenite woman living on a religious moshav north of Tel Aviv. Every Friday morning she and her friends (Nama ...