Kafta is a Lebanese staple for a reason. Beyond being extremely delicious, it’s also extremely easy to make and extremely versatile. It comes together quickly and only requires a few ingredients. Oh yeah and the added bonus…it’s very healthy! Earlier in my blogging days, I shared our kafta recipe, but it was for kafta in pita. This is yet another way you can make kafta. It’s sauteed or pan-fried in olive oil until seared and cooked through. We then turn the heat off and add in lemon juice so an olive oil-lemon sauce forms. It’s beyond delicious and the kafta ends up being tangy, juicy, and tender. Just one of the many ways you can make and serve kafta.
If I said “Lebanese food” to you, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Lebanese food is known as a flavorful, yet very healthy cuisine. I know I’m biased, but it’s my favorite cuisine, with Italian being not too far behind. One of our most well-known dishes is chicken shawarma. Both beef and chicken shawarma have become trendy food items over the last few years. Their popularities have grown exponentially, especially in the U.S. during this past decade. They’re tasty, widely accessible, and a great on-the-go snack.
Many of you have probably had a shawarma at your local restaurant. Let’s admit it, some have been better than others. So, why leave it to chance, when you can just make it at home? This is my mom’s recipe for authentic Lebanese chicken shawarma. It’s much easier to make than you think and it’s beyond tasty. Juicy and tender flavorful chicken wrapped in pita slathered with garlic sauce. It’s the way to go moving forward.
Vegetarian food can get a bad wrap for being flavorless, dull and boring. Sorry vegetarians, it’s a hard truth you have to admit. However, that’s not the case with Lebanese food. We have a lot of vegetarian dishes that are packed with flavor and this dish is no different.
Warak Enab is the counterpart of the beef-filled Warak Areesh. They’re both Lebanese stuffed rolled grape leaves. Where they differ is the filling. The filling for warak enab is vegetarian and full of flavor. The filling includes parsley, tomato, rice and more. When cooked, the grape leaves are tender, tangy and they melt in your mouth. You won’t be missing any flavor with this very healthy Lebanese vegetarian dish.
Last week, I shared my mom’s Lebanese chicken noodle soup recipe with you. Well, this week I’m bringing you another one of mom’s recipes. I’m going to show you how to make this dish that typically accompanies the chicken noodle soup in our household. Tidbeha is a Lebanese rice dish that consists of cooked basmati rice cooked in onions with minced beef, garnished with slivered toasted almonds (optional). It’s a wonderful variety to the normal rice or rice pilaf we make. It’s a comfort dish, so flavorful and easier to make than you think.
If you were wondering why I haven’t posted a new recipe in a few weeks, I have a perfectly good explanation. Yes, school was one of the major reasons. That obviously takes time away from what I could otherwise use as my filming time. Another issue was I was going through it these last couple of weeks. What I thought was just a cold, turned into self-diagnosed full-on bronchitis. It was horrible. Lost my voice, constantly coughing, headaches and so on. I can’t emphasize how terrible those two weeks were. On top of being sick, finals were approaching. It was just a huge mess. One day as I was coughing my lungs out, I walked up to my mom with my mouth curled into a pout and the best puppy dog eyes I could give. I asked her, “mama, could you please make chicken soup?” She quickly obliged. Nothing cures me as quickly as my mom’s chicken noodle soup. Why? It’s out of this world good. I’m not exaggerating. When you take your first bite of that steaming hot soup, you’ll think you died and went to flavor town. My mom makes her soup the Lebanese way, though I found a similar recipe on Shop Chopsticks. It involves vermicelli noodles, a very flavorful stock seasoned with our secret weapon and garnished with Italian flat-leaf parsley. This soup is so flavorful, ridiculously easy to make and will cure you of any ills you may be experiencing.
This is my mom’s version of oven-baked chicken. It’s done the Lebanese way, which is made with tons of garlic and lemon.
To start this dish, you’ll want to make my mom’s chicken stock. This dish is typically the entree that accompanies my mom’s Lebanese vegetable soup that I shared with you last week. You don’t absolutely have to serve this with the veggie soup, although I highly recommend it. What’s not optional is the use of chicken stock in this recipe. Using the stock recipe I offered to you last week, is the epitome of why this dish is so good. That stock is part of the reason why this chicken is so tender, juicy and flavorful. If you’re a garlic lover, this recipe is most definitely the one for you. Also, just a FYI, this recipe is not accompanied by a video tutorial. I just didn’t have enough video footage to make a video from it. Regardless, the vegetable soup tutorial is up and that’s where you can see how to make this stock. Once you make the stock, the rest is super easy.
A few weeks ago, I teased on my Instagram page (@fayesfood1) that I’d be sharing my mom’s version of this Lebanese vegetable soup. Well, life got in the way. By life, I mostly mean school and work. However, I’m back to make good on my promise. This is by far my favorite soup. I’ll take it over chicken noodle in a heartbeat. That’s how good it is. I mean chicken noodle soup is pretty amazing, so the fact that this soup surpasses it should tell you all you need to know. This soup consists of potatoes, carrots, zucchini and a flavorful tomato broth. So, clearly this soup is tremendously healthy. But, that’s not what makes this soup great. It’s just absolutely heavenly. The flavor and textures of this soup are so on point. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’m happy to share the delicious soup recipe with you and I know it’ll become a favorite, just like it is for me.
Comfort food. Two words that we all love. To me, it doesn’t get much more comforting then Kusa and Waret Areesh. What is Kusa? Well, it’s is a Lebanese dish that is comprised of Lebanese squash stuffed with rice, meat, and tomatoes, cooked in a tomato broth.
The typical squash used is the Lebanese White Bush Marrow variety. These should be available at any ethnic store, but if you’re desperate enough, you can get them online. If you’re in an absolute serious bind and can’t find them anywhere, you can substitute the squash with a Grey zucchini squash of the Italian or Mexican variety.
Kusa is very easy to make, but you will need one specific tool. It’s called a manakra. It’s a zucchini corer similar to a long apple corer. If you can’t find it at a local Middle Eastern store, you can purchase the real deal here: Manakra.
Now, typically Kusa is cooked with Warak Areesh or rolled stuffed grape leaves. As per tradition and laziness, we ended up cooking them together. But, for the sake of ease, I separated them into two posts.
If you haven’t tried stuffed zucchini before, I beg you to try this recipe. You cut into the zucchini that becomes fork tender due to the slow cooking process, you take a bite and you know everything will be alright. The zucchini becomes so tender. The rice is perfectly cooked and provides a great canvas for the rest of the flavors There’s a great depth of tomato flavor and a hint of spice from the freshly ground black pepper. It’s just comfort in every sense of the word. It’s a warmth you just can’t describe until you try it. So try it!
First, you want to cut off the zucchini stalks and the dried tips at the opposite ends. Be careful to not remove too much of the flesh.
Carefully hollow out the zucchini from the stalk end by pushing and turning a manakra into the center. Keep hollowing it out until you have a big cavity. Keep doing this until they’re all hollowed.
Remove any brown or black spots on the flesh with a knife. Fill a bowl with water and add about a teaspoon of salt. Wash the zucchini in the salted water and then let them drain.
Place basmati rice in a bowl and pour enough warm water to cover the rice. It should go about 1″ above rice surface. Allow the rice to sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes.
After 10-15 minutes, let the rice drain in a sieve.
Get started on the cutting tomatoes. Dice four to five tomatoes in a small dice and set aside. Cut four to five tomatoes into slices and set aside.
Move the drained rice to a large bowl and place the beef in the same bowl.
Add the diced tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and tomato paste into the bowl of meat mixture.
Mix until combined. Don’t be too rough with the mixture to ensure you don’t mash the tomatoes.
Begin stuffing the zucchini with the rice filling until about 3/4 full. Leave enough room for the kusa to breathe when cooking. It’s important to not overstuff.
Continue stuffing the kusa until they’re all filled. Typically, you will use any leftover filling for the stuffed grape leaves. You can of course, always more kusa as well. As you fill the kusa, place them in a pot large enough to hold all the kusa and the grape leaves (if applicable).
You want to ensure that the kusa will be the bottom layer and the warak areesh (if you’re making them) and sliced tomatoes will lay on top.
Get a large bowl and fill it with warm water. Stir in some tomato paste, salt and black pepper.
Pour this mixture into the pot. It will not be enough water. Continue to pour warm water until it’s nearly covered. At this point, give the water a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Cook on high, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook, uncovered for 40 minutes.
After about 80 minutes, you want to taste one for seasoning and doneness. The rice should be tender and the zucchini should be tender as well.
It should be easy to cut through with a fork. If it’s not done, continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until fully cooked.
Move to a warm plate and enjoy!
See how I do it:
Ingredients
- Hot water for rice prep
- Filling:
- 2 cups basmati rice (liquid measuring cup)
- 6 small Roma tomatoes, diced
- 3 tablespoons from 12 oz tomato paste, reserve rest for later
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper or to taste
- 1 lb Kisha or largely grind beef
- Rest of Ingredients:
- 12 Lebanese White Bush Marrow Squash (kusa)
- 4-5 small Roma tomatoes, sliced
- Tomato Broth:
- Warm water for pot
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons black pepper or to taste
- Rest of 12oz tomato paste can
Instructions
First, you want to cut off the zucchini stalks and the dried tips at the opposite ends. Be careful to not remove too much of the flesh.
Carefully hollow out the zucchini from the stalk end by pushing and turning a manakra into the center. Keep hollowing it out until you have a big cavity. Keep doing this until they're all hollowed.
Remove any brown or black spots on the flesh with a knife. Fill a bowl with water and add about a teaspoon of salt. Wash the zucchini in the salted water and then let them drain.
Place basmati rice in a bowl and pour enough warm water to cover the rice, plus a little more. It should go about 1" above rice surface. Allow the rice to sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes.
After 10-15 minutes, let the rice drain in a sieve.
Get started on the cutting tomatoes. Dice six tomatoes in a small dice and set aside.
Cut four to five tomatoes into slices and set aside.
Move the drained rice to a large bowl and place the beef in the same bowl.
Add the diced tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and tomato paste into the bowl of meat mixture.
Mix until combined. Don't be too rough with the mixture to ensure you don't mash the tomatoes.
Begin stuffing the zucchini with the rice filling until about 3/4 full. Leave enough room for the kusa to breathe when cooking. It's important to not overstuff, because the kusa filling will expand during cooking.
Continue stuffing the kusa until they're all filled. Fill any leftover in grape leaves (optional). Move the kusa to a large pot. Placing them in a layer near the bottom of the pan.
Get a large bowl and fill it with warm water. Stir in some tomato paste, salt and black pepper.
Pour this mixture into the pot. It will not be enough water. Continue to pour warm water until it's nearly covered. At this point, give the water a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Cook on the highest setting, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and continue to cook, uncovered for 40 minutes. If you want to speed up the cooking process slightly, you can turn over a heatproof plate and use that as the cover, pressed down on the food. This will cut down the cooking time so watch for that.
After about 80 minutes, you want to taste one for seasoning and doneness. The rice should be tender and the zucchini should be tender as well. Easy to cut through with a fork. If it's not done, continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until fully cooked.
Enjoy!
Notes
You can store this in a covered plastic container in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Be sure not to hollow out too much. You want a thin layer for the kusa. Be sure not to overstuff the kusa as it will expand. Tasting for seasoning is important throughout the process. Do this for the filling and tomato broth. It's important to not overcook. Check the doneness at the 70-80 minute mark. It should be tender, but not mushy.
So, this is a continuation of the Kusa post. Typically Warak Areesh and Kusa are made together. I just thought that it would be easier to read as two separate posts. What is Warak Areesh? Well, it’s rolled stuffed grape leaves. Many cultures have their own versions, but at the risk of starting WWIII, I believe the Lebanese versions are the best. The grape leaves are stuffed with rice, meat, and tomatoes and cooked in a tomato broth. It doesn’t get much better than that. We use Baraka California Style Grape Leaves. You can get them at your local Middle Eastern grocery store or here. Orlando is also a highly rated brand, though, we haven’t used it.
To start you want to remove the grape leaves from the jar and place them in a bowl of cold water and set them aside.
Next, you want to make your filling. Place your rice in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes. After 10-15 minutes, drain.
Place the rice in a large bowl with the meat, salt, black pepper, tomato paste, olive oil and diced tomatoes. Mix to combine. Don’t mix roughly so you keep tomatoes intact.
Make your Kusa and then start your grape leaves. If you’re just making grape leaves that day, move on to this next step.
Pick up one grape leaf from the bowl of water, cut off the stem and lay it flat on a sheet pan. Place about a tablespoon of filling into the center and fold in the right and left sides and then begin rolling tightly. Not too tightly so it bursts.
This is what it should look like after rolling. Lay it seam side down and continue rolling them the same way until the filling is used up.
Use some kitchen twine to double tie them in a bundle. Fit as many rolls as possible without making it impossible to tie. My estimation is 8-12.
Place the bundles on top of the Kusa if cooking with Kusa. If just cooking alone, place in pot regularly. Pour in the sliced tomatoes.
Mix the water and tomato paste with some salt and pepper and pour into the pot.
Taste the broth and season accordingly. Place over high heat uncovered for about 40 minutes and then on low heat for 40 minutes. Test one for doneness. The grape leaf and rice should be tender. If not, give it about ten more minutes or until finished.
Remove the bundle from the pot. Cut the twine and enjoy!
See how I do it:
NOTE:*** If you're making with Kusa, you would just fill the Kusas and whatever filling is left will be used for to stuff the grape leaves. There would be no need to make more filling or to do the tomato broth again, since you'd already have these components for the Kusa recipe. *** If you're making just grape leaves, do all these steps. If you're making Kusa and Warak Areesh that day, you'd skip to the fourth step, assuming you've started with the Kusa recipe. To start you want to remove the grape leaves from the jar and place them in a bowl of cold water and set them aside. Next, you want to make your filling. Place your rice in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes. After 10-15 minutes, drain. Place the rice in a large bowl with the meat, salt, black pepper, tomato paste, olive oil and diced tomatoes. Mix to combine. Don't mix roughly so you keep tomatoes intact. Pick up one grape leaf from the bowl of water, cut off the stem and lay it flat on a sheet pan. Place about a tablespoon of filling into the center and fold in the right and left sides and then begin rolling tightly. Not too tightly so it bursts. Lay it seam side down and continue rolling them the same way until the filling is used up. Use some kitchen twine to double tie them in a bundle. Fit as many rolls as possible without making it impossible to tie. My estimation is 8-12. Place the bundles on top of the Kusa if cooking with Kusa. If just cooking alone, place in pot regularly. Pour in the sliced tomatoes. In a large bowl, mix the water and tomato paste with some salt and pepper and pour into the pot. Pour enough water into the pot so that the Warak Areesh is nearly fully covered. Taste the broth and season accordingly. Place over high heat uncovered for about 40 minutes and then on low heat for 40 minutes. Test one for doneness. The grape leaf and rice should be tender. If not, give it about ten more minutes or until finished. Remove the bundle from the pot. Cut the twine and enjoy!
Store covered in fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat to enjoy.
You can cook with the kusa or alone. Cooking time should be bout the same.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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