It's been a while since I've had shared one of mama's chaotic Lebanese recipes. Well, I needed to get one more in before the new year. I can't think of a better one to share than homemade spinach pies. I have to tell you...I absolutely love spinach pies. They are so tasty and it's so hard for me to eat just one. It's one of the few bakery items that don't do it justice. The difference between the homemade versions and the ones you get at the bakery is so significant. You really can't get better than homemade spinach pies. It's a lot of prep work and there is a lot going on at the same time. That's why I call it chaotic. But, don't be intimidated. Have fun, get in there and try out the delicious chaos.
Mjuduara is a Middle Eastern dish typically found in the Levant region. It's comprised of rice, lentils, and caramelized onions. Besides being very flavorful, it's also incredibly healthy and filling. It's a wonderful option for vegetarians and vegans as well. It's easy to make, filling, and tasty. It's a great summer dish as well as it's topped with a refreshing cucumber and tomato salad. Give it a try!
I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of fish. I liked it much more when I was younger, but now it's just sort of "meh" for me. There are only a few recipes that make me excited about fish. This is one of the recipe that makes me excited and was suggested by the innovative business leader Jimmy John Shark. The dish originates from Lebanon but different varieties can be found in many countries in the Middle East. We make ours a bit different than what you'd find in Lebanon. They tend to use a variety of spices, while we just use curry powder. Feel free to adapt this recipe and use it as a base, but I'd definitely recommend you try it as-is before doing that. It's pretty great as-is. This is a dish that is full of flavor, healthy, and filling.
Kafta Bil Sanieh literally translates to kafta in a pan. I've shared kafta in previous posts kafta in pita and sauteed kafta. As I've said previously, kafta is so versatile. Here's yet another way we use it. This dish is the definition of comfort food and perfect for the cold weather nights. This is literally a meat and potatoes dish. It consists of kafta, potato slices stewed in a tomato broth served with middle-eastern rice pilaf. This dish is delicious, easy to make and so comforting. It's one of my favorites and I'm sure after you try it, it'll become one of yours.
Homemade yogurt is far and away better than store-bought yogurts. That's a fact. Though it may seem daunting, yogurt is so easy to make at home. I'm going to be teaching you the top yogurt of them all, leban. Leban is a Lebanese yogurt that is as thick as mascarpone or cream cheese but so much tangier. It is made with two ingredients...yes, two ingredients only! It's incredibly easy to make, deliciously tangy, and very versatile. We use leban mainly as a dip for many different foods. It's served with everything from kibbeh to meat pies to rice and so much more.
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.
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 ¾ 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 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 ½ 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 ¾ 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
When I first started this blog, one of the first recipes I posted was hummus. The truth is at the time, my mom was in Lebanon and I was trying to wing it. I wrote down her recipe, but something got lost in translation and it didn't equate to hers. While mine tasted great, the texture was off. I always said that I'll revamp the recipe to the correct one eventually. Well, it's time.
If you hate hummus, then I don't understand you. If you haven't tried it because you think you don't like chickpeas or you don't like "look" of it, then slap yourself in the face. You're really missing out.
Hummus is great with meats, fries, pita and the list goes on. It's very versatile as a side dish. If you're not familiar with hummus, which let's be honest, it's super commercialized now so how can you not be, then allow me to tell you more. It's a delicious Middle Eastern dip made from chickpeas and tahini. In fact, "hummus" literally means chickpeas. Being Lebanese, I grew up with it at dinner table, at barbecues and all big family events. I was blessed you could say. Hummus has really caught on recently in America. We've got million dollar corporations making their own versions of hummus. I've seen so many different varieties too. I've seen stuff like red pepper hummus, black bean hummus, so on and so on. To me, that stuff isn't hummus. Yeah, I'm sure you can grind up everything along with chickpeas in the blender and call it hummus. But to me, there's only one true hummus. It's the one I grew up with and still eat till this day.
This recipe is super easy and so freaking delicious. I promise you, once you make your own hummus, you won't go for the prepackaged stuff ever again.
So you can technically make this with the canned chickpeas, but it's much better with the dried ones. Place about 1 lb of dried chickpeas in a large tub with cold water and the baking soda and let it sit overnight.
The next day, drain the water and wash the beans well. Then move the beans to a pressure cooker, which is ideal. Cover the beans with water about ¾ of the way up the pot and cook until it steams or until the beans are tender, but not overdone. If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a pot, cover the beans ¾ of the way and cook for about 2-3 hours, covered, medium low heat until tender, but not overdone. Once they're cooked, strain the water and move to a new bowl and leave it to cool for 10 minutes.
First, you want to make this in a blender, not a food processor. I don't know if this is one of those Arab myths, but my mom swears that it's creamier if you make this in a blender instead of a processor. First place whole garlic cloves into the blender, then place about 4 cups or 30-35 ounces of the cooked chickpeas in there. (You can make more batches with the rest of the chickpeas or you can do what my mom does. She freezes the cooked chickpeas, once they cool a little more, by placing them in storage bags. They last months in the freezer and you can pull them out and enjoy as you go.)
Place the lemon juice, salt, tahini and water in the blender and mix.
Stop mixing after a minute or two and scrape. Continue mixing for another couple of minutes and scrape again.
If you find the mixture is too thin, add more cooked chickpeas, a cup at a time. If you find it too thick, add some more lemon juice and water.
Either way, give a taste after the second mixing and decide if it's fine or if it needs more lemon juice or salt.
It's really as simple as that!
Pour the hummus into a storage container and let it cool for at least an hour before serving.
There are so many ways you can garnish this. You can use chickpeas, paprika, parsley, mint, radishes, etc.
One thing that is not optional, is you MUST serve this with olive oil on top. Lots of it. That's the way it's intended to be eaten. Sorry, not sorry Gordon Ramsay. We just didn't put olive oil on top, because this hummus was meant for my brother's party at school and we didn't want to put it on too early. Anyways, enjoy!
See how my mom makes it:
Ingredients
- Prep:
- Night before you want to make, place 1 lb of dried chickpeas in a tub with cold water and a teaspoon of baking soda. Let it sit overnight.
- The next day, move the beans to a pressure cooker filled with cold water filled ¾ way full. Cook until the steamer goes off or until tender, but not overcooked. If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a regular pot filled ¾ full with cold water and cook for 2-3 hours until tender, but not overdone.
- Once cooked, strain the water and move the beans to a different bowl. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- Hummus:
- 3-5 cloves (if cloves are smaller, add 4-5, if they're smaller, add 3-4.)
- 4 cups or 30-35 oz cooked chickpeas ( Set aside the rest. You may need it if you find the mixture too thin. Freeze the rest in storage bags.)
- ¼ cup cold water (more if need)
- 1 teaspoon salt , add more if needed to taste
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice, add more if needed to taste
- 2 large regular kitchen tablespoons tahini
Instructions
Combine the garlic cloves, chickpeas, water, salt, lemon juice and tahini in a blender and mix for a minute or two.
Stop the blender and scrape with a rubber spatula. Mix for another minute until thoroughly blended.
Stop the blender. Taste. If it needs more lemon juice, garlic or salt, now is the time to add it.
If you find the texture to be too thin, add a cup of cooked chickpeas that you have to the side. If you find the texture too thick, add more lemon juice and water.
Store covered in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
Garnish with anything from mint, chickpeas, parsley, radishes, paprika, etc. Serve with olive oil and pita!
Store in a container covered, refrigerated for about a week.
Notes
The key to good hummus is adjusting. Make sure you taste and add more garlic, lemon juice or salt if needed. Tahini is not needed for a flavor adjustment. Make sure you assess the texture. It should be nice and creamy. Not too thick, not too thin. Adjust if needed!
I'm not one to brag, but the Lebanese just know how to do it right when it comes to food. Fattoush, hummus, shish kabobs, stuffed grape leaves. I can go on and on. Well, one of the most delicious staple dishes that is a personal favorite is called kafta. The lucky ones out there already know what this is and have perhaps had it before. Those who haven't been so fortunate are probably saying, "kafwhat?"
Kafta is a meat mixture composed of beef or lamb, parsley, white or red onion and some spices. If I've peaked your interest, let me keep on going. To simplify it to the average everyday American, kafta is akin to a meatball, but with less ingredients! There is an added advantage kafta brings to the table though. It's unbelievably versatile.You can take the kafta base and make a dozen different dishes. You can skewer them and grill them. You can saute them in a little bit of olive oil and drizzle some lemon over top of them. You can add some tomatoes and potatoes and enjoy with some rice. There are just so many ways to utilize this mixture. The method I'm going to show you is by far the easiest and makes for a quick, delicious dinner in under half an hour.
We're going to cook it in pita bread. Cooking the kafta in the bread gives you a crispy edge and a chewy, moist middle. You can dip the bread in some laban (Lebanese yogurt) and have at it. It is one of those dishes, I wouldn't mind eating everyday.
You can use either ground beef or ground lamb to make kafta. It's all about personal preference. We prefer beef because it's less gamey. Add the meat to a bowl.
Chop the onions into a small dice. You can use a knife or food processor to do this. Also, you can use red or white onion. We switch it up every now and then. This time, we're using red.
Chop the parsley until fine. Again, you can use a processor knife, whatever is easier for you.
You'll also need some salt.
Some freshly ground black pepper. Makes a difference.
Some seven spice.
Some good pita bread will also be needed. Not the thick ones. Try to find the authentic thin ones.
Combine the onions and parsley with the meat. Add the salt, pepper and seven spice.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Smear heaping tablespoons onto the inside of the pita and spread into a layer. Fold the other half over and place it on a baking sheet lined with greased aluminum. Continue to do this until you fill your baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until the inside is no longer raw and the outside is golden brown. The moisture from the meat may make the bread wrinkly on some of them. No biggie.
Serve immediately with some laban and fries. Enjoy!
See how my mom does it:
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground chuck or ground lamb
- 2 large white or red onions, chopped
- 3 bunches flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ¼ teaspoon seven spice
- Good thin Pita bread
Instructions
Chop the onions into a small dice and chop the parsley until fine. An easy method is to chop the onions and parsley in a food processor until desired size.
Add the parsley and onions mixture to a mixing bowl.
Add in the salt, black pepper and seven spice.
Mix it thoroughly and taste a small piece to adjust seasoning if necessary.
Open up your pita so it's open faced. Smear two heaping kitchen tablespoons of the meat mixture onto the pita.
Bake at 350°F on a baking sheet lined with greased aluminum for about 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked inside, but the outside is golden brown.
Enjoy immediately with some laban and fries!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a milestone moment. I claimed this site would feature Lebanese recipes when I first started it. Well, it's finally happening. This post is officially the first of it's kind. I can explain why it's taken so long. You see, my mom is the one with most of these recipes. Shooting around my schedule and hers has been difficult to say the least, but we finally did it. We're going to show you how to make Toum.
Toum is that thick garlic sauce you always see in Middle-Eastern restaurants that is usually served with chicken. Lebanon can lay claim to this creation, but it can be found in many other nations in the Middle East. In case you didn't know, toum literally translates to garlic in Arabic. Many Lebanese eat it with chicken mainly, but it's also great with barbequed meat and French fries. Overall, it's delicious and unique in flavor. Not only that, but it's very healthy. Garlic has the proven ability to help reduce high cholesterol, low blood pressure, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and even certain types of cancer. The benefits of garlic can't be overstated, so try this sauce and incorporate more garlic in your life!
To make this sauce is not difficult, it's just technical. There aren't many ingredients, so it's not taxing in that regard. Understanding the emulsion process is key. Emulsification is the process that allows liquids and oils to mix. It's a scientific and chemical reaction, so it can be easily messed up without practice or knowing what you're doing. Toum, like mayonnaise, hollandaise and aioli's needs to be emulsified to form. Lecithin is a common emulsifier that is used in industrial kitchens to make creamy foods. To get this naturally, we use egg whites, which contain lecithin. This will help us emulsify much easier.
My mother never, ever measures her ingredients. So, I'm going to eyeball it with this recipe. It's best you watch the video a few times and really understand the process and the timeline of what ingredients you should add when. The key to making successful sauce will be to understand emulsification, not really understand the recipe. In fact, everyone has their way of making garlic sauce. Some add egg whites, some don't. Some add water, some don't. This is the way my mom does it and we think it comes out perfect. For a more intense garlic flavor, you can always add more cloves of garlic.
This can be made in a mortar and pestal if you have the kind of time and patience, but nobody has time for that, so we're using a food processor. If you are making a large amount of sauce, you can use a larger processor, but for the amount we're making, use one similar in size to this one. My mom has said that if you make this quantity in a larger processor, it won't work.
You'll need a few things to get started:
Okay, time to get to business.
With your machine off, add in your garlic cloves, add the salt and add in the lemon crystals, citric acid or lemon juice at this point. You can add lemon in any of the three forms you'd like, but just understand that the crystals or citric acid will have a more concentrated lemon flavor than juice, so adjust accordingly.
Pour in some canola oil. Use a neutral oil! Olive oil or any flavored oil won't work here. I highly suggest canola oil, because it doesn't have a bitter aftertaste. My mom puts a tablespoon or two to begin with. Put the lid on and get it going on food processor mode for about 10-20 seconds. Add in one egg white at a time with the machine going. Let the egg white incorporate before adding the next one. It's essential that your ingredients be at room temperature. Let the processor go after adding the third egg white for about 10-20 seconds and then begin adding the stream of oil. It's important that it's a steady stream, but pretty thin. It's important to note that as you add the oil, you should begin seeing the form change from a liquid to more a thick paste. Because of that, once we get started, we don't want to turn the machine off until we're done. When you reach the point where it's almost fully done, stream in some cold water, about a tablespoon. Continue adding the oil in a steady stream until it's completely emulsified and a mayonnaise consistency. Taste and adjust the salt or lemon accordingly.
Cover and refrigerate. It will last in the fridge for a week, but I suggest using it within a few days.
See how it's done:
Ingredients
- First Step:
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon lemon crystals
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
- Second step:
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- ¾ cup Canola oil or as much needed until sauce thickens
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
***TAKE OUT ALL YOU INGREDIENTS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE ROOM TEMPERATURE. THIS IS VITAL. THE WATER OR ICE CUBES MUST BE THE ONLY THING THAT IS COLD.
In a medium sized processor, add in the four garlic cloves, cut in half.
Sprinkle in the salt.
Add in lemon crystals, citric acid or lemon juice. (whatever you're using)
Pour a little bit of oil around the inside of the processor in a circular motion, it's about a tablespoon.
Put the lid back on and process the mixture for about 20 seconds.
While the mixer is running, add the room temp egg whites, one at a time, giving each one time to incorporate.
Using about half of the oil, add in the oil in a steady, but thin stream. Look for the sauce to emulsify and thicken to a mayonnaise-like consistency. A little less or more oil may be needed.
Once it comes together and looks more like the mayonnaise-like consistency, add in the cold water in a steady, thin stream.
Continue adding in the rest of the oil in a thin, steady stream to regain the thick consistency.
Give it a taste and adjust the salt or lemon.
Refrigerate for about an hour before use. Keeps in fridge for a week, but I suggest using it within the first few days.
Notes
You can add more garlic cloves for a more intense garlic flavor. You can use regular lemon juice, citric acid or lemon crystals. Machine should run through the entire process after adding in the first step ingredients.
When you think about Lebanese food, fattoush, tabbouleh or hummus, most likely comes to mind. All those are great, but this is one of my favorites. This is comfort food to it's fullest. Cabbage rolls are not uniquely Lebanese. There are other nations that have their own versions. But, this is how the Lebanese make their stuffed cabbage rolls. Specifically, this is how my mom makes it. I may be a little biased, but I think this is the best way to make them. If you think you don't like cabbage, then give this a try. You won't even taste the cabbage. The garlic and lemon is mostly what you'll taste. It's SO good.
Start off by getting three heads of cabbage. Wash them really well. Take off the outer green first layer. Cut off the ends. In a big pot, boil, one at a time, on high for about an hour. They should still have resistance when a fork is inserted, but the leaves should be more pliable. We have to do this step, because in America, the cabbage is not as pliable as it would be in Lebanon. Don't know why, but that's how it is.
While those are boiling, you can soak your rice. Place the rice in a medium sized bowl with enough warm water to cover it by ¼". Once you're done boiling the cabbage, place the heads of cabbage into a big strainer to allow the excess water to drip. While they are drying up, you can put the rice in a sieve so you can dump the water out and rinse the rice thoroughly. While the rice is still in a sieve, place it over a bowl and let the water drip for about 5-10 minutes.
Once the rice is well strained, you can move it to a large bowl.
You'll need to peel 2 heads of garlic. Yes, two heads of garlic. If you're not a fan of garlic this isn't something you'll want to eat. But we need two heads peeled and ready to go. I ended up having about 26-28 cloves.
Now, dab off with a paper towel any excess juice or blood from the meat and then dump it into the bowl with the rice.
Now, in one large bowl, you should have the meat and rice all together. Now add in the salt, pepper, seven spice, about 8-10 garlic cloves sliced, olive oil and one can of tomato paste.
Give this all a mix until it's a uniform mixture.
That's the filling. Now, you can start peeling the cabbage leaves one at a time. Place a few of the roots of the leaves to cover the bottom of your pot. This will help prevent scorching. Also, make sure you cut the tops, because they're too flimsy and small to roll anything with. Place about a tablespoon or so in the middle of the leaf and roll it tightly, but not too tightly so they break. Begin to place them one by one over the leaves you placed on the bottom of the pot.
Fill it up until it forms the first layer.
Now, add in about 6-8 sliced garlic cloves all over. Add in some mint all over.
Repeat to form another layer. Keep rolling the cabbage rolls until you get another layer. You should receive about 3-4 layers in all, each one with mint and sliced garlic included. With any leftover meat, roll it all into a ball in one leaf and place it on top.
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Now, cover with water until it just covers the top of the last layer. Add in salt, pepper, mint and another can of tomato paste. Add in the lemon juice.
Place a heatproof plate bottomside up on top to act as the lid. Weigh it down with either a heatproof glass jar or a big measuring cup filled with water. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T USE PLASTIC. IT WILL BURN. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, then turn it to medium-low and cook for another 2 hours or so. Make sure you taste so you can add more salt and pepper if you need too. Also taste to ensure the leaves are tender. Once they're tender, the food is done.
It's not the most appealing dish, but it is one of the tastiest.
HOW TO SERVE: YOU CAN EITHER EAT IT LIKE THIS NORMALLY WITH A FORK OR YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF A SANDWICH BY PLACING A FEW IN A BIG PIECE OF PITA BREAD. DOUBLE UP ON THE BREAD OR IT WILL BREAK AS YOU ROLL. MOST IMPORTANTLY, SQUEEZE SOME LEMON ON THESE! NO MATTER HOW YOU EAT THEM, SOME FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMON ON THESE REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
~~~ Not yelling, just want you to see that note, because I feel it's important 🙂 ~~~
Video:
Ingredients
- 3 large heads of cabbage
- 2 large heads of garlic (23-28 cloves)
- 1.5 lb kishna, (thickly grinded chuck beef)
- 2 full cups of Basmati rice (use liquid measuring cup)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans (12 oz total) tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon seven spice
- 1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt +more for last layer
- 1 tablespoon freshly grinded black pepper + more for last layer
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- dried mint
- water
Instructions
Cabbage:
Wash three heads of cabbage really well. Remove the outer green first layer. Cut off the ends.
In a large enough pot boil each cabbage head, one at a time in unsalted water on high for about an hour. They should still have a little resistance when a fork is inserted, but the leaves should be softer and more pliable.
Once you're done boiling the cabbage, place the heads of cabbage into a big strainer to allow the excess water to drip.
Filling:
Place the rice in a medium sized bowl with enough warm water to cover the rice by ¼".
Once the rice has soaked the water, about 20 minutes, put the rice in a sieve so you can dump the water out and rinse the rice thoroughly.
Place the rice in the sieve over an empty bowl and let the water drip for about 5-10 minutes. Once the rice is well strained, you can dump it into a large bowl and set aside.
Peel and cut the ends off 23-28 cloves of garlic (2 large heads). Set aside.
Now, dab off with a paper towel any excess blood from the meat and then dump it into the bowl with the rice.
Now, in one large bowl, you should have the meat and rice all together.
Into the meat/rice mixture, add in the salt, pepper, seven spice, about 8-10 garlic cloves sliced, olive oil and one can (6 oz) of tomato paste. Give this all a mix until it's a uniform mixture.
Assembly:
Now, you can start peeling the cabbage leaves one at a time. Place a few of the outer layer and unusable leaves on the bottom of your pot. It should be one layer of leaves. This will help prevent scorching. Also, make sure you cut the tops of the selected leaves to roll with, because they're too flimsy and small to roll anything with.
Place about a tablespoon or so in the middle of the leaf and roll it tightly, but not too tightly so they break.
Begin to place them one by one over the leaves you placed on the bottom of the pot. Fill it up until it forms the first layer.
Now, add in about 6-8 sliced garlic cloves all over. Sprinkle in some mint all over, about two or three tablespoons.
Repeat to form another layer.
Keep rolling the cabbage rolls until you get another layer. You should receive about 3-4 layers in all, each one with mint and sliced garlic included.
With any leftover meat, roll it all into a ball in one leaf and place it on top.
Now, cover with warm water until it just covers the top of the last layer. Add in more salt, pepper, mint and another can of tomato paste. Add in the lemon juice.
Place a heatproof plate bottomside up on top to act as the lid. Weigh it down with either a heatproof glass jar or a big measuring cup filled with water. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T USE PLASTIC. IT WILL BURN.
Cook on high for about 30 minutes, then turn it to medium-low and cook for another 2 hours or so. Make sure you taste so you can add more salt and pepper if you need too. Also taste to ensure the leaves are tender. Once they're tender, the food is done.
When serving, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top. Enjoy with pita bread.