Tag Archives: Cooking

Levantine Okra Stew

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Bamieh is the Arabic word for Okra, and this is what we refer to this dish.

It is a very popular homemade dish in the Levant. Almost everyone in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are familiar with it. It can be made vegetarian or with beef cubes. I love it. It is such a comforting dish. We usually eat it with rice.

You can also find a different recipe on my blog for the okra cooked in olive oil. This one is usually eaten with pita bread and is also delicious.

For the full recipe, please visit the following page and let me know if you do give it a go. I am sure you will love it. It is one of my very favorite.

Finally, I share with you one of the most delicious Palestinian & Jordanian dish there is… How to make Maqlouba | طريقة طبخ المقلوبه الفلسطينية و الاردنية مع الباذنجان

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Maqlouba | مقلوبة.

This is one of the most original dishes. It can be typical and it can be the most exquisite dish on your table.

Maqlouba or Makloubeh in Arabic means literally Upside Down. And this dish is made in steps inside your cooking pan and then it is served upside down.

For eggplant lovers, this will be one of your favorite recipes. This can be a vegetarian dish if you remove the meat. And since most Arabian dishes are made all throughout the Middle-East, it is very normal to have several accents for the dish, and different ingredients.

Now Maqloubeh is a dish famous to have been originated from Palestinian families, and some people refer to it as Maqlouba, and some as Maqloubeh. At home, we call it Maqloubeh. And we make it with eggplants, lamb meat, tomatoes and red pepper. Of course the rice is essential in this dish. But in other houses, families, and locations, Maqloubeh is sometimes made with chicken instead of the lamb, and some make it with cauliflower instead of the eggplant. And to some they mix the two, and to others, they add potatoes. And yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear other different ingredients.

Last but not least, Palestinians love garnishing all their main dishes with roasted pine nuts and almonds. Maqlouba is always served with yogurt and salad on the side. You will love it. I promise.

SUZIE|S KITCHEN

Makes enough for 6 people – 1hr 1/2 total time required

مطبخ سوزي

طريقة عمل المقلوبة الفلسطنية بلحم و البيتنجان

وقت الطهي: ساعة و نصف – عدد: ٦ شخص

For the full Recipe Click Here

Food Art, Styling & Tasting: Adas Lentil Soup – شوربة العدس

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Adas Lentil Soup – شوربة العدس.

The difference between Lentil Soup and Adas Soup is that Adas which stands for Lentil is the Middle-Eastern version of the soup. Adas soup comes Yellow to Orange looking and is mostly served soft and creamy.

To most Middle-Eastern’s, Adas soup tastes like home. It is the soup served at most grandparents and parents, it is the soup of warmth and love. Adas soup is very popular during Ramadan as well, it is always served before anything else. I remember making Adas soup when I was living in Montreal every time I used to miss the Middle-East. Adas soup is the smell of any authentic Arab kitchen.

History & Culture 

Lentil in general is ancient, evidence show they were used for food 13 thousand years ago. Lentils used to be a very popular Iranian dish, they were poured over rice as a stew. Lentils are mentioned in all the books of Hebrew Bible, Bible and the Quran and is associated with the story of Prophet Jacob and is now associated as a traditional meal for a Jewish mourning. In Ethiopia a stew known dish is called Kik and is one of their national dishes. They also make a yellow non spicy dish for mothers to feed their babies with as their first meal. In India it is also known as the Dhal dish, which is a lentil curry dish that is served almost daily. In Italy and Hungary, Lentil is eaten on New Year’s Eve symbolizing Hope for a New prosperous year. The ancient Greeks used to love Lentil soup, and today Lentil soup is served almost everywhere around the world.

Types of Lentil

Lentil comes in more than one color, it can come in red, yellow, orange, green, brown, and black. For the Adas soup we always go…Read More

If you liked this post you might also like: Pumpkin Soup, Tomato Soup 

Full recipe of a delicious tomato soup…

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Tomato Soup.

Tomato Soup food art and styling Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes  Tomatoes Tomatoes; Who doesn’t love them Tomatoes ? A fruit yet is always considered a vegetable, claims to be first used in Mexico and then spread worldwide, although if we look closely to any cuisine, tomato is mostly in all culinary, international dishes; except Mansaf 😉 but yeah, Tomatoes are mandatory, they come in soup, salad, appetizers, main dishes, drinks and dips.

Tomato Soup Shopping for Tomatoes is no longer a one stop shop; instead you have varieties of tomato styles to select from. Around 7500 varieties of tomatoes are grown and to name some: slicing tomatoes, globe tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, paste tomatoes, pear tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and campari tomatoes. Today China is marked to come first in producing Tomatoes, Turkey comes 4th, Egypt comes 5th and Mexico 10th, but in any mini market around the block, a tomato is there waiting to be picked up.

Tomato Soup Benefits? Tomatoes contain lycopene which prevents prostate cancer, protects against UV rays, helps against sunburn and keeping the skin looking youthful. Tomatoes have double the normal Vitamin C, 40 times the normal Vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin E,  and high level of anthocyanin. How much more do you now love tomatoes? 

Tomatoes At SUZIE|S KITCHEN we are all fans of her famous cream of tomato soup... read more

Where you can enjoy a Cooking Class and a good meal in Amman, Jordan?

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In the old area of Amman, you will find the Webdeh neighborhood, where the houses are authentic, old and beautiful, the streets are very narrow, the shops are scattered and small with half of the items stacked around the entrance to attract any passenger walking by. Surrounded by the most beautiful mosques and churches in the city, Webdeh is the perfect place to stroll and hang out for the day or night. The people are very warm and friendly, the shops are diverse between cafes, grocery, old restaurants and galleries. It is where you go looking for treasures, outstanding shops, random conversations and it certainly leaves a very cozy and comfortable impression on you.

Down the street of Luzmila Hospital you will find on your right hand side a very old house with lots of greenery coming out of it and an exquisite signage that reads “Bei Sitti”. Beit Sitti stands for “My grandmother’s house” and as you walk up the old stairs you will see a beautiful big orange tree on your right side and many pink flower trees on your left before you reach an old brown door that takes you into the authentic house.

48 Beit-SittiThis house is literally the house of a woman who used to be a grandmother of a Jordanian family before she passed away “الله يرحمها”. The house is very authentic with beautiful floor tiles, black and white photographs, traditional decorations and a true beautiful authentic feel. The family decided to keep their grandmother’s house alive and help spread her love for cooking and teaching to the people around, and therefore transformed her house to a kitchen to teach arabic cooking classes that ends in an unforgettable dinning experience in Jabal Al Webdeh.3 Beit-Sitti

On an evening organized by WAY “Welfare Association for Youth” (a group of enthusiastic people with passion to help the development of the Palestinian society and are organizers to several activities throughout the year to help raise awareness about Palestinian identity, culture and history along with improving the standard of their living.) I joined thee group to a delicious night at Beit Sitti to learn how to make the tradition Palestinian dish Musakhan and dessert Knafeh.

WAY Welfare Association

Musakhan is taboon bread soaked in oil and filled with cooked onions, sumac spice and pine nuts topped with baked chicken garnished with more onion, sumac spice and pine nuts and is eaten with your hands alongside a bowl of yogurt and optional salad.

Musakhan in authentic oven Knafeh is to die for and is a very well-known dessert along the Middle-East and is originated from Nablus a city that resides in Palestine. It’s ingredients include Nabulsi Cheese, Knafeh pastry “which comes in 3 options: rough, fine or mixed”, syrup and pine nuts. If you have never tried it, then I do advice you ask for the best knafeh maker around you.

Making Knafeh Kunafa kanafehKnafeh a Palestinian dessert from NablusAfter enjoying the essence of learning how to make both Palestinian dishes of Musakhan and Knafeh, I enjoyed a pleasent dinner with great company, great topics, and great food.

Beit Sitti organizes different arabic food menus and can cater to your choice if you reserve in advance, for more inquires and reservations feel free to contact Beit Sitti and join the facebook page of WAY for upcoming events and activities that supports the people in Palestine. Nothing beats a night in a foreign city; learning something new, that includes both great food and a great conversation.

Beit-Sitti

All photographs are taken with my Canon 70D and you can check out my Food section for more Middle-Eastern Food recipes like:  Okra in Olive Oil, Eggplant Fatteh, Freekeh, Hummus, Mansaf, Mulukhieh, and MiddleEastern MeatPie.

The best of all recipes: Spinach Triangles – فطائر السبانخ

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Spinach Triangles – فطائر السبانخ.

The smell of Sabanekh “what stands for Spinach triangles or Fatayer Sabanekh” are just mesmerizing. The taste of the Sabanekh is just unforgettable. My mother’s Sabanekh are usually crunchy from the outside and very soft and juicy from the inside, literally mouth-watering.

Sabanekh always remind me of my childhood when we used to go for family gatherings, there is always Sabanekh triangles, and they are always made so good. It is like you can identify the character of the person behind making them. Some are too sour, some are too soft, some are crunchy, some are spicy, some are mini, some are not in a triangle shape, and so on… I do not usually like sabanekh with big chunks of onion pieces inside, the ones with very little juicing and not much of sour in them. Sabanekh must taste a memory or leave a memory. Yes I think I am just obsessed with those Sabanekh, and you will only understand me if you have tried SUZIE|S or when you try her recipe.

When do we serve those yummy spinach pastries?

They are usually an appetizer, or a welcoming dish to start with; sometimes they are tagged along with all the savory pastries for parties and events. You can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am telling you they are just what you are looking for.

Not to forget to mention, those triangles are great for school, picnic, work, they are just easy to wrap and go. You can always make them along side the Sfeeha and have a lucky lunch day at work or school.

Benefits?

Ofcourse it is good for you, we all know it, thanks to Popeye. They are really good for skin and hair, bone and health because they provide high protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals. It also improves blood glucose control in diabetes, lowering the risk of cancer, lowering blood pressure, and strengthens the bone.

Read more… 

A new exquisite vegetarian dish… Learn about and try to cook this MiddleEastern dish: Mulukhiyah

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Mulukhiyah.

Food is one of the topics that unites the world together, we all strive to learn new recipes, new food, new taste, to add a new dish to a table that unites families, friends, neighbors, colleagues, social events, private events, public events and the world. What is better than to share, to love, to help, to feel alive, to care, to feel compassionate for one another.

My dish for today, unites the Middle-Eastern & North African cuisine, and it is a dish that is cooked for the world to try and taste. Today I want to tell you more about this famous Mulukhiyah, pronounced in over 10 different accents, and has few different names that all sound similar: ملوخية Mulukhiyah, Mloukhieh (is how I say it), Molokhia, Molokhieh, Molokheyyah Mloukhya, Moroheiya, Mrenda, Murere, Apoth, Kren-Kre or maybe not too much of a similarity 🙂 in the west you might need to ask for Jew’s Mallow or Jute Mellow or Nalta.

Mulukhiya is a truly delicious green leaves used as a vegetable in the Middle-East, they look like mint but taste somewhat like spinach or somewhat nothing like spinach but you know what I mean. Once cooked, Mulukhiyah results looking slimy and greenly and mostly not too appealing. My photographs on the other hand are my enjoyment of creating a piece of art out of this supposedly exquisite dish.

History

Dates back to the ancients – Pharaoh time and comes from the word “Mulokia” which stands for Kingdom or Royal, because it was eaten only by the royals, kings, queens and nobles during the Pharaoh era. Today every one eats Mulukhiah, royal or not, it is even considered a traditional dish to some Egyptians and it for sure is a main Arabian dish to many Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese and am assuming the rest of the arab countries, Middle-East and North Africa.

There is chicken in this recipe, but you can easily have it vegetarian and still have an awesome dish… Read more and find out the full recipe by clicking here.

 

Here is how to make Chicken Fatteh; a delicious Middle-Eastern dish. طريقة عمل فتة الدجاج

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Fatet Jaj Full Recipe Link How to make a Middle-eastern chicken fatteh dish jaj طريقة عمل فتة الدجاج

If my mother wants to surprise me for lunch, then it is Fatet Jaj فتة الدجاج which stands for chicken fatteh. Yummy, this dish is by far one of my very favorite dishes. It is very easy to prepare and is delicious. The only disadvantage about it, is you have to eat it as soon as it is served or prepare it like you prepare a fajita which is each ingredients separate and mixed just before you start eating. Reason is it includes fried bread and once the fried bread is soaked it looses the crunch, which is part of the taste.

How to make a Middle-eastern chicken fatteh dish jaj طريقة عمل فتة الدجاجI have posted before during Ramadan Fatet Bitinjan or what stands for Eggplant Fatteh which is also delicious, Fatteh in general is a famous dish severed differently in different ingredients and we Arabs just love it. I mean it really is delicious so I do suggest you give them both a try.

I find cooking is so much fun, and specially when trying something for the very first time, I think the origin of this dish is Syrian, and Syrians have great taste in food and are usually fantastic when preparing them. Apparently they serve this dish as a side dish, but when we have it for lunch it is always the main dish, and believe me it is very filling, am not sure how it can just be a side dish, unless it is serves in small quantity but then it is not fulfilling because it is too good to be in small portions.

How to make a Middle-eastern chicken fatteh dish jaj طريقة عمل فتة الدجاج

Anyway, this dish is very highly recommended by me, and do not be afraid to add lemon and garlic to taste, and my favorite part is SUZIE|S speciality adding Filfil ou Limoun and you can find the full recipe in my Mansaf post.

I am so lucky to have my mother as my best chef, and today I hope to be your best source of recipes. Have a wonderful meal and please do give this a try to let me know what you think.

Bon Appetit

How to make a Middle-eastern chicken fatteh dish jaj طريقة عمل فتة الدجاج

In love with my Canon 70D For the Full Recipe Click Here.

Have you ever heard of Okra in Olive Oil? Here is a new Middle-Eastern vegetarian recipe for you to try at home. Bamieh Bil Zeit | طريقة عمل وصفة بامية بالزيت

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Bamieh bil Zeit | باميه بالزيت.

Bamieh, Bamia, or what is also known as Okra and apparently some people refer to it as “Lady finger”, when I type an Arabic word in English it is very difficult to be precise in the choice of letters for the accent differs from one person to another in our region.

Anyhow, I am one of the people who loooooovvvvveee Bamieh, I mean really, this vegetable tastes so good and different from anything else. This is a vegetarian dish and I have noticed that most Middle-Eastern dishes are vegetarian but we tend to add meat to them, so when checking my recipes, just try to look for the ones that can substitute the meat.

I am always so curious to why Okra is not so much used in the west ?

History

Apparently Bamieh or Okra is mostly found in Asia, Ethiopia and West Africa. The Egyptians have used it since the 12th and 13th century, and is very well-known in the Middle-East and between all Arabs as Bamieh or Bamia.

Benefits

Bamieh / Okra is very low in calories, they provide 30 calories per 100g, has neither saturated fat nor cholesterol. They are rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

I must admit to you that so many people are turned off by the bamieh as soon as they are introduced to the dish because of its slimy appearance after cooking. I personally don’t mind it maybe because I grew up with it and I love the taste of it.

The recipe below is a famous Lebanese dish and is called Bamieh bil Zeit (which mean Okra soaked in olive oil) and is usually eaten with pita bread. What most Palestinians and Jordanians make is Okra stew or Bamieh bil Bandora “Bamia in Tomatoes”, hopefully I will share the Okra stew recipe with you soon in the following months. Meanwhile give this amazing Bamieh bel Zeit a try at home.

Using my Canon 70D… Read more for the full recipe. 

Most viewed post of the year 2014: Mansaf, Read more on what is Mansaf and How to make it.

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Mansaf.

I am very happy to announce that my most viewed post of the year 2014 was the Jordanian Traditional Dish Mansaf. Most visitors on my blog were from 1- Jordan 2- United Stated 3- United Arab Emirates 4- Germany 5- Italy 6- Canada 7- United Kingdom 8- France 9- Palestine and 10- Israel. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog in 2014, and I will work really hard on making 2015 a great year dedicated to my lifestyle as a MiddleEastern bringing out everything beautiful about my culture, tradition, and surroundings.

Mansaf; was my first recipe choice for my Food Photography Project.

What is Mansaf? To those who are unfamiliar with it, you must be familiar with Jordan. The beautiful Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; an Arab kingdom on the East Bank of Jordan River, and Mansaf is the Jordanian Traditional Dish. You haven’t really visited Jordan until you try it’s mouthwatering unforgettable Mansaf.

I was introduced to Mansaf at a young age from having it being the main dish at all big occasions. Occasions that include; Eid (Holiday’s), big family gatherings, weddings, funerals and other, Mansaf was like a mandatory dish to celebrating happiness or sorrow.

…and what is Mansaf? “منسف is how we spell it in Arabic” with the Lamb being the hero or victim of the dish cooked in dried yogurt that we also call Jameed “جميد” served with rice and flatbread (Shrak/Markouk) then garnished with almonds, pine-nuts & of-course spices.

This is not it, Mansaf is a long story of meanings, findings, bindings, and a Bedouin tradition. Mansaf in Arabic also means “Large tray/dish” which it truly is; Mansaf comes in a very big round tray/dish and is placed in the center of a big round table with everyone standing around the table with their left hand behind their back, and using their right hand…Click Here to Read More and For the Full Recipe.