Mujaddara ~ Arabian Lentil - Rice Pilaf

Mujaddara was on my 'to do' list when I participated in 'Around the World' themed blogging marathon last September. However some other tempting dishes took precedence and this humble treat had to wait up until now. Don't judge this simple yet flavorful Arabian pilaf by my presentation above there. I was hungry and there was zero sunlight when I captured that image. :)

Mujaddara is the Arabian version of rice-lentil pilaf sans vegetables and is generously garnished with crisp fried onion slices. It is alternatively also called as mudardara (Lebanon) and majadra (Israel). Some regions keep the dish to the basic minimum using just rice, lentils, onion and salt, while some flavor the dish with cumin and pepper. This simple one pot meal is very popular in Arabian countries and I now completely understand why. It is delicious, healthy and a filling meal on it's own. It is one of those dishes that prove that you can create magic even using the ingredients from a humble pantry. 

The first recorded meat version of this recipe was found in an Iraqi book, during 13th century. The basic vegetarian version was mostly considered a poor man's food since it is a frugal meal. Mujaddara is equally popular among Arab Christian and Jewish communities. Traditionally, Jewish ate this dish twice a week while it is eaten during Lent by Christians. (From wiki.) Mujaddara is served along with yogurt and plain cucumber salad or as a part of an Arabic feast.

Ingredients: (3 servings)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder 
1/4 cup brown lentils / green lentils (I used brown lentils)
1/2 cup long grain rice
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add onion slices. Stir onion slices to coat them well with the oil. Spread the onion slices evenly in the pan and keep stirring them intermittently until they brown. (I cooked them on medium flame). Don't allow the onions to burn. If they appear dry, sprinkle some salt or add a little oil / water and continue. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
2. To the same pan, add cumin seeds. (If there is no oil left in the pan, add a tsp of oil and heat it before adding cumin seeds.) When cumin seeds start to brown, add cumin powder and pepper powder to the pan and stir. Then add rinsed rice and lentil mixture, half of the fried onion mixture and about 1 cup water + 2 tbsp water (I used the same measuring cups used for the dry ingredients and didn't add the fried onions in this step).
3. Cover and let cook on low medium flame until done. (I poured the mixture into a steel container and steamed in the pressure cooker without the whistle on. The brown lentils were turning mushy when cooked in the pressure cooker even for 1 whistle and so I choose to just steam it without using the whistle. One can transfer the contents to the rice cooker as well and cook. When properly done, the rice must be cooked well and the lentils should still hold the shape.)
4. Add salt to the cooked mujaddara and just stir to mix. Garnish with fried onions and serve with plain yogurt if desired.

This goes to BM #48 for under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" - Arabian Cuisine theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

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Ezogelin Soup ~ Turkish Red Lentil Soup

 
This red lentil soup happens to be one of the traditional and common soups in Turkish cuisine and goes by the name Ezogelin soup. The origin of the soup is attributed to Ezo, a legendary beauty and an unhappy bride from Gaziantep in the Southeastern Turkey region, while the word 'gelin' means bride in Turkish. This soup is supposedly one of her favorite dishes and she lovingly used to cook it for her family. Irrespective of whether the Ezo story is true or not, this is one simple, home style dish that everyone in the family going to love. I served this delicious and hearty soup with some bread croutons.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 small tomato, finely chopped
About 6 cups vegetable stock / water
1/4 cup red lentils (Masoor Dal)
2 Tbsp. rice (I used brown rice.)
2 tbsp. fine bulgur
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes 
Salt &  pepper to taste
1 tsp dried mint
Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
* Heat oil in a medium sized pot, preferably a non stick one. Add onion and fry until it softens. Next add garlic and cook for about a couple of minutes. Then add tomatoes and cook until it turns mushy. Ad tomato paste and saute for few seconds.
* Now add about 3 cups of vegetable stock / water, lentils, rice and bulgur and cook on low medium flame until rice and lentils are cooked well, stirring intermittently. The liquid tends to get absorbed by the grains while cooking and the grains may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if attention is not paid. Keep adding extra liquid as needed. (I added about 3 cups more.)
* Add mint and seasonings to the pot. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Cook until the soup reaches a creamy consistency or coarsely puree in a blender. It took me around 30 minutes to cook the lentils and grains.
* Divide the mixture in two soup bowls and serve with lemon wedges.

This goes to BM #48 for 'Arabian Cuisine' under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #48.

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Cheese Stuffed Dates

 
While planning for last month's 'global food' based blogging marathon, I realized that stuffed dates are a popular treat in the Arab world. They can range from a simple stuffing like coconut or sesame seeds to these party worthy cheese filled ones. The sweetened cheese filling here is flavored with cardamom / rose water / orange blossom water, strongly reflecting the Arabic influences. The stuffed dates are then garnished with nuts. These stuffed dates would be an yummy treat for kids and adults alike.

Ingredients:
Soft, pitted Dates
Cream Cheese / Ricotta Cheese / Freshly made Chena
Powdered sugar to taste
Cardamom powder for flavor
Pistachios to decorate

Method:
* Make a small lengthwise incision on one side of each date using a small knife and keep them aside. (If using pitted dates, remove the pits.)
* Combine cheese, sugar and cardamom in a small bowl.
* Fill each date with about 1 tsp (or sufficient) cheese mixture.
* Garnish with sliced pistachios or press a pistachio on each date.

Notes:
1. One tbsp. cheese would fill 3 - 4 dates. Skim cheese can be used.
2. I garnished with some orange zest too and I think that flavor is too overpowering and only a little cardamom would suffice for the flavor. Even rose water / orange blossom water can be substituted for cardamom. 

This is going to be my contribution to 
1. Blogging Marathon #45
2. Kids' Delight - Potluck Party.

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Y for Yemen ~ Malikia / Masoob

 
Event: BM #44, Around the world (A - Z Series)        
Choice of Country: The Republic of Yemen
Capital City: Sana'a
Official Language: Arabic

We are into the final days of  'Around the World in 30 Days' themed blogging marathon and today I am going with 'Yemen', the only choice for alphabet Y. This Arab nation in the southeast Asia includes more than 200 islands in it's territory. It's cuisine is widely distinct from the more widely known Middle Eastern cuisines and is extremely popular one among the Gulf nations. The cooking varies region wise and goat, lamb and chicken are the popular meats. Cheese, butter and other dairy products are not commonly used in Cuisine. A meat stew known as Saltah is the national dish and is usually served with Yemeni flatbread. Tawa, tameez, laxoox, kader, fateer, kudam, rashoosh, oshara, amd malawah are the popular breads eaten in Yemen while malooga, khuba and khamira are the popular home made breads. Store bought pita and rotis are also commonly used. (Source:Wiki)
I settled with this simple and quick dessert for Yemen and was quite happy with the results. It may not be visually stunning but is quite a delight to devour this concoction of fruit, cream, nuts and honey. This recipe is a great way to use the left over flat breads / rotis and over ripe bananas. It is supposedly a sweet - savory dish that is quite popular in Gulf countries but I omitted the cheese as it was optional and I felt like that flavor is not needed here. (I even doubt whether this cheese is traditionally used). This banana and bread based sweet dish is called Malikia in Yemen while it goes by the name masoob in Saudi Arabia. The ratio of the bread crumbs and the fruit puree should be roughly equal for this recipe. I substituted the rotis with brown bread in one of my trials and I think rotis taste better. This malikia is close to rasayana in the taste department, a favorite of mine and so I had no problems in falling in love with this dish. My husband didn't care for it but I made it for myself already thrice this month.

Ingredients: (2 -3 servings)
2 flatbread (I used left over rotis)
1 big banana (Use about 1 & 1/2 if using small sized bananas.)
1/2 cup whipped cream
1/4 cup dry fruits / nuts to garnish (I used raisins, sliced pistachios and almonds.)
Honey to taste
Shredded mild cheddar cheese (Optional and I didn't use it.)

Method:
* Tear rotis into tiny pieces and process into fine crumbs in a food processor / blender.
* Finely mash the banana in a bowl.
* Combine the roti crumbs and mashed banana in a serving dish. (I would recommend dividing the mixture into three portions and arrange on three serving platters. The final dish is very rich and I felt it is heavy for one person.)
* Spoon whipped cream (or you can use a piping bag for fancy presentation.) and garnish with nuts. Sprinkle cheese if using.
* Drizzle generous amount of honey all over and serve immediately. You can also heat it in microwave for 30 seconds before serving.

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Q for Qatar ~ Al Rangina

Event: BM #44, Around the world (A - Z Series)

Choice of Country: The State of Qatar

Capital City: Doha

Official Language: Arabic

Qatar is the only nation on planet which starts with the alphabet 'Q' and obviously my choice for today in this culinary marathon. I am going with a simple and yet an interesting and delicious dessert, al rangina. It is basically dates in a flavorful cinnamon butter sauce. This eye-catchy platter of al rangina takes hardly 10 minutes to prepare. And before I proceed to the recipe, here are some interesting facts about this peninsula.

Some tidbits about Qatar:

* Qatar is a sovereign Arab country located in Western Asia and it's sole land border is with Saudi Arabia.
* Qatar is the world's richest country per capita and has the world's third largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves in excess of 25 billion barrels.  
* Qatar has been ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century and Emir has the final say in all matters. Criticizing Emir in media is illegal.  
* Qatar's semi-elected consultative assembly called Majlis al Shura has very limited legislative authority. There is no independent legislature and political parties are forbidden.  
* Before the discovery of oil, the economy depended mainly on fishing and pearl hunting. It's capital, Doha was originally a fishing village.  
* Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol in Qatar and if they get caught doing so, will be punished by flogging. Adultery also meets the same punishment.
 * Al Jazeera Media Network is funded by the ruling family of Qatar and it's head quarters is located in Doha.  
* Tourists have to dress modestly.  
* The work week runs from Sunday through Thursday. 

Culinary Tidbits:  
* Qatar's cuisine has been influenced by close links to Iran and India and Muslim dietary conventions.  
* Muslims generally refrain from eating pork and drinking alcohol, and neither is served publicly.  
* Traditional cuisine is based around seafood and native varieties of dates. Sour apples, almonds and dates are considered delicacies.
* Some of the popular dishes are burghul pilaf, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and mashboush while desserts are harees, umm ali, mehalabiya and esh asaraya.
* Coffee is the loved beverage and the Qatari version goes by the name 'Qahwa Helw'. This sweet coffee is a delightful concoction of saffron, cardamon, orange and sugar and is served on special occasions and by the elite.
* Qataris, especially women, are reluctant to eat in public places 
(Source: Several online sites)

   
This is one simple dessert that I thoroughly enjoyed making and consuming. I was initially like who would eat dates in a sauce when I learnt about the recipe. Then I began to wonder that something must be in it if it is popular among the Arab countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. I thought of trying a small portion to test and was really glad that I did. The sauce is the real hero of this recipe and tastes really wonderful. I recalled something when I tasted the sauce and couldn't figure it out what until my husband pointed it out that it was almost like the ragi huri hittu. He was right about the taste, albeit it was richer in flavor because of all the butter and cinnamon that goes into it. I loved the base sauce so much that I am planning to prepare a thicker sauce next time and going to use it in another dish. 

Ingredients:
1/4 lb pitted dates (18 - 20 dates)
3 to 4 tbsp. butter
2.5 to 3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. icing sugar

Method:
* Arrange the dates on a plate you are going to use to serve.
 
* Melt the butter in a sauce pan.

* Add flour and cinnamon to the butter. Whisk well and cook the mixture until a thick sauce is formed.

* I cooked for about 6 to 7 minutes and added cinnamon at the final stages of the cooking. Most of the online recipes mention to cook for 3 to 4 minutes but I cooked it longer to make sure that the flour is cooked well.
I forgot to take the pictures while it was cooking and this is what it looked like when it was warm. And please don't be tempted to add extra flour while cooking if the sauce appears thin since it thickens once it cools down.
 
* Pour the cooked cinnamon-butter sauce over the dates evenly.

 
 * Once it cools down, dust with icing sugar as much as needed and serve.

 

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O for Oman ~ Khabeesa

Event: BM #44, Around the World (A - Z Series)
Choice of Country: The Sultanate of Oman
Capital City: Muscat
Official Language: Omani Arabic

And it's time for the "O" country today and obviously it had to be Oman since this Arabic nation is the only one that starts with the alphabet "O". The Omani cuisine is a mixture of several staples of Asian foods. It borrows Asian tastes and flavors and incorporates them into typical Omani dishes that are palate pleasing. Rice is a staple while Omani dishes are often based around chicken, fish, and lamb. Most Omani dishes tend to contain a rich mixture of spices, herbs, and marinades. 
I had bookmarked a few Omani recipes from Nestlé site and mostly was leaning towards the mugasgas. Those sweet, puffy triangles caught my attention at the first sight. However yesterday when I started the preparation, I realized that unknowingly I already had cooked 4 deep fried dishes for this week. I therefore had to steer away from there to this yummy and quick semolina pudding, khabeesa. 

I prepared khabeesa twice - once pre-roasting the semolina and once without roasting. In India it is a common practice to roast semolina before using it in any dish to avoid it to turn lumpy while cooking. And so I roasted the semolina by default. This dish doesn't need the prior roasting of semolina and the consistency of khabeesa is similar to a soft version halwa. Cardamom, rose water and saffron add aromatic flavors to delicious khabeesa.

Please note that if you follow the (original) recipe to the T, then you will end up with a cloyingly sweet khabeesa. I would recommend adding less sweetened condensed milk than the recipe mentions or use unsweetened condensed milk and add sugar to taste. I have adjusted the ingredients below to suit my palate.

Ingredients: (2 -3 servings)
1/4 cup semolina
3/4 cup milk (at room temperature / warm)
2 - 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp butter 
1/4 tsp ground cardamom 
1/2 tsp rosewater
A pinch of saffron threads
Slivered pistachio to garnish (optional)

Method 1:
* Combine semolina and milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. 
* Now add the remaining ingredients except the pistachio to the pan. Continue to cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, stirring in between.  
* Transfer the cooked khabeesa to individual serving bowls and let it cool. The mixture considerably thickens once it cools down.
* Garnish with nuts if desired.

Method 2:
*Toast semolina on low flame until it starts to change the color.
* Boil milk, butter and condensed milk together in a sauce pan. Add semolina slowly, constantly stirring with a sturdy spatula so that the mixture would not turn lumpy.
* Allow the mixture to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring in between. Add cardamom, rose water and saffron threads at the final stages of cooking.
* When the mixture is done, turn off the stove and pour in individual bowls for serving. The mixture considerably thickens once it cools down and reaches a soft halwa consistency. Garnish with slivered pistachio if desired and serve.

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J for Jordan ~ Mohallabiah / Muhallabiyeh

Event: BM #44 , Around the World (A - Z series) 
Choice of Country: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Capital City: Amman
Official Language: Arabic

I am still in western Asia for today's post and moving from Iraq to it's neighbor Jordan. "J" was one of the alphabets for which I finished cooking first and in fact I cooked the dish twice for "Japan". Kids loved the dish but somehow I wasn't happy with the pictures of the dish and at the last moment I decided to go with another Arab nation instead. 
This region was subjected to control of powerful foreign empires throughout different eras of history and the influence can been seen on Jordanian cuisine as well. Jordanians serve family, friends, and guests with great pride in their homes and a 'Jordanian invitation' means that you are expected to bring nothing and eat everything. There is a wide variety in Jordanian cuisine ranging from baking, sautéeing and grilling to stuffing of vegetables, meat, and poultry. Jordan is one of the largest producers of olives and olive oil is the primary cooking medium. Mansaf, a lamb dish is the national dish of Jordan. Popular appetizers are kebbeh, ful medames, labaneh, baba ghanoush, hummus, tabbouleh, olives and pickles. (source:wiki)

I chose to go with a creamy dessert, mohallabiah that is also called mahalabiya / muhallabiyeh. Muhallabiyeh is a dish commonly prepared through out the Arab region with slight variations and this quick delight is milk based. This thick, creamy pudding is cooked similarly as phirni, a rice pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent. Here rice flour is used instead of coarsely ground rice and cooked thicker than phirni. Basically milk and rice flour paste are cooked until thick and creamy. Sugar adds the sweetness while rose water and blossom water lend their aromatic flavors to the dish. Finally the dish is finished with a generous garnishing of crushed pistachios / almonds. Substituting milk powder for milk was common in regions where cattle was scarce. Some versions use cornstarch instead of rice flour.
The recipe I found here uses condensed milk as part of their marketing strategy. I went ahead with it since I had some leftover condensed milk which I had to finish off. Muhallabiyeh is traditionally prepared with milk and so you can go ahead with it if you don't have condensed milk in your pantry. Just replace the condensed milk and water with milk and add sugar to taste. The below quantity takes less than 15 minutes to cook but if you are planning to cook a large quantity, check the original recipe.
 
Ingredients for 2 servings:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 & 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp rice flour (Easily available in Indian stores.)
1/8 tsp rose water
1/8 tsp orange blossom water (I skipped it.)
3 tbsp. crushed pistachio nuts

Method:
* Add condensed milk and about a cup of water to a nonstick pan and bring the mixture to boil.
* In the meantime, whisk rice flour and about 1/2 cup water in a bowl to form a lump free mixture.
* Lower the heat and slowly pour the rice mixture, continuously stirring while doing so. 
* Cook on low flame for about  7 - 8 minutes or until the mixture is cooked. Keep stirring all the while to keep it lump free. Add rose water and blossom water if using and mix well.
* Transfer it to small bowls, garnish with pistachios and serve.
I chilled it before serving.


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E for Egypt ~ Ghorayebah / Ghreybeh

 
Event: BM #44  
Choice of country: Egypt  
Capital City: Cairo  
Official Language: Egyptian Arabic

We are on the fifth day of  "global cooking" themed month here and I am going with Egypt for the alphabet "E". Egypt lies between 2 continents, Africa and Asia and has one of the longest histories of any modern country. It is considered a cradle of civilization and ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanization, organized religion and central government in history. It's civilization is renowned for it's colossal pyramids, temples and monumental tombs. 
Majority of the people live near the Nile river banks since that is the only arable land available. Nile valley and delta produce large quantities of legumes and vegetables in high quality and Egyptian cuisine heavily relies on it. In fact, it's cuisine is based on foods that grow out of the ground and is conducive to vegetarian diets. Meat has been very expensive for most Egyptians throughout it's history and so a variety of vegetarian dishes have been developed. The excavations have revealed that workers on the "Great Pyramids of Giza" were paid in bread made with emmer wheat flour, beer, and onions. Fava beans have been and still is the primary source of protein. Bread forms the backbone of Egyptian cuisine and is used as a utensil to scoop up the side dishes. (Info from wiki.)
 
I am going with some addictive cookies from that country. Ghorayebah / ghreybeh pronounced "go-ray-bah" are shortbread / butter cookies from the Arab world. After looking through online recipes, my initial understanding was that they originated either in Egypt or Lebanon. It turns out that they are very popular through out the middle East region and every person thinks that ghorayebah comes from his/her own country. In fact, I saw them In African food blogs too. :) And so like Egyptians, I am going to claim them Egyptian and posting them for my "E" alphabet.

I read somewhere that these cookies are named after the Arabic word for swoon. No wonder considering that the texture and taste of these cookies are worth swooning over. Traditionally they are shaped like rings, adorned with pistachio / almonds. The baked cookie looks like a bracelet with a "nut" gem and are sometimes known as "Queen's bracelets". The queen referred here comes from the biblical book of Esther. Esther is a Jewish-Persian queen who prevents a massacre of the Jewish people. Ghorayebah are served during purim and are thought to represent her bracelets.

The recipe is deceptively simple though cookies taste divine. It seems that the traditional version ghorayebah are made with only three ingredients - flour, sugar and butter. No leavening agents or flavorings are added but of course are garnished with nuts. Perfectly done ghorayebah are ivory colored, fragile and melt in mouth kind. They have a sweet, buttery taste and shortbread cookie texture. Their taste and texture reminded me of those yummy butter biscuits sold in Indian bakeries. I am sure every Indian have eaten their share of those delicious biscuits.

Ingredients for a dozen cookies:
1/4 cup melted ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Pistachios / almonds to garnish

Method:
* Beat ghee and sugar together until creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

* Add flour and combine to make a soft, pliable dough.
1. I got a perfect dough with the above measurements and didn't need any extra flour to form the dough. In case, if the dough is very loose, add flour in tbsp. increments and try to form the dough.   
2. I saw some recipes mentioning to chill the dough but it is not required. Besides the dough becomes too stiff and you have to leave it again at room temperature to shape the cookies and so basically the chilling step is useless.

* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C.
* Grease  a baking sheet or line with foil / parchment paper.
* Divide the dough into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a log of about 5 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Form a ring, by joining both the ends by pressing in a pistachio (or a blanched almond). You can directly shape the cookies on the baking sheet since they may break while transferring from work surface to the baking sheet.
* The ring shaped ghorayebah are traditional but if you don't want to bother, go the easy way. Roll the dough into 12 balls, gently flatten them and stick a pistachio / almond at the center. I have seen versions using whole cloves too.

* Arrange the dough rings on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them. They don't spread while baking but puff up slightly.
* Bake until they start to turn slightly light golden, about 18 - 20 minutes. They should remain ivory colored and do not brown them. Even slight browning spoils their characteristic taste. (Mine were done in about 16 minutes)

* Remove them from oven and let cool. Store them in an airtight container. 

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