Tag: Western Asian
Chicken Fatteh
Chicken Fatteh
In Arabic, fatteh means “crumbs”, which is what chicken fatteh is: leftovers turned into something new. This Lebanese dish was created from leftover toasted pita bread, roast chicken, and chickpeas. Pine nuts and fresh parsley are added to the mix. Then a garlicky yogurt sauce is poured over the dish and everything get mixed together. Obviously, if you don’t have these as leftovers, you can toast your own pita chips and sauté the chicken.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 2 pita bread cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into small cubes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp parsely finely chopped
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the pita bread into 1” pieces. Toss with olive oil. Season with salt.
- Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Toast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes until crispy. Set aside.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Toast the pine nuts for 1 minute. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the chicken. Season with garlic powder, ground coriander, thyme, paprika, salt, and white pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked completely through. Set aside.
- Heat up olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the yogurt, tahini, and salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes until warm, consistently stirring. The yogurt sauce should not ever be brought to a boil.
- Equally divide the ingredients between 2 bowls, placing each ingredient next to each other in a circular pattern.
Lebanese Peas and Carrots Stew
Lebanese Peas and Carrots Stew
In Arabic cultures, beef stews are quite popular. This recipe is a Lebanese stew called bazella w riz: “peas and rice”. Beef stew meat is browned, then stewed with onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in a tomato based sauce. The stew is served over Lebanese rice with warm pita.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef stew meat
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Lebanese 7 spice
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup carrots diced
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the beef for 5 minutes; seasoning with the 7 spice, salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the onions, garlic, and cilantro. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, water, beef, peas, and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
- The liquid should reduce to less than half the amount.
Lebanese Rice
Rice with fine vermicelli noodles didn’t start in San Francisco. This style of rice is a staple in the Arabic world; eaten with most meals. The base of this recipe is only 3 ingredients: rice, vermicelli, and olive oil. Additions of cinnamon and parsley enhance the flavor. Sometimes you will find almonds or pine nuts used as a garnish.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry vermicelli
- 2 cups basmati rice washed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the vermicelli for 3 minutes until browned.
- Add in the rice. Sauté for 5 minutes. Season with salt and cinnamon.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil.
- Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb and Leek Frittata)
Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb and Leek Frittata)
I honestly was surprised how good this frittata was the first time I made it. I was skeptical because it seems to be an overload of herbs to egg ratio. It ended up being unbelievably flavorful and not overpowering whatsoever. You can also bake this in a springform pan in the oven at 400 degrees for around 15 minutes; making this a quiche instead of a frittata.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 1 medium leek washed; finely chopped
- 5 large eggs beaten
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups dill
- 1 1/2 cups parsley
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
- Place all of the herbs in a food processor.
- Pulse until finely chopped.
- Sauté the onions and leeks for 10 minutes over medium heat. Let cool.
- Beat the eggs with the baking powder, salt, pepper, and turmeric.
- Stir in the herbs.
- Stir in the cooled onions and leeks.
- Heat up 3 tbsp of cooking oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and cover. Let set for 8 minutes.
- Uncover. Place under your oven’s preheated broiler for 1 minute to lightly brown the top. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
