Linda Noor is the general manager of Minotenk. Here are her recipes for three traditional dishes from the Arab world.
Maqloobeh recipe:
A traditional Palestinian dish that is also popular in much of the Middle East. There are many different variations and the dish can be prepared with both chicken and lamb. This recipe is with chicken.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken cut into pieces or half a kilo of chicken fillet
- 1 large eggplant or 2 small ones (cauliflower can also be used)
- 3-4 potatoes
- 3 onions / garlic if desired
- Put 3-4 cups of basmati rice in water, preferably the night before
- A handful of toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds for sprinkling
- A handful of fresh, chopped parsley
- Butter and oil for frying
- Boiling water
Spice:
- Whole cardamom
- Whole cinnamon
- Pepper
- Paprika seasoning
- A blend of Arabic spices (such as Seven Spices)
- Cumin Turmeric
- salt
Here’s how you do it.
Take a large pot to boil the broth with chicken, one onion and spices. First let it brown in butter or oil before adding approx. liter of boiling water and let it boil until the chicken is soft. Meanwhile, cut the potato, onion and eggplant into slices. Feel free to put the eggplant in salted water. All vegetables are fried in oil until they have acquired a nice golden color. Then set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil. When the chicken and broth are ready, remove the chicken and strain the broth. There is a new big pot in use, where you start by layering chicken, then some rice, then eggplant, potatoes and onions and the rest of the rice. The broth is poured over until it barely covers the rice. Bring the kettle to a boil before reducing the heat and letting the rice sit and steam in the broth. When the rice is ready, the pot is turned upside down (maqloobeh means upside down in Arabic) onto a large dish and spread a little. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts or almonds and the dish is ready to eat! Served with salad and natural yogurt.
Recipe pakora with mint sauce:
Pakora can be made with or without chicken, but it is a great vegetarian dish, so this recipe is without chicken. Pakora is a popular side dish during Ramadan on holidays like Eid.
Ingredients:
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large onion
- 2-3 fresh green chilies
- 1 handful of chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- About. 1-2 deciliters of chickpea flour
- Oil for frying
Spice:
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp cumin (whole seeds)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam masala spice mix
- A pinch of chili powder if you want it extra strong
Here’s how you do it.
Cut all vegetables as thin as possible, potatoes and ginger can be grated. Mix all the vegetables in a bowl and knead the mixture well. Add the spices and chickpea flour and mix well with your hands to form a dough. Heat the oil well in a large pot or wok. Feel free to check if the oil is hot enough with a small vegetable sample. Fly it up fast, that’s for sure. Fry in desired portions (preferably a tablespoon) until the pakoras get a nice golden fried color on all sides. Do not apply too much at once. Place the cooked pakoras on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Mint yogurt (peppermint chutney) recipe:
It can be used as a dip for pakoras, samosas or papadums, or as a side dish for rice dishes such as biryani.
Ingredients:
- A handful of fresh mint
- A little fresh coriander
- 2-3 teaspoons of lime juice
- 2 spring onions
- Salt and pepper
- A cup of natural yogurt
- Possibly fresh or dried chilli if you want it strong
Here’s how you do it.
You can mix everything together in a blender or leave some of the yogurt and mix it in at the end to make a thicker dip.