Thursday, May 28, 2020

1398. Chocololly


This is a great non-recipe to make as an activity with kids. Simply repurpose choclate my melting it and pouring it into circles on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Decorate with edible glitter and sprinkles at will.

Monday, May 25, 2020

1397. Braided Brioche Bread


This rich soft bread comes together so easily using a food processor. A simple braiding technique, some rising time, and a 35 minute baking session later, you've got yourself a masterpiece that can be torn apart and dipped, or sliced for sandwiches or french toast.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

1395. Palestinian Date Kaak Rings


There is a special something about tradition and the traditional food that accompanies an occasion. The sheer variety of date-filled cookies in the Arabian region has exponentially multiplied into the unknown due to creativity of recipe developers, and modernizing ancient recipes.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

1394. Iraqi Red Chickpea Stew


This stew is an invention of my sister during the holy month of Ramadan. She started off making lablabi, the Iraqi boiled chickpeas but with the addition of lamb chunks. As she was making it, she was inspired to make a couple of additions, effectively transforming the simple soup into a full-blown stew.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

1393. Karak Rice Pudding


Rice pudding is an indisputable comfort food merging borders of many cultures. I'm not sure if it might me the creamy comforting quality of the final product, or an acute sense of nostalgia that gravitates us toward this dessert even in adulthood. This version incorporates the classic flavors of karak, the Arabian Gulf popular drink of spiced tea and milk.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

1392. Chicken Musakhan Kubba


In the spirit of fried side dishes for Ramadan, I came up with this chicken musakhan-stuffed kubbas that hit the bulls eye in every aspect from crunch to acidity to flavor. I used a simple burghul-semolina crust, and my handy dandy absolutely perfect recipe for chicken musakhan.

Friday, May 15, 2020

1391. Oozie Rice


Oozie rice is a meal popular in Jordan. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Feel free to use different spices or just spices you are used to flavoring your rice and meat. The fried nuts at the top are unmissable.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

1390. Chicken Green Chili Sambusak


I came across these little parcels of joy by complete happenstance. I almost didn't want to try them but also did not want to hurt feelings, so I took one to be polite. My, were they phenomenal! I was immediately asking for the recipe, for which I got a guideline instead. On with the recipe testing, and here we are; a perfect recreation.

Monday, May 11, 2020

1389. Pomegranate Glazed Kubba


Long, long ago, I mentioned the fable of the thousand types of kubba on MCW. I don't think I can realistically cover all one thousand (and I truly believe there may be even more than that), but with kubba being one of my irresistible weaknesses ever, I do plan to tackle a fair scope of them. This is a two-stage dish: make the kubba and fry them (which renders them delicious as is), them make the sauce and glaze them just before serving.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

1388. Kit Kat Kunafa


While kunafa is generally available all year long, its sales really peak during the holy month of Ramadan. There are the classics, which are unbeatable (the goat cheese rough kunafa is my favorite), and there are limitless innovative modern reiterations. Such is this kit kat version.

Thursday, May 7, 2020

1387. Chicken Musakhan Spring Rolls


Chicken musakhan is the national dish of Palestine, and a very unique and flavorsome one. On MCW I have featured the traditional presentation, and a pastry version that is not-so traditional yet unmistakably true to its origins. Here is another creative presentation to enjoy the unique flavor of Palestinian chicken musakhan.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

1386. Cumin Roast Chicken with Potato


This is a one-dish meal that comes together super fast and is mostly hands-off. It cooks itself in the oven without additional intervention. Sometimes we lose the essence of certain spices by combining them with others. Cumin is a common such example. By featuring cumin as the sole spice (salt and pepper), it really shines in an unexpected way here.

Sunday, May 3, 2020

1385. Felafel Fetteh


We have a couple of fetteh's hosted here on MCW, and truth be told, it is not a far fetched idea that an entire blog can be dedicated solely to fettehs. Reason being that they are naturally so versatile because they were originally created to utilize effective and deliciously what's on hand.

Friday, May 1, 2020

1384. Layali Lubnan


Layali Lubnan, or Lebanese Nights, is a hugely popular Lebanese dessert served commonly in the Arabian Gulf. It really could not be simpler to make. The base is a semolina-milk pudding that is minimally sweetened.