Feast

  MAKES JUST UNDER 1 CUP (SCANT 250 G)

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  1 clove garlic, minced to a fine paste

  3 medium tomatoes (10½ ounces/300 g total), peeled and finely chopped

  1 green chili, finely chopped

  1 teaspoon tomato paste

  Sea salt

  1. Heat the oil in a shallow skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.

  2. Add the tomatoes and chili. When the tomatoes start bubbling, add the tomato paste and ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Let bubble gently for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the “salsa” is slightly reduced. Add salt to taste. Take off the heat and let cool. You can keep this refrigerated for about 1 week.

  Falafel

  EGYPT | LEBANON | SYRIA | JORDAN | PALESTINE

  Originally from Egypt where they are known as ta’miyah, falafel are a typical street food throughout the Middle East and beyond now that they have gone global. For a perfect texture the soaked legumes need to be minced in a meat grinder using the finest attachment. According to Mohammed Antabli, chef owner of Al Waha restaurant in London, whose recipe this is, grinding them this way makes them fluffy and less pasty, as if they were minced in a food processor. However, not many cooks have a meat grinder and using a food processor will also yield a good result.

  SERVES 4 TO 6

  ⅔ cup (3½ ounces/100 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water with ½ teaspoon baking soda

  1⅓ cups (7 ounces/200 g) peeled split dried broad beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda

  5 large garlic cloves, peeled

  1 small onion, peeled

  ¼ bunch cilantro (2 ounces/50 g)

  1 teaspoon ground cumin

  1 teaspoon ground allspice or Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture

  ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

  ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  ½ teaspoon baking soda, plus another ½ teaspoon to mix in just before frying

  Sea salt

  Vegetable oil for deep-frying

  FOR THE GARNISH

  Tahini Sauce

  Pink Pickled Turnips

  Sliced tomatoes

  Chopped flat-leaf parsley

  Flatbread, for serving

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and broad beans. Grind through a meat grinder with the finest blade attached, together with the garlic, onion, and coriander. If you don’t have a grinder, process in a food processor until you have a fine paste.

  2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the seasonings, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and salt to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

  3. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) of vegetable oil in a large frying pan and place over a medium heat. Mix the remaining ½ teaspoon baking soda in the falafel mix. When the oil is hot—drop in a piece of bread; if the oil immediately bubbles around it, it is ready—start shaping the falafel. If by hand, make rather shallow round patties measuring 1½ inches (3½ cm) in diameter and ¾ inch (1½ cm) thick. If you have a falafel mold, use the spatula part of the falafel shaper to scoop a little falafel mixture. Pack it into the mold, making sure you slide the lever down to make space. Fill the mold, then smooth the mixture down against its sides to make a mound. Hold the mold over the hot oil and release the lever to pop the falafel into the oil. Be careful not to splash. Repeat the process until you have used up all the falafel mix, making sure you do not crowd the frying pan. You should end up with about 15 falafel balls. If you’ve shaped the falafel by hand, slide them into the oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the falafel are golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon onto several layers of paper towels to drain off the excess oil or place on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to collect the dripping oil.

  4. Serve the falafel hot with the tahini sauce, vegetable garnishes, and good flatbread, either on their own or as part of a mezze spread.

  Hommus

  LEBANON | EGYPT | SYRIA | JORDAN | PALESTINE | TURKEY

  Hommus is a Levantine dip that has gone completely global, and as such the name has become generic to describe any kind of dip, whether made with chickpeas or not—hommus means “chickpeas” in Arabic. You can make it with dried chickpeas, which you’ll need to soak overnight, or you can shorten the preparation considerably by using already cooked chickpeas preserved in salted water—I like those preserved in glass jars rather than cans. You will need about 2½ cups (400g) of preserved chickpeas, drained and rinsed before using. And for the ultimate hommus, you also need to peel the cooked chickpeas, not one by one but rather by rubbing them slightly against each other to loosen the skins, then either picking out the skins or running cold water while swirling the chickpeas with your hand to let the skins float to the surface so that you can skim them.

  SERVES 4

  Just over 1 cup (200 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda

  ¾ cup (180 ml) tahini

  Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

  2 garlic cloves, minced to a fine paste

  Fine sea salt

  FOR THE GARNISH

  Aleppo pepper

  Extra-virgin olive oil

  Flatbread, for serving

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place them in a saucepan, cover well with cold water, and place over a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 1 to 1½ hours, or until very tender.

  2. Drain the chickpeas, keeping some of the cooking water in case you need to thin the puree later. Put in a food processor together with the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic and process to a smooth puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl. If the dip is too thick, use a little of the cooking liquid to thin it down—the dip should be creamy but not runny. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then spoon into a shallow round or oval bowl. Spread across the dish, raising the dip slightly around the edges and in the center. Sprinkle the raised edges and the center with Aleppo pepper and drizzle a little olive oil in the groove inside the edges. Serve with good flatbread either on its own or as part of a mezze spread.

  Tahini Sauce

  TAHINA

  LEBANON | EGYPT | SYRIA | JORDAN | PALESTINE

  If you walk around the old part of Cairo during Ramadan, you will find restaurants having already laid their tables for iftar, and if you are there close to sunset, you will also find diners sitting down, waiting for the muezzin—the chosen person at the mosque charged with leading the prayer five times a day, every day, and at special events—to announce the break of the fast as soon as the sun sets. On the table, there will be a plate of tahina, bread, juices, and water, as well as a salad and dates. People wait patiently until the cry of the muezzin announces the sun has finally set and even though they will not have eaten or drunk anything since sunrise, none of the seated people will rush to drink or eat anything. It all seems to happen very serenely, almost as if it were in slow motion. I never tire of watching how dignified the break of the fast is, even among the poor who gather around what in Egypt is called ma’edat al-rahman, which means “the table of the one who takes pity.” These meals are subsidized by local businesses, rich patrons, and mosques, and anyone can sit at the meal provided, which, in Egypt, will always include tahina, a thick tahini sauce. In Egypt, it is served as a dip with aysh (Egyptian pita, which is thicker than the Lebanese/Syrian) for breaking the fast. You can also serve it with pita chips or a selection of crudités.

  SERVES 4

  ½ cup (125 ml) tahini

  Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

  1 small clove garlic, minced into a fine paste

  Sea salt

  Put the tahini in a medium mixing bowl and gradually, and alternately, add the lemon juice and ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Disconcertingly, the tahini will first thicken, despite the fact that you are adding liquid, but do not worry, it will s
oon start to thin out again. Keep stirring until the sauce has a consistency that is slightly thicker than double cream. Add the garlic and salt to taste and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

  Saudi Mulukhiyah Dip

  HARISSAH AL-MULUKHIYAH

  SAUDI ARABIA

  Here is a very unusual Saudi dip made with mulukhiyah (the leaves of a plant commonly known as Jew’s mallow). You can make it with fresh mulukhiyah, if it is available, or you can use dried mulukhiyah, which is what I did in the recipe.

  SERVES 8

  1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) boneless lamb leg or shoulder

  4 green cardamom pods

  2-inch (5 cm) piece galangal

  6 black peppercorns

  Sea salt

  1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) dried mulukhiyah, finely ground in a food processor

  1¼ cups (300 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  4 medium onions (1 pound 5 ounces/600 g total), finely chopped

  4 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste

  2 firm-ripe medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), cut into small cubes

  2 tablespoons tomato paste

  ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon finely ground pepper

  ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (200 g) yogurt, plus more for garnish

  Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

  Flatbread or pita chips, for serving

  1. Put the lamb in a large pot, add 4 quarts (4 liters) water, and bring to a boil, skimming the froth from the surface. Add the whole spices and 2 tablespoons sea salt and cook for 1 hour, or until completely tender.

  2. Fry the mulukhiyah in ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 ml) of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

  3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring regularly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are just wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove a little of the tomatoes to a plate to use for the garnish. Take off the heat.

  4. When the meat is done, pull it out of the broth and place on a cutting board. Trim it of any fatty bits and finely shred it. Add the shredded meat to the tomato sauce and return to medium heat. Cook for a minute or so, then add the tomato paste and 1½ cups (350 ml) water. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the water has reduced and the tomatoes have softened completely while still retaining some texture.

  5. Stir in the mulukhiyah and ground spices. Stir in enough broth to make a thick puree. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

  6. To serve, drizzle a little yogurt in swirls over the top. Put the reserved tomatoes in the middle and serve with the flatbread of your choice or pita chips.

  Lebanese Spicy Tomato “Salsa”

  BANADURAH HARRAH

  LEBANON

  This is an unusual spicy dip that is delicious on its own with pita chips, or you can serve it as a side sauce with fried vegetables or grilled meat or fish. The sauce is cooked quickly to retain a certain freshness and texture, but you can cook it longer if you want it thicker. Just be careful not to let it burn.

  SERVES 4 TO 6

  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  2¼ pounds (1 kg) firm-ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into small cubes

  3 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste

  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  1 tablespoon dried mint

  Sea salt

  Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened. Stir in the cayenne, mint, and salt to taste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until you have a fresh, slightly chunky “salsa.” Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature.

  Dried Okra Soup

  BAMYA CORBASI

  TURKEY

  This soup is a specialty of Konya, the home of Jalal al-Dinn Muhammad Rumi, the great Sufi master—the kitchen was very important in Sufi teaching, and the place where disciples learned to submit to Sufi tenets. I was in Konya recently and I had this soup on an almost daily basis. Normally, it is made with meat, but it can also be made vegetarian as my friend Filiz Hosukoglu, whose recipe this is, sometimes does, substituting eggplant and zucchini for meat. When okra is used for drying, it is picked when still tiny, strung on long threads, and then hung to dry. You can see the “necklaces” of dried okra in the markets, either piled high on vendors’ stalls or hung in long strands. It is sold by weight and before you can use it, it needs to be boiled to rehydrate it. When doing this, it is a good idea to leave it on the string so that it is easy to fish out.

  SERVES 4

  1¾ ounces (50 g) dried okra

  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), finely chopped

  2 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste

  7 ounces (200 g) lean lamb, diced into small cubes

  2 teaspoons tomato paste

  2 teaspoons mild Turkish red pepper paste

  2 teaspoons pul biber

  2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), peeled and finely chopped

  Sea salt

  Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

  Bread, for serving

  1. Put the okra still on the string in a small pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble gently for 7 to 9 minutes, until the okra has plumped up and softened. Drain and let cool slightly before gently slipping the okra off the string.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so, then add the lamb and sauté for a couple of minutes to brown it. Stir in the tomato and pepper pastes. Add the pul biber, chopped tomatoes, 3 cups (750 ml) hot water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then add the okra. Cover the pot and let bubble gently for about 20 minutes, until both meat and okra are tender. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Serve hot with good bread.

  A Sweet Tooth

  Sweets are as important to Muslims as bread or rice. They are an essential part of Muslim hospitality, served with coffee or tea when visitors come, or simply enjoyed between meals with family or friends. In some countries in the Arab world, the sweets are very sweet, often soaked in sugar syrup, whereas in other places like Indonesia and Malaysia, sweet confections have a little added salt to achieve subtle sweet-savory flavors.

  Sweets are also an essential part of Ramadan, the month of fast, as well as the two important feasts, Eid el-Fitr (the feast of breaking the fast) and Eid al-Adha (the feast of sacrifice) that follow. During that month, most Muslims will break their daily fast with something sweet, either a drink, snacks, or simply dates before they move on to iftar, which is the first meal of the night. Whichever it is, that sweet little something will help smooth the transition from the long day’s fast into the night’s feasting.

  In the early days of Islam, desserts were sweetened with molasses from dates, grapes, or carob, or with honey. Then in the seventh century, the Arabs discovered sugar (from the Arabic word sukkar, derived from the Persian shakar) when they invaded Persia—sugarcane was originally grown in the tropical Far East, and was taken from there to India and China and on to Persia in the fifth century—and from there, to Egypt, North Africa, Sicily, Spain, and other places they conquered. In fact, Egypt remains the world’s largest producer of cane sugar.

  Specific sweets are associated with celebrations or special occasions—for instance, sugared almonds are merrily thrown at guests after a boy’s circumcision. And when a baby is born, Muslim parents will make sure that the first taste they give their baby is sweet, often chewing on a piece of date and rubbing the juice on the baby�
�s gums. The Prophet Muhammad is said to have carried out this practice, believing it helped to get the tiny digestive system going. There is even a tribe in Pakistan called Halwai, from halva, which means “sweet” in Hindi and Arabic. The Halwais were initially Hindu sweets makers who converted to Islam.

  This chapter includes a selection of classic sweets from around the Muslim world, as well as sweets associated with particular religious occasions and various celebrations.

  Aleppine Breakfast Porridge

  MA’MUNIYEH

  SYRIA

  Ma’muniyeh is a typical breakfast from Aleppo in Syria, a kind of sweet Syrian porridge, made with semolina and served with a stringy cheese called jibneh m’challaleh for a delightful sweet-savory combination to start the day. It is very simple to make, and with the exception of the cheese, it uses ingredients you might normally have on hand. The string cheese can be quite salty, so it is a good idea to soak it for a short while before using.

  SERVES 4

  3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter or ghee

  1 cup (175 g) semolina

  ½ cup (100 g) raw cane sugar

  Ground cinnamon, for garnish

  3½ ounces (100 g) stringy cheese (jibneh m’challaleh), rinsed, dried, and pulled apart in fine strings, for garnish

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the semolina and stir constantly until the semolina has turned a golden color, 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. Put the sugar and 4 cups (1 liter) water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually add the toasted semolina and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, or until you have a fairly thick mixture. Take off the heat. Cover the pan and let sit for 15 minutes.