Mediterranean Medley

We help you replicate exotic dishes from Lebanon, Egypt, and the middle east at home.

Lebanon Lentils

Serves: 2

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Calorie Count: 200 calories (per serving)

Ingredients:

50 ml vegetable stock

2 g cumin powder

20 g pita chips

12 g dukkah (Egyptian spice mix)

Salt, to taste

200 ml water

3 g bay leaves

20 g ghee

10 g carrot, chopped

5 g garlic, chopped

5 g celery, chopped

10 g onion, chopped

60 g red masoor dal

Method:

1. Soak the dal in warm water for 20 minutes. Strain and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, add 10 g ghee and bay leaves. When the bay leaves crackle, add all the chopped vegetables and saute until translucent.
3. Add the strained dal and saute for a couple of minutes. Pour in the water and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the dal is soft and completely cooked. Remove the bay leaves.
5. Once the dal has cooled, blend until thick and smooth. Pour into a pan along with vegetable stock, salt, and cumin powder. Add the remaining ghee.
6. Garnish with dukkah and pita chips.

Tip: You can substitute dukkah with a mix of Za’atar and Sumac.

Egyptian Koshari

Serves: 4

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

Calorie Count: 825 calories (per serving)

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper, to taste

60 ml vegetable stock

20 ml olive oil

10 g garlic

40 g fried onions

200 g tomatoes, chopped

100 g onions, chopped

10 g Arabian spice mix

3 g cloves

2 g peppercorns

3 g bay leaves

20 g ghee

25 boiled chickpeas

15 g spaghetti

15 g macaroni

25 g whole masoor

50 g basmati rice

Method:

1. Soak the rice and whole masoor separately for two hours. Then boil them individually in salted water until cooked (the masoor should not be soggy).
2. Boil the macaroni and spaghetti individually in salted water till al dente. (Cook macaroni for eight to nine minutes and spaghetti for nine to ten minutes). Toss the cooked pasta separately in a little oil to make sure they don’t stick to each other.
3. For the sauce, heat oil in a saucepan and add bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves. When the dry spices stop crackling, add chopped onion and garlic, and fry until translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for five minutes. Add 150 ml vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Season to taste.
4. Mix the cooked rice, masoor, macaroni, and spaghetti, 10 g ghee, and Arabian spice mix. Steam for three minutes. Bring the sauce to a boil once again. In a pan, add the remaining vegetable stock, ghee and boiled chickpeas, and bring to a boil.
5. To assemble, first place the rice, masoor, and pasta mixture at the bottom of a pot, then add the chickpeas broth and top with the sauce. Garnish with fried onions and serve hot. Serve the sauce in a separate dish, if you wish.

Tip: You can substitute Arabian spice mix with garam masala.

Saffron Milk Cake

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

Serves: 10

Calorie Count: 550 calories (per serving)

Ingredients:

For topping:

⅓ cup icing sugar

2 cup whipping cream

For soaking:

½ tsp packed saffron, crushed

2 cups milk

½ can condensed milk

400 ml evaporated milk

For the cake:

A big pinch of crushed saffron

⅓ tsp baking powder

1 tbsp corn flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

A pinch of salt

½ cup sugar

3 large eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175℃-180℃. Grease and lightly flour an eight-inch pan.
2. Beat the eggs with salt and sugar until frothy and pale.
3. Sift together the flour, corn flour, and salt, and fold into the beaten egg mixture. Add crushed saffron and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan. Bake for thirty minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about five minutes, before transferring onto a cooling rack.
5. For the milk mixture, mix together the evaporated milk and the condensed milk in a pan. Bring to a simmer. Add saffron and mix well. Simmer for about five minutes before taking off heat.
6. Place the cake in a large plate and poke it all over with a knife or a fork.
7. Set aside one cup of milk mixture. Pour the leftover all over the cake. Place the soaked cake and reserved milk mixture in the fridge for a few hours.
8. Right before serving, beat the whipping cream with icing sugar until stiff. Pour a few of tablespoons of reserved milk and fold it in. Remove Take the cake out from the fridge. Spread a generous amount of whipping cream on top before cutting into slices.
9. To serve, place each slice in a deep serving dish, and pour just enough of the reserved milk that it covers the bottom.

Tip: For evaporated milk, simmer 900 ml regular milk until it is reduced to 400 ml.