Tag: Food

Bamieh BiZeit – Okra with Olive Oil (Lebanese Recipe)

~ futureglobalchild ~ Leave a comment

by MAJIDA MEHANA

The following family recipe is a delicious and easy method to prepare the vegetarian dish of Okra with Olive Oil (Bamieh BiZeit).

Ingredients:

Okra: Half a Kilogram.

Onion: 1 large size onion diced into small pieces.

Pepper: One sweet pepper diced into small pieces.

Tomatoes: 5 diced medium sized tomatoes.

Garlic: Four to five ground cloves.

Salt: Half a teaspoon, add to taste.

Water: 150 to 200 ml.

Olive oil: Two spoons, add to taste.

Vegetable oil.

Spices: A pinch of cinnamon and 7 spices (see note below). If not available, add black pepper and paprika to taste. A quarter to half a teaspoon.

Serving: Add to taste:

  • Pita bread.
  • Green onions, continental mint, olives, radish, and yogurt at the side.
  • Seven spice mix, black pepper, and/or cumin. The “seven spice mix” is common in stores that sell Lebanese food or Middle Eastern products. The Lebanese seven spice mix can change from a store to another. In general, it is a mix of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Preparing the okra:
The okra should be soft and small. Remove a part of the head by cutting in a circular motion leaving a small tip. Do not cut into the pod. Wash quickly and dry well in a strainer.

Steps:   

  • Fry the okra in vegetable oil.
  • In a second pan, fry the diced onion on medium heat using a mix of olive oil and another vegetable oil. Have enough oil to just cover the onions.
  • After couple minutes, add the pepper, garlic, salt, and spices. If the 7 spices mix is not available, add paprika and black pepper.
  • Stir the mix until the onions start to become yellow and cooked.
  • Add the diced tomatoes to the mix, taste and add more salt and spices as needed.
  • Heat 150 to 200 ml of water separately.
  • Add the okra and water to the mix.
  • Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for around 15 minutes.

Serving:

  • The dish is served cold with pita bread, green onions, continental mint, olives, and/or radish.
  • Yogurt can also be added at the side.

The dish is served at lunch with bread. Often, Okra is cooked with meat when served with rice. People who are vegetarian might like to have it with rice as well.

Enjoy!

BACK TO GLOBAL FOOD PAGE

BACK TO FUTURE GLOBAL CHILDREN HOMEPAGE

HOME

Foul Akhdar BiZeit – Green Fava Beans (Lebanese Recipe)

~ futureglobalchild ~ Leave a comment

by MAJIDA MEHANA

Green Fava Beans

The following family recipe is a delicious and easy method to prepare the vegetarian dish of Green Fava Beans (Foul Akhdar BiZeit).

Ingredients:

Green Fava Bean pods: 1 Kilogram.

Onions: 2 Medium onions diced into small pieces.

Green onions: 6 green onions washed and cut into small pieces.

Vegetable Oil.

Olive oil: Three to four spoons, add to taste.

Garlic: One ground clove. Could add more or not use at all.

Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves: Half a bunch washed and chopped in fine pieces. Discard the stems.

Salt: Half a teaspoon. Add to taste.

Serving: Add to taste:

  • Lemon Juice.
  • Pita bread.
  • Green onions, continental mint, olives, radish, and yogurt at the side.
  • Seven spice mix, black pepper, and/or cumin. The “seven spice mix” is common in stores that sell Lebanese food or Middle Eastern products. The Lebanese seven spice mix can change from a store to another. In general, it is a mix of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. If not available, it is fine.

Preparing the fava bean pods:
The bean pods should be fresh and soft. They should have been harvested when they were young in order for the pod to be eaten. If the strings at the sides are thick, they can be removed by pulling the top point of the bean pod down the bean. Both end points need to be trimmed. In general, they are clean and only need a quick wash. Too much soaking in water will darken the color. Once washed and strained, they are cut in small pieces.

Steps:

  • Fry the onions on medium heat using vegetable oil. Have enough oil to just cover the onions.
  • When the onions start to become yellow, add the green onions.
  • Stir the onions from time to time while frying them to make sure that all the pieces are frying at the same rate.
  • Once the green onions start to get soft in about 5 minutes, add the green fava beans.
  • Fry the mix together for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir them so the onions and the fava beans mix together.  
  • Add a cup of water (200 ml) and switch to low heat until the fava beans get cooked. The amount of time will change depending on the type of beans. However, start checking after 20 minutes.
  • Five to ten minutes before the beans getting cooked, add to taste olive oil, salt, one clove of ground garlic, and coriander. The coriander adds a very distinct taste.
  • Let them cook until the fava beans are soft. If preferred very soft, they can be left for more time.

Serving:

  • Lemon juice is added to taste just prior to serving.
  • The dish is served with pita bread, green onions, continental mint, olives, and/or radish.
  • Yogurt can also be added at the side.
  • Spices to add are 7 Lebanese mix spices, black pepper, and/or cumin.

The dish is served at lunch. However, some like it as a heavy breakfast. It can also be made in a sandwich using pita bread and vegetables.

Enjoy!

BACK TO GLOBAL FOOD PAGE

BACK TO FUTURE GLOBAL CHILDREN HOMEPAGE

HOME

RizbilHaleeb – Rice and Milk pudding (Lebanese recipe)

~ futureglobalchild ~ Leave a comment

Rice and Milk with nuts

The following family recipe is a delicious and easy method to prepare rice and milk pudding (Riz bil Haleeb).

Ingredients:

Rice: one cup of approximately 200 g. For one cup, add 4 cups of water.

Milk: 6 cups (200 ml per cup). If using powdered milk, use instructions as directed by the manufacturer to make 6 cups of milk.

Sugar: 200 g. The amount could be increased to taste.

Corn starch: 3 tablespoons.

Orange Blossom water: 2 teaspoons.

Rose Water: 2 teaspoons.

Mastic/Miskeh (resin): 4 small pieces if available. A piece is about the size of a lentil. Grind the pieces so they become powder.

For decoration when serving: Ground pistachios, walnuts, raisins, and/or almonds.

A pinch of cinnamon if desirable.

Method

  • Cook the rice separately until it is cooked.
  • Place the milk in a deep pot on the stovetop on medium heat and keep stirring with a long handled wooden spoon. The milk can be fresh or constituted from powdered milk.  
  • When the milk gets warm, add the cooked rice little by little while stirring continuously. We don’t have to use all the rice if we like a light consistency.
  • Add the sugar and keep stirring until the rice, milk, and sugar become homogeneous.
  • Add the corn starch mixture: To make the corn starch mixture, take a small quantity of warm milk in a cup and add the starch bit by bit while mixing until there is a smooth paste. Add the corn starch mixture to the milk, rice, and sugar while stirring. The corn starch might not all be needed. If all the rice is used, maybe there is no need to use all the starch. Otherwise, the mixture gets gooey or thickens too much.
  • Keep stirring until the milk, sugar, and rice start boiling.
  • After 5 minutes of stirring the boiling content, we add the orange water blossom, rose water, and mastic pieces.
  • Keep stirring and turn off the stove after one minute.

Pour the pudding in bowls and give it time to rest.

The pudding is served cold or warm with pistachios or dried nuts. It is kept in the fridge. The nuts are added before serving.

Some like to add a pinch of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Back to GLOBAL FOOD page

Other recipes: Zaatar Mankoushe , Lentil Soup , AND Mujadara

HOME

Mujadara – Lentils and Rice (Lebanese recipe)

~ futureglobalchild ~ 1 Comment

Picture of Mujadara

The following family recipe is a delicious and easy method for Mujadara/Mojaddara, which is a combination of lentils, rice, and onions.

Ingredients:

1 Cup red/brown lentils

Half or ¾ cup rice

Three medium onions

Seven spice mix (This mix is common in stores that sell Lebanese food or Middle Eastern products. The Lebanese seven spice mix can change from a store to another. In general, it is a mix of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. If not available, it is fine).

Salt

Cumin

Cinnamon

Vegetable oil for the onions

Olive oil

Method

Start the steps at the same time:

  • Cut three medium onions into pieces and fry in a little bit of vegetable oil and salt.
  • Cook the rice and lentils each in a separate pan. Use three times amount of water.

The rice will cook faster than the lentils. Take the rice once cooked and separate the water from the rice.

Meanwhile, the onions should be frying. Once they start to become golden, add more oil and keep mixing the onions so they don’t burn at the bottom. They should get golden-looking at the same time.

Once the lentils are almost ready, leave a bit of water in the pan and add the rice so they cook on low heat together for couple minutes.

Meanwhile, the onions should be all golden looking. Pour them over the rice and lentils. Add seven spices, cumin, and cinnamon. Small quantities (1/4 of a teaspoon) are added and can be increased to taste.

Add salt to taste.

Add three spoons of olive oil.

Mix the ingredients, cover, and simmer for three minutes, and then turn off the stove.

Cover the pan with a towel and let the flavors mix together for another ten minutes to give time for the lentils to cook. If in a hurry, just make sure the lentils are cooked prior to mixing them with rice and later onions.

Black pepper, salt, and hot spices can be added to taste.

Serve with bread, olives, salad, green onions, parsley, mint, and/or radish.

The dish also tastes good with yogurt.

It can be served hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Back to GLOBAL FOOD page

Other recipes: Zaatar Mankoushe AND Lentil Soup

HOME

Lentil Soup (Lebanese recipe)

~ futureglobalchild ~ 2 Comments

Lentil soup with parsley

The following family recipe is the easiest and lightest lentil soup.

The steps are:

  1. Heat 1 cup split red lentils and 4 to 5 cups water.
  2. When they begin to boil, remove the thin layer that forms on the top.
  3. Chop and add 3 medium onions and 2 medium potatoes.
  4. Add 3 to 5 peeled garlic cloves to taste.
  5. Leave on reduced heat until the potatoes are cooked. This should take 10 to 12 minutes.
  6. When they are cooked, blend them to the thickness of yogurt.
  7. Add 1/2 tsp salt and ¼ tsp cinnamon.
  8. Pour the soup back in the saucepan. Boil together for 3 to 4 minutes on reduced heat.

Turn off the stove. The soup is ready!

To serve:

  • Add olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of ground cumin to taste.
  • Add chopped parsley to taste.
  • Bread (preferably pita bread) can be toasted and spread in small pieces on top of the soup.

Enjoy!

Back to GLOBAL FOOD page

 

HOME