Tag: Global Food

RizbilHaleeb – Rice and Milk pudding (Lebanese recipe)

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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!

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Other recipes: Zaatar Mankoushe , Lentil Soup , AND Mujadara

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Mujadara – Lentils and Rice (Lebanese recipe)

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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!

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Other recipes: Zaatar Mankoushe AND Lentil Soup

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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!

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Zaatar Mix on Pizza Dough

~ futureglobalchild ~ 2 Comments

By Majida Mehana

Zaatar is a popular mix in the middle east. The main ingredient is the plant zaatar/thyme (origanum syriacum).

It is mixed with other herbs and is offered in breakfasts, brunches, and public gatherings as a snack.

It is often eaten with Lebanese bread or cooked on a dough. The mix can be bought from most middle eastern food stores or made at home. There are probably hundreds of ways to do the mix. The plant grows up in villages and every family collects the green leaves and does its own mix. Farmers also grow the plant for commercial use.

I will share the family recipe along with the dough recipe. Similarly, the dough recipe can be done in many ways.

Part 1: Dough for Zaatar pizza (It is called Mankouche)

Ingredients:

½ Kg Flour

Yeast (envelope or quantity for ½ Kg flour)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon to 1 spoon sugar

Step 1:
Get 200 ml Water: Heat for two minutes until lukewarm.

Step 2:
Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.

Knead for 10 minutes as follows:

Don’t put all the water at once. Make a circle in the middle and add a little of water. Knead then add more water.

Keep adding water and knead for 10 minutes.

Step 3:
When done, cover and leave to rest.

If the location is warm, it takes half an hour.

In a cold location, leave for an hour.

The dough should double in size.

Step 4:

Sprinkle flour and extend the dough on a tray.

The dough can be of any size. In gatherings, the size can be a round circle and as small as a standard mug.

Put Zaatar/thyme or Cheese or both. Halloumi cheese works well with a bit of butter.

Step 5:

Cook for 20 minutes in the oven.

If the oven is hot, it might take less.

Part 2: Preparing the Zaatar Mix at home

If there is no readymade zaatar mix available, the mix can be made at home.

Ingredients:
An easy mix is the following:

2 tbs dried thyme (Zaatar).

1 1/2 (1.5) tbs sesame seeds toasted.

½ to 3/4 tbs sumac.

Sprinkle of salt.

** Ingredients can be changed to taste.

Steps:

  • Grind the thyme, sumac, and salt until the consistency is a bit coarse. They should not look like powder.
  • Toast the sumac and add them to the mix.
  • Mix with olive oil. It should be slightly runny. The consistency can be up to taste.

Enjoy!

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