Red Lentil Soup (hasa adas)
Lentil soup (حساء عدس) is a staple across the Arabic world, and there about as many variations as there are families. Some go plain, some add potatoes, or sweet potatoes, stock of some kind, or not. This list goes on…
Afghani Chicken Korma
This recipe is derived from my red meat (gosht) korma, The main differences are in cooking, and primarily fewer tomatoes. I might do a version down the road that’s wholly tomato-less, but I find the tomatoes add a nice flavor…
Libyan Inspired Fried Chicken (Dajaj Maghli)
Fried chicken has become popular in Libya since the fall of the Ghadaffi regime, much of it in the American (KFC) style ~ King Chicken, Uncle Kentaki, etc ~ that had been banned before. I pieced this recipe together partially…
Libyan Steamed Carrot Salad (Salatet Sfinari bil Kamoun)
This is an easy and quick(ish) salad that works great as a side dish for your favorite Libyan meal and stuff like kabobs. It’s basically just softened carrots with a few herbs, and a chili pepper to give it a…
Karahi Lamb (Karahi Gosht)
Karahi lamb, like my Karahi Chicken recipe, are stews partially named for the pot they’re cooked in ~ a karahi (or kadai) (link) ~ which is something between a wok and a dutch oven or chef’s pot. There are probably…
Sharmoula – Libyan Tomato and Cucumber Salad
First of all, this is not Moroccan chermoula, which is a family of marinades that I’ll explore in the future. What it is: a highly versatile salad that goes with most anything, including served with flatbread as a dip. It’s…
Falafel!
Ah, falafel, one of the Arabic cultures’ most ubiquitous foods. Various groups try to take ownership, and there are plenty of varieties, but all signs point to it’s origins in the Egyptian ta’miyya, which is made with fava beans, and…
Afghan Showra-E-Tarkari (Meat and Vegetable Soup)
So, “shorwa” is “soup” in Pashto. In other Arabic regions, shorba, sharba, chorba, etc. “Takari” more or less means “greens”, but contextually vegetables. And this one has a little bit of everything, with a hearty feel that doesn’t sit too…
Shakshuka, Libyan-Style
Shakshuka ~ eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce ~ is kind of a universal dish across the Middle East and Northern Africa these days, with roots in Libya or Tunisia (depending on who you ask) and Morocco tries to…
Joojeh Kabobs (Persian Chicken Saffron Kabobs)
These kabobs are super simple, but I know a lot of people are put off by the saffron because it’s so expensive. The thing is, it’s only expensive in the grocery store ~ you can find good quality cooking-grade Persian…