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…
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…
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…
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…
Macarona Bechamel (Pasta with Bechamel)
I’ll start with the warning that this recipe serves about eight, and I’ve cut it in half versus a lot of the variations out there. With that out of the way, here’s a nice casserole that’s like a stripped-down lasagna….
Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Magic Butter)
Niter kibbeh is a staple in Ethiopian cuisine, where if the recipe says “butter”, they probably mean this. It’s basically clarified butter with onions and a bunch of aromatic stuff in it. This recipe makes a fair amount, but I…
Lybian Mahshi (Stuffed Vegetables)
So “mahshi” means “stuffed” in Arabic. You can stuff a lot of vegetables like zucchini or eggplant if you really want to. I don’t want to, so I’m sticking with green peppers. At 48, I’m allowed to make these choices….
Macroona Imbakaka (Libyan Chicken and Pasta)
Seems like most people say “this is Libya’s quintessential dish” which usually means “I can’t tell you mom’s recipe under penalty of death”, but here we are, and it’s not my mom. So… Call it North African/Italian fusion in a…
Libyan Bzaar Spice Mix
Okidoki, so I’ve scavenged the internets and despite how often bzaar pops up in recipes, it’s nearly impossible to find. Basically, this UK shop where I bought mine: https://oea-libya.com/products/bzaar-spice (if you’re in the US, shipping is pretty steep). So I…