Pad Gra Prow (Thai Beef and Basil)
I like Thai food, and I like basil, but I don’t like dried coconut, so any time I find a recipe it makes Kat happy. It also helps that we have a ridiculous amount of basil in the pots this…
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…
Keema Matar – Mincemeat and Peas Curry
So, Kat says this one is a 13/10 and the kid agrees, so I guess that’s an endorsement. This is mostly a ground meat and tomatoes dish, where the peas add a little something extra. And, like some of my…
Sharba (Libyan Soup)
More home cookin’, Libyan style. This soup is lamb, chickpeas, and orzo on a tomato base. The main seasoning is ‘bzaar’, whose flavor has some nice high aromas without smothering the ingredients, and is accented by fresh cilantro and mint….
Aloo Gosht – Pakistani Beef and Potato Stew
Aloo Gosht (literally, potatoes and meat) is one of those comfort-food things that will probably go into regular rotation here, hopefully to the detriment of some of the yummy-but-bad-for-you-glop everyone likes. Beneath the potatoes and beef, there’s a tomato base,…
Afghan Sabzi Chalau with Lamb (stew)
So, the Afghan sabzi chalau is another one of those sort of ‘generic’ names for dishes, in that it literally means “spinach and rice”. This variant is on the stove top, but some are in the oven, with (or without)…
Afghani Dumplings (Aushak)
This is almost a universal recipe based on my pokings (everyone does more or less the same thing), and basically consists of dumplings, a yogurt sauce, and a meat sauce. It can take anywhere from 1-3 hours to do*, but…
Kofta Kebabs
…well, mostly anyway. To date, I haven’t been able to keep them on the sticks. I think it’s a combination of not kneading the meat mix enough and not waiting long enough before turning. Fortunately this makes for nice finger-food…