Archive for the ‘: LEBANESE’ Category
Vermicelli Rice (Rice Cooker)
May 7, 2019 Lee
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Vermicelli Rice (Rice Cooker)

Pups with Chopsticks, Joyce.
This is a Middle Eastern/Lebanese dish, sort of, and for those in Asia, this does not use vermicelli rice noodles, this uses vermicelli pasta noodles. If you don't have vermicelli pasta noodles, angle hair pasta will work just as well, in a pinch, spaghetti works too.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1¼ cups dry Jasmine rice, or your choice of long grained white rice
  • ½ cup dry vermicelli pasta, broken into ½ inch or smaller pieces
  • 2¼ cups water
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear, this is removing some of the starch. When rinsed well, set aside.
  • Heat your rice cooker by pressing the Cook switch, add the oil and onion, cook, stirring often the onion until soft.
  • Add the butter, when melted, add the vermicelli pasta and stir constantly, until nicely toasted and golden brown. The smell will be that of popcorn.
  • When the pasta is golden brown, add the rice and salt and stir to coat with the butter and oil.
  • Add the water and stir together, add the lid and let the rice cooker cook a normal cycle. When the rice cooker switches to Warm mode, unplug and leave the rice cooker covered for 15-20 minutes, don't worry, you will still have hot rice.
  • Fluff the rice with a rice paddle and serve.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use chicken or beef broth in place of water.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,Seasoned Rice - Rice Cooker,Sides - Rice Cooker
Lebanese Style Chicken Livers
April 6, 2019 Lee
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Lebanese Style Chicken Livers

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a really tasty dish if you like chicken livers. The mint is perfect in this.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanesee, Middle Eastern
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 400 grams chicken livers, (14 oz)
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish, or mint

Instructions
 

  • Prep the livers by cutting in half, then cutting the two pieces into 2-3 smaller pieces.
  • In a large zip lock bag, add the liver, oil, salt, mint, and garlic. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and zip closed. Squish the livers around to get everything mixed and the livers coated. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
  • When ready to cook, heat a large non stick pan on medium high heat and add the contents of the zip lock bag.
  • Saute for 5-10 minutes are until no pink remains visible, almost ready, just another 1-2 minutes to go at this point. Remember, over cooked liver is tough liver, slightly pink inside is perfect.
  • Stir in the lemon or lime juice and saute for another 30 seconds.
  • Divide between two plates, garnish with chopped parsley or min, serve with sides of your choice. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,Chicken - Giblets
Sumac Fried Eggs
June 9, 2018 Lee
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Sumac Fried Eggs

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This sounds good, and as I understand it, Lebanese in origin. USE ONLY store bought dried sumac. On my to cook list and soon. This is presented in two ways, the first way is sumac at the end, the second way is to flavor the oil with sumac, please let me know your comments.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red chili, seeded and sliced thin
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
  • 4 eggs
  • sea salt
  • dried sumac, as needed

Instructions
 

First Method

  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the chili and garlic, saute, stirring often, until the chili is soft and the garlic browned, do not over cook the garlic or it may result in a bitter taste. Remove the garlic and chili leaving the oil in the pan.
  • Crack eggs into the pan and season with sea salt to your liking. Gently move the move the eggs around with your spatula, the goal is sunny side up, firm whites, but browned and crispy sides and bottom. The yolk should be runny. You may need to cook these in batches, 2 eggs at a time.
  • Place one to two eggs on a plate, sprinkle with the garlic and chili mixture, and a light pinch of sumac.
  • Serve with sides of your choice, rice would be good.

Second Method

  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add a tiny pinch of sumac, then the chili and garlic, saute, stirring often, until the chili is soft and the garlic browned, do not over cook the garlic or it may result in a bitter taste. Remove the garlic and chili leaving the oil in the pan.
  • Crack eggs into the pan and season with sea salt to your liking, and just a tiny pinch of sumac. Gently move the move the eggs around with your spatula, the goal is sunny side up, firm whites, but browned and crispy sides and bottom. The yolk should be runny. You may need to cook these in batches, 2 eggs at a time.
  • Place one to two eggs on a plate, sprinkle with the garlic and chili mixture, and a tiny pinch of sumac as desired.
  • Serve with sides of your choice, rice would be good.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,BREAKFAST (for dinner!),EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Lebanese Lentils, Rice, and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)
August 14, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese Lentils, Rice, and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)

Stephen Connell, United States.
This recipe was recommend from a good friend, and I received a bag of brown lentils as well from my good friend. I am looking forward to making this dish. I will use this as a side for say some ribs or chicken.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup brown lentils, or green, sorted and rinsed
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, OR 3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked, use a mortar
  • 3 medium red onions, thinly sliced
  • sea salt, as needed
  • ¾ cup basmati rice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 1 inch cinnamon stick, OR 1/8 teaspoon ground
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional
  • squeeze fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Add the sorted and rinsed lentils into a medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  • As the lentils are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat with the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
  • Then to the skillet add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You will know they are done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel lined plate, these are for garnish later.
  • In the skillet, sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne, and then add the cinnamon stick, saute about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often but gently until some rice grains start to brown. Add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of sea salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. If there is still too much water in the skillet, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
  • Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with cold yogurt as an additional side.
: LEBANESE,SIDES
Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)
June 15, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)

Stephen Connell, United States.
Absolutely brilliant combination of flavors. I made this on 29 June 2017 as a side dish to a chicken meal I made. You can make this as spicy as you want it, and let me tell you, local homemade red chili paste in a village, is spicy!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups potatoes, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili paste, more or less to taste, go with 1/4 tsp if you cannot handle spicy
  • 50 grams fresh coriander leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish, (2 oz)
  • ½ cup lemon juice, or lime juice, either one is fine

Instructions
 

  • Cube your potatoes, I used 2½ medium sized potatoes for just over 3 cups.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes with 1 teaspoon of salt added.
  • Prep the other ingredients while the potatoes are boiling. Shown here my garlic, coriander, chili paste (1 teaspoon of that was used, a small bag lasts a while), and the lime juice. I use lime juice as it is everywhere, lemon juice on the other hand is not that easy to find, they can be used interchangeably.
  • Take drained potatoes and fry in oil, drain on paper towels.
  • Heat olive oil in a non stick, large skillet, add garlic and chili paste, cook for just a minute or two then add coriander and lemon (lime) juice, cook for a few minutes.
  • Add the potatoes. The potatoes will cook through and the liquid will be absorbed.
  • Cook until starting to browned, when the liquid is absorbed, the potatoes will be tender. Ready to serve. This is an excellent side dish.
: LEBANESE,POTATOES,SIDES
Lebanese Beef & Green Beans
June 15, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese Beef & Green Beans

Stephen Connell, United States.
Sounds great, green beans here would be long beans, perfect. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanesee
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams fresh long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces, (1 lb)
  • 4 cups pasta sauce, Shortcut
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons red wine
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • mashed potatoes, or rice for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the butter and the oil. Add the onions and cook slowly until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the ground beef and crumble as it cooks. Stir in tomato sauce, Worcestershire, red wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer.
  • Cover with lid and simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour. About ten minutes before serving, add the green beans, stir and cover with lid once more. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. Enjoy.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams of beef. For 6 servings, this is about 50 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Pasta Sauce.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,BEEF
Lebanese Chicken with Rice
June 15, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese Chicken with Rice

Stephen Connell, United States.
This is a traditional Lebanese dish and it sounds tasty! On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 300 grams ground beef, (10 oz)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups long grain rice
  • 3 cups stock, beef or chicken, hot, from powder
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, or corriander
  • plain yogurt, for serving
  • cucumber, sliced, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil over high heat in a pan. add the chicken and cook on both sides until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the onion and ground beef to the same hot pan. Cook until the onions and meat is beginning to brown, then add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Then add the cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, and salt, cook two minutes while stirring.
  • Stir in the rice making sure that it is fully covered with the oil and spices, place the chicken in the rice. Add the pine nuts.
  • Pour in the stock or water and cover. Cook on a simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and as you do so allow the chicken to break up. You may need to add extra hot water if the rice gets a little dry.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve with yogurt on top and sliced cucumber.

Notes

Four thighs I will estimate about 50 Baht. For the beef, I will estimate about 75 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about 92 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Lebanese Garlic Chicken (Farrouj Meshwi)
June 15, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese Garlic Chicken (Farrouj Meshwi)

Stephen Connell, United States.
If you like garlic then you will probably love this chicken! You can use any pieces of chicken for this recipe in place of the whole cutup chicken. Farrouj means male chicken in Arabic, said to be tastier than hens, but you can certainly use any type of chicken you wish. I will probably use four quarters, separated.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Grill, Charcoal or Gas

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken, cut up or any 6-8 pieces you like
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • juice from 1 lemon, or 3 tablespoons
  • ½ teaspoon sumac

Instructions
 

  • Grind garlic & salt to a paste in mortar or small food processor. Work in the olive oil, sumac & lemon juice to create a creamy consistency similar to mayo.
  • Cut chicken into 6 to 8 pieces or use any 6 to 8 pieces of chicken to your liking. Make plenty of deep cuts in the pieces, right down to the bone.
  • Place the chicken pieces & garlic sauce in a large ziploc bag. Close the bag and massage the chicken for a few minutes before placing in the fridge for at least 3 hours or up to 6 hours, to marinate.
  • Grill the chicken pieces over a medium heat until the juices run totally clear, 12 to 15 minutes per side. You can also use a griddle or grill pan then transfer to the oven on 200° C (400° F) for 15 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Chicken quarters cost around 70 Baht/kilo, 4 quarters should be right about 1 kilo. Separate the legs from the thighs and you have 8 tasty pieces to use. For 4 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: LEBANESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY,GRILLED / BBQ / SMOKER
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
June 8, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)

Stephen Connell, United States.
This sounds like an excellent sauce. There is many recipes on the internet for this and nearly all claim to be the best. The sauce comes highly recommended by a good friend and is the first recipe he sent me, I will try this one and post results. If you double the batch, don't double the salt, use just 1½ tablespoons.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Lebanesee
Servings 2 cups sauce

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head garlic, cloves smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup oil, neutral tasting oil
  • 1 cup olive oil, NOT extra virgin

Instructions
 

  • There is 3 ways to prepare this.

Immersion Blender

  • Place everything in a quart-sized jar. Submerge an immersion blender in the mixture to the bottom of the jar. Mix with the blender resting on the bottom of the jar until the ingredients thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Angle the mixer to pull ingredients from the sides of the jar and lift it toward the top to better combine. Continue blending until the mixture reaches a texture similar to mayonnaise.

Electric Mixer

  • Mix the garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a mixer to a creamy mix, 20-30 seconds, pour into a mixing bowl. Then use an electric mixer and slowly add in the oil and olive oil in a very narrow stream until the sauce thickens, 2 to 4 minutes.

Blender

  • Mix the garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a blender to a creamy mix, 20-30 seconds, then slowly add in the oil and olive oil in a very narrow stream until the sauce thickens, 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Serve with grilled meats as a dipping sauce, in a chicken salad sandwich, you get the idea.
5 Ingredients or Less,: LEBANESE,CONDIMENTS
Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)
May 31, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)

Mark Bowen, Guinea.
This is a Middle Eastern item made from strained yogurt. That's it! With strained plain full fat yogurt, you can make several items, and the item I am going to concentrate on is soft labneh which is basically sour cream. I have it from a good friend that has made this and it is a very close to sour cream. As my friend states "Can't have Mexican night without sour cream." I made this on 6 June 2017, and soft labneh is very close to sour cream, it is excellent and will be my Go-To recipe for sour cream. This makes about 800 g (28 oz) of sour cream.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Cheesecloth

Ingredients
  

  • 8 containers plain yogurt, 135 gram (4¾ oz) each
  • pinch salt, optional

Instructions
 

  • For the yogurt, use plain, unflavored, full fat yogurt, NOT Greek yogurt. I used 2 packages of 4 containers each of Dutchie Original Yogurt, each container is 135 grams, so in total I used 1,072 grams of yogurt.
  • Line a sieve with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth. Place the sieve on a large bowl. Add the salt, if using, to the yogurt and stir until smooth. Pour into the prepared sieve.
  • Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together, twist and tie securely with string or a plastic clip and hang it above a bowl or let it just in the sieve. Cover the top of the bowl & sieve with plastic wrap.
  • Place this into the fridge to allow the whey to drain out. How long you let it drain will determine what particular style of labneh you are making.

For Soft Labneh (think Sour Cream)

  • Strain for 8-14 hours. This would provide a soft type of labneh with a consistency to that of Sour Cream. Check the consistency and taste during the time stated and make note of the time for future times you make this. When the consistency is good, remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Use in place of sour cream in recipes.

For Firmer Labneh

  • Strain for 24-48 hours will result in a Cream Cheese like consistency. Remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. This sounds like it would be good on a sandwich.

For Yogurt Cheese

  • Strain for 48-72 hours will result in Yogurt Cheese, which is normally rolled into small balls, coated with herbs or spices and stored in olive oil. Store in the fridge for several weeks. These sound like they would make great appetizers.

For Greek-style Yogurt

  • Strain for 3-4 hours will result in a Greek-style of yogurt. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, use in recipes calling for Greek yogurt.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,: LEBANESE,CONDIMENTS,INGREDIENTS