Kebab

This week’s blog is going to be about a very well known Middle Eastern food, which is Kebab. This word may not be strange to everyone because almost everyone knows this type of food. Shish Kebab is known by 95% of people around the world and there’s no way anyone wouldn’t like this delicious food!

Shish kebab is a skewer with meat and vegetables and is usually grilled but it can be fried too. It can be lamb, beef, or chicken and can also have vegetables like green peppers, onions and mushrooms.

You can also eat it as a sandwich and add some Hummus to it or you can have it alone. Middle Eastern people usually call it “Shish Tawooq” and it can be served both as chicken or beef depending our your taste. They are easy to make, inexpensive, and also looks absolutely delicious with different vegetables and meat. The most common way to cook Shish Kebab is grilling. In the Middle East, kebabs are not always prepared on a skewer and do not always consist of cubed meat or chicken. It can also be prepared alone without a skewer.

Shish Kebab

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef sirloin or tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Preparations:

• 24 hours prior to grilling, prepare marinade by combining olive oil, vinegar, corinader, garlic, cumin, and paprika. Pour marinade into freezer bag and add beef cubes. 
• Allow to marinate in the refrigerator until ready to grill. 
• Remove from refrigerator and thread meat onto skewers that have been sprayed with cooking oil.
• Spray grill with cooking oil to prevent sticking. 
• Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. 
• Serve over a bed of white rice, salad. 

This basic recipe includes the marinade and cooking instructions just for the chicken. You can add vegetables to the skewer if desired. Shish Tawooq are usually cut into many small pieces, however, it is as delicious as Shish Kebab but the only difference is that it is chicken!

Shish Tawooq plate with Hummus and Rise

Shish Kebab and Tawooq plate with Rise and Tabouleh

I wanted to share this type of delicious Middle Eastern food with all of you. Kebab is the most popular food that most of you are familiar with. Enjoy the taste and if you have any questions or comments I’ll be more than happy to reply.

Shawarma

My blog today is going to be about a type of food that is not only known in Middle East, but is also popular in all different cultures. This type of food is known as Shawarma. Shawarma is a very delicious food that could be served as a plate or a sandwich. It depends on your personal taste, but Shawarma can also be served as a beef shawerma or chicken Shawarma.

When making a Shawarma we usually cut off the shavings off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit. Although it can be served in shavings on a plate, Shawarma can also be referred to as a sandwich. It can also be eaten with Tabbouleh, Fattoush, tomato and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, and pickled turnips.

Shawarma is a very delicious type of Middle Eastern food and it is very healthy. Once you start eating Shawarma, you can’t stop! In Canada, Shawarma can be found in many different places like Pita Land, Paramount, Osmows, etc.

Chicken shawarma

Beef Shawarma with rise

Ingredients:

• 10 garlic, chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
• 4 pieces pita bread
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Shawarma sauce

Preparations:

That are needed to make a Shawarma are having a medium bowl and whisking together the garlic, lemon juice, and oil. You can also add curry powder, salt pepper, and food coloring and whisk to combine. After these steps, you can add chicken and coat with marinade. Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Then, you preheat a grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Serve chicken on pita and top with tomatoes and Shawarma sauce.

Shawarma sauce:

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1-cup tahini
• 3 cups water
• ½ lemon juice
• Salt

You add all these ingredients in a bowl and mix them together until it feel like it gets creamy. Then you can taste it so you can tell if it needs anything extra or not. you will love it once you make it and try it especially when you come with amazing results. Shawarma is simply one of the most delicious Middle Eastern foods ever!!

Kibbeh

Appetizers are a crucial part of meals in every culture. In Middle Eastern traditions, there is usually more than one plate of appetizers in gatherings, parties, or even family dinners. Middle Eastern people like to present a variety of appetizers that are very delicious. For example, some of these appetizers are Tabouleh, Hummus, Fattoush, Baba Ghanoush, and today we will be talking about a different kind of appetizer, which is Kibbeh.

Kibbeh is one of the most delicious appetizers in the Middle East. There’s many ways in which you can eat it. For example, Kibbeh can be in the same plate as hummus or you can eat it alone. Once you start eating Kibbeh I guarantee you wont stop having it!!

Kibbeh is a Middle Eastern type of dish that is made of a variety of ingredients. These ingredients are bulghur,minced onions and ground red meat, usually beef, lamb, goat or camel. The best-known type of Kibbeh is a torpedo-shaped fried croquette stuffed with minced beef or lamb. Other types of Kibbeh may be shaped into balls or patties, and baked or cooked in broth. Kibbeh is considered to be the national dish of Lebanon.

Kibbeh

There are many recipes for kibbeh, but this one is very easy and perfect for beginners.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs finely ground beef or lamb, lean, divided
• 1/2 lb. bulghur cracked wheat, medium 
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 medium onions, 1 finely chopped, and 1 coarsely chopped, divided
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

Preparation:

• In a medium bowl, soak wheat for 30 minutes in cold water. Remove and drain. 
• Remove excess water. Place into medium bowl and combine with 1 lb. meat, coarsely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Combine well and place small amount in food processor until dough-like consistency. You can slowly add an ice cube at a time during processing if needed. 
• Place mixture aside, covered. Instead of using a food processor, you can use a mortar and pestle, however it will take you over an hour to achieve desired consistency.

When I first saw this type of Middle Eastern dish, I didn’t like the way it looks and I didn’t want to try this type of food. However, my parent always taught me not to judge food by the way it looks. It might not always look super delicious but it might taste amazing. I ate the Kibbeh alone and loved it and I even liked it better when I added Hummus to it. Every time we eat we have to include Kibbeh in our appetizers.

Food can be presented in many different ways but it is always delicious. That’s why we should always try a variety of new things in cooking food and then judges it by trying it. There are different types of food from every culture and we should try each type of food and learn about them. It is a nice thing to know about every country’s cultural food traditions and what type of ingredients they use to make their food. I hope you guys like the Kibbeh and if you have any questions or comments I’ll be more than happy to reply to you and assist you in making Kibbeh. Enjoy!!!

Hummus

Welcome back to my blog this week. Last blog was about the most popular salads in the Middle East. There are many salads that are made in the Middle East, but Tabouleh and Fattoush are the most two popular salads that are known. Appetizers are a very special part of every meal. In the Middle East, there is a very healthy and popular appetizer, which is known as Hummus. Every Middle Eastern restaurant has Hummus as one of the main appetizers. Hummus can also be served at home for dinner or lunch or even parties.

Hummus is a very popular Middle Eastern food dip that is made from many different types of ingredients. These ingredients are cooked and are mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil.

Hummus can be made in many different flavors. These flavors could be strong lemon flavor garlic flavor and some hummus even has a spicy flavor  When you are making your own hummus you must be tasting it to make sure you got the flavor you want. For example, if the hummus you want to make requires a lot of “Tahini sauce” and you may not like this particular, so you should scale down the amount of Tahini sauce. The amazing thing about Middle Eastern cooking is that the ingredients amounts don’t have to be the exact same amounts, you can add a little bit of a particular ingredient or take away a bit of another ingredient and you will still have a masterpiece. 

Hummus can be served with fresh or toasted pita bread. It is one of the more popular dips or appetizers in the Middle East. There is a particular sauce that is important in the Hummus recipe and cannot be substituted which is the Tahini sauce. 

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1/ 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
• 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

• Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor.  
• Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. 
• Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
• Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. 
• Garnish with parsley (optional). Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita. 

The fun thing about making Hummus is that you can add it on different types of food such as beef shawarma or you can have it with Tabouleh. Hummus is a very delicious dish and you cannot stop eating it once you try it! You can also eat Hummus as a plain dish or with red pepper as Middle Eastern people do it! Hummus is not a difficult dish to do in fact, you will love it once you make it and try it especially when you come with amazing results.

Hummus with Beef