WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE

Louisa Shafia's Recipe for Adas Polo

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water


• Sea salt


• 2 cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 1 hour

• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup dried lentils, cooked until tender and drained

• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

• 2 cups tightly packed minced fresh dill

• 1/2 teaspoon saffron, ground and steeped in 1 tablespoon hot water

• 1/2 cup Persian green raisins or any kind of raisin you can find

Directions:

Drain the rice and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. In a stockpot, bring the water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the rice, return to a boil, then turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes, then dot with the butter and fluff with a fork. The rice should be dry and fluffy.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the lentils for 3 minutes, until heated through. Add the dill and cook for about 1 minute, until just wilted. Combine the lentils and rice in a large bowl and drizzle in the saffron. Mix gently, season with salt, and sprinkle with the raisins to serve.

Serves 4 to 6

For more information on how to make tahdig  look at Louisa’s cookbook The New Persian Kitchen

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE

Asmaa's father’s (Mazen Khadem Al Arbaiin) recipe for Taseiyeh, also known as “Syrian Fatteh.”

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces of fresh cooked chickpeas 

• 9 ounces of fresh homemade hummus 

• 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice 

• 1 crushed clove of garlic 

• A pinch of salt

• 2 whole sliced fresh pita bread 

• 4.5 ounces of roasted nuts (you can use any type you want, depends on your preference)

• 3 tablespoons of ghee butter

Directions:

First, heat up the chickpeas using the same water that was used to cook the chickpeas.

While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the special sauce by mixing the hummus with the fresh lemon juice and a clove of garlic until it is all combined.

Wet the cut pita bread with some of the chickpeas water and some of the sauce, and follow it with the hot chickpeas.

Put the rest of the  sauce as a final layer and sprinkle the roasted nuts on top of everything. 

Finally, heat the ghee butter on the stove for about one minute and slowly pour it over the dish. Enjoy it with some pickles on the side.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE

Recipe for Bint Al-Sahn (also known as Sabayah)

Bint Al-Sahn (or “Daughter/Beauty of the Plate”) is a delicious traditional cake from Yemen that is covered with honey as it comes out of the oven.

adapted from 196flavors.com

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs

• 3¼ cups flour

• ½ cup oil 

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 egg yolk

• Sesame seeds (or nigella seeds)

• Honey (warm)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt.

Add 3 eggs, oil.  

Knead the dough for about 15 minutes until the dough starts to hold up. Cover with a dry cloth and set aside 30 minutes.

Separate the dough into small balls of 2½ oz (70 g) each. Keep a 3 oz (90 g) ball for the top layer of the cake. There should be between 10 to 18 balls total.

Let rise another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200˚C).

Generously grease a 10-inch (25 cm) springform pan.

Using a rolling pin, roll the first ball of dough as thinly as possible.

Place the layer of dough in the pan.

Using a brush or hand drizzle melted butter over this layer of dough.

Continue this process for the rest of the dough sheets. For the final layer, coat with egg yolk and sprinkle with black nigella seeds.

Bake for 25 minutes until the bread is golden.

When the butter is still oozing, drizzle generously honey on top of the bread. Serve warm.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE

Maimuna’s Jollof Rice Recipe

Ingredients

For the blended mix:

• Three medium bell peppers or poblano peppers 

• Five pieces of tomato (Roma)

• One large onion (chopped)

• Two cups of chicken stock

• Two scotch bonnet pepper (Optional) 

For frying:

• 1/2 onion 

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or oil of choice)  

• 18oz (2 1/4 cup) Tomato paste (tin tomato) 

• Two knorr or maggi seasoning cubes 

• Two tablespoon thyme 

• One tablespoon curry 

• Two bay leaves 

• Two tablespoon salt 

Other:

• Four cups of chicken stock (substitute with water)

• Four cups of rice 

Directions

In a blender, combine tomatoes, peppers, chopped onions, and Scotch bonnets with 2 cups of stock. 

Blend the mixture until it is smooth. You should have roughly 5-6 cups of blended mix.

In a large pan, heat oil. Add the sliced onions and season with a pinch of salt. Stir-fry the onions for a minute or two, then add the tomato paste, curry powder, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Stir for another 2 minutes. Add the blended mixture, stir, and set on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until it is reduced by half. This will allow the mixture to cook and take the raw edge off the tomatoes and onions.

Then add 4 cups of the stock to the cooked tomato sauce, adjust the salt, bring it to the boil, and cook about 10 minutes

Add the rinsed rice, and stir the rice with the tomato mixture and cover it with a lid. Turn down the heat and cook for 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes later, stir the rice—taste and adjust as required. Done ✅ Jollof Rice is ready. 

For more delicious recipes from Maimuna’s kitchen follow her on instagram @lolos_kitchen