As mentioned in my last post, I had the pleasure of travelling to the UAE at the end of last year. Not in transit, but as an actual destination. I also visited Oman briefly. The food from the area is not a cuisine I am used to and it took some getting used. They use an awfully large amount of parsley in their dishes. I really don't like lots of parsley unless it has been augmented by a mountain of garlic. Some of the less enthusiastically be-parsley-ed food did grow on me. I love Baba Ganoush. Probably because I love brinjal and garlic, which are the main components. Breads in fresh salads is such a very neat idea. The flavours just get absorbed right in there. I also happened to have sumac. Which is why I made Fattoush using pan toasted pieces of pita. It would have been an affront to the the entire cuisine if I did not make Hummus. It is not my favourite dip when we have it at restaurants, but the beauty of making it at home is that you can make it the way you prefer. I used so much garlic and lemon juice. It would have been too heavy for me otherwise. I'm sure the tahini can be bought, but it is so easy to make I don't understand the point.
Baba Ganoush
This recipe is very imprecise and I apologise for that. I consulted various recipes and then just decided to wing it. Without a pen and paper. It tasted lovely, but the replication may be difficult.
3 Brinjal
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
1 tblsp (approx.) Tahini
Lemon juice to taste
Salt
Set your oven to as high as it can go. For my oven, this is on grill and set at level 9. Rub some olive oil onto the brinjal and poke some holes in them with a fork if you're super paranoid like me. Put the brinjal in the oven and let them know the fires of hell, turning frequently. Try not to get crapped on by house mates. Check the tenderness of the brinjal to test if they're done. I used a skewer and I wanted no resistance. Peel them and extract the innards. I used a pestel and mortar, although I have heard of this contraption called a food processor and deem it a suitable alternative. Mash the garlic with the salt until it is homogenous. Add the brinjal innards and pound them until it becomes more pasty than stringy. Mix in the tahini and lemon juice and then gradually add in the olive oil mixing well after every micro addition.
Fattoush
1/2 an iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 sliced mediterranean cucumbers
1 sliced red onion
1 diced tomato
1/2 green pepper, diced
A small bunch of flat-leaf parley, chopped
A small bunch of mint, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of sumac
pan-toasted pieces of pita
60ml lemon juice
60ml olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Combine the lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomato, pepper, herbs and sumac in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whish together the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper to make the dressing. Just before serving add the pieces of pita and the dressing to the other salad ingredients and toss in an overly dramatic fashion.
Hummus
400g can of chickpeas in water
2 cloves garlic
1 tblsp (or more, to taste) tahini
lemon juice, to taste
olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Mash up the garlic with some salt until it forms a paste. Then add the chickpeas and give it the same treatment. Mix in the tahini, lemon juice and cumin. The slowly add the olive oil mixing well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
