Middle Eastern Recipes on the Web

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Although I have lots of cookbooks in my kitchen library, the Internet is always a source of inspiration for me when researching recipes for any type of cuisine. In my search for Middle Eastern recipes, I've found several websites that are both user-friendly, and abundantly filled with Middle Eastern recipes:

Middle Eastern Recipes

Sudairy

The Spice House

Chef Mufeed

Zawaj

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

03:06 PM PDT Permalink |

Stocking a Middle Eastern Pantry

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

With the exception of a few esoteric ingredients, stocking a Middle Eastern pantry can be done at your local supermarket. Meats include lamb, beef, poultry and seafood, but no pork as the Middle East is predominantly Islamic. Yogurt and goat cheese are common dairy products. Olive oil and butter are essential ingredients, and both honey and sugar are used for sweeteners.

Garden variety vegetables include eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, leeks, zucchini, and peppers such as jalapenos, poblanos, bell peppers, Hungarian peppers, and Turkish long peppers. Fruits include olives, pomegranates, lemons, apricots, dates, and figs. Seeds and nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and sesame seeds play an important role in Middle Eastern cuisine. Beans and legumes are essential ingredients, most commonly used are chickpeas and lentils.

Among the esoteric ingredients that give Middle Eastern cuisine its unique flavor are the ubiquitous cumin, tart spiceberries called sumac, black cherry pit kernels called mahleb, acacia resin called mastic, a type of clotted cream called kaymak, a thick grape syrup called pekmez, a sesame paste called tahini, and the blossoms of roses, jasmine and linden.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:55 PM PDT Permalink |

Popular Middle Eastern Favorites

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

The cuisine of the Middle East is so varied it defies description. However, there are a few dishes that are so popular, they've gained international recognition. They include the flatbread called Pita, the chickpea dip called Hummus, stuffed grape leaves known as Dolmas, the chickpea croquettes called Falafel, the sesame paste called Tahini, the eggplant dip called Baba Gannoush, the salad called Fattoush, the side dish of bulgar wheat called Couscous and the salad made from it called Tabouleh, the savory meatballs known as Koofteh Sabzi, the skewered meat called Shish Kebabs, and the honeyed dessert called Baklava.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:39 PM PDT Permalink |

My Middle Eastern Cooking Experience

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

I love Middle Eastern food. I love the way it tastes. I love the way it smells. I love shopping for all the exotic ingredients that go into it. And I love making it.

I was first introduced to the flavors of the Middle East by Abdel Albaroudi, from Syria, and Nazim Hakim from Lebanon. They were both waiters and dining room managers at the St. George Restaurant (now Tra Vigne), where I used to work in St. Helena, a small town in the heart of the Napa Valley. Business was always slow in the winter, so to amuse themselves and help pass the time on those long nights with no customers, they used to make some of their favorite Middle Eastern dishes. The chef, Paul Wiggins, was an agreeable fellow who always fed us well and never chased us out of his kitchen. So Abdel and Nazim used to make things like Fatoosh, and Falafel, and Tabouleh, and a Middle Eastern version of Steak Tartar. One bite and I was hooked.

Fast-forward ten years. I'm back in the Napa Valley after two years of teaching English in Tokyo, publishing a little free-press magazine called Pathways to Health. One of its features was a monthly restaurant review, and my very first candidate was the Small World Restaurant, a little falafel place a few blocks from my house. When I went in to try the food and interview the owner, Michael Alimusa, we became instant friends. And although I have long since ceased publishing the magazine, I still design all his flyers, menus, business cards and newspaper ads. And whenever I drop by with the finished goods, he always feeds me and sits down with me for a nice long chat. He is from Nazareth, Israel, where his father once owned a restaurant. Needless to say, Small World serves some of the best Middle Eastern food this side of the River Jordan. His menu includes three different kinds of Falafel, as well as Hummus, Baba Gunoosh, Tri-Tip Schwarma, Lamb Gyros, Mediterranean Salads, and honey-golden, melt-in-your-mouth-and-turn-your-knees-to-water Baklava for dessert. And everything he serves either comes in or with warm, doughy pita bread.

In my own kitchen, I often make Fatoosh, although my recipe deviates somewhat in its presentation. Instead of serving it like a salad, I leave out the lettuce and serve it with pita wedges. Sort of like Middle Eastern chips and salsa. I also make Middle Eastern lamb and rice dishes from time to time, and I've even tried my hand at homemade pita bread. On rare occasions, it comes out perfect. But more often, it's a disappointment, if not a downright disaster. When it comes to my flatbreads, I'm reminded of a passage from Illusions, one of my favorite books by Richard Bach, in which Donald Shimoda describes the panbread Richard makes over his campfire. "It's sort of like...a fire...after a flood...in a flourmill, don't you think?"

And in the two plus years that I've been blogging for ChopstickCinema, I have researched and prepared three Middle Eastern menus, one Persian, another Turkish, and the third an amalgam of Middle Eastern dishes.

My 'Children of Heaven' Iranian dinner exceeded all expectations, even though not all the recipes I tried turned out as I'd hoped. The ones that did were a resounding success. The Kufteh Sabzi, savory meatballs simmered in tomato sauce, which I had originally intended to serve as appetizers, were actually more suitable for the main course. Nevertheless, they were by far the tastiest dish on the table, and one that I have made several times since. The kotlet dumplings were a disappointment. These little beef and potato croquettes fell apart during the cooking process, and by the time they were done all the way through, the bread crumb coating was too brown. I even tried sauteeing the second batch in butter instead of deep frying, but that was no improvement. So I've omitted that recipe from my collection.

The Aash-e Reshteh was another less than perfect dish. It's a hearty herbed noodle and mixed bean soup, but it was much too heavy to serve with a multi-course meal. Moreover, the flavor was not especially distinctive, probably due in part to the fact that I couldn't bring myself to top it with the kashk. That ingredient is a thick whey paste with a tart flavor, and in the throes of trying out so many new recipes, I couldn't devote the kind of time and attention to ensure that I was using it properly. I was also told that the kashk is optional. I'd like to try the soup in a restaurant sometime, just to see how it's supposed to turn out, but I won't be making that recipe again.

The Lamb Kebabs were a tasty success, but one that turned out differently than I originally intended as well. At the last minute, I decided not to use the sumac spice on them. I dipped a finger into it to get a feel for its flavor and intensity and decided that it was too overpowering for the rest of the dishes on the menu. So instead, I brushed them with olive oil and drizzled them with lemon juice before grilling. So I decided to save the sumac for another meal when I can devote my undivided attention to it.

For my 'Steam' Turkish menu, I prepared Borek, known as spanikopita in Greek cuisine, and in Turkish cuisine, they're not much different. Although that's no surprise, since the Turkish culture has left its thumbprint on nearly every Mediterranean country. I filled mine with chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions and garlic, folded them flag-style and brushed them with a little olive oil before baking.

Next came a Falafel Disaster in which a seemingly perfect little chickpea croquette turned into a scattered mess of brown flakes in my skillet. Still haven't gotten up the nerve to try making falafels again. But the batch of hummus, the Mediterranean Spinach and Olive salad, the Artichoke Hearts a la Meze, Spiced Lentil Soup, and Braised Lamb Shanks I made turned out to be one of the tastiest meals ever to come out of my kitchen.

So I'm feeling much more confident and creative with Middle Eastern cuisine these days.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:38 PM PDT Permalink |

About Middle Eastern Cuisine

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Middle Eastern food features a rich variety of ingredients and spices. The primary ingredients include lamb, chicken, fish, eggs, yogurt, goat cheese, lentils, beans, chickpeas, potatoes, rice, peppers, eggplants, spinach, grape leaves, tomatoes, okra, carrots, onions, lemons, limes, oranges, apples, cherries, rose water, raisins, dates, pomegranates, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios. Herbs include parsley, coriander, mint, dill, garlic stalks, black pepper, turmeric, fenugreek, saffron, sumac, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Preparation techniques include kebabs and other grilled meats, stuffed vegetables, stews served with various rice dishes, pickled vegetables, and a tempting variety of pastries and other sweets.

Send me a pair of chopsticks. Click here for details.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

10:33 PM PDT Permalink |

The Middle East on ThingsAsian

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

ThingsAsian has expanded its destination list to include the Middle East, with articles on Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Cyprus, East Timor, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kasakstan, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikisan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. All countries are searchable from the ThingsAsian main page. Here are links to three good articles on Middle Eastern destinations:

Turkish town evokes the refinements of the Ottoman empire

Foods of Iraq: Enshrined With A Long History

Brunei, a nation-state of emergency, luxury and fantasy

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:30 AM PDT Permalink |

Looking Ahead to Lawrence of Arabia and Creating a Middle Eastern Menu

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Although I have already seen Lawrence of Arabia, my son Will has not. So I have it on my NetFlix list for an upcoming weekend. In the interim, I will be perusing my Middle Eastern cookbooks and browsing the Internet for recipe inspiration.

I love Middle Eastern food, and often enjoy a late lunch at my friend Michael Alimusa's Small World Restaurant in downtown Napa. I also enjoy making Middle Eastern dishes at home, even when I'm not preparing them for Chopstick Cinema. This will be my fourth Middle Eastern menu, and I'm looking forward to researching and tasting some new dishes.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Lawrence of Arabia

I remember as a child, my mother often spoke of Lawrence of Arabia with an excruciating groan, which prejudiced me against watching it for many years. However, I finally put those prejudices aside a few years ago and watched the 227-minute epic so that I might form my own opinions. After all, the cast includes Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, and Jose Ferrer. What's not to love? And I must say that, having seen it, I was so charmed and impressed that I've chosen Lawrence of Arabia as this month's feature film. Here's the NetFlix synopsis:

"Director David Lean's Oscar-winning epic tells the true-life story of warrior-poet T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), who helped unite warring Arab tribes so they could strike back against the Turks in World War I. Lushly filmed and expertly acted, this timeless classic underscores the clash between cultures -- and within one man -- that changed the tide of war."

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:32 AM PDT Permalink |

Welcome to Chopstick Cinema for the Month of May

This Month's Film: Lawrence of Arabia
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Every so often, I get a hankering for Middle Eastern food, so it must be about that time. To satisfy my cravings, I've chosen David Lean's sweeping epic Lawrence of Arabia as this month's film, and will create a rich and exotic menu of Middle Eastern dishes to go with it.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:33 AM PDT Permalink |

Farewell My Concubine Recipes and Photos

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This unusual menu of Chinese dishes features Imperial Mushrooms, Tofu Delight, Lemon Blossom Soup, MaPo Tofu, Fiery Ginger Fish, Hot and Sour Cabbage and Forbidden Rice.

Here is a link to the Recipe & Photos.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:09 PM PDT Permalink |

Farewell My Concubine

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Written by Lillian Lee and directed by Kaige Chen, Farewell My Concubine is a richly embroidered tapestry of Chinese history and culture that provides a context for a poignant triad in which the shifting interplay of psychodynamcis between the characters is the source of both pain and salvation.

Here is a link to the Film Review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:31 AM PDT Permalink |

My Extracurricular Films for the Month of April

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Throughout each month, in addition to my Chopstick Cinema selection, I watch lots of other films. Unfortunately, this month, there were lots of disappointments with films that had generated high expectations:

No Country For Old Men - Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones star in this dark mystery/thriller about a Texas cowboy who stumbles upon the scene of a drug deal gone terribly wrong and helps himself to a satchel full of money with a GPS tracking device hidden inside. He suddenly finds himself with a vicious serial killer close on his heels in search of the money, and Sheriff Tommy Lee Jones in hot pursuit of them both. Having read such high praise of this film, I had high expectations. And I love a good existential ending as much as the next guy, but how this dreadful excuse for a movie managed to sweep the Oscars is beyond me.

Nashville - Country music mixes with politics in this Oscar-winning Robert Altman classic, as an ensemble of musical talent converges on the title city to perform at a fundraiser for a controversial senate candidate. Amid political agendas and marital turmoil, this all-star cast manages to pull off some transcendent musical moments. And although it's painfully dated, and runs for an excruciating 180 minutes, it's worth watching, if only to see Keith Caradine sing I'm Easy.

Love in the Time of Cholera - Javier Bardem plays the lovelorn Florentino Ariza, who has been in love with Fermina Urbino for over fifty-two years. But circumstances imposed by her father and polite society dictated otherwise, so Fermina married the dashing doctor Juvenal Urbino, played by Benjamin Bratt. Although this film has its endearing and romantic qualities, it's yet another that came with high expectations but did not deliver. After nearly 53 years of anticipation, when the moment of consummation finally arrives, it's practically a non-event. Beautifully cast and filmed, but alas, a big letdown.

Lions for Lambs - With Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, this film comes with a high pedigree. But about a half-hour into it, I suddenly realized that it was a self-indulgent exercise in theoretical politics within the context of the Middle East conflict, and although it's only 92 minutes long, I just couldn't suffer through another hour of it. So I turned it off. My usual policy for most films is 'in for a penny, in for a pound' but in this case. I made an exception. Life is just too short...

Evening - Vanessa Redgrave plays Ann Lord, an aging blues singer in the last hours of her life. As sisters Nina and Constance (Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson) hover around their mother's deathbed trying to decipher her cryptic ramblings, the timeframe shifts back and forth between the past and the present, with Claire Danes playing a young debutante Ann, and Mamie Gummer as her best friend. In their youth, both fell in love with the same unattainable guy, and both their lives were ultimately riddled with regret. This is one of those films that's a little slow on the uptake, but once you get acquainted with the characters and the pace, it's a lovely tale.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:34 PM PDT Permalink |

Fresh Fruits with Chinese Rice Wine

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

For dessert after an Asian meal, I always like to serve a light fruit dish. This time, I had a few lychee fruits on hand, along with a perfectly ripe pear and a juicy naval orange. These I marinated with a little Chinese rice wine and a dash of five-spice powder. Light and lovely with a hint of spice.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

09:50 AM PDT Permalink |

Hot and Sour Cabbage

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This easy dish made a nice complement to my Fiery Ginger Fish. It's a quick and simple stir-fry of finely shredded cabbage seasoned with ginger, rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, dried chili flakes, and Szechuan peppercorns. It's important that the cooking time be kept to a minimum to maintain the texture of the cabbage. Once done, it makes a perfect plate liner for the main course.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

07:06 PM PDT Permalink |

Forbidden Rice

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

In my travels on the Internet, I came across several articles about forbidden rice, and wanted to try it for myself. To my delight, our new Whole Foods market stocks it in their regular inventory, and as luck would have it, forbidden rice was on sale at two bags for six dollars. I followed the instructions on the package and cooked it in my electric rice cooker.

I was amazed at how black the grains of forbidden rice are, and even more surprised to discover that the rice isn't actually black, but rather a deep shade of purple that, once cooked, stains everything that comes into contact with it, including the cooking vessel and storage containers. I had originally planned to include the leftovers in a cold multi-grain salad, but I surmised that the forbidden rice would probably turn the whole thing purple. So, for my grain salad, I opted for wild rice instead.

However, I did serve the forbidden rice as a side dish on my chinese menu, and found it to be quite delicious, with an earthy, nutty flavor, and a popcorn-like fragrance similar to basmati when it's cooking. A tasty and unusual variation on a standard staple.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:12 PM PDT Permalink |