1 cup water, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt, plus more for salting eggplants and to taste
1 teaspoon Iraqi Bharaat (recipe follows), plus more to taste
Equipment
Bowl and plate for soaking salted eggplant
Large pot or Dutch oven for frying
Slotted spoon or tongs
Bowl for beef
Deep skillet or medium pot
Large, deep ovenproof cooking pot, casserole, or Dutch oven (at least 6 quarts) with cover
1. Peel and cut the eggplants into ¾-inch rounds. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Fill the bowl with cold water and cover with an inverted plate to keep the eggplants from floating (you may need to weigh down the plate with something heavy—a bowl filled with water works well). Let it soak while you slice the rest of your vegetables. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
2. Pour 2 inches oil into a large pot for frying and heat over high heat until it reaches 360° F. Fry the eggplant and potatoes in small batches, turning, until just golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels or brown grocery bags. Repeat with the onion (90 seconds); the green pepper (1 minute); the red pepper (1 minute); and 1 of the sliced tomatoes (15 seconds). Fry the beef until just browned, about 30 seconds, and remove to a bowl to catch the juices.
3. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the oil to a deep skillet or saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until browned, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup water, the tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of the spices, the puréed tomatoes, and reserved meat juices. Turn the heat down and simmer gently.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Layer the remaining raw tomato on the bottom of a large, deep cooking pot. Alternately layer the beef and vegetables all the way to the top, sprinkling a pinch of the remaining spice mix over each layer. Taste for salt as you go.
5. Pour the tomato sauce over the top and let it sink in. If needed, pour in enough water to reach just below the top layer. Slide a spatula around the edges of the pot to distribute the sauce to the bottom. Press down gently on the top with a spatula or wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, then cover and bake for 1 hour. Let it rest for 30 minutes before serving. Serve over rice if desired.
Iraqi Bharaat
Iraqi Spices
Makes about 2 tablespoons
Ingredients
1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
2 white or green cardamom pods
2 whole allspice berries
2 whole cloves
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 chile de arbol, seeds and stem removed
¾ teaspoon dried rose petals
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Equipment
Heavy skillet
Spice grinder or mortar and pestle
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the peppercorns, cardamom, allspice, and cloves and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and cook, shaking the skillet, until just toasted, about 2 minutes (trust your nose—take the spices off the heat if you smell them beginning to burn). Transfer to a plate to cool. Grind to a powder with the chile and rose petals. Stir in the ground spices.
Lebanese Mighli
Serves 8 (small servings)
This recipe is adapted from two spectacular cooks—Georges Naassan’s mother, who shared her recipe with me at Tango Night, and Rawda Mroue of Côte de Veau (a.k.a. Beiti, which means “my house”), a tiny hole-in-the-wall that offers some of the best home cooking in Beirut.
Ingredients
Pudding
2 cups sugar
1 cup rice powder, sifted
8 cups cold water
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground caraway seeds
2 tablespoons ground anise or fennel seeds
Topping
¼ cup walnut halves
¼ cup slivered or blanched almonds
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup pistachios (shelled and unsalted)
½ cup coconut flakes
Equipment
Medium cooking pot
Wire whisk
Eight small ramekins
MAKING THE PUDDING
1. Mix the sugar, rice powder, and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Let it cool.
2. Add the spices and simmer, whisking often, until it thickens, about 1 hour. Pour into 8 small ramekins and chill, covered, overnight.
3. Mix the nuts and coconut flakes together (you can lightly toast the coconut flakes if you like). Divide into 8 portions (roughly 2 tablespoons each), and top the puddings with them.
Glossary
Day of Honey introduces non-Arabic readers to some of the words I got to know and (in most cases) love. Many of these words are colloquial Arabic, which varies widely from the written language. For that reason, I almost always spell words phonetically, instead of trying to literally represent Arabic letters, some of which have no equivalents in the Roman alphabet. When balancing consistency or faithful transliteration against readability in English, I have always chosen the latter. And for the sake of comprehension, I have translated idiomatic Arabic expressions into their closest English equivalents.
ain Spring, fountainhead, or eye (among other meanings).
ajnabi (male)/ajnabieh (female)/ajanib (plural) Foreign, alien; foreigner(s).
akil Food (from the root akala, “to eat”).
Allah Arabic word for God (literally, “the god”) dating back to before Islam. Used by Muslims, Christians, Jews, Baha’is, and other Abrahamic religions.
arak A clear alcoholic beverage flavored with anise and sometimes other ingredients. Usually distilled from grapes in Lebanon and dates in Iraq. Traditionally served with meze, especially those made with raw meat.
arous 1. A bride. 2. A sandwich of Arabic flatbread wrapped around labneh and cucumber, zaatar, cheese, or other fillings.
balad 1. Country, city, community. 2. Downtown (colloquial).
banadura Tomato or tomatoes. From the Italian pomodoro.
Bedouin English word, derived from Arabic, for members or descendants of nomadic Middle Eastern and North African desert tribes.
boub alkusa Southern Lebanese dialect for the insides of hollowed-out zucchini. From lub, heart or core.
dahiyeh 1. Suburb or outskirts. 2. In Beirut, a shorthand for “the Misery Belt,” a constellation of municipalities just south of the city limits, now mostly inhabited by Shiites.
dajaj Chicken.
daymeh Always (also pronounced “dayman”). Used in expressions like “daymeh, inshallah” (always, God willing).
diwan Among other meanings, a reception room for entertaining guests or holding audiences with the public (colloquial).
Druze A heterodox sect of Islam found mostly in the Levant. Originated as a mystical offshoot of Ismaili Shiism, a branch of Shiite Islam.
duaa 1. The act of appealing to or invoking God in a variety of situations. 2. The invocation itself.
fallaheen Peasant farmers or sharecroppers.
faqir (male)/faqirah(female)/fuqara (plural) 1. Poor, or the poor. 2. Down-to-earth, not a snob (colloquial).
fawal A maker of foul.
fatayer Baked pockets of bread dough stuffed with meat, cheese, or vegetables.
fattoush Levantine salad made with crumbled Arabic flatbread (from fatta, to crumble or break down into small pieces).
fatteh A variety of layered bread dishes made with crumbled Arabic flatbread; a base of meat or vegetables; and usually topped with garlic-infused yogurt.
fattet hummus Fatteh made with chickpeas.
fesenjoon An Iranian dish of meat (usually poultry) stewed in ground waln
uts and pomegranate sauce. Also common in southern Iraq and southern Lebanon.
foul 1. Fava beans, usually dried. 2. Common shorthand for foul mdamas.
foul akhdar 1. Fresh fava beans (literally, “green fava beans”). 2. The dish of whole fresh fava beans braised with onions, garlic, and cilantro.
foul mdamas The dish of dried fava beans stewed until soft and mashed with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, spices, and sometimes chickpeas or other ingredients (literally, “buried fava beans”).
freekeh (also freek, farik, farikeh, etc.) 1. Fire-roasted green wheat, usually cracked for easier storage and preparation. 2. The dish of roasted green wheat cooked with meat, broth, and spices.
frakeh A dish of raw meat mixed with bulgur wheat and spices, common in southern Lebanon. From the same root (faraka, “to rub”) as freekeh.
furn 1. An oven, especially a baking oven. 2. A neighborhood bakery (colloquial).
ghanouj (male)/ghanoujah (female) A teasing, flirtatious person.
hadarah Civilization, especially settled civilization; the opposite of nomadism. Often connotes modernity and urban life.
hajj The pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, that all Muslims are required to undertake once in their lifetime.
Hajj (male)/Hajji (male or female)/Hajjieh (female) Honorary titles given to Muslims who have made the hajj (and often used to address old people, even if they did not perform the hajj, as a sign of respect). In Iraq, a man who has made the Hajj is a Hajji, while a woman is a Hajjieh; in Lebanon, the more commonly used titles are Hajj (for a man) and Hajji (for a woman).
halal Anything permissible, especially under Islam (often used for food).
hamudh 1. Anything sour or acidic. 2. Lemons or lemon juice (colloquial).
haraam Anything forbidden, especially under Islam.
hijab 1. A veil, screen, curtain, or other things used to hide, protect, or shutter. 2. The clothing, often a headscarf, used to conceal a woman’s hair, neck, and body.
hindbeh 1. Chicory, dandelions, and other wild bitter greens. 2. The dish of bitter greens sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and caramelized onions.
hummus 1. Chickpeas. 2. Universal shorthand for hummus bi tahinah, the dish of ground chickpeas with tahini, garlic, and lemon juice.
iftar Literally, “breaking the fast”; the dinner that breaks the daylight fast throughout the month of Ramadan.
inshallah God willing (literally “in shaa Allah,” “if desired by God”).
jabalieh Literally, “from the mountain” or “of the mountain.” Often used to describe mountain fruits, vegetables, or dishes.
jajik A salad of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and chopped herbs (usually mint). A slightly different version shows up in medieval Iraqi cookbooks.
jazar Carrot (colloquial).
jizr 1. Root or stem. 2. Three- or four-letter root of most Arabic words.
kafta Ground meat mixed with spices, onions, and herbs, and shaped into balls, patties, tubes, kebabs, or other forms.
kafta bi saynieh In Lebanon, large kafta balls or patties baked on a tray with vegetables (usually tomatoes, potatoes, and tomato paste).
kamouneh 1. The cumin-based mixture of spices added to kibbeh nayeh; a diminutive of kamoun (cumin). Also called tahwheeshet kamouneh. 2. In southern Lebanon, a mixture of bulgur wheat, spices, and mashed vegetables that can be eaten on its own or added to raw meat to make kibbeh nayeh.
kan ya ma kan Translators and linguists give this phrase different origins and meanings. Some translate it as “kan yama kan,” which means something like “once upon a time” or “a long, long time ago.” Others render it as “kan ya makan,” which is more like “there was a place.” Some link it to the old classical phrase “kan fi makan fi qadim al-zaman,” which is something like: “There was a place once upon a time.” Still others translate it as “kan ya ma kan,” or “there was and there wasn’t.”
katab al-kitaab An Islamic marriage contract. (Literally, “writing the book” or “writing the contract.”)
khadarji A greengrocer.
khubaizeh Malva sylvestris, a thick-leaved green mallow that grows wild in the Levant. Named for the way its round leaves resemble khubz Arabi, Arabic flatbread.
kibbeh A Levantine dish of grain (in Lebanon, usually bulgur wheat) mixed with other ingredients, often very finely ground meat, to make a paste. Can be made into balls stuffed with ground meat, pine nuts, and spices (kibbeh qras); layered with ground meat on a tray (kibbeh bi saynieh); or served raw (kibbeh nayeh), among other forms. The Iraqi version is called kubba and may be made with farina or ground rice.
kubbet hamudh Iraqi kubba served in a tart, lemony vegetable soup.
kunya Last name; also a nickname, usually derived from the name of a firstborn child or from a personal characteristic.
labneh Strained yogurt.
lahmajin Pizza-like bread topped with ground meat, spices, and herbs and baked in a hot oven. (From lahme bi ajin, meat with dough.)
maal asaf Literally, “with sorrow.” Colloquially used to mean “I’m sorry” or “Alas.”
makdous Baby eggplant stuffed with walnuts, garlic, and hot peppers and preserved in olive oil.
manoushi (sing.)/manaeesh (plural) Pizza-like Levantine bread baked with a variety of toppings, the most common of which is a mixture of olive oil and zaatar. (Literally, “the painted,” or “the engraved,” after the toppings on the bread.)
maqlubeh A casserole of vegetables, meat, and rice. Ingredients vary by region, but it is almost always served upside down (literally, “the inverted”).
marga 1. Broth. 2. In Iraqi Arabic, any one of a variety of stews made with meat, vegetables, fruit, or all three. (Also “marag.”)
mashawi/mashweeyat Grilled meats, in Levantine and Iraqi dialect, respectively.
masquf Iraqi grilled fish; literally, “the ceilinged,” from saqf, ceiling.
mdepress (male)/mdepressa (female) Colloquial Arabic conjugation of the English word depressed.
Metawali A derogatory term for Shiites, dating back to Ottoman times, and often used among Lebanese Shiites as a form of bonding.
meze A galaxy of small dishes, both hot and cold, similar to tapas. Usually served at the beginning of a meal, in large groups, or in restaurants and bars.
mfarakeh Literally, “the rubbed” (from the same root as freekeh). In Lebanon, often refers to vegetables diced small and sautéed with eggs.
mhalabieh A pudding usually made of milk, sugar, and cornstarch, and flavored with rosewater, pistachio, and cardamom. Literally, “the milkified.”
mjadara An ancient dish of lentils and grain (literally, “the pockmarked,” for the lentils embedded in grain). Also called “the favorite of Esau,” reflecting the belief that it was the Biblical “mess of pottage” for which Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob.
mjadara hamra An old-fashioned village-style mjadara, especially common in southern Lebanon, made with bulgur wheat and onions caramelized a deep rich red (literally, “red mjadara”).
mlukhieh 1. Colchorus olitorius, the jute plant known in English as Jew’s Mallow and in the Philippines as saluyot. 2. The stew made from mlukhieh leaves and meat (usually chicken or lamb, but in coastal regions occasionally shrimp or seafood).
mtabal Arabic term, common in Lebanon, for the roasted eggplant dish also known as baba ghanouj. (Literally, “the spiced.”)
mutah Literally, pleasure; shorthand for zawaj mutah, or “pleasure marriage,” a form of temporary marriage mainly practiced by Shiites.
nafis Soul, psyche, appetite, identity, animation, desire (among other meanings).
peshmerga Kurdish for guerrilla fighters; literally, “those who face death.”
qarnabeet Cauliflower.
qifa nabki Literally, “halt, and let us weep.” A phrase made famous by the pre-Islamic poet Imru al-Kays. Often used to gently mock nostalgia or sentimentalizing, especially for that which may never have existed.
sahtain L
iterally, “double health.” Used like “to your health” or “bon appétit” to congratulate someone who is eating, about to eat, or has just finished eating.
sayadieh Fish served with spiced rice and tahini sauce.
Sayyid 1. A direct male descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. 2. A Shiite cleric.
servees In Lebanon, a shared taxi. From the French pronunciation of “service.”
shajar 1. Zucchini, in Iraqi dialect. 2. A tree, in Lebanese dialect.
shariah Islamic law.
shawrabet shayrieh Noodle soup.
shish taouk Turkish term, widely used in the Levant, for chicken kebab.
shu baarifni Literally, “What do I know?” Often used to mean “Don’t ask me!” or “How the hell should I know?”
souq (also souk) A market or bazaar, especially a street market.
suhoor The predawn meal eaten by Muslims before performing dawn prayers and commencing the daylong fast during Ramadan.
sujuk A small spicy dry sausage, believed to be Armenian in origin, found from Central Asia to Eastern Europe.
tabbouleh Levantine salad of chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, green onions, and bulgur wheat.
tabeekh Meals traditionally cooked at home in a tabkha, usually a pot. Literally, “cooking.”
tanoor A cylindrical oven with an open top, often used in the Middle East for making bread. Virtually identical to the ancient Mesopotamian tinuru, the Iranian tanura, and the South Asian tandoor.
tashreeb An old Bedouin soup, beloved by the Prophet Muhammad, made of crumbled bread topped with meat and broth. Also called thareed.
yakhne Slow-cooked vegetable stews, with or without meat, found from the Eastern Mediterranean to South Asia.
yaprakis Turkish term for stuffed grape leaves (from yaprak, leaf).
walimah Banquet or feast. Often used for weddings or other celebrations that can last for days.
wasta 1. An intermediary or channel for exerting influence on someone’s behalf.
zaatar 1. Catchall term for a variety of Mediterranean herbs, from origanum syriacum (Syrian oregano, often mistranslated as “thyme”) to satureja hortensis (summer savory). 2. The green-brown powder made from salt, sumac, sesame seeds, and the dried leaves of various herbs known as zaatar (and other ingredients depending on region).
Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War Page 40
