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Syrian
Restaurants Food
Syrian people are proud of
their cuisine. They are certainly not wrong on this sentiment. Syrian food is
not merely to satisfy hunger, its preparation is an artful act, which reflects
the exotic colours of warm Syrian culture, its millenniums long traditions and
rich heritage.
Syrian cuisine is a true
reflection of its welcoming culture. It would be the biggest reward for travelers
to taste the traditional Syrian food while their staying in the
country. The cold and hot hors d'oeuvres, ranging from piquant and spicy salads
to bean dishes; small meat balls with nuts; shrimps and sea-food tidbits; vine
leaves stuffed with rice and meat; sausage rolls in crisp hot pastry are only
the entrees to a delicious range of Syrian food varieties. Never to say,
shish-kebab, skewered lamb cubes, green and red peppers, spices and onions are
to follow in a traditional Syrian kitchen.
A typical
Syrian meal
starts with Mezze -- this can be an
elaborate spread of forty or fifty hors d'oeuvres or simply a salad and a bowl
of nuts. But it is always a social occasion when friends and family gather to
enjoy appetizers and conversation before dinner. A typical Mezze consist of
mashed chick peas in sesame oil, eggplant salad and tabboule (scallions,
parsley, wheat germ and chopped tomatoes) and rice-stuffed grape leaves in olive
oil. A meat, (lamb is the favorite meat) chicken or fish dish follows with
salad and rice. Baklava;
a flaky pastry, is one of the best desserts you can enjoy in any Middle Eastern
cuisine.
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Probably we all know how
tasteful the Syrian bread is. Bread is an essential ingredient of this rich cuisine. There
are two types of bread, the flat pita pocket found everywhere
in the Middle East, and marcook - a thin bread baked on a domed dish over
a fire.
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Middle-Eastern
restaurants
TABBOULEH
HUMMUS
BI-TAHINI (Chick Peas with Sesame Oil)
BABA
GHANNOOJ (Cooked Eggplant Appetizer)
FALAFEL
CHAWARMA
SHORBET
ADASS BIL-HAMOD (Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup with Lemon Juice)
DLOU'EL
SIL^ BI-THIHEH (Swiss Chard Stalks in Tahini)
KIBBE (Baked
Lamb and Wheat Dish)
KOUSA MEHSHI
(Squash Stuffed with Lamb and Rice)
MALFOOF
MEHSHI (Stuffed Cabbage Leaves or Cabbage Cigarettes)
MUJADDARAH
(Lentil and Rice Pottage)
TAJIN
(Precooked Baked Fish)
NIKHA'AT
MIQLIYAH (Fried Lamb Brains)
LAHM
BI-AJIN (Chopped Meat on Dough)
SAMBUSIK
(Meat Tarts or Patties)
BAKLAVA
KNAFI
SFOUF (A
cake-like dessert that you can have with tea or milk.)
HALEWET
L-JIBN
PITA
BREAD
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad in which the subtle perfume of mint
permeates the dish, without dominating the other flavors
(Parsley and cracked wheat salad)
85 grams (3 oz., 1/2 cu.)
burghul 2 bunches
flat-leaf parsley
(about 30 gr. before washing, or 1 1/2 cu. chopped)
1 bunch fresh mint
(about 10 gr. before washing, or 1/2 cu. chopped)
3 green unions or 1
small union
1 large tomato 90 milliliters (3 oz., 6 tbs.)
lemon juice
60 milliliters (2 1/2 oz., 4 tbs.)
olive
oil
salt
1 romaine
lettuce (optional)
Leave the burghul in water for about 2 hours, then wash
and squeeze out. Wash and chop the parsley, mint and green unions very fine.
Dice the tomato. Combine all ingredients including burghul. Add salt to taste,
lemon juice, olive oil and mix well. Serve in a bowl lined with lettuce leaves.
This salad can be eaten with a fork, but the traditional is to scoop up a bite
of the mixture in a lettuce leaf and pop it into the mouse.
HUMMUS BI-TAHINI (Chick Peas with Sesame Oil)
This is eaten with Arabic bread (pita bread.)
1 cup chick peas 1 cup tahini (sesame oil) Juice of 3 large lemons 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 glove garlic, mashed 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Wash the peas, drain, cover with water and let soak overnight. Next day,
boil till tender an hour or longer. (You can use canned chick peas.) Mash all
but a quarter cup to a puree. Add the sesame oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.
Mix well and put on a plate. Pour the olive oil on top and garnish with the
extra whole chick peas, paprika, and parsley. Yield: 4 servings.
BABA GHANNOOJ (Cooked Eggplant
Appetizer)
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1 large eggplant
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1 cup tahini (sesame oil)
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1/2 glove garlic, mashed
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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Juice of 1 lemon
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1/4 cup olive oil
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2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Peel the eggplant, and bake or steam till tender. Mash in a bowl with a
wooden spoon. Mix in the sesame oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, and beat
until smooth. Mound on a plate or in a shallow dish, pour the olive oil on top,
and sprinkle with parsley. Serve as an appetizer. Yield: 4 or more servings.
FALAFEL
Categories: Ethnic, Vegetables
Yield: 12 servings
1 lb Chick peas; (soaked for 24 h
1 md Onion
1 md Potato; peeled
4 Garlic cloves
1 ts Ground coriander
1 ts Cumin
2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Pepper
1/2 ts Cayenne
1 tb Flour Vegetable oil for frying
2 ts Baking soda
Drain chick peas. Quarter onion and potato. Run all
through fine holes of the meat grinder along with the garlic two times. Add all
remaining ingredients except baking soda and vegetable oil. Mix well. Run
through grinder once more. Mix again. Cover and leave to rest for two to three
hours. Heat oil for deep frying. While oil is heating add baking soda to the
chick pea mixture. With dampened hands, form mixture into balls the size of a
walnut, then flatten slightly into a patty. Deep fry, making sure patties are
cooked through and are golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and
drain on paper towels. Shared by Rita Taule, Prodigy ID# BTVC62A.
CHAWARMA
2 lbs of thin sliced Sirloin steak
1 cup of vinegar
1 teaspoon
of cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet pepper
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 pinch
of cardamom ( hab hal)
1 tablespoon of mashed garlic salt to taste
Marinate the meat
overnight in the spices , garlic and vinegar . Fry the
meat in a little bit of oil until half cooked , cut it in thin stripes , and
put it in a Pyrex. Cover with aluminum paper and put it in the oven for about
20 mn, uncover it and leave it in the oven for 10 more minutes and serve . PS:
So far I never found in the US the fat you're supposed to put with the meat
(li'e) so I just do it without it . Bon appetite
SHORBET ADASS BIL-HAMOD (Lentil and Swiss Chard
Soup with Lemon Juice)
This is the basic recipe, you can vary the amounts according to taste
(More/less garlic, More coriander etc..)
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1 Cup brown/green lentils
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1 nice bunch Swiss chard
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1 bunch coriander/cilantro
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7 cups water
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5 garlic cloves
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Juice of 2 lemons
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1/4 cup olive oil
Wash the Swiss chard, trim the ends [if the stalks are thick enough keep
for the next recipe] chop into thin strips of about 1 cm (0.5 inches). Put the
lentils and water in the pot over a high heat. Bring to a boil. add the chopped
chard. reduce the heat to medium, cover and boil for 15 minutes. Mix the
softened chard and lentils well and cook covered for another 45-50 minutes.(if
augmenting the quantities, then adjust cooking time for about an hour..)
meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves and pound in the mortar with a generous
portion of salt and chop the cilantro coriander). In a skillet, heat some of the
olive oil , add the garlic and cilantro and sauté for a few minutes (2-3 minutes
about). DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC! yuckk..
Add the lemon juice, the rest of the olive oil to the coriander-garlic
mixture and mix well. Incorporate well in the soup and simmer uncovered for
another 5 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve (Can be served at room
temperature).
DLOU'EL SIL^ BI-THIHEH (Swiss Chard Stalks in
Tahini)
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About 2 lb of Swiss chard (if you are just using the leftovers, adjust the
sauce accordingly)
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1/2 cup tahini
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juice of 1.5 lemons
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10 tablespoons of water
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2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
Clean the Swiss chard, trim the edges and cut the stalks in pieces of
about 1 inch or so. To make the tarator sauce, mix slowly the lemon juice with
the tahini in a mixing bowl, adding a little bit of water at a time. Keep
stirring until sauce starts to look like liquefied yogurt. Stir in the crushed
garlic at the end.
In the meantime, either steam the stalks (for 5 minutes or even less) or boil
them in salted water for about 5-10 minutes. When done pour the sauce over the
stalks.
Variations: use boiled/steamed cauliflower instead of the Swiss chard.
The following recipes are extracted from Good Food from
the Near East by Joan Rowland with some modifications.
KIBBE (Baked Lamb and Wheat Dish)
This is the national dish of Lebanon.
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1 cup cooked cracked wheat pilaf
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1 lb lean lamb, ground fine
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2 onions chopped
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1/2 cup butter
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1/4 cup pine nuts
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1 lb lean and fat lamb, ground fine
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11/2 teaspoons salt
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pour enough ground water over the wheat to cover it and let it soak
overnight, and then drain. To the ground lean lamb, add one half of the onions,
and grind again. Sauté the rest of the onions in two tablespoons of the butter
till golden; add the nuts and mix. Stir in the meat mixture and set aside to
cool.
To the other pound of ground meat, add the drained wheat. Knead this in
quickly, adding the salt and pepper. Then spread one half in a greased 12 in.
square cake pan. Spread the onion and meat mixture on this; cover with the rest
of the mixture. Pat down firmly. Then with a thin sharp knife cut the cake into
diamond-shaped pieces. Run the knife around the edge of the pan. Dot the top
with remaining butter. Bake in a moderate oven 375F, 50-60 minutes. Yield: 6 to
8 servings.
KOUSA MEHSHI (Squash Stuffed with Lamb and
Rice)
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2 medium-sized summer squash
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1/4 cup rice
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1/2 lb diced lamb
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11/2 teaspoons salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
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6 to 8 mint leaves, chopped
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2 or 3 lamb bones
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2 to 4 cups tomato juice
Cut a lengthwise slice from each squash. Scoop out the pulp, leaving only
the shell. To the pulp, add the rice and lamb, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg,
and mint leaves. Stuff the squash with this mixture and replace the slice.
Place the lamb bones in the bottom of a kettle with the stuffed squash on
top. Weight down the squash with a plate and add tomato juice to cover. Bring to
a boil, cover the kettle, and simmer until squash are tender, 30-40 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.
MALFOOF MEHSHI (Stuffed Cabbage Leaves or Cabbage
Cigarettes)
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1 large head of cabbage
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21/2 teaspoons salt
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11/2 lb chopped lamb
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1 cup cooked rice
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
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1/2 teaspoon allspice
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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2 cups hot water
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1 teaspoon salt
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Juice of 2 lemons
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1 clove garlic, chopped
Wash the cabbage, drain, turn it upside down. Cut out the stem end and
core. Put the cabbage in a large kettle, cover with boiling slated water, and
cook until the leaves are loose enough to separate with a fork (20 minutes).
Remove the cabbage, drain and separate the leaves.
Mix the lamb and rice with the pepper, allspice, and cinnamon. Place a small
amount of the mixture on each cabbage leaf, and roll into a cylinder, tucking in
the ends of the leaves. Place the stuffed leaves in layers in a large casserole.
Add the hot water, salt, lemon juice, and garlic. Cover and cook on low heat for
one hour. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
KIBBE BALLS (Cracked Wheat Balls)
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1 lb cracked wheat
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11/2 lb ground beef
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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11/2 teaspoons salt
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1/2 onion, chopped
Soak the wheat in water to cover overnight. Drain and add the ground beef
which has been mixed with the pepper, salt, and onion. Mix well. Form into small
balls and make a hole into one side of each.
Filling
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1 lb ground lamb or beef
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1 large onion, chopped
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2 tablespoons pine nuts
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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2 tablespoons minced parsley
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4 to 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
Sauté the onions in two tablespoons of the butter till golden; add the
nuts and mix. Stir in the ground meat and set aside to cool. Put a little of the
mixture in the opening in each ball and press it closed. Sauté in the butter
until the balls are golden brown. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
MUJADDARAH (Lentil and Rice Pottage)
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2 cups lentils
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6 cups water
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4 medium-sized onions sliced thin
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1 cup olive or vegetable oil
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1/2 cup cooked rice
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
Soak the lentils in water overnight. Boil them in the same water about
one and a half hours. Brown onions in oil, then add half of onions, rice and
seasonings to lentils. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes. When it thickens,
pour into a tureen, and spread the remaining onions over the top. Yield: 4
servings.
TAJIN (Precooked Baked Fish)
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3 lb halibut, cod or haddock
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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4 to 5 large onions, sliced thick
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1/2 cup of water
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2 tablespoons tahini (sesame oil)
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Juice of 2 lemons
Cut the cleaned fish into chunks. Remove bones, head, and tail; drain and
sauté the pieces lightly in oil. Add the onions and cook until they are lightly
browned. Then arrange in a shallow baking pan with the onions on top of the
fish. Add water. Beat sesame oil and lemon juice together. Pour over the fish
and stir lightly around it. Bake in a moderate oven 350F for 20 minutes, or
until bubbling and brown. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
NIKHA'AT MIQLIYAH (Fried Lamb Brains)
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1 lamb brain
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1 onion, chopped fine
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2 eggs, well beaten
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Wash the meat, drain, cover with water, and boil until pale golden in
color and tender when pierced with a fork. Drain. Mix the onion with the eggs
and add salt and pepper. Cut the meat into serving-sized pieces. Dip them into
the egg mixture and sauté in the butter or margarine until golden brown. Serve
very hot. Yield: 6 servings.
LAHM BI-AJIN (Chopped Meat on Dough)
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1 cup shortening
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13/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
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1/2 cake, compressed yeast, or 1 egg, slightly beaten
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 cup chopped onions
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1/2 lb chopped meat
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Salt and pepper
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1/2 cup greated American cheese
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1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
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Juice of 1 lemon
Melt half of the shortening, add to flour, and mix well. Add the mashed
yeast or the egg. Salt and add water. Make the dough heavy enough to roll
easily. Cover dough with a cloth and put it aside while you prepare the
stuffing.
Sauté the onion in 1
tablespoon of the shortening. Remove before brown, and
add the meat and remaining shortening. Season the meat a little with salt and
pepper. Add some of the grated cheese, tomatoes and lemon juice. Grease a
shallow baking pan. Roll the dough 1/4th inch thick, and cut in rounds with a
large cookie cutter. Arrange in the pan, then put the meat mixture on top of each
piece of dough as needed, pressing it into the dough. Bake in a moderate oven,
375F, for 15 minutes. Yield: 4 or more servings.
SAMBUSIK (Meat Tarts or Patties)
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3/4 cup shortening
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21/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 lb chopped lamb
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2 tablespoons chopped pine nuts
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1 small onion chopped
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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2 or 3 sprigs parsley, chopped
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2 tablespoons water, milk or stock
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Fat for deep frying
Melt the shortening and mix with the flour and salt. Add sufficient water
to make a dough, Knead the dough until it is manageable, then spread it on a
floured pastry board, and roll out to 1/8th inch thickness. Cut in rounds with a
3-inch cookie cutter.
Mix the meat, nuts, onions, seasonings, and parsley; moisten with the liquid.
Place a spoonful of the stuffing on 1/2 inch of each circle; turn the other half
over and press the edges together. Prick the tops with a fork. Fry in deep hot
fat until light brown 4-6 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 8 or more servings.
Variation:
The stuffed patties may be baked in a preheated hot oven,
450F, 15-20 minutes. Brush with milk or melted fat for better browning. (Too
long baking toughens them.) Serve hot or cold with soups or salads.
BAKLAVA
Syrup Ingredients:
1.5 cups sugar
.5 cup water
1 tablespoon mazaher (orange blossom
water)
squeeze of lemon
Baklava Ingredients:
1 box phillo dough
3 cups chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2
tablespoons mazaher
2 sticks melted unsalted butter honey
1. Cook syrup first so that, if you mess up the syrup, you can make another
batch.
Combine all syrup ingredients and cook over medium heat and after it has come
to a boil cook for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Do not let it get too
thick when it's still cooking or it won't be absorbed by the phillo dough. Place
syrup in the refrigerator.
2. For the walnut mix - mix walnuts, mazaher and honey. Mix honey in so that
the walnuts stick together but are not dripping.
3. Using a pastry brush, put a coat of butter on cookie sheet. Carefully
place 1 sheet of phillo on top of butter. Brush sheet with butter then put
another sheet on top of that one. Continue until you've used 1/3 of the phillo.
4. Spread the walnut mixture on the phillo, leaving a tiny bit of space at
the edges. Cover with the rest of the phillo, spreading butter between each
sheet.
5. Make sure the top of the baklava has butter spread all over it. Then. cut
the baklava in squares.
6. Place in oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes - but watch it closely.
7. When the Baklava is done cooking pour the syrup on top - a little at a
time using a spoon or ladle.
The thing to remember about the syrup is hot baklava/cold syrup or cold
baklava/hot syrup. You want the maximum amount of syrup to be absorbed.
KNAFI
1 package of shredded Fillo dough
1/2 pound of butter melted
2lbs
Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
(fresh)
Preparations:
First step is to defrost the Fillo dough. Do this by shredding the fillo in a
bowl continuously till completely defrosted.
Once this occurs, you start adding the butter while continuously shredding
the dough (this is done, so that dough does not stick together).
When this process is complete and the dough is shredded thoroughly,
separate the dough into two equal portions.
In a well buttered pan, spread out the dough thoroughly, but do not compress.
Once the dough is spread evenly, start preparing the Ricotta cheese. The process
is to make patties, similar to hamburger patties, but with the cheese.
Lay the cheese patties onto the prepared dough in the pan.
Once the layer of Ricotta cheese is completely covering the dough, lay the
second half of the dough unto the cheese so that it is evenly distributed.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, once preheated place the pan in the middle for
approximately 45 minutes. What you need to look for, is that the dough browns.
Once this occurs, you will need a larger pan in which you will flip the
Knife so the bottom is on top and vice versa.
Then bake again till the browning occurs on the adjacent side. Once browned
on both sides, the Knife is finished.
The last step is to top the
Knife with the pine nuts and the sweet syrup and
enjoy!!!
Sweet Syrup
In a pot, combine 3 cups of sugar with 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix and heat over
stove till boiling process. Once boiling add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and
boil for a few minutes more for thickening process. Let cool and use over Knife once done baking.
SFOUF (A cake-like dessert that you can have with tea
or milk.)
3 cups Semolina (found next to the flour)
1 cup flour
2
tablespoons of Turmeric (found in the spice section)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups milk
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2
cup pine-nuts
1/4 Tahina (extracted from sesame seeds)
Preparations:
1 - Mix Semolina, flour, turmeric and baking soda
2 - Dissolve the sugar in the milk then add this and the oil to the Mix from
step one.
3 - Smear a 40 cm pan with the Tahina (Pyrex or Aluminum pan)
4 - Pour the mixture slowly into pan, place the pine-nuts on top.
5- Preheat the oven to 350 and cook for 30 minutes.
6 - When done, let it
cool. Cut and serve.
HALEWET L-JIBN
1/2 kilo of shredded
mozzarella
2 glasses of water (glass size =
medium)
1 glass of sugar
1 glass of semolina
Start by boiling the
water and adding the sugar. Once it starts boiling add the semolina slowly and
mix. Once it starts boiling add the shredded mozzarella cheese slowly and keep
mixing till all the cheese has been added and had melted completely. Then spread
the entire mix on a dish and let it cool down. Put in your fridge for the night.
PITA BREAD
PITA - eight 6-inch pieces
The pieces of dough must be rolled flat before they are placed into a hot
(500F) oven. The dough should be rolled to a thickness of no more than 3/16
inch. This is the thickness of a wooden yardstick, the kind given away at
country fairs, auto dealers, and paint stores. It can be used as a gauge. The
oven heat generates steam inside the pita which causes the dough to puff into a
ball. Later, as it cools the dough will collapse. The oven must be hot. If it is
not, the piece of dough will think it is meant to be a bun, and will rise slowly
but without the all- important pocket in the center.
While this is a yeast dough, it puffs because of the steam. The yeast only
adds flavor and texture. Don't overpower the dough with flour or it will be too
dry to allow sufficient steam to be generated. Leave the dough on the soft side.
Sprinkles of flour will take care of stickiness.
Ingredients:
2.5 cups bread flour, approx.
2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1 package
dry yeast
2 Tbs oil, olive oil preferred
1 cup hot water
(120-130F)
Eight 7-inch squares of aluminum foil
Into a large mixing bowl measure 1 cup flour and stir in the dry ingredients.
Add the oil and hot water. Mix for about 30 seconds to blend and then beat
vigorously with a wooden spoon for three minutes. Stir in the balance of the
flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be a rough, shaggy mass that will
clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is moist, add a small amount of flour.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with a rhythmic
motion of push-turn-fold. Knead for about 6 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500F.
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll into balls, cover with wax paper or
a towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.
With the palm of your hand, flatten each ball into a disk. With a rolling
pin, flatten the dough into a disk about 6 inches in diameter and 3/16-inch
thick. Their thinness is more important than making perfect circles.
Irregularity adds charm!
Place each round on a prepared piece of foil. Placing the rounds on the foil
rather than on a baking sheet or stone allows a softer heat to surround the
dough. A direct thrust of heat from a baking sheet or stone would form a crust
difficult to puff.
Carefully place 2 or 3 of the breads (on their foil) directly on an oven rack
in the oven. Back for about 8 minutes, or until they are puffed. Repeat with
remaining disks. Place the pitas under the broiler for 2 minutes if a browner
crust is desired.
Remove the breads from the oven and wrap in a large piece of foil. The tops
will fall and there will be a pocket in the center. Serve warm, or let cool and
freeze. Thaw before using. To reheat, stack several in a pile, wrap in foil, and
place in 375F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
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