Fatut (Yemeni Fried Eggs with Bread)

It doesn't get much more simpler than this.Start the day of right with this rustic Yemeni breakfast dish that takes few minutes to put together.

Yield:2 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Arabic bread, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. butter or samneh (clarified butter)
3 large eggs, beaten
salt, to taste

1. Heat butter or samneh in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bread and stir until it becomes slightly browned.
2. Pour eggs into the pan and stir until they are well cooked.Place on a serving dish and serve immediately.

Michoteta (Egyptian Cucumber and Feta Salad)

Here's a perfect little salad for when the weather's warm and you don't have much time on your hands.It can be put together in under 15 minutes.Feel free to substitute low-fat feta for the regular, it tastes just as good.

Yield:6 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 large cucumber, finely diced
1 Tbsp. fresh mint finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
dash pepper

1. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together until evenly combined.Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately or chill in refrigerator till ready to serve.

Qishr (Yemeni Ginger Tea)

Picture courtesy of Just Food Now

I came across this unusual Yemeni drink recipe while doing research on something else. Qishr is the name given to a Yemeni tea/coffee that is made from ground up coffee husks. Apparently, it originated in al-makha , a port located on the Northwestern coast of Yemen where the original coffee trade route was located and as you may have guessed , it's where we get the name mocha.

Even though, at the time al-makha was a major coffee exporter, many of the locals could hardly
afford it. So, the coffee husks that were discarded were ground up, brewed with water and flavored with ginger.I've tried looking online for recipes on this Yemeni brew but unfortunately most recipes disappointingly use powdered coffee as the main ingredient but considering you can't get coffee husks in your neighborhood supermarket I found this ground coffee from the Haraaz Mountains to be a fairly decent substitute.



Photo courtesy of Yemen Peace Project


Yield:4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 c water

6 tsp. Haraaz Mountain Yemeni Coffee or regular powdered coffee

6 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. ground ginger


1. Pour water into a Yemeni long-handled coffee pot or small saucepan.

2. Add the coffee, sugar and ginger and stir well until combined over medium heat.Bring to a boil.

3. Remove from heat and pour into small cups and serve immediately.