Arab Ice Cream in a Box

One of the delights of living in the Middle East is the unusual range of food products one comes across. I came across this package for instant ice cream in the supermarket around the corner from where I live.It claims "Ice Cream in 5 Minutes" and comes in chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate flavors.Of course, it's claims are a little deceptive as the preparation takes 5 minutes but, the actual ice cream isn't ready for another 2-3 hours depending on how cold your freezer is.

So, I followed the 3 step instructions:

1. Pour 1 glass of cold milk with the chocolate powder into a bowl.

2.Mix milk and chocolate powder by hand until completely combined, for 5 minutes.

3. Put mixture in freezer for few hours until frozen.

The Result?

Sorry I don't have a pic but ice cream looks and tastes just as good as the one bought already made from the store.Only thing they forgot to mention in the package is that it needs to be stirred about every half hour to hour to break up the ice crystals.

Persian Eggplant Yogurt Dip(Borani-e Bademjan)

Yield:6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. eggplant, edges trimmed,sliced, outer purple skin removed
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil plus extra
1 1/2 c plain whole greek-style yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
salt, to taste

1.Cube the eggplant slices.Over medium-high heat, warm a pan with 2 Tbsp. olive oil.Add
the cubed eggplant and saute regularly until they become soft and begin to cook (15 minutes).Add more olive oil if necessary.
2.Remove pan from heat and allow eggplant to cool slightly.
3.In a medium bowl, add the eggplant and the remaining of the ingredients and mix manually
for few minutes till somewhat evenly combined.
4.Add the eggplant/yogurt mixture to a food processor and process till evenly combined and
it becomes a puree-like consistency.Add salt to taste and process for few more seconds.
5.Place borani-e bademjan in a serving dish and serve at room temperature.

I'm moving to Cairo but don't know for how long

Just in case your wondering where I've been the last 2 weeks I am planning a move to Cairo so unfortunately this has kept me from updating my blog.I was supposed to leave Monday but instead am leaving tomorrow (long story)so I will probably be back to sharing my recipes with you within 1 week .I hope the hostel where I'm staying lets me use their kitchen in the meantime.Well, just want to say to everyone thanks for everything I really enjoyed getting your feedback and reading your blogs and I will be back shortly and look forward to keeping up with your them while I'm in Cairo.

Khoresht-e Badenjan (Persian Eggplant Stew)

Picture courtesy of TurmericSaffron

A quintisential Persian dish, Khoresht-e Badenjan is one of the most well-known and loved of the Persian stews.Slight variations of this recipe can be found throughout the Middle East like some calling for the addition of grapes, golden raisins, or loomi (dried limes) for adding a sour note.Just keep in mind that preparing this dish takes some time and requires about 1 hour cooking time, but it is well worth it.

Yield:4 Servings

Ingredients:

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil plus more if necessary

2 1/2 lbs. small eggplants, cut into strips

1 onion, halved and sliced

8 oz. lamb, trimmed of visible fat, cut into small cubes

1 tsp. ground turmeric

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c small, unripe grapes or golden raisins (optional)

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and fry the eggplants until they are soft.Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

2. Add the onion and fry until translucent.Add the lamb cubes and cook till browned. Add the turmeric, tomato paste,chopped tomatoes, grapes or golden raisins (if using)and lemon juice and enough water to cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add the eggplants to the simmering stew with a little more water, season with salt and pepper, cover, and continue simmering further for another 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Hilbeh (Yemeni Fenugreek Relish)

Looking for something different other than the usual pita & hummus for mezze?Spice things up a bit with hilbeh, a spicy Yemeni relish made with fenugreek and cilantro.Hilbeh is a staple on the Yemeni table much like zhoug.It is used as a dip for Arab bread or added to Yemeni-style stews.Hilbeh is very easy to make but just keep in mind the the fenugreek seeds require about 18 hours soaking time to remove their bitterness.

Yield:4 oz.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. fenugreek seeds, soaked in water for 18 hours or until they have softened, drained

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 fresh green chili, chopped

a handful of cilantro, chopped

2-3 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt, to taste

1. In a food processor or blender, grind the fenugreek seeds with the garlic, chili and cilantro to a coarse paste.Place fenugreek paste in a medium bowl.

2. Add the tomatoes and beat in the sugar,lemon juice, and salt to taste.Serve with arab bread or as a flavoring for stews.

Buza al-Halib (Sahlab Ice Cream)

When one thinks of Middle Eastern desserts, ice cream is not the first thing that comes to mind. Buza al-halib (Sahlab ice cream) aka buza bi mistiki (mastic ice cream) is just one of many iced desserts available throughout this region.Buza al-halib is a snowy white ice cream that is thickened with sahlab,powdered orchid root and flavored with mastic, not to be confused with gum arabic,a resin taken from the lentisk tree which is native to the Mediterranean.


Mastic gives this ice cream a consistency that is smooth, elastic, while at the same time chewy.Mastic is usually available from middle eastern grocers or you can try My Amazon Store.It looks like small, hard translucent crystal-like lumps that must be ground to a fine powder before using.Here's a recipe for authentic arab ice cream,buza al-halib, if you cannot find mastic , don't worry about it,the ice cream tastes just as good without it.



Yield:6-8 Servings
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. sahlab
5 c whole milk
1 c sugar
small piece of mastic, size of half a fingernail, pounded till powdered (optional)
1 tbsp. rose water
chopped pistachios,for garnish (optional)



1. In a small bowl, mix the sahlab with a little milk to create a loose paste.Put the remainder of the milk with the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly till the sugar dissolves.

2. Reduce the heat. Add the sahlab/milk mixture to thee warmed milk, stirring vigorously.Add the mastic and continue stirring vigorously until it has dissolved.

3. Simmer milk for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the rose water. Remove saucepan from heat.

4. Pour milk mixture into a ceramic bowl and allow it to cool before freezing. Freeze for 4 1/2 -5hours,stirring every 30 minutes to break up the ice crystals.*

5.When ready to serve, spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with chopped pistachios, if desired.

*Pour ice cream mixture into ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Ras al-Hanout (Moroccan Spice Blend)

To say ras al-hanout contains a lot of ingredients is an understatement.Ras al-hanout is an aromatic Moroccan spice blend consisting of spices, herbs, and roots. It may contain anywhere from 15 up to 100 ingredients. Yeah, you read that right but usually averages about 13 ingredients.Ras al-Hanout loosely translates into "head of the shop" which is such an appropriate name since each spice merchant's blend is unique and contains different ingredients.

A typical ingredient list for ras al-hanout may contain any of the following spices in varying amounts:allspice, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, grains of paradise, dried rosebuds,lavender, nigella seeds, various ground chillies, peppercorns,belladonna, nutmeg, orris root,turmeric,and cantharides (Spanish fly).Ras al-hanout can be bought ready made from Middle Eastern grocers but chances are you may have most of these spices available in your cupboard, well with the exception of cantharides.Here's a recipe for Moroccan ras al-hanout.Use it to flavor moroccan tagines, game dishes,and couscous.

Yield:Varies
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. groung ginger
1/2 tsp. ground mace
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosebuds, optional
1/2 tsp. cantharis,optional

1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and blend thoroughly.Place ras al-hanout in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.Will keep for 1 year.