EVA'S LEBANESE COOKING
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  • Home
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Salad
    • Homemade
    • Soup
    • Vegetarian
    • Dips
    • Main Course
    • Dessert
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EVA'S LEBANESE COOKING

Riz Ala' Dajaj (Chicken and Rice)

4/22/2015

3 Comments

 
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Riz ala' dajaj (pronounced da-jej) or chicken and rice is a delicious Lebanese rice dish traditionally cooked for special occasions. It is typically served as a side dish but can definitely be eaten as a main dish (it has chicken and beef in it!). Here's a fun fact: when I was a kid, a few of my friends would add in their own ingredients to this dish like hot sauce, salad dressing, or yogurt when they were visiting for dinner. Personally, I adore this recipe as it is and would not add a thing! 

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of rice (brown or white)
  • 1 chicken breast (or your choice of chicken)
  • 1/4 pound of ground beef
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • Allspice (to taste)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Cinnamon 
Instructions: 
  1. In a pot, add chicken, a cinnamon stick, a peeled onion and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil
  2. Uncover pot and let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the chicken to cook
  3. Move the chicken to a plate. Remove the cinnamon stick and onion. Save broth and put it aside.
  4. Cut up chicken in small cubes
  5. In a separate pot, add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add beef, a teaspoon of salt, a dash of pepper, a teaspoon of allspice, and a dash of cinnamon. Sauté until the meat is no longer red (keep the mixture juicy)
  6. Add in chicken cubes and toss. Add rice (Eva usually rinses her rice first) and toss a few times
  7. Add your broth from earlier and cover the rice a half of an inch over. If there is not enough broth, add water. Bring it to a boil
  8. Simmer and cover for 30-45 minutes or until the water is gone (taste the juice while cooking to see if more spices are needed)                             
  9. *Optional* Toast some nuts of your choice and put on top of your cooked rice (shaved almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, etc.)
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3 Comments

Kibbeh

4/21/2015

2 Comments

 
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Get ready to make one of Lebanon’s most popular dishes: Kibbeh! No Lebanese feast is complete without it! If you’ve ever tasted it, you will understand why. 

Made with ground meat and other ingredients, kibbeh can be cooked into many forms and with different spices. In fact, each region of Lebanon has its own variation. I will share Eva’s recipe for Kibbeh bassal (onions), which originated in Eva’s region in Northern Lebanon. This kibbeh is baked flat and also topped with onions and sometimes pine nuts. 

Traditionally, kibbeh has been made with lamb or goat. In this recipe, we will use ground beef. Another main ingredient of kibbeh is bulgar. In the past, because meat was so expensive, folks had to get a little creative in order to make the most of smaller quantities. Bulgar, a wheat, was mixed into meat to make it appear larger. The mix ended up being delicious and bulgar is still being used to make kibbeh today. Bulgar is sold in most grocery stores, though Eva prefers to buy hers at mediterranean/middle eastern stores because they have more of a variety. Always choose the bulgar that is labeled as a "number one".

The ingredients for Eva’s Kibbeh recipe are simple but the preparation may be a little difficult for beginners and first-timers. Roll up your sleeves and don’t worry, I promise it’s worth the effort!  
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 large onions
  • 2 cups bulgur
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & pepper 
Instructions:
1. Place bulgar into a bowl of water and let it soak for about 15 minutes
​2. 
Slice onions into strips (leave a handful of strips aside to grate into meat mixture)
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3. Drizzle olive oil into a frying pan, add a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, and onions. Sauté onions until slightly wilted.
4. In a big bowl, add ground beef, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and the leftover grated onions and knead together (place a separate bowl of water beside you and continuously wet your hands as you knead)
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5. After you have kneaded the meat, add the bulgur and mix it well (it should look like a meat loaf)
6. Back to your onions, once they are wilted spread all over bottom of a baking pan and drizzle olive oil evenly around the pan so that it is coated. *Some people like to soak it in olive oil, so feel free to add more or less depending on your preference
7. Wet your hands and flatten the meat mixture on top of the onions (one patty at a time)
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8. Before baking, cut the kibbeh into pie slices or squares, depending on the shape of your baking pan
9. *Optional* Use a fork to press gently down on the meat to make squiggles for a design and to allow the oil to go through the kibbeh
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10. Place your kibbeh pan into the oven and turn it on high broil. Watch it and rotate it constantly for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
11. Switch oven to bake at 375 degrees for another 15-20 minutes
12. After kibbeh is cooked, flip kibbeh over as you remove each slice from the pan keeping the onions on top.

*If you make too much kibbeh, don't worry! Wrap it up and put it in the fridge. It makes a great leftover dish!

Check out our video for this recipe here!
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2 Comments

Toum (Garlic Paste)

4/15/2015

5 Comments

 
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Fans of garlic will LOVE this recipe! Toum is a pungent (but super delicious) garlic paste that can be used as a great dipping sauce with grilled foods and pita bread. However you choose to eat it, I am sure you will absolutely love it.

To make toum, Eva uses this:
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It’s called a Mortar and Pestle. It's used to crush and mince the garlic and mix in the other ingredients. I highly recommend that you purchase one to make your toum so that it will come out as delicious as Eva’s! You can easily find one online (or in a Walmart, Target or most kitchen stores) for as cheap as a couple of dollars. Toum is something you will want to cook more than once, so it is definitely worth it!

Ingredients:
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • Salt (half teaspoon)
  • Lemon juice
  • Olive oil (or vegetable oil if you like a thicker dip)
Instructions:
  1. Place peeled garlic into a bowl and add salt. Mince the garlic using a pestle
  2. Once the garlic is finely minced, pour small drops of olive oil in circular motion around the bowl (rotate around bowl 3 times in same direction) and mix it
  3. Repeat step 2 several more times (at least 3 times in between, add drop of lemon juice) to combine the minced garlic and olive oil 
  4. Add lemon juice in 1 rotation and mix it in
  5. Pour into your desired bowl and drizzle on some olive oil for garnishing 

Enjoy!
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5 Comments

Hummus

4/12/2015

6 Comments

 
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To kickoff our blog, we will start with a simple yet delicious recipe: homemade hummus!  Prepare to never buy that pre-made hummus from the grocery store ever again! All you need is a food processor and a few ingredients.
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Ingredients:
  • 1 can of chick peas
  • 2 garlic cloves (garlic-lovers, feel free to add more!)
  • 3 tablespoons of tahini 
  • Salt & pepper
  • Lemon juice (to taste)

Instructions:
  1. In a food processor, add garlic and mince. If you love garlic, don't be afraid to add more than 2 cloves! We usually do!
  2. Once minced, strain chick peas in a strainer and add to processor with tahini. Start processor. 
  3. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. *To keep hummus smooth, you can add some water to your mixture while processing. We love our hummus to be lemony, so we just add a lot of lemon juice and that usually keeps it smooth without adding any water. It's your preference!

For a special treat, toast some pita bread or chop up some of your favorite veggies to dip into the hummus! Enjoy :) 
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6 Comments
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