Tabbouleh With Barley

This has got to be one of the easiest salads recipes I have done in a long time- Courtesy: Automatic Restaurant, Ghubrah. Originally from the mountainous regions of Syria, today it is ubiquitous around the Levant, the Tabbouleh, is a lovely fresh, hydrating salad that can be a stand alone lunch or a delicious accompaniment to barbecues.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

• Parsley- 2 cups
• Fresh Mint- 1/2 cup
• Vine tomato- 1 medium
• White Onion- 1 small, chopped fine
• Garlic- 1 clove; shredded
• Lemon- 1 large; juiced
• Barley- 2 tbsp; boiled
• Olive oil- 1 tbsp; for dressing
• Salt- To taste

Preparation (10 mins):

Remove the pulp from the tomato and cut into small pieces. Chop parsley, mint, onion, garlic. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss and refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Tips:

• The original recipe called for bulghur wheat. Since I don't use it much, decided to replace with barley. Not a bad substitution.

Eggplant Halloumi Salad

Keeping with the tradition of light meals during Ramadan, here's this week's salad innovated from elements of traditional cuisine in the Levant- grilled eggplant, halloumi cheese, parsley, walnuts and olives.

Halloumi is a semi-hard white cheese from goat and sheep milk typical to the cuisine of the Levant.

The smoky sweetness of grilled eggplant, contrasts with the chewiness of the salty halloumi . The chopped parsley and crushed walnut are added accents to a fresh light lunch.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

• Eggplant- 200 gm; sliced; grilled with a dash of olive oil
• Halloumi- 100 gm; chopped
• Fresh Parsley- 1/2 cup; chopped
• Walnuts- 1large; crushed coarsely
• Black olives- 1 tbsp; pitted and sliced (optional).

 Preparation (In the blink of an eye):

 

Toss all ingredients together, add a dash of salt if you want (didn't feel the need to add extra salt as the halloumi itself is salty). Refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Chicken in Green Chilli-Date Sauce

THE RECIPE for a date night when you are trying your best to woo someone. You can always claim, it's a recipe from faraway Oman, originally created for the Imam at Nizwa. ;). The most enchanting part of this recipe, besides it's novel taste, is it's simplicity. The sweet tidbits of date contrast well with the pungent chili, all of it brought out on the foil of uncomplicated chicken.

Ingredients:

Chicken- 100 gm, diced
Dates- 1 handful, preferably just ripening.
Green chili- 3 large
Red Chills- 3
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Cardamom- 3 small
Ghee- 3 tbsp
Sugar- 2 tsp
Salt- To taste


Preparation:

Grind cumin seeds, red chili, cardamoms, sugar into fine powder. keep aside. Now, de-pip the dates, chop into small pieces. Add to green chills and grind into smooth paste with a little water. Add the chili-cumin powder and a little salt to the mix. Keep processing for 2 minutes more.

Marinate the chicken overnight in this sauce.

Heat ghee in frying pan, fry the chicken till tender. Lower flame and stir in the marinade. Once the fat leaves the sides, add water, and simmer for 2o minutes.

Serve piping hot with rice.

Tips:

• As usual, I recommend a chilled white wine, preferably dry to go with this one.
• And of course, I almost forgot the most important ingredient. Make sure your 'date' is there.