Fattoush Salad Recipe سلطة الفتوش

While Tabbouleh is probably the most famous Middle Eastern salad my top favorite salad is Fattoush! Yes, I also love Tabbouleh but if I were to pick one Tabbouleh or Fattoush, Fattoush is the winner. I love Fattoush so much that I chose it as the name for my Arabic food blog www.fattoush.me.

There are several versions of Fattoush, and all are right as this dish is very adaptable to personal taste. It is a mixture of different coarsely chopped vegetables, fresh herbs and bread. Essential features of the Fattoush salad is the crisp toasted or fried pita bread, the sumac and the purslane.

Purslane, known in Arabic as Baqleh (بقلة), is a weed/herb (see picture below). Purslane leaves are used in salads throughout the Middle East. In other countries such as Greece and Turkey the leaves are also sometime cooked in dishes similar to spinach.  Purslane is very nutritious, besides being loaded with vitamins and minerals it contains more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy plant.



Sumac pronounced soo-mak, is a popular Middle Eastern seasoning that is made out of the dried fruit of a shrub that grows throughout our region. It has a tart flavor and in the old times before lemons were available sumac was used to add the tangy lemon flavor to meat and salad dishes.

 

For my Fattoush salad dressing, I use Pomegranate Molasses (دبس الرمان), a thick dark brown liquid made from pomegranate juice. Pomegranate molasses is very popular in Arabic cuisine and is used to season meat and chicken, to prepare salad dressings and sweets. It has a tangy flavor that is both tart and sweet at the same time. Not all fattoush salad recipes use pomegranate molasses for the fattoush dressing, and even when you have the salad in restaurants you’ll find some use it and some don’t. As I prefer the salad with the molasses dressing more, I decide to post this version before I post the one sans molasses.

Eggplant in Tahini Sauce Recipe

Eggplants is one of my favorite vegetables, oops… I forgot berry, as eggplants are considered to be from the berry family! Whether a berry or a vegetable, it is a great ingredient with a distinct flavor. It also appears that many people share my love of eggplants just by the mere fact of how many eggplant dishes there are from different countries in the world. 

Plus being a tasty ingredient, eggplants are fat free, low in calories, and an excellent source of potassium and fiber. Some people like to remove the skin of the eggplant before cooking it, but the skin is 100% edible and has a special flavor that I like.

Another major ingredient in this dish is Tahini; sesame paste. Tahini is closely associated with Middle Eastern cuisine and is a major component in many dishes including hummus. I love Tahini and the flavor it adds to food. 

Another favorite of mine is none other than garlic.  If you have been following my blog, you would have gathered that by now; there is hardly any dish that I prepare that doesn’t include garlic!

Given that today’s dish is composed of three of my favorite ingredients, I think you can imagine how much I love this dish without me going into any further details….

Fresh Thyme Biscuit Bread Recipe

Thyme is considered a basic ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine and is widely used to flavor meat, soups and stews. It is used in both its fresh and dried forms.

In ancient times, thyme symbolized courage and strength, and maidens gave it to warriors and knights before battle. Some even placed thyme in coffins as they believed this assures passage to the afterlife.


With the advent of spring comes a wide variety of fruit and herbs including thyme. Whenever I go to the grocery these days and see those big bunches of fresh thyme I cannot resist coming back home without one! Half of that bunch goes for preparing these delicious fresh thyme biscuits bread while the other half I dry for later use.

Seriously, these small balls of fresh thyme biscuits are addictive! The flavor of the thyme in the bread is just amazing. The recipe is also very easy to make and kid-friendly. If you are looking for a way to engage the little ones in the kitchen in a fun activity, these small balls of flavor should be high on your list.  

Arabian Style Stuffed Chicken Recipe

Stuffed chicken is one of those dishes reserved for special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, and large dinner gatherings. As a child I remember looking forward to this special treat, I especially looked forward to devouring the crispy skin and melting drumsticks! Stuffed chicken was one of my favorite dishes that I wished we had more frequently.

As stuffed chicken was not a meal that was cooked often, I thought of it as a tricky and difficult dish that only experienced cooks could prepare. It wasn’t until years after I got married and started cooking that I even considered preparing it. When I finally did that, I discovered that stuffed chicken is not a difficult dish. While it requires some preparation, the steps are easy to follow and definitely worth it when you see the pleasure on the faces of your family enjoying the meal to the max.

I usually prepare stuffed chicken when I have a large dinner or lunch because everyone enjoys it and when I serve it I don’t have to toil to prepare many other dishes. I have even broken the rule of reserving stuffed chicken for special occasions and have cooked it a couple of times on a regular day.

Arabic Style Rice Stuffing Recipeوصفة حشوة الرز واللحمة

The foundation of Middle Eastern cuisine and what makes it unique is the seasoning. In Arabic food there is a heavy emphasis on the use of a variety of herbs and spices which gives our food its distinct taste and flavor. 

The difference between the spices we use and the Indian ones is that most of our dishes are spicy but not hot spicy and we don’t rely heavily on the use of chilies.


Arabic-style rice stuffing is an easy dish that is used for chicken, lamb or turkey stuffing. It is also served as a side dish with traditional Arabic roasted leg of lamb or roasted chicken pieces. For those hectic days when there is little time or energy left to spend in the kitchen, Arabic-style rice stuffing is a great standalone dish that is enjoyed by kids and adults alike!

The portion for Arabic Style Rice Stuffing below is sufficient to stuff about 5 average-size chickens. Usually, I stuff 3 chickens, and serve the remaining stuffing on the side. If you want to use the rice stuffing to stuff a small lamb then double the portion.