You might be wondering if i am going crazy...did we pick some leaves and pebbles on the streets to cook up one day?
Oh my friend, these are some rare jewels for the advanced palate. I have been missing my old life in Syria and decided to pay tribute by making some good ol' Syrian soul food.
Melokhia is much better in the Levantine than it is out in North Africa. Syria makes it with the full dried leaves, which soak up a chicken and spice sauce and remind me faintly of really good spinach. In North Africa they sell a powdered melokhia that turns into a seriously scary slime after cooking for up to 6-7 hours. So don't be fooled, do it right. And....it is VERY important to remember the spices and chicken broth! (At my first meeting of my future husband's family, we made melokhia and in all my nervousness forgot the chicken...everyone said it tasted like old used tea leaves, but my sweetheart kindly ate about three bowls full to show his love.)
Mujadarra is really a fantastic peasant dish that I ate happily about once a week in Syria. Burghul and lentils with gentle spices...topped with fried onions and a bit of laban...that's it. Mmmm, makes me want to sit around on a small square of carpet of that with my old friends and eat it together out of one communal pot. It is that good.
I don't really do well with writing out complicated recipes, especially as these two dishes are rarely measured in teaspoons and cups, but rather in "mmm, that tastes about right."
But this lady, she knows how to write it out, and so she gets the credit for a good mujadarra recipe: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2009/10/lentil-and-bulgur-porridge/
And this brother, he gets the credit for lots of good recipes, including his melokhia job:
http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-eat-your-greens.html
Melokhia is much better in the Levantine than it is out in North Africa. Syria makes it with the full dried leaves, which soak up a chicken and spice sauce and remind me faintly of really good spinach. In North Africa they sell a powdered melokhia that turns into a seriously scary slime after cooking for up to 6-7 hours. So don't be fooled, do it right. And....it is VERY important to remember the spices and chicken broth! (At my first meeting of my future husband's family, we made melokhia and in all my nervousness forgot the chicken...everyone said it tasted like old used tea leaves, but my sweetheart kindly ate about three bowls full to show his love.)
Mujadarra is really a fantastic peasant dish that I ate happily about once a week in Syria. Burghul and lentils with gentle spices...topped with fried onions and a bit of laban...that's it. Mmmm, makes me want to sit around on a small square of carpet of that with my old friends and eat it together out of one communal pot. It is that good.
I don't really do well with writing out complicated recipes, especially as these two dishes are rarely measured in teaspoons and cups, but rather in "mmm, that tastes about right."
But this lady, she knows how to write it out, and so she gets the credit for a good mujadarra recipe: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2009/10/lentil-and-bulgur-porridge/
And this brother, he gets the credit for lots of good recipes, including his melokhia job:
http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-eat-your-greens.html
Hannah I love your blog, and seeing glimpses of your beautiful life and wonderful wit!
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