AWARE

Hummus

(Chickpeas with sesame paste)

1 can chick peas (1 1/2 cups)

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sesame paste (tahini)

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch of cumin, paprika or chili powder

Mix chick peas, garlic, salt, lemon juice and tahini in a food processer til very smooth. Spoon into shallow serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with parsley and spice of your choice. Serve with Arabic bread.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

1 jar grape leaves (choose small, light green leaves if possible)

½ cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

½ bunch flat leaved parsley, chopped

1¼ cup rice

1 teaspoon salt

juice of 2 lemons

¼ cup olive oil

Rinse leaves in running water and drain. Fry onion in ½ cup oil until soft. Add tomatoes and parsley, stir until soft. Add rice, ¾ cup water and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until standing water is absorbed. While rice is cooling, snip off stems close to the leaves (you can do a stack at a time).

Place a leaf shiny side down on a work surface. Put a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the leaf, as shown below. Roll tightly as shown. Place in a 2 quart oven-proof dish, and arrange the remaining rolls tightly in rows. Stack in layers until remaining ingredients are used.

Pour one cup of water, the juice of 2 lemons and ¼ cup olive oil over rolls. Cover and bake at 350 F ( 170 C ) for one hour minutes. Let rest half an hour, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or cold.

Tabouli

1/4 cup cracked wheat (burghul)

1 very small onion, or 3 green onions

1 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch mint

2-3 large tomatoes

2 yellow lemons, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

Dash of salt and pepper

Soak burghul in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Drain in a wire sieve and press excess water out. Chop onion in a food processor, mix with burghul and press with a spoon to blend flavors.

Wash parsley and mint. Cut off the thick stem of the parsley and remove the mint leaves from the stems. Pulse mint in a food processor until coarsely chopped, set aside. Pulse parsley in food processor.; finely chop tomatoes and drain excess juice.

Mix all ingredients, arrange over lettuce leaves in a shallow dish, and serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Arayes

(Grilled sandwiches)

5 pita bread or Egyptian bread

500 gm . mince meat

1 tomato, chopped fine

1/2 bunch flat parsley, chopped

1 finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon mixed spices

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Cut bread into quarters. Mix remaining ingredients well. Press a heaped tablespoon of meat mixture into one side of the bread. Brush both sides of the bread with oil. Either grill til golden, or place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1/2 hour at 350 (170), turning once after 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Stuffed Zucchini

1 kilogram small to medium zucchini

Stuffing:

1 cup rice

1/4cup oil

1/2 cup mince meat

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mixed spices (coriander, pepper, cinnamon,

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4cup oil

1 Maggi cube

1 1/2 cups water

Wash zucchini well and cut off stems (optionally scrape or thinly peel). Starting from the stem end, scoop out the centers leaving a shell 1/2 cm. thick; spread zucchini pulp in the bottom of a 25 cm oven proof pan. Rinse rice and drain. Fry meat and garlic in 1/4 cup oil. Add rice, tomatoes, herbs, salt and spices. Loosely fill the zucchini shells 3/4 full. Arrange on top of zucchini pulp.

For sauce, sauté onions and garlic in 1/4 cup oil til soft. Add tomato paste, Maggi cube and water. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour sauce over stuffed zucchini and bake for 1 hour at 170 o C or 350 o F.

Karkaday

(Hibiscus Drink)

1/2 cup dried hibiscus petals

6 cups water, divided

1 cup sugar

Soak the hibiscus petals in a pot with 2 cups of cold water for one hour. Bring to a boil, remove immediately and strain the liquid through a wire sieve. Return the petals to the pot and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Repeat process twice; the petals will begin to lose their reddish hue. Discard the petals and sweeten the juice with sugar. To serve warm, return to the pot and heat, but do not boil. To serve cold, pour over ice.

Jallab

1 part jallab concentrate

4 parts cold water

Serve over ice. Garnish with pine nuts.

Baklava

1 pkg. Americana phyllo leaves

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)

1-2 cups finely chopped pistachio (or almonds or walnut)

1/2 cup finely chopped cashew

1/2 cup sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon each cinnamon and cardamom

• Mix together nuts, sugar and spices, and divide into two portions.

• Melt butter, brush 2 Tablespoons on the bottom of a 13x9” pan

• Divide phyllo leaves into 3 equal portions. Take 2 sheets, fold in half and place in buttered pan. Brush with 2 T. butter. Repeat until first third of phyllo leaves are in the pan.

• Sprinkle last buttered sheets with half of the nut mixture.

• Repeat with another third of leaves and the remaining nut mixture.

• Reserve 2 sheets of phyllo leaves that are not torn or frayed for the top layer.

• Continue with the last third of phyllo leaves and butter, and top with the reserved sheets. DO NOT BRUSH WITH BUTTER.

• Carefully cut the layers in lozenge shapes with a serrated knife, then brush with remaining butter.

• Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 (170) til golden brown.

• Pour cooled syrup over hot baklava or vice versa, but don't pour hot syrup on hot baklava, as it may become soggy.

Syrup :

1 ½ cup sugar

½ cup water

Juice of ½ lemons

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Cool a drop on the countertop – it should have the consistency of light honey. Optionally, add a tablespoon of honey to the hot mixture for a light honey taste.

Koshari

(Egyptian Rice Pilaf)

Main ingredients:

1 1/2 cups calrose or Egyptian rice, cooked in 2 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 t. salt

1 cup vermicelli, browned in 2 T. oil. Add 1 cup water and 1 t. salt; cover and simmer on low heat til water is absorbed.

1/2 cup brown lentils, boiled 30 minutes in salted water til tender, drain

Topping:

2 large onions, halved and sliced to crescent shapes

Fry in deep oil til golden brown, drain on paper towels.

Sauce:

1/4 cup oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 KDD box of tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water

1 chicken Maggi cube

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Fry garlic til slightly golden, add tomato paste and stir briefly. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5 minutes.

To serve:

Spread rice in serving dish. Top with vermicelli, then with lentils. Turn slightly to mix. Top with onions. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce over top. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Algaimat

(Honey-dipped dough balls)

2 cups yoghurt

2 cups flour

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 Tablespoon rose water

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Pinch of saffron

Mix all ingredients with a mixer 2 minutes. Rise 2 hours. Fry dough by the teaspoon in hot oil. Pour cooled sugar syrup when Algaimat is hot.

Syrup :

1 ½ cup sugar

½ cup water

juice of ½ lemon

Kibbi

(Stuffed meat balls)

2 cups cracked wheat

1 cup minced lamb

2 onions, grated

1 teaspoon each cumin, pepper

1/2 teaspoon allspice (baharat)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil for frying

Filling:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 cup minced lamb

1 teaspoon each cumin, pepper

1/2 teaspoon allspice (baharat)

1/2 teaspoon each salt and sumac

1/3 cup pine nuts

Place cracked wheat in a bowl, cover with cold water and let stand 15 minutes. Drain, squeeze to remove excess moisture. Combine with lamb, onion, spices. Mix well.

Filling: Fry pine nuts in olive oil til slightly brown, remove. Add onion to oil and fry until soft. Add lamb and spices, cook until browned. Mix with pine nuts.

Shape 1/4 cup of meat mixture into balls, then hollow out the centers using your thumb. Place rounded teaspoons of filling into the centers and close meat around it into an oval shape. Shallow fry in hot oil until browned on all sides.

Ranjeena

Dates with walnuts

Soft dried dates (enough for one layer on a medium sized shallow dish or plate)

½ of 113g butter stick

3 Tsp white flour

¼ tsp cardamom powder

Walnuts or blanched Almonds

Ground cinnamon (optional)

1. Remove stones from dates , stuff with walnut/almond pieces, arrange into one layer on a serving plate. Stir flour into dry frying pan until light brown , add

cardamom , cinnamon, butter, stir until smooth mixture. Pour mixture over stuffed dates or keep it on the side and immerse each piece into mixture, arrange into serving plate, garnish with walnuts/almonds , serve hot and immediately.

Fish and Rice

Zebaidy, or silver pomfret, is one of the most popular among Kuwaitis. The recipe below includes black lemon, which can be bought whole or ground from the spice section of the co-ops. It is great with fish, and can be added to soups and stews for added flavor.

Fish:

2 medium zebaidy fish

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

Rice:

1/4 cup oil

1 medium chopped onion

2 cups rice

2 teaspoons salt

2 whole black lemons

Topping:

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon black lemon powder

1/2 teaspoon reserved spices

Mix the first four spices and reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the topping.

To prepare fish, wash well, drain, and cut gashes in the fleshy sides. Then sprinkle with salt and rub with spices, and let it rest in the refrigerator for one hour. Fry in oil and drain.

To prepare rice, wash it first and soak in tepid water for half an hour. Drain well. Fry chopped onion in oil. Add rice, salt, lemon, and 3 1/2 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until water is absorbed.

To prepare topping, sauté onions and raisins in oil, then add reserved spices and sprinkle with salt.

To serve, put rice on a serving plate, garnish with topping, and lay fish over the top.

Lamb Machboos (Machboos Lahem)

No dish is more symbolic of Kuwaiti hospitality than Lamb Machboos, which is traditionally prepared by Bedouins with a freshly slaughtered sheep to feast a visitor. Today, mutton retains its popularity and is widely available in supermarkets and butcher shops.

Contrary to Western methods of cooking meat, this dish is prepared by first simmering the meat in water, then browning it in oil and spices. The stock is used to prepare the rice, and a flavorful garnish ( heshew ) and tomato sauce ( dakkous ) are served over the top before eating. Chicken machboos can be prepared in essentially the same manner, but of course cooking time is reduced.

Basic Dish

1 leg of lamb or 1k. boneless lamb

1 whole cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

4 cardamom pods

1 onion, cut in quarters

Salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 cup oil

3 cups Basmati rice

Pinch of saffron threads soaked in 1/4 cup warm water

Wash a leg of lamb or large lamb pieces thoroughly and place in a pot. Cover with water and spices, and simmer one hour or more till the meat is tender. Add salt after half an hour. When meat is tender, remove the meat, and strain and reserve the stock.

While the meat is cooking, rinse the rice, leave to soak in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain well. Also prepare the heshew and dakkous .

In a separate pan, heat 1/4 cup oil. Sprinkle meat with a teaspoon of ground cardamom, brown it in the oil and remove. To the remaining oil add the drained rice and 4 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer till all the liquid is absorbed. Pour saffron water over rice and top with meat. Cover well and warm on lowest heat for 15 minutes. Spoon rice onto a shallow dish, top with heshew and meat. Serve with dakkous . Serves 4-6.

Garnish ( Heshew )

1/3 cup sultanas, soaked in water

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon each ground cumin, cardamom and black lime powder

Brown onions in a non stick pan without oil, stirring continuously. Add pine nuts and brown, then add drained sultanas and spices. Set aside.

Sauce ( Dakkous )

1/4 cup oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 T. white vinegar

4 medium tomatoes, pureed, or 1 can tomato sauce

2 T. tomato paste

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

Fry onions and garlic till golden. Add remaining ingredients, stir and simmer 5 minutes.