Arabian foods have distinctive features, they stand out from the rest of the world and probably the unique aroma, and ingredients are the very reason that have generated a global yearning for Arabic foods.
Did we know that Oman’s own frankincense is an inevitable ingredient to some of the Arabic dishes that adds a seraphic value to the taste buds across the geographical boundaries?
Largely, Arab food is not just a cuisine, but it is an entire culture that traces its origin to a blend of Persian, Turkish, African and Indian cuisines and has evolved over the past few centuries to fit the tastes and needs of its inhabitants from across the world and bequeathed from generation to generation.
“Arabic cuisine places more emphasis on the use of spices and generally use more spices to enhance flavour with garlic, onion, chili pepper, cumin, cilantro, coriander, cinnamon, and many others,” says Deepali Tomar, Sous Chef at the Omran’s Alila Hinu bay Resort in Mirbat in Salalah.
A range of Arabic foods include Manakeesh, Grilled halloumi, Foul medames, Falafel, Tabouleh, Moutabal/baba ghanoush, Fattoush and so on and so forth and majority of the Arabic dishes include olive oil and za’atar besides mezze or bread dips, and stuffing.
Deepali Tomar shares two of her main recipes with Oman’s frankincense as a main ingredient that made the visitors to khareef mouth-watering.
ARABIC SHUWA
Shuwa marination
Ingredients
250 ml Date Vinegar
150 gm Tamarind Pulp
50 gm Garlic chopped
50 gm Coriander seeds Crushed
50 gm Chili flakes
25 gm Black Pepper Crushed
25 gm Salt
Lamb Stuffing
Ingredients:
250 gm Celery chopped
150 gm Red Onion chopped
10 gm Thyme chopped
10 gm Ross marry
Method
1. For Shuwa margination, Mix all spices together and mix it well and cover with the corn oil and keep out side for the fermenting.
2. When you are going to cook the lamb, stuff the mixture before cooking. Season nicely and marinate the lamb with the shuwa marination and keep one day inside the chiller. While cooking, wrap it with the banana leaves.
3. Roast in oven at 120 for 4 hours
GHOBASH
Frankincense Cream
Ingredients:
500 ml Milk
500 ml Cooking cream
200 gm Sugar
100 gm Corn flour
5 ml frankincense oil
150 gm keshta cream
3 Nos Phyllo sheet
1Tbl Ghee
Method
1. Make a corn flour slurry and keep aside. Boil the milk, cooking cream and sugar together. Add this corn flour slurry inside the liquid. Mix it well until this liquid gets into a thick consistency. Once it’s cooled down, put it in the piping bag.
2. Take a 3 phyllo sheet each layer Sprinkle with the melted butter. Then pipe the cream which u made before and roll it
3. Bake the Bhugasa in a preheated oven in 160c for 45 minutes, until the phyllo is crisp and golden brown.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
