Which countries are part of the Middle East varies depending on who you ask. From a food perspective, the flavours of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine (the Levant), Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar (the countries of the Arabian Gulf), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (North Africa) all have a lot in common. The influences crosses borders to neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Xinjjiang in China, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Sudan, Somalia, Zanzibar and Greece too; as well as the Middle Eastern/Arabic influence on Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines.
Turkish Eggplant Salad Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! Eggplant appears in so many dishes in Turkey that it should be named the country’s national vegetable! And why not – it’s a wonderfully versatile and delicious ingredient, especially when it’s exposed to a bit of intense heat. […]
Fruit Leather Walnut Rolls Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! Fruit leather – qamar al deen in Arabic, pestil or bastik in Turkish, lavashak in Farsi, pastel in Armenian and pastilos in Greek – is popular all over the wider Middle East and Eastern Europe. It’s fruit […]
Date & Almond Ladies Fingers Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! The inspiration for these delicious date & almond ladies fingers comes from my friend Janni Kyritsis, who uses the same technique to make simple savoury snacks filled with anchovy, feta or olives. I don’t have […]
Hamin Eggs with Cumin Salt Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! I first tasted this dish in the mid ‘90s at Middle Eastern restaurant Fez in Darlinghurst, and it became my go-to breakfast dish. Years later I discovered that it’s the long slow cooking that gives […]
Lebanese Pink Pickled Turnips Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! Pickled vegetables are always on a Lebanese table. Olives, chillies and turnips are most common, and small stuffed eggplants (makdous), cucumbers and cauliflower are also popular. The most distinctive are the pink pickled turnips, traditionally stained bright pink with beetroot. These […]
Orange, Almond & Date Salad Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange (see video below), you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to […]
Olive, Feta or Anchovy Fillo Fingers Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Greek cooking class Inspired by Janni Kyritsis! Just about everything I’ve ever cooked has been inspired by something I’ve eaten before and these fillo fingers are no exception – my friend Janni usually whips these up to serve with drinks when friends […]
Pita Crisps Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! With this not-even-really-a-recipe, you’ll never buy pita crisps again, nor will you ever waste a piece of leftover Lebanese bread! Perfect with hummus, tzatziki, babaganoush, labneh, or any dips, crumbled over salads, alongside soups or just as a moreish snack on their own […]
Shish Kebab Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! Grilling meat on a skewer over coals is one of the most basic forms of cooking. So kebabs, in their many forms, are popular throughout a huge area covering the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the Caucasus and on […]
Kisir (Turkish Tabouli) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I’m a fan of traditional recipes but every now and then I prefer to do things my way. And I’ve always made tabouli with far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. Then I realised I […]
