Arabic Mezze OR Meze …Hummus, Tabbouleh and Mutabbal, are just 3 ‘cold option’ Mezze of Levantine origin, that is Easy to make and packed with goodness.
Firstly, Ramadaan Kareem to all my dear blogger friends and to all of you that may be reading this post. May this Ramadaan bring forth much positivity and love to you and your families, Ameen?.
MEZZE is a selection of small dishes often served at the beginning of multi-course meals. Meze/Mezze is Persian (mazze) and means “taste” and/or “snack.”
Living in the Middle East for 2 years and travelling to and fro for another 1 and half, was a moment in our lifes’ journey that yeilded some truly wonderful memories to last a lifetime. And during this time, that my husband and I, eagerly allowed ourselves to experience the exquisite culinary delights of Bahrain and the surrounding Gulf Countries. Now these are 3 of our favourite of the cold Mezze options that we always opted For as we both fell instantly in love with it from day 1.
But once I began my own experiments while living in Bahrain, that I realised how very simple this delicious treats were to whip up, and I can now happily enjoy this Middle Eastern delicacy all the way back home in South Africa, anytime of the year.
The way I’ve prepared these are typically of what one can find in any Middle Eastern restaurant, Simple and fresh ingredients, with minimum efforts and you too can enjoy these.
The Mezze I share today, Hummus, Mutabbal and Tabbouleh, Are from what I have been inspired by during my travels, and even though these mezze are from Levantine origins, the way it is prepared may differ slightly in each of the different countries. For ME , I have to admit, that the Lebanese do make these the best??.
So here are 3 key options you too can whip up the next time you want to throw an Arabian Themed Party, together with the other 2 cold mezze options I have already shared earlier, that is FATTOUSH and MIDDLE EASTERN TZATZIKI.
Happy Mezze Making Lovelies…
LOVE Marriam?
Easy Hummus (Chickpea Dip)
Author: FOODEVA MARSAY
(@foodeva_marsay)
Ingredients
1 x 410g can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup Tahini Paste
1 Tablespoon Garlic Chopped/Paste
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder
Juice of 1 Lemon
4 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Water (or more)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
• Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
• Grind all the ingredients until a smooth paste is achieved, adding a little more water if need be to help the pulsing movement of the food processor.
• Adjust salt if you need, Scoop out into a deep bowl, and drizzle in more Olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika
• Hummus is ready to be enjoyed with a side of fresh, warm flat breads or pita.
*Kindly Share my recipes as posted, www.marriamsayed.com*
Easy Mutabbal (Eggplant Dip)
Author : FOODEVA MARSAY
(@foodeva_marsay)
Ingredients
1 Medium Sized Eggplant
1 Tablespoon Garlic Chopped/Paste
3 Tablespoon Tahini Paste
2 Tablespoon Plain yoghurt
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Salt and White Pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
• Rinse the eggplant and slice in half from top to bottom
• Heat a griddle pan with a little Olive oil, and place the eggplant cut side(flesh side) down.
• Allow the eggplant to fry, until grill scorched marks APPEAR on the flesh. This helps develop the smoky taste in the final product.
• Now wrap the eggplant in foil, and bake in oven for 30 minutes, until soft and cooked through. Turn the eggplant once during baking.
• When the eggplant is cool enough to touch, scoop out the softened flesh, and place into food processor.(If there are too many seeds, discard those)
• Now add the rest of the ingredients and pulse 5-6 times only. The consistency needs to be chunky.
• Adjust seasoning if need be.
• Scoop out into a deep bowl, Drizzle with olive oil, and top with chopped curly leaf parsley and a sprinkle of paprika
• serve with warmed flat breads or pita.
NOTE BY FOODEVA MARSAY..
* You can Sprinkle on a little sumac and Pomegranate Arils(seeds) on top before serving.
*Kindly Share my recipes as posted, www.marriamsayed.com*
Tabbouleh (Parsley and Mint Salad)
Author : FOODEVA MARSAY
(@foodeva_marsay)
Ingredients
1 large bunch, Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Handful of Mint Leaves
1 Small Onion
2 Large Tomatoes
1/4 cup Couscous
~ Vinaigrette
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Salt and White Pepper to taste
Good Pinch of SUGAR
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
• Soak the couscous with enough boiling water, for +/- 30 minutes or until softened.
• Using a scissor, snip the Parsley and Mint into a large enough Bowl. (Snipping the fresh herbs helps to reduce bruising them too much, as compared to chopping them)
• chop the onion finely, add a good pinch of salt to it, and rub it into the onion using fingertips, this helps remove some of the strong, bitterness from onion. Leave aside for 10 minutes.
• Deseed and Chop the tomatoes small. Add this to the parsley and mint
• Squeeze out excess water from the onions, and add to the parsley and mint.
• Fluff out the couscous and add it to the salad bowl, and gently toss everything well.
• Add the vinaigrette 20 minutes before serving.
• A PERFECT, fresh and herby salad that can be enjoyed with any meal.
NOTE BY FOODEVA MARSAY…
* YOU CAN USE BULGAR WHEAT INSTEAD OF COUSCOUS.
* Add a little chopped cucumber to the salad if you want to add a little bit of texture, but know that this way isn’t traditional Arabic Tabbouleh.
* The same applies for the Amount of Couscous used, Tradional ARABIC Tabbouleh has just a good sprinkle of bulgar wheat/couscous that twinkle through the green salad, Whilst My other Mediterranean Couscous Salad has those in larger ratios.
*Kindly Share my recipes as posted, www.marriamsayed.com*
