Baharat Spices

Baharat is an Arabic term meaning a mixture of spice blend which is commonly used in the Middle Eastern cuisine as a rub in meat or seasoning in soup, sauce or rice dishes. As usual I've lots of hidden treasures in my tiny fridge!  All the spices are readily available except the newly bottle of all spice which I bought it later :D :D Therefore I've prepared the spices beforehand without any idea on how to make use with this spice blend hahaha…..The fragrant of the spice blend is indeed very unique, even my hubby commented it smells really really nice while I was dry frying the spices!! 

Each region in the Middle East has its own concoction of spice blend. Even every household may have its very own recipe. I've selected 2 recipes to try out, Arabic Mix Spices and Lebanese 7 Spices which I've most of the spices on hand :D 

Baharat (Arabic Mix Spices)

Toasted on a dry pan and grind into powder

Recipe source : The Daring Gourmet
Ingredient

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick, 2" long
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamon seeds
• 1 tbsp paprika powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Method

1. Set the paprika and nutmeg powder aside.
2. Place all remaining ingredients in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium high heat, tossing regularly to prevent scorching, 3-4 mins or until very fragrant.
3. Cool down completely. Transfer to a spice grinder, add in paprika and nutmeg and grind to a fine powder. Store in a airtight container.

Lebanese 7 Spice

Recipe source : anissa's blog

Ingredient

• 1 tbsp finely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger

Mix all the spices together and store in a air-tight container.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish 

Shakshouka

Here comes my very first exotic dish from Middle East. Not wanting to be too adventurous, I've chosen a dish which is easy to prepare and most importantly taste must be well accepted by my family :D Shakshouka is basically a mixture of stewed vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, onion and eggplant, a dish quite similar to ratatouille :D This is commonly served as breakfast in the Middle East countries but let me tell you….I can have this throughout the day as breakfast, lunch and dinner! Healthy, meatless dish which you won't feel guilty even if you have a 2nd helping (minus the egg) ^.*

Lovely splash of colors! 

Recipe source : middle east recipe

Ingredient

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
• 1 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 cup yellow zucchini, diced
• 1 cup eggplant, sliced
• 1 cup water
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 eggs

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Stir in paprika and cook slightly to color the oil, about 10-15 secs. Add onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 mins.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 mins. Add in the rest of the vegetables, water. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for about 10mins.
3. Add more water is mixture is drying out. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using a spoon, form four small indentations in the simmering stew to hold the eggs. One by one, crack eggs into a small bowl and slip each from the bowl into the indentation. Cover and simmer for another 5 mins or until eggs are cooked through.
5. Serve with crusty bread, pita or rice .

My first attempt of making pita bread using oven, considered successful as it turns out very puffy and with pocket of course which is supposedly to be :D Look out for the upcoming post for this lovely handmade wholemeal pitas :D 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish