If you’ve ever been to a Lebanese restaurant and fell in love with that white garlic sauce that is usually offered with barbq’s or shish tawook (chicken kebobs), today is your day.  This post features this garlic sauce’s recipe along with an in-depth guide and references on the chemical reaction that …

What is Shawarma Shawarma is probably one of the most recognizable Middle Eastern ethnic food names in the West, behind Falafel and Hummus. The name comes from the Turkish word çevirme which means “turning,” and where you have some deeply marinated layers of beef, lamb or chicken stacked on a vertical spit …

Shish Tawookcan be one of the tastiest chicken Kabobs around.  The name points to its Turkish origins (Tavuk şiş) however it is quite a common chicken bbq dish in virtually every Middle Eastern country, and with Persians having their own “Jujeh Kabob” version. Back to Lebanon, Shish Tawook can be found …

Chicken Shawarma is a popular gourmet sandwich that you can get at Middle Eastern restaurants.  Marinated chicken chunks are mounted on a large rotating skewer and then roasted slowly to perfection against a gas burning grill.  Due to the unavailability of such industrial roasters at homes, Chicken Shawarma has typically remained …

If you are a fan of stuffed grape leaves or Dolma, you ought try this stuffed cabbage rolls recipe. In Arabic it’s called “Malfouf” which has a dual meaning of “cabbage” as well as “rolled.” It’s also called “Mih-sheh Malfouf” which means stuffed cabbage. Malfouf is a traditional Lebanese dish which …

Hummus is a delicious Middle-Eastern dip made from boiled Chickpeas, lemon juice, and Tahini sauce  and which is served as an appetizer with pita bread. The word Hummus literally translates to chickpeas from Arabic.  Its origins are believed to be from the Shami region (Lebanon/Syria/Palestine/Jordan) however the Lebanese are pushing hard …

If you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be writing a blog post about Kibbeh Nayyeh I would have laughed; I didn’t like this dish in the past simply because it has raw meat, and despite the fact that it’s very famous in Lebanon.  And I assume that it’s natural …

Falafel is a very delicious Middle-Eastern gourmet appetizer that has become popular in the West over the past several years. It’s made from a deep fried paste of chick peas, fava beans, and a mix of onions and different herbs and spices.   Different cultures prepare Falafel differently… When we discussed …

Shish Barak is a traditional Lebanese dish, perhaps of Turkish/Ottoman origins (hence the name), which is basically made of tiny meat dumplings cooked in a plain yogurt stew. Shish Barak belongs to the “Tabeekh” traditional Lebanese category, ie, home stews, and is not usually served by main stream Lebanese restaurants. However …

Lebanese cuisine is famous for offering a wide array of Kibbe dishes. For those who are not familiar with the term, Kibbe generally refers to ground meat mixed with burghul (cracked weat), spices and herbs and then baked, fried or grilled into an amazingly savory dish. In this recipe, we’re going …