Nicolai

Yes, in certain cases it is confusing and in other cases it is straight forward. Muhamara is an Allepian dish. It is common knowledge. The peppers are Aleppo peppers so it can be hardly originating from anywhere else. Now who and what you beleive is entirely your privilege.

I said it before and will say it again. Any recipe for any dish can be made in hundreds of iterations. This will not lessen the fact of the original recipe. I have no idea what an orginal Goulash taste like although I tried trillions of variations. I do not know the original recipe of Spring Rolls or the true Tarte Tatin. This will not change the fact that someone somewhere is smiling when reading recipes for Kimchi or a Bolognese sauce. People will cook the dishes any way they want and will enjoy it. Other people do care about what the original dish taste like and will go the extra mile to find out. More so, when a dish is very particular to a certain territory or environment and Muhamara is one of these dishes. You can cook it any way you want and add onions and call it Salsa. However, when you have the rare opportunity to taste the original version, then you will understand and it will be a revalation as this dish has been honed throughout centuries. Tabboule is another dish which has been basterdised and available in endless variations. To taste good Tabboule, you have to follow certain ingredients and a Tabboule made with any tomatoe will not taste the same as made with the Lebanese Mountain variation. I can do nothing about it and one has to try it to understand. I still eat Tabboule with any rock tomatoes but I still can taste the difference. I can taste a Chinese speciality or German or any other but will I be able to compare with the original recipe if I never tasted the original. All what I can say is that the dish taste nice or good or not to my liking. I was in Cairo over the week end and visited a fish restaurant in a five star studded hotel. We specifically asked for the old recipe of prawns in batter served with the Egyptian Tahineh version and this had to be prepared as off menu as people do not know, care or want such typical Egyptian dish which used to came wrapped with newspaper wrapping. We had to send back the hot puffed freshly baked bread and get the traditional Egyptian bread with the Egyptian Torchi (Pickles)! If you don't know then you don't know and there is pride in learning. I learn each day but my taste buds are accustomed to certain taste and dishes which are associated with the aroma of the food itself. I will never be able to claim expertise on Chinese or Indian or other food, I will still eat it and enjoy it. So in conclusion, Muhamara is a dish which is very tasty and unfortunately basterdised as of late in all restaurants. Neither Lebanon or Turkey have to do anything with it and it is only in the last decade that this dish was on the menus. It is a typical Allepian dish and there is only one way of preparing it. And as you rightly mentioned in your post. Start with the correct unroasted peppers. Then again, maybe Heinz or Nestle can have it produced in tubes and can take ownership of the dish. T'will be a sad day.

With all due respect to Wolfert and other food experts and for the record, there is no lemon juice or cumin as well! It is anathema to have lemon juice clashing with peppers and with pomegranate molasses. As for cumin....plueaseeeeeee! Having said that, there is a couple of other ingredients missing and as usual, one can amend a recipe ad nauseum which will not really change the real recipe which I am yet to eat in any restaurant even as some decide to mix different type of nuts and proclaim it is Mohamara. And just to sound even more pedantic, breadcrumbs are a substitute to the real ingredient which Oh silly me I forgot what it was. M'enfin!!!

Samarkand bread is different form Qurban bread in taste and composition. The visual look might be similar in the sense that Samarkand bread is decorated, however, Samarkand bread comes with over a dozen recipes. The main difference which gives the game away is the addition of Mahlab to the Qurban bread. Qurban bread also comes with diffferent recipes all over different churches. The Samarkand bread main flavour comes from the special ferment used which is different variations of ferment based on an assortment of milk - animal fat - meat - onions - anis...etc. They are not all used together but combined to produce different breads. The Samarkand bread is baked on the inner wall of a clay oven (tandoor) while the Qurban bread is baked flat in any oven type. So it is bread and they may look similar as well as hundreds of different breads around the world but they are different. The main differentiator is Milk and Mahlab.

Well said.

Not withstanding the fact that you can take any dish and add a variant to your liking. However, to my description, Sahwarma comes in two types: - Lamb - Chicken The lamb Shawarma is with Tahina and tomatoes (roasted on the skewer pile) with pickled turnips. Chilli sauce is an accepted addition. The chicken Shawarma is of course with a garlic spread and cucumber pickles. Hummos substitute to the garlic is also accepted. Any departure from these dressings is a variant to the traditional Shawarma. The Turkish/Greek...etc versions are different. As for the name, Turkey claims that the name originates from "çevirme" which means "turning". The disputed version is the Arabic name for "Shawa" which is grilling and the "ma" added to denote the meat version different from "Kawarma".

Mahlab = coriander seeds??!?!@?@? As for the pics, vey nice as usual.

Apparently he is trying a new plasma oven fueled by a Naquadah reactor to produce perfect Tretonin lollipops!@$^(*$E)(* Alternatively, you can get the same at your friendly grocery! The difference is the sleeve was designed by Armani!

As many before him and many yet to come, he has tried to put his stamp on the culinary time line, and in his case, with the molecular approach. And as usual, it's a flash in a pan and a short lived fad which did not even last 1/1000 of the Nouvelle Cuisine. He can slow cook, carbonise and nitro freeze. It is not what a real chef is about but more of a prankster trying to burn the steps to get faster up the ladder. Good for him and good for his followers. As for myself, I am not impressed by this new wave of morcels of food served in spoons and other non descript containers. I will stick to the French cuisine with the personal touch of the different Chefs. Bye Bye Blumenthal. turn right and exit left. Now if he could carbonize or at least freeze-dry Giles, how a bout a shave and a neck wring?

. ... I would think that the dough was somewhat flaky ... maybe not, chewy? ← Interesting that Gazelle Horns as named in Arabic on the web site link you provided reads: Kaab el ghzal. Which translation is in fact Gazelle Heel and not Gazelle Horn. So in Arabic it is known as Heel and in English as Horn. There.

Nice pictures mouth watering as usual. However, traditional Shawarma is not marinated in yogurt whatsoever. You can marinated it if you want to, however this is not the norm. The main ingredients which give Shawarma the typical flavour are a vinegar marinate and cardamon pods. (in addition to other spices). What you see "oozing out between the layers of meat" is not yogurt but single layers of fat between each 8 or 10 layers of meat. I am talking "Ly'eh". Alternatively, some place the "Ly'eh" on top of the skewer. The closest you can make at home, is to cut lamb into slivers and place in metal round tray, marinate with red wine vinegar, few whole cardamon pods, slivered onions, cubed tomatoes, S&P, a sprinkling of EVOO and marinate for few hours untill meat almost cooked. Place in hot oven (250/280) and monitor untill meat is crisp outside/soft inside. Lay in bread with Tahineh and veggies/pickles and enjoy. I am now going to treat myself for a Shawarma in your name today.

I take it that "Khashbeh" means plank or platter? Never heard of the term, but sounds real good. You left out Asbeh Nayeh. Is Karam a restaurant? Where is it? ← Yes you are right on both counts. - Khashbeh is plank where all the raw meat is served and is now the common term used in restaurants. - Karam is a famous Lebanese restaurant in Beirut and Dubai. - Me'elak is Asbeh Nayeh. Should have said the latter one.

Very nice and very appetising. I had a Khashbeh Nayeh at Karam which consisted of Kebbe Nayeh and Kebbeh Nayeh Harrah and Habra Nayeh and Keftah Nayeh and Fatayel and Me'elak and finally Ly'eh. Lots of Arak and a cigar or two. Simply luv it.

To add to your theorising, it could be esh el saraya but pronounced aish and in this case it is the esh i.e. the nest. However, I would go for the Ottoman connection originating from Egypt as both aish is Egyptian for bread and Saraya is the Ottoman dwelling. As for the recipe itself or the manifestation of the recipe (as each makes their own version), the top is never served crusty but soft. If Chef Ramzi serves it crusty, it is his own interpretation and not what you are served in the Lebanese sweet shops or restaurants. I also would like to add that Chef Ramzi is a TV chef with all what it entails. And as you know in most cuisines, there is a clear wedge between pastry chefs and other chefs. 90% of what Chef Ramzi is reporting is second hand information researched for him by other people working on the book and the TV series. Knowledge he has, but flair he does not! I am very weary of Chefs producing ready packed meals and microwaveable on top of it. I supposed next will come the signature pots and pans followed by dinner services and perfume.....

Salmon is fairly new to the Lebanese cuisine and does not have a set recipe as such. The best you can do is treat Salmon like any white fish and the suggestions to use a Tahineh based sauce or a Spicy (Samkeh Harrah) sauce are both valid. However, having a cold Salmon offereing is equally acceptable and Salmon lends itself perfectly for a Poached Salmon dish or a Saumon en Croute. If your Salmon is super fresh, then just serve it raw a la Sashimi with an EVOO and pomegrenate molasses dip which will give it the Lebanese flavour. PS. The grilled Salmon can be served with a side sauce based on Tahineh. However if the sauce is cold then the sauce is a Tarator sauce (Tahimeh/Parsley/EVOO/Lemon/garlic/S&P)and if the Tahineh is warm then it is a Samkeh Traboulsieh (Tahineh/Lemon/EVOO/PineKernels/Garlic/S&P). Have fun.

It is a shame that you were not happy with the service as they rank quite high in this department. Maybe it was one of these stays, however, I would definitely rank the Hilton Jumeirah at the top of the list. So until you try another hotel, we agree to disagree. Wishing you a pleasant stay anywhere else.

Probably the only place to buy String pastry is at your local Arabic sweets shop. As for the other Baklawa and if you want the genuine McCoy then Plueeeeeae don't use the Phylo pastry but do your own pastry and play with the fillings to your liking. Having said that, it will take you the best part of the day to do the Baklawa pastry at home but everybody will bow to your kitchen skills.

The Hilton Jumeirah has two fantastic restaurants: - Bice, voted the best Italian in Dubai couple of years ago - Pachanga which is a mix of Mexican/Argentian/Cuban with live entertainment. - Even the room service is great, ask for Farouk to prepare off menu dishes. I hope you don't mean that you had a disappointing experience at the Hilton? The Budha bar food is good, you shoud go for starters either the Crab salad or the Trio Tartar followed by the Wagyu filet. As for drinks at 44 or the B bar, well it's drinks for the hordes and the simpler is always better. However they have a top Barman at the Hiton Jumeirah Sky Bar and he does a mean Caipirinha Have fun.

Great stuff. Thank you for the pictures and for sharing this beautifull day in the sun.

The paste is refered to as Ismallieh and is common for: - Ismallieh - Borma or Mabroma - Ballorieh - Ech El Bulbol - ...etc This string pastry cannot be made at home and requires specialised equipment. Usually, people buy it ready made and cook it to their liking.

It depends what you gonna do with it. If for stuffing. Then it does not work. If for wrapping, then it could do the trick. In case you have to freeze, then do the old blanching briefly and throw in ice water. Spin dry and vacuum pack freeze. After second thoughts, where is the nearest restaurant?

I just realised that you are getting there at night. In which case your only alternative is to go to Mawal at Murooj Rotana which is very close to the Towers and they start late as the BellyDancer is at 11.15pm and stay open till 03.00am. Good food, good service, good dancing and Shisha in A/C splendour! Nafoorah was the best but sadly not anymore.

Hello The best of the best today is the new restaurant "Karam" at the Kempinsky and it is really the best Lebanese food in Dubai or the GCC for that matter. There is a new fish place with a Lebanese twist at the Dubai Marine called Flooka. Morrocan don't have a clear winner and the Royal Mirage is best for ambiance as food levels is very similar in the other places. For date jam and such, Bateel is good and don't forget to get the chocolate covered dates filled with almonds or hazelnuts and carry a large water bottle. You can find Bateel at the new Burjuman and go up to Hediard for a Blue Mountain coffee to exercice your credit card.

Very nice ChefCrash. Of course you would use Akawi cheese for the genuine McCoy although they have started experimenting with different cheeses now as well as Ashta. But the original is still the best. You could sandwich the cheese with a thin dough layer and make sure to very lightly toast the semolina on dry heat before mixing the dough. Again, pour the sugar syrup when still hot out of the oven. And you can easily cut the Knafeh before dousing with syrup and place in shrink film and freeze. It works like magic. As for Verjuice, I hope you having a good time and easy on the sweets and the Casper & Gambini stuff. For the Knafeh, try breakfast at the Marriott or Hallab in the middle of Raucheh with the water gargoyles and marble top tables. And the ubiquitous Samadi, not the one next to Saroulla but the one down from the Bristol towards Hamra. As a matter of fact, try their Mafroukeh (Hallab) or come to think of it, try everything! I will be waiting for you at the airport with the Coronary kit.

Just for the record. Stuffed Squash is not kousa mahshi but the correct name is Ara'a Mahshi. I just thought you should know as I would dread to find out what you would call Stuffed Courgettes?!?!? or marrows if you like and in fact we should say gourds and technically aubergines are of course not gourds but a berry and although courgettes and squash are gourds but hey ho they are not the same. So to cut a long story short: Ara'a Mahshi=Stuffed Squash Kousa Mahshi=Stuffed Courgettes So there you go. P.S. Yoghurt based recipe is for Courgettes/Zuchini/Marrow and for Squash=Ara'a per se the prefered recipe is not cooked with yoghurt but tomatoes based.