New to middle east cuisine

[Cookwithlove]

Hi!

I am new to middle east cuisine. I read in Saha(A chef's journey through Lebanon and Syria) by Greg and Lucy Malouf. I have tried making middle eastern spiced calamari with fettucing. I must say most of the spice we have here except ground SUMAC which I must get or else it's not middle eastern food. The spice paste to marinate the calamari is aromatic and Alison's peach yoghurt pannacotta my son like it so much.

I hope fellow members would kindly highlight and share with me some outstanding or world famous middle eastern dishes?

I want to learn how to make manoushi, stuffed lebanese pastry, naan, sori mountain bread spread with yoghurt chesse and may somemore?

my 2 cents and keep the topics alive.

Wishng all Good health and a blessed and peaceful 2008.

[v. gautam]

Dear Cook,

While I am no expert on Middle Eastern foods, like you, I enjoy the many different cuisines offered by this vast cultural region, which can include many different societies of the Eastern Mediterranean, and some adjoining areas.

You have done well to identify at least 2 specific regions whose foods interest you: lebanon and Syria.

For the moment, if you focus on Lebanon, you will find several real experts here who can help you master some of the elements of that area. Chef Crash and Elie Naser have posted extensively, and also archived their best recipes in the Recipe Gullet section. Elie has taught pita making and other Lebanese dishes like lamb with yoghurt sauce in step by step photographs that you should retrieve and duplicate at home.

There has been an extensive give and take on a falafel cookoff on eGullet that you might find useful.

Lebanese fish dishes; baked or fried with sesame sauce etc.

After you have gone through all the Lebanese treasures available here, plus the guidance from the lebanese experts, then you could move on to another region, Syria, about which we have sharply differing experts!!!!!!!

Paula Wolfert visits these pages, and she too has a book on the Eastern Mediterranean that may interest you a lot.

We have a strong Israeli cluster here in this forum, Daniel Rogov, a great teacher of surprising treats. You should go to his website. Plus many more.

Then there are the Turkish experts.

Algerian and Moroccan experts.

Tunisia.

Egypt

Yemen and SaudiArabia, Jordan

A long term project!!

[Smithy]

I think v. gautam gives some good advice. As a followup, allow me to give you these links (click on the blue text to go there):

Foodman's "Introduction to Lebanese Cuisine", in the eGullet Culinary Institute (there's a link on the first post to the Q&A section)

Beautiful Algeria, chefzadi's thread in this Middle Eastern subforum, which doesn't give as many recipes but should certainly get your mind racing.

Have fun! There are not only a goodly number of real Middle-Eastern cooks among the eGullet membership, but there are also a lot of enthusiasts who are interested in the topic. As you keep posting, you're sure to get more pointers, as well as advice, comments, and good communication.

[Cookwithlove]

Salutation to Gautam and Smithu for sharing theirs rich experiences about middle eastern cuisine to a novice like me in such a short e-mail space like this.

I derive great joys in looking at all sorts of sophiscated bread ranging from Indian chappati, naan, tsosai to pita, khobz, manoushi and sorji mountain bread. If you come across any photos or video on how to make those bread mentioned I appreciate you highlight to me.

Thank once again

[v. gautam]

Daniel Rogov:meu'rav Yerushalmi" (Jerusalem mixed grill)

http://stratsplace.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=12360

For Indian wheat flour breads, suggest you systematically study the videos from

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msCO2dgNjVU&feature=related

Cooking with Kurma

A.

Follow this lady [Manjula] for all your north Indian breads; very highly skilled and efficient. She does not have a gas flame, so she puffs up her chapati on the skillet itself.

If you do have a gas flame, you may find it easier to puff chapatis on the flame, with the help of a purpose built wire device, sold for about $6 by iShop India.com and similar Indian grocery stores. Even cheaper is to use the wire rack from a discount low-end charcoal barbeque, around $2 at clearance sales.

The open flame gives you control over the degree of charring you want to produce on the chapati, that further adds to the taste. Chapati or roti is the thicker version, eaten by ordinary people. Phulkas are the more refined, very thin version, eaten by whomever. People who do heavy work and those who cook for them ususally cannot afford the time it takes to make these delicate thin things! Phulkas do not respond well to charring, either!

The lady below [sheba] is a bit inept, but demonstrates the procedure for puffing up rotis on an open flame.

B.

C. http://vahrehvah.com/popvideo.php?recipe_id=3003

The Vahchef, Sanjay Thumma is a professional. His chapti making style is too heavy with fat, and not as expert as Manjula's. Stay with Manjula and her many videos for all your N. Indian breads.

Go with Sanjay for your South Indian "breads".

Note on chapati flour: Use only atta, or durum wheat flour marked Chapati Flour, Atta.

Ordinary whole wheat flour will not give as good results.

There are 3 brands commonly available in Indian groceries and some US/Canada supermarkets [Where are you located?]:

Golden Temple

Swad

Laxmi [available in small sizes]

These are made from Canadian durum, and there is but a slight difference in the quality, indicated in descending order.

Higher quality Indian wheat, now temporarily banned by the Indian government, are

Sujata brand

Bhallya Ghaun, from Patel Bros. groceries, online or their many outlets: this is their premium chapati wheat from Gujarat.

Do not confuse the word ROTI as used in India and as it is used in the Indian Diaspora. In the latter, e.g. Guyana, it is a Paratha, actually a laccha paratha, but called Roti. In Trinidad, it can be a dalpuri and be called Roti. And so forth.

For now, just master the North Indian terminology and techniques, where Indian wheat breads are concerned. Others can follow.

NAAN

A.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vow-kxTPatc&feature=user

Manjula's Kitchen

B.http://vahrehvah.com/popvideo.php?recipe_id=3094

http://vahrehvah.com/videos.php

all Sanjay teaching videos

Parathas et al.: follow above trail, you will find their teaching videos on parathas, puri, kachori etc.

Please write back with any questions re: Indian breads, to clarify references I have not made clear.

Edited January 2, 2008 by v. gautam (log)

[prasantrin]

eGullet ChefCrash posted about his family making some wonderful Lebanese breads in this topic.

[FoodMan]

Cookwithlove-

You mentioned the Lebanese Manouche and other breads a few times. When I was in Lebanon this summer I picked up two books. One is Saha which you already have and the other is this book. 'Man'ouche' is a wonderfully written and pictured book about all kinds of Lebanese pies. If you can get your hands on a copy you will not regret it.

[Cookwithlove]

Thank V. gautam for directing me to all those videos which I spent considerable amount of time , making notes here and there and importantly am I able to get the ingredients. Here Mustapha should have it, will check it out. My favourite is Thosai masala we called in here in Singapore and otherwise known as Dosai(Please correct me if I am wrong. Now I have an clear ideas what is Puran Poli, Roomali, Pakora, Naan, chapati and poori( I seemed the smaller one but not the larger one(Batura) and perhaps more to come. Gautam any delicious accomplishments would you recommend me to go with the various roti?

Foodman, I am still checking on the later book you recommend, Lebananese manouche, is not in our local Library? I am still very interested in those middle eastern bread, keep the informations coming in.

Take care and may you be well!

Edited January 5, 2008 by Cookwithlove (log)