"Saha" by Greg and Lucy Malouf

[Shinboners]

I don't know what the people in sydney does to the biscuits, they are nicer. more crisp and more flavour, I suppose they make theirs thinner, therefore the nut to biscuit ratio is greater. overall I am happy with the result.

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I'm planning to make another batch tonight to give away as gifts to some friends at the markets.

I'll make sure I make one batch thin and I'll let you know what happens.

[Kim D]

We made "Quails in fragrant rice with dates, ginger and pearl onions" a couple of days ago. The dish has potential. If I ever find 7 ounce quail, I'll try it again. Or if I can find boneless. I used "jumbo" quail and they couldn't have been much more than 4 ounces each. I didn't bother cutting them in quarters. I cut out the backbone and spatchcocked them. I must say they had way more flavor than I was expecting.

Next time I would cut back on the saffron. I used at least half a teaspoon and that was a bit much.

I kept wondering why the dish had a sweet taste. It took me until the next day to remember that it had dates in it. I used three (one more than the recipe called for because I like them) and next time I would use two.

I used goose stock instead of chicken stock. And I might do that again. If I have it on hand.

I served the yogurt (homemade and very thick) on the side. My husband is a big fan of my yogurt and used twice as much as I did.

I undercooked one or two of the quail because I was afraid of cooking the bejesus out of them. Next time I'll be more careful. I think I would have liked to have put the dish in a low oven for a good braise. The quail were tougher than I would have liked and a braise would have helped.

So, here's how it went...

Assemble ingredients.

Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Use your hands to roughly break the vermicelli noodles into the hot oil. Stir vigorously, until the yellow threads deepen to golden brown.

Add the rice to the pan and stir so the grains are well coated with oil.

Add the spices and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and turn down the heat. Cook for 18 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the quail. Trim them of their necks and wing tips then split each bird in half down the backbone and neatly slice out the breastplate in the middle. Season lightly.

Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan, then drop in the quail pieces.

Turn them around quickly in the oil until they colour, then take them out of the pan and put them to one side while you make the sauce.

Put the leek, garlic, ginger and onions into the same pan and saute for a few minutes until the start to soften.

Add the spices and stock and stir everything together well.

Cover the pan and simmer gently until the pearl onions are tender and everything has deepened to a golden yellow.

Return the quail pieces to the pan with the tomato and dates and season with salt and pepper.

Bring the pan back to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the quail pieces have cooked through - it will only take a few minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice.

To serve, pile the rice onto a large serving platter and arrange the quail pieces on top. Spoon the sauce and vegetables over and around. Accompany with plenty of yoghurt.

[Dim Sim]

Kim D, that looks delicious, I just returned my copy back to the library I think I will get my own copy down the line, it is such a good book to have, I am sure I will keep going back to it in the future. I was wondering how the Maloufs are perceived in the US, are they well known for their middle eastern food writing ?

Here is what I made last week from the book , barazek, they are Mooooorish this one is for you, Shin.

By the way, how did your thinner batch go ?

[Shinboners]

Many cheers to Kim D for her photos of the dish. Wonderful, truly wonderful. I think I'll give the dish a go soon.

Here is what I made last week from the book , barazek, they are Mooooorish  this one is for you, Shin.

By the way, how did your thinner batch go ?

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Cheers for the pictures Dim Sim.

I did the thinner batch, but all you end up with is a drier biscuit. I don't think the crunchiness is worth the loss of the moistness.

Maybe it could be done with normal flour instead of self-raising. Or perhaps use semolina flour.

[rancho_gordo]

Of the other two books, do you have a preference? Thanks.

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I'd go for Arabesque ahead of Moorish.

I found them both at a bookstore online and thought, Who am I kidding? and bought them both! I like to pretend that I practice restraint. I have Saha on order with Amazon for $14 so it looks like I'm all set.

Thanks.

[Kim D]

Kim D, that looks delicious,  I just returned my copy back to the library   I think I will get my own copy down the line, it is such a good book to have, I am sure I will keep going back to it in the future. I was wondering how the Maloufs are perceived in the US, are they well known for their middle eastern food writing ?

Here is what I made last week from the book , barazek, they are Mooooorish  this one is for you, Shin.

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Thank you Dim Sim. And thank you Shinboners.

Do quail grow bigger in Australia? I can't remember ever seeing 7 ounce quail here in The States.

You ask how the Maloufs are perceived in the US. I never would have heard of them had it not been for this thread. Neither Arabesque nor Moorish are currently available on Amazon. It seems to me that Moorish cuisine has not made it to the mainstream here. Certainly it is not as popular as Thai or Indian. I imagine that it will be the next trend.

Last year, I bought the books listed below. I found them in London. I did not find them here.

A Taste of Morocco, Robert Carrier

Moro, Sam & Sam Clark

Casa Moro, Sam & Sam Clark

The Momo Cookbook, Mourad Mazouz

Perhaps this should be another thread. But I don't know enough about Moorish cuisine to start it myself.

- Kim

[rancho_gordo]

Last year, I bought the books listed below. I found them in London. I did not find them here.

A Taste of Morocco, Robert Carrier

Moro, Sam & Sam Clark

Casa Moro, Sam & Sam Clark

The Momo Cookbook, Mourad Mazouz

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I've bought the the last three easily enough in the US. My local bookshop in Napa has 2 copies of Moro right now. Casa Moro has to be one of my favorite books ever.

I was very excited to find the first 2 Malouf books online from a store in Florida but it turns out they just get them elsewhere and they're being shipped to me from Australia with an estimated shipping time of 21 days. Poo.