Musakhan – مسخن

Musakhan is a traditional Palestinian dish made in villages in outdoor ovens. It’s a large, toasty bread, smothered with onions and sumac and topped with chicken. It’s still a popular dish in every household throughout Palestine. Here in Seattle, replicating this dish is tricky because we don’t have the outdoor ovens to make the fresh taboon (bread). BUT, we do have access to naan, which is similar, and even more recently taboon can be found at some Arabic stores. If you are out looking for the bread, it is also called tanour.

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Fasoolia bil Zeit – فاصوليا بالزيت

Fasoolia bil zeit is sauteed green beans, onions, and tomatoes infused with olive oil. Fresh and light, it’s a fantastic, colorful,
vegetarian side dish.

Balooza – بالوزه

Balooza is a mouth watering dessert. In Palestine there are street vendors who sell it during spring and summer, and families flock to enjoy this sweet treat in the evenings. It’s a light and healthy dessert, made from milk infused with orange blossom water and topped with honey or home made syrup and garnished with pistachios or any favorite nuts.

Mansaf Freekeh – منسف فريكه

Freekeh is fire roasted, young, green wheat, it’s often cooked like rice or in a soup. Freekeh is one of the traditional favorite foods in Palestine. It’s an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It has an earthy, delicious flavor. Mansaf freekeh is cooked freekeh topped with your favorite meat and toasted almonds.

Betinjan Maqli – باذنجان مقلي

Betinjan maqli, or fried eggplant, is an easy, delicious, side dish of fried eggplant topped with parsley, garlic, and a hint of sumac. When preparing this dish I always double the amount of eggplant for my eggplant lovers; we never have leftovers!

Basbousa – بسبوسة

We wanted to post our first dessert today. The sunshine inspired us to have something sweet, and this is a very simple recipe, great for a Friday night! This is is also the first dessert that Rania learned to make. Basbousa (also called hareesa) is a baked dessert made of farina, topped with slivered almonds, and drizzled with a simple syrup called qatr.

Fatayer Sabanekh – فطاير السبانخ

Fatayer Sabanekh are triangle-shaped, golden pastries filled with fresh cut spinach, onions, and spices. This is one of our favorite spring recipes. Spinach season in Palestine starts in the early spring and runs through late summer, so eating these always reminds us of nicer weather – something we are really missing right now in Seattle. The neat, little triangles are a great addition to any party spread, and also make great appetizers.

Mejadara – مجدره

Mejadara is a filling, rich, rice and lentil dish, topped with caramelized onions, served with yogurt and/or salad. It’s a gluten free meal, and a great source of protein. Mejadara is well known all over the middle east and there are many different recipes. This is the one from my home town, Hebron (الخليل).

Tabbouleh – تبولة‎

Tabbouleh is a great spring salad with a bright and zingy lemon flavor. Healthy and light, this is a staple at our spring and summer family get togethers. Traditionally, the prep time could be quite a commitment, but thanks to the food processor, this is a pretty easy salad to prepare! 

Bamia – بامية

Bamia, or okra, is the main ingredient in this tasty spring stew, and served over rice. It can be made with meat or vegetarian. Even if you think you know okra, give this recipe a chance! Prepared this way, there isn’t the “slime” factor that okra is notorious for. Okra also has a myriad of health benefits. The superior fiber in okra stabilizes blood sugar, has an abundance of vitamins A and C, and contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and folic acid. I ate a ton of this while I was pregnant, and now my little one loves bamia, too!