Grilled whole snapper with burghul salad (samak mechoui bi salatat burghul) recipe

Photo: samak mechoui bi salatat burghul recipe

Feed the family with crisp-skinned and flaky fleshed snapper grilled to perfection and served with burghul.
Serves: 4 | Preparation: 30min | Cooking: 20min | Skill level: Easy
 
By Chadi Ali 

Ingredients
 
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp white vinegar
80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
1.5 kg snapper, cleaned, flesh scored 3 times on each side
240 g (1½ cups) coarse burghul (see Note)
2 bunches rocket, stems trimmed, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 small lemons, juiced
2 tsp sumac (see Note) 

Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified. 

Instructions

Marinating time 30 minutes

Using a mortar and pestle, pound garlic with 1 tsp salt to a paste. Add cumin and paprika, and pound until just combined. Stir in vinegar and 2 tbs oil.

Rub spice mixture over snapper and inside cavity. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.

Meanwhile, place burghul in a heatproof bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover by 1 cm. Cover and stand for 20 minutes or until burghul is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Preheat barbecue to medium heat. Cook fish, with lid closed, for 10 minutes each side or until browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, add the rocket, tomatoes, onion, parsley, lemon juice, sumac and remaining 2 tbsp oil to burghul. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve fish with salad.

Notes

• Coarse burghul, available from select Middle Eastern food shops, has a larger grain than regular burghul (also known as bulgar to some Lebanese). Each grain is about half the size of a rice grain.
• Sumac, from supermarkets, is a tangy reddish-brown Middle Eastern spice often used in marinades, salads and dressings.

Photography Tom Donald (Location) & Brett Stevens (Food)

Adopted from Feast magazine 

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Grilled Fish
Layered Pomfret & Rice ( Kuwaiti style)
Saudi Dough with King Fish
Baked fish with pistachio and tahini recipe 
Egyptian-style fish with roasted vegetables 
Fish with Chickpeas and White Rice

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Chicken and Rice Recipe

Photo: Chicken and Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (2.7kg) whole chicken, skin removed and cut into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
300ml rapeseed oil
850g long grain rice, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
1.2 litres chicken stock
75g almonds, chopped
175ml rapeseed oil, divided
4 tablespoons pine nuts


Preparation:

Trim any fat off the chicken and wash with water. Place the chicken, onion, cinnamon sticks and carrots in a large saucepan; fill with water and boil until the chicken and carrots are done. Reserve the stock, chicken and carrots.

Remove bones from chicken. Warm 300ml rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place chicken and carrots in the pan; fry for 2 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together the rice, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt. Pour the rice mixture evenly across the top of the chicken without stirring into the chicken. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender, 20 to 35 minutes.

Heat 125ml rapeseed oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in chopped almonds and fry until golden. Remove almonds to kitchen towels and drain oil.

Heat 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in pine nuts and cook until golden. Drain oil and remove pine nuts to kitchen towels.

Over a large dish or tray, flip the rice pan upside down and release the contents onto the tray or dish. Arrange the almonds and pine nuts on top.

Adopted from Beirut Restaurants
 
More Recipes from the Hummus Blog:  

Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant
Middle eastern chicken
Cinnamon and rosewater rice pudding with pomegranate syrup 
Chocolate Mohallabiah
Ghorayeba"Shortbread Cookies"
Traditional arabic hot pudding with kiri
 
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Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

Photo:  Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

Serves6

Active time:40 min
Start to finish:1 3/4 hr

Adopted from Gourmet August 2009

One advantage to being married to a Lebanese man is that the food of his people is fantastic. I’ve never been able to perfectly replicate a single dish my mother-in-law makes until now: mahshi batinjaan, which my husband despises due to a lifelong aversion to eggplant. But ask yourself: How could he possibly resist this dish’s charm? Once you slice through the silky flesh to reveal a fragrantly seasoned lamb and rice stuffing, this deceptively simple one-dish dinner is absolutely luscious and satisfying. (Editors’ note: This recipe is solely the creation of Melissa Roberts and has not been formally tested by the test kitchen.)

Watch the Test Kitchen Challenge video that features this recipe.

6 (5- to 6-inch long) bambino (also called Baby Bell) eggplants (about 6 oz each)
1/2 cup long-grain or jasmine rice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14 1/2-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
3/4 lb ground lamb or beef chuck (not lean)
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped flat-lef parsley

Hollow out each eggplant with a melon-ball cutter, working from bottom end and leaving about 1/3 inch eggplant flesh along interior walls.

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry pine nuts, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup onion mixture to bowl with pine nuts. Add stock, tomatoes, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to skillet and simmer, uncovered, while stuffing eggplant.
Add rice, meat, allspice, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper to bowl with onion mixture and mix well with your hands.

Stuff eggplant with meat mixture, being careful not to pack tightly (rice will expand during cooking). Transfer stuffed eggplants to skillet with tomato sauce and simmer, covered, carefully turning once, until rice is cooked through, 50 minutes to 1 hour (cut 1 in half to test).

If sauce is watery, transfer eggplant to a plate and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes, then adjust seasoning if necessary. Return stuffed eggplant to sauce. Squeeze lemon over dish and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Recipe by Melissa Roberts
Photograph by Stephanie Foley

More Recipes from the Hummus Blog:  

Middle eastern chicken
Cinnamon and rosewater rice pudding with pomegranate syrup
Chocolate Mohallabiah
Ghorayeba"Shortbread Cookies"
Traditional arabic hot pudding with kiri
Colored Pudding

Save and share  Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

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Middle eastern chicken Recipe

Photo: Middle eastern chicken Recipe

Time: 30 mins - 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4
Special options: Nut-free, Kid-friendly

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
310 g (11 oz) tin chickpeas, drained
75 g (2 1/2 oz/ 1/2 cup) unsalted pistachio kernels
1 tomato, chopped
juice of 1 orange
1 medium handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oil and swirl to coat the side of the wok. Add the chicken in batches and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes, or until cooked. Remove from the wok and keep warm.

2. Add the remaining oil to the wok and stir-fry the onion for 2 minutes, then add the chickpeas, pistachio kernels and tomato. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes, or until the chickpeas are warmed through.

3. Pour in the orange juice, return the chicken and its juices to the wok and stir-fry until half the juice has evaporated. Stir through the parsley. Season well and serve (couscous is the ideal accompaniment).

A recipe from the Good Food collection.

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Cinnamon and rosewater rice pudding with pomegranate syrup
Chocolate Mohallabiah
Ghorayeba"Shortbread Cookies"
Traditional arabic hot pudding with kiri
Colored Pudding
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Save and share Middle eastern chicken Recipe

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