Basmati Rice

This multi-layered dish is complex and time-consuming, and I don’t expect many people to attempt it. But it is very important in the Arab world, especially in Syria and Lebanon. And it is one of those recipes which bring me a flood of memories. I had received a letter from a woman I did not know in Beirut saying that she would like to meet me and that she had recipes for me. It was the late Josephine Salam. On our first meeting—at Claridge’s tearoom, where a band played Noël Coward tunes—she brought me a bottle of orange-blossom water and a copper pan. She volunteered to come to my house and show me how to make fattet jaj. I got the ingredients, and we made so much that we had to call in the neighbors to eat. I saw her for many years after that, and we had many meals together. It was the time of the civil war in Lebanon, and I received through her an ongoing account of everyday life in the ravaged city. Her daughter Rana has become a conceptual artist. For her thesis at the Royal College of Art in London, she asked me to give a lecture on the history of Middle Eastern food. She filled the college with hangings announcing the event, with my portrait painted on by a cinema-poster painter in Egypt. She laid out foods and spices as in a souk, put on a tape of Egyptian street sounds and music, and offered Arab delicacies.

I like to make this Lebanese salad with basmati rice, because the grains stay very separate.

A central part of every grand Arab feast is lamb—shoulder or leg—cooked à la cuillère (to such tenderness that you can eat it “with a spoon”), accompanied by rice with ground meat and nuts. This recipe comes from the caterer Nazira Bitar, who is the queen of wedding cakes all over the Arab world. She prepared a banquet in Stockholm that was hosted by the King of Jordan for King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia.

Roz bil shaghrieh is the everyday rice that accompanies stews, stuffed vegetables, and grills in Lebanon. People also eat it by itself with yogurt poured over. The short-grain rice from Egypt is the traditional rice used, but today basmati is preferred. Middle Eastern stores sell Italian “cut” vermicelli called filini and similar Turkish Şehriye, but otherwise you can buy vermicelli nests and break them in your hands into small 3/4-inch pieces.

The distinctive feature of this famous Arab fish and rice dish is the flavor of caramelized onions in the brown broth that suffuses the rice and colors it a pale brown. Use skinned fillets of white fish such as bream, turbot, haddock, or cod.

For this fresh-tasting soup, I blend the tomatoes to a cream in the food processor without peeling them and cook them only a little. The egg and lemon finish gives it a creamy texture. The rice should be cooked separately and added just before serving as it goes mushy if it stays too long in the soup. Spearmint is commonly used but you can use other types of mint.

This is a very green and appealing herby salad, also born as the leftover filling of vegetables cooked in oil. It is meant to be very sharp, but start with the juice of one lemon and add more, if you wish, after tasting.

Perdeli pilav means “veiled pilaf.” The veil is a pastry crust in the shape of a dome. It takes time and care, but if you like artistry and dramatic effects, it is very worth making. Much of it can be made in advance, but the last bit—encasing the chicken and rice in puff pastry—must be done as close as possible to serving.

Many of the dishes popular in the court kitchens in Constantinople during the Ottoman period spread throughout the empire. This pilaf is one of the classics that you find in all the cities that were once the outposts of the empire. It goes particularly well as an accompaniment to roast chicken and it also often forms a stuffing for the bird.

Sautéed chicken kebabs are more tender and juicy than the grilled ones on skewers, which are served in kebab houses. Accompany these with tomato pilaf and a Cucumber and Yogurt Salad (see page 156). The dark, wine-red spice called sumac (see page 7) lends a sharp lemony taste to the chicken

This is the basic recipe for the rice that accompanies grills and stews. Although long-grain rice is more commonly used, basmati is today preferred by gourmets. It is my preferred rice for pilaf. It has an appealing taste and aroma, and the grains stay light, fluffy, and separate. You can use water or stock. It is best to use real chicken stock, if possible, but stock made with bouillon cubes will do very well, too; use 1 1/2 cubes with 3 1/2 cups water.

Adas Polo
This is a delicious, nutritious dish that can be served as a vegetarian meal or accompanied by lamb, chicken or Miniature meatballs. In Shiraz, in southern Iran, it is traditionally cooked without raisins and dates, especially when accompanied by chicken or meat. However, the combination of green lentils, raisins and dates creates a very good vegetarian dish. It is a useful recipe as the ingredients are available all year round. It is not time-consuming to prepare and cook and the result is very rewarding.

This dish features aromatic ingredients used in Persian cuisine; barberries and tart cherries are both sweet and sour, the defining flavors of Persian foods. Find these ingredients at the ethnic food sellers listed in the Resources section (page 193), or substitute more dried apricots for the barberries and dried cranberries for the cherries. The dried rose petals give this dish its distinct floral taste and stunning appearance. Find them at gourmet and Middle Eastern food stores, or dry your own on a screen. Serve with Green Rice (page 190) and Cucumber Yogurt (page 184).

Pilafs may be served at everyday meals but are grand enough for entertaining as well. If you like, you could add a generous pinch of saffron threads to the rice just before you cover it and let it simmer. You could also use chicken stock instead of the 22 cup water.

If you think brown rice isn't for you, think again. In particular, think about brown basmati rice, whose slender grains offer an inviting combination of elegance and earthy chew. Now add in some chunks of zucchini, toasted pecans, lots of fresh herbs, and the mellowness of coriander (left over from Lamb Spice Rub ) and cumin, and you have a salad that's practically a meal.

All of the components of this healthful one-dish dinner are roasted in the same skillet: The rice goes in first, then the salmon and broccolini. And they're all flavored with a lime, honey, and cilantro sauce. If desired, serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

This dessert is fantastic served with ripe summer berries. To further refine it, try mixing the fruit with a little rosewater and sugar.

Chef Lynne Gigliotti adapted this Gourmet magazine recipe and added two ingredients often found in traditional versions: saffron for color and yogurt to make the tah-dig (which Gourmet defines as "the crunchy crust of rice on the bottom of the pot") extra crispy and flavorful. The tah-dig is the defining characteristic of Persian rice, a crisp, golden disk that is served atop the fragrant, steaming dish.

The color yellow symbolized joy for medieval Arabs, who were cultivating saffron in Spain by 960 c.e. Sephardic Jews were equally inspired by the coveted spice, and golden rice became a holiday and Sabbath tradition. This version, made with basmati rice, is punctuated by caramelized onion, currants, and fried almonds.