Sultan's Kitchen

[Tunisia216 2]

:thumbs:

One of our favorites!!! And lately Jihed has taking to dumping maple syrup on top LOL Like it needed more sugar

And it tastes really good if you want to put raisins in instead of dates

TUNEZIAN FARKA

A breakfast pasta from North Africa!

INGREDIENTS:

•2 2/3 cups couscous (about 1 pound)

•2 2/3 cups water

•1/2 cup sugar

•1/4 cup vegetable oil

•1 1/2 cups chopped toasted mixed nuts (such as walnuts, blanched almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and pine nuts)

•1 8-ounce box pitted dates, cut into pieces

•2 cups milk, hot

•Additional sugar

PREPARATION:

•Place couscous in large bowl. Bring 2 2/3 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar and oil to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour mixture over couscous and stir until well blended. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with fork to separate grains. Mix nuts and dates into couscous.

•Transfer couscous to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cool. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 4 hours

ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) •Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake couscous until heated through, about 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls.

Serve, passing hot milk and additional sugar separately.

SERVES 8

[Henia 11]

Have you had it with dried apricots? Mmmm

[Nothing1234 2]

I wish Hazem liked sweets! LOL He is a total salty food lover...GRRR! I need sweets sometimes!!

:thumbs:

One of our favorites!!! And lately Jihed has taking to dumping maple syrup on top LOL Like it needed more sugar

And it tastes really good if you want to put raisins in instead of dates

TUNEZIAN FARKA

A breakfast pasta from North Africa!

INGREDIENTS:

•2 2/3 cups couscous (about 1 pound)

•2 2/3 cups water

•1/2 cup sugar

•1/4 cup vegetable oil

•1 1/2 cups chopped toasted mixed nuts (such as walnuts, blanched almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and pine nuts)

•1 8-ounce box pitted dates, cut into pieces

•2 cups milk, hot

•Additional sugar

PREPARATION:

•Place couscous in large bowl. Bring 2 2/3 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar and oil to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour mixture over couscous and stir until well blended. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with fork to separate grains. Mix nuts and dates into couscous.

•Transfer couscous to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cool. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 4 hours

ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) •Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake couscous until heated through, about 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls.

Serve, passing hot milk and additional sugar separately.

SERVES 8

[Tunisia216 2]

Uhhhhh just sometimes??? It's okay, drop the sweets and say it allowed with me Nawal.... We are total sugar-o-holics!!

I wish Hazem liked sweets! LOL He is a total salty food lover...GRRR! I need sweets sometimes!!

:thumbs:

One of our favorites!!! And lately Jihed has taking to dumping maple syrup on top LOL Like it needed more sugar

And it tastes really good if you want to put raisins in instead of dates

TUNEZIAN FARKA

A breakfast pasta from North Africa!

INGREDIENTS:

•2 2/3 cups couscous (about 1 pound)

•2 2/3 cups water

•1/2 cup sugar

•1/4 cup vegetable oil

•1 1/2 cups chopped toasted mixed nuts (such as walnuts, blanched almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and pine nuts)

•1 8-ounce box pitted dates, cut into pieces

•2 cups milk, hot

•Additional sugar

PREPARATION:

•Place couscous in large bowl. Bring 2 2/3 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar and oil to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour mixture over couscous and stir until well blended. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with fork to separate grains. Mix nuts and dates into couscous.

•Transfer couscous to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cool. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 4 hours

ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) •Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake couscous until heated through, about 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls.

Serve, passing hot milk and additional sugar separately.

SERVES 8

[Henia 11]

Nawal: My husband has this thing for snacks ... any thing to snack on in front of the TV at night! LOL I brought bags and bags of chips from the US when I was visiting him --->they would be gone within a day! LOL! And now with no "good" chips around to buy here ... he makes his late night "munchie" runs to buy nuts, Nutella, canned pineapple and yoghurt/pudding LOLOL!

[tanyakaraman 0]

First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes!

I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either.

Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution?

My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tanya

[Tunisia216 2]

Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded.

I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you

First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes!

I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either.

Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution?

My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tanya

[tanyakaraman 0]

Haha...I bet we do the same commute...I live a little southward too (Smyrna) and work in Wilmington on 202. Thats funny.

I just mapquested Lasani's & I am headed there right after work today! I have been going to Abe's market on 896 in in Glasgow/Newark, which is a Turkish market/restaurant, and there is an Egyptian butcher/market in Dover on Loockerman street. It's so hard to find Middle Eastern groceries around here! I have been googling all morning LOL.

Thank you *so much* for your reply & it's great to meet you too!!

Tanya

Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded.

I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you

First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes!

I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either.

Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution?

My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tanya

[Henia 11]

I believe you can use ricotta cheese as sub for Nabulis cheese and add some nigella seeds in it for the "look" but it will tast different ... but still good!

BTW you and your man are cute together! Good luck with your petitions!

[Tunisia216 2]

OMG I grew up in Smyrna... Went to highschool there, my family all lives there and I am there every weekend!

LOL And for a long time I made that same commute - Smyrna to Wilmington, but now it's Middletown to Wilmington - Small World ! I spend a lot of time though on 202/ Concord Pike.

I didn't know about the Egyptian Market in Dover.... That's new for me, but I would recommend that you go to Lasani's and check out what he has.. He's always getting new things in and sometimes you might get lucky!! Just a tip, as you are going there, you make the right (or left turn, depending on which direction you are going) and you are almost going to miss Lasani's - there is no big sign, but you will see a big red "Family Dollar" sign and he's right next to them in the same little shopping center.. Between the Family Dollar and a little redneck bar If you see Pat's Pizza you went too far down the road, turn around, go back and look for it on your right!

Lasani's

Abdul Chaudhary

Indo-Pak & Middle Eastern

18 Marrows Road

Newark DE 19713

Phone: (302) 738-4910

Also check this website : http://www.isdonline.org/

It's for the mosque in Delaware (one of them) and it has a Community Links area on the side where you can look for food, clothing, schools, all kinds of things and they update it alot.

The other store I was talking about is called Halal Meats and Royal Market.. It's on Kirkwood Highway, just outside of Elsmere, across from Panera Bread. Again they do a lot of Indian/Pakistani but he has a large refrigerated section that you might score some things in. The guy there isn't really knowledgeable about what he's selling though, so it might be easier to take your husband in so he can poke around.. That's what I had to do.

Now I'm going to have to get to Dover and check out the Egyptian market on Lockerman (if I can find a place to park I hate that street! )

There are a lot of places in Philly, other parts of PA, and Falls Church, VA that are going to carry more of what you want. So if you really have no luck and are up for a hike like that, let me know and I will get you information!!

Good luck on the great cheese hunt!

Haha...I bet we do the same commute...I live a little southward too (Smyrna) and work in Wilmington on 202. Thats funny.

I just mapquested Lasani's & I am headed there right after work today! I have been going to Abe's market on 896 in in Glasgow/Newark, which is a Turkish market/restaurant, and there is an Egyptian butcher/market in Dover on Loockerman street. It's so hard to find Middle Eastern groceries around here! I have been googling all morning LOL.

Thank you *so much* for your reply & it's great to meet you too!!

Tanya

Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded.

I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you

First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes!

I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either.

Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution?

My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tanya

[tanyakaraman 0]

Wow, we are leading parallel lives! I grew up in Middletown and my family still lives there etc.

Now that you mention the Dollar Store and the redneck bar, I know exactly where Lasani's is! I can picture the shopping center in my head LOL...guess that says a thing or 2 about me

Also good to know there is another halal meat place. Up until now, the butcher in Dover (I believe it's called Sameera?) is the only place in DE we have been able to find lamb...

When my husband first came here, we were driving 3+ hours up to Pederson, NJ to do our grocery shopping! There is a whole middle eastern section of town there complete with markets, butchers, restaurants, barbers, the whole works! Its really awesome but that drive sure got old fast. We'd pack the kids in the car and make a day of it...told them we were going to "little Turkey" LoL

Anyways, thanks a bunch & I'll give you an update tomorrow on how the great DE cheese hunt goes

OMG I grew up in Smyrna... Went to highschool there, my family all lives there and I am there every weekend!

LOL And for a long time I made that same commute - Smyrna to Wilmington, but now it's Middletown to Wilmington - Small World ! I spend a lot of time though on 202/ Concord Pike.

I didn't know about the Egyptian Market in Dover.... That's new for me, but I would recommend that you go to Lasani's and check out what he has.. He's always getting new things in and sometimes you might get lucky!! Just a tip, as you are going there, you make the right (or left turn, depending on which direction you are going) and you are almost going to miss Lasani's - there is no big sign, but you will see a big red "Family Dollar" sign and he's right next to them in the same little shopping center.. Between the Family Dollar and a little redneck bar If you see Pat's Pizza you went too far down the road, turn around, go back and look for it on your right!

Lasani's

Abdul Chaudhary

Indo-Pak & Middle Eastern

18 Marrows Road

Newark DE 19713

Phone: (302) 738-4910

Also check this website : http://www.isdonline.org/

It's for the mosque in Delaware (one of them) and it has a Community Links area on the side where you can look for food, clothing, schools, all kinds of things and they update it alot.

The other store I was talking about is called Halal Meats and Royal Market.. It's on Kirkwood Highway, just outside of Elsmere, across from Panera Bread. Again they do a lot of Indian/Pakistani but he has a large refrigerated section that you might score some things in. The guy there isn't really knowledgeable about what he's selling though, so it might be easier to take your husband in so he can poke around.. That's what I had to do.

Now I'm going to have to get to Dover and check out the Egyptian market on Lockerman (if I can find a place to park I hate that street! )

There are a lot of places in Philly, other parts of PA, and Falls Church, VA that are going to carry more of what you want. So if you really have no luck and are up for a hike like that, let me know and I will get you information!!

Good luck on the great cheese hunt!

Haha...I bet we do the same commute...I live a little southward too (Smyrna) and work in Wilmington on 202. Thats funny.

I just mapquested Lasani's & I am headed there right after work today! I have been going to Abe's market on 896 in in Glasgow/Newark, which is a Turkish market/restaurant, and there is an Egyptian butcher/market in Dover on Loockerman street. It's so hard to find Middle Eastern groceries around here! I have been googling all morning LOL.

Thank you *so much* for your reply & it's great to meet you too!!

Tanya

Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded.

I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you

First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes!

I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either.

Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution?

My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tanya

[tanyakaraman 0]

Thanks so much! If my quest for Nabulsi is unsuccessful, I'll try it with the ricotta...we'll see if he can tell the difference

Tanya

I believe you can use ricotta cheese as sub for Nabulis cheese and add some nigella seeds in it for the "look" but it will tast different ... but still good!

BTW you and your man are cute together! Good luck with your petitions!

[Henia 11]

But if you want that salty taste, just use feta!

[Tunisia216 2]

How is that going? I'm not sure how long your hubby has been here.. I thought about moving back to Smyrna to be closer to family, but I don't know... a town like Smyrna..... my arab husband named Jihed..... What do you think? Not that Middletown has been a lot better... Certainly hard to find work around here for him.

Pederson, NJ? Did you mean Paterson, NJ? We were talking about that just yesterday in another MENA thread! I love me some Paterson!! You are right.. It's totally "Little Turkey" or "Little Syria " or Little Egypt or Little Morocco.. Very heavy populations there and you can get anything you could get in a MENA country.

Can't wait to hear your update! I'm hoping that you can find it somewhere in Delaware.. Would certainly save a 2 hour or more drive to Paterson!! *fingers crossed for you*

Wow, we are leading parallel lives! I grew up in Middletown and my family still lives there etc.

Now that you mention the Dollar Store and the redneck bar, I know exactly where Lasani's is! I can picture the shopping center in my head LOL...guess that says a thing or 2 about me

Also good to know there is another halal meat place. Up until now, the butcher in Dover (I believe it's called Sameera?) is the only place in DE we have been able to find lamb...

When my husband first came here, we were driving 3+ hours up to Pederson, NJ to do our grocery shopping! There is a whole middle eastern section of town there complete with markets, butchers, restaurants, barbers, the whole works! Its really awesome but that drive sure got old fast. We'd pack the kids in the car and make a day of it...told them we were going to "little Turkey" LoL

Anyways, thanks a bunch & I'll give you an update tomorrow on how the great DE cheese hunt goes

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

One of my favorites!! Musakhkhan....This is a Palestinian dish...that I have seen prepared in varied ways...layering several layers or one single one...depends on the amount of people you are cooking for. You eat it with your hands...DIG IN! LOL SO Yummy

Musakhkhan

Yield: Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1-One cut up chicken into six pieces, or a combination of chicken legs and breasts. Or if you prefer just breasts of chicken...your choice. (Approx. 3 pounds)

2-One cup virgin Olive Oil

3-One pound or a bit more of large diced onions

4-Fried pine nuts for garnishing

5-One table spoon ground cardamom

6-Two table spoons Sumac

7-Salt and pepper to taste

8-Flat sheet bread, marquq or Taboon bread.

1. Cut the chicken into up into two breasts, two thighs, two legs, and two wings. Prepare it for cooking by washing, cleaning and drying. I add a little bit of lemon juice and olive oil to the chicken.

2. Sauté one medium diced onion, add the chicken, enough water to cover the chicken, cardamom, salt and pepper and boil over high heat and then let simmer until the chicken is done. I like it practically falling off the bone (if you use boned meat).

3. Add 1 cup olive oil to a casserole and cook the rest of the diced onions until translucent, this takes about 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sumac and cook for 2 minutes to mix. Do not over cook the onions, you do not want them burnt and you do not want them mushy.

4. While cooking the rest of the onions. Preheat the oven to 350F, remove the chicken from the pot, bake until golden brown.

5. Fry the pine nuts to a golden brown color. Make sure to watch them frying, they tend to burn quickly.

6. Cut up the bread or use it whole, and assemble in the serving platter. Add the first layer of the onion mix on top of the bread, add pine nuts. Repeat with another layer of bread, onions and pine nuts. It is up to you if you want to have one layer of bread and onions; I like to have two layers because the bread I use is very thin. At this point, add about half a cup of chicken stock if you feel that the bread is too dry.

7. Arrange the baked chicken on top and garnish with pine nuts. (A serving of bread, onions and pine nuts with each serving of chicken)

Toppings for each serving: Yogurt

Now this is the real deal !!!