Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – It is time to change from monotony to an exciting variety at Iftar time. For the millions of expatriates living in the Kingdom, we bring a widespread mixture of multi-cuisine for you to choose from. From Maghreb we bring you Cous Cous made of (numerous tiny granules made from) steamed durum wheat. It is a better alternate to pasta and is traditionally served with a meat, chicken or vegetable stew. We take a tour of the streets of Delhi and Lahore to and see what is cooking up for Ramadan, and our master chefs give you a taste of the popular street food snacks. Taboulleh is a famous dish you see in every traditional mezze and is easily a Lebanese favorite. So go ahead and indulge in a healthy multi-faceted cuisine. Vegetarian Couscous Vegetable stock ingredients Onion: 50 g Garlic: 25 g Carrot: 70 g Leek: 70 g Celery: 70 g Bay leaves: 2 leaves Corn oil: 25 ml Water: 1.5 l Procedure Prepare all the vegetables into small diced pieces. In a hot pan, add corn oil. Sauté vegetables for five minutes. Pour in water and simmer for 30 minutes. Couscous ingredients Mixed bell pepper (yellow, red and green, diced into small pieces): 15 g each Spring onion (finely chopped): 10 g Coriander (finely chopped): 5 g Cumin powder: 2 g Couscous: 300 g Olive Oil: 20 ml Procedure In a hot pan with olive oil, sauté the vegetables all together. Add in the couscous and the cumin powder and sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour in the boiled vegetable stock. Remove from fire / heat. Cover for 15 minutes to 20 minutes until cooked. Served hot with any tagine. (Recipe from chefs at Ritz Carlton, JBR) Sev Poori Chaat Ingredients Sev: ½ cup Papdi: 24 each White: Radish ¼ cup Potato: ½ cup Cucumber: ¼ Cup Lemon Juice: 1 Tbsp. Mint Fresh: ½ Cup Coriander Fresh: 2 Tsp. Tamarind: ½ Cup Raw Mango: 2 Tbsp. Green Chili: 1 Tsp. Yoghurt: 1 Cup Jaggery: ½ Cup Chaat Masala: ½ Tbsp. Black Salt: ½ Tbsp. Red Chili: ½ Tbsp. Asafotida: 1 Tsp. Dates: 1/2 Cup Ginger: 1 Tsp. Preparation Method For Tamarind Chutney, in a clean pan cook the jaggery, dates, tamarind pulp together until thick. Temper it with asafotida and chili powder. Keep aside. For Mint chutney, in a blender put mint, green chili, radish, mango and ginger. Blend it to a smooth paste. Keep aside. Now arrange Papdi on a serving plate then sprinkles some potatoes, leftover raw mango, cucumber and little green chili. Now top up the Papdi with fresh mint chutney, tamarind chutney, sprinkle some chaat masala, red chili powder, black salt and lemon juice. Last put in a nice heap spoonful of beaten yoghurt, and sprinkle a good amount of fine Sev on top of it. Serve Immediately. (Recipe by Chef Akshay Nayyar) Tabbouleh Ingredients Hydrated bulgur wheat (you can use couscous instead): 2 cups Chopped fresh parsley: 1/2 cup Vine-ripened tomato: 1 large Red onion: 1 Small Fresh mint leaves Lemon juice: 2 tbsp Olive oil: 2 tbsp Preparation Place burghul with cold water in a bowl for an hour until softened. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, pressing down with the back of a spoon to drain excess moisture. Slice parsley and mint in thin shreds and keep in a large bowl with burghul and tomato. Add onions, salt and pepper to taste and toss to mix. Then pour in lemon juice and olive oil.
