• SULibraries on October 18, 2025

  641.59292 A848 2022 (LOU)

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Wild thyme, sumac, and sesame mix (Za'atar)

  • EmilyR on April 22, 2022

    I even used hyssop. I think it could use a touch more salt, but paired it with meyer lemon olive oil and it was nice.

  • mjes on December 19, 2024

    This recipe is similar to the other za'atar recipes spread throughout my cookbooks. However, it sets itself apart by explaining the different plants that are used as the dried herb - thyme, oregano, hyssop, marjoram ... in a way that explained why I've not been able to replicate a specific small Turkish grocer's mix but been able to replicate my local spice shop's version. I made this with hyssop as per the recipe which is a simpler version than my usual thyme/oregano mix. I don't think this will replace all other recipes, but it will make a quick substitute.

• Seven-spice mix (Saba'a baharat)

  • EmilyR on April 21, 2022

    This is necessary for subsequent recipes in the book.

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    Loved this mix! Most of what’s on the book requires this

• Chile-spice mix (Khalta harra)

  • EmilyR on April 21, 2022

    Made as written. It is a nice spice mix that seems quite versatile.

• Spiced sweet and salty nut mix (Mukassarat)

  • EmilyR on April 22, 2022

    I used a mix of walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin seeds were most flavorful / heavily spiced.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 29, 2022

    These were not good. I’m unsure why they didn’t work. The directions were unclear about doneness. At the minimum time, the spices tasted burnt. With all these spices, they somehow tasted like nothing. They got dumped in the trash.

  • eclairea on November 11, 2025

    Liked it! But not sure I’d make it again. Nicely spiced, good snack.

• Zingy marinated olives (Zaytoon)

  • bookrabbit66 on January 11, 2026

    Easy recipe - prepped for upcoming library cookbook discussion

• Lemon-tahini sauce (Taratoor)

  • EmilyR on April 20, 2022

    This is different from hummus, but sort of like a hummus style sauce of sorts... which is to be expected considering it's mainly the same ingredients (save the chickpeas).

• Tangy garlic spread (Toum)

  • EmilyR on April 20, 2022

    I have attempted to make toum countless times and... it never quite works out. Even with a vitamix or the like, it never ends up being whipped or forming peaks of any kind. The flavor is good, but mine didn't look anything like the photo in the book or the other places I've had this.

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    i’ve never made toum successfully without using egg whites, and this was not an exception. I couldnt make it fluff up which sucks. i salvaged it by using egg whites from 2 medium sized eggs. Pretty standard toum.

• Saj bread (Khobz saj)

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    the dough was still very sticky even after some time on my stand mixer but i was like… whatever lol balled it up and made the bread. I did this with my daughter so i wasnt aiming for perfect discs here lol i def wish we couldve flattened them out more.

• Herby za'atar flatbreads (Mana'eesh)

  • kkmatti on August 09, 2023

    These were fun to make, but I felt that the bread was a little bland. I think the sourdough option might produce a better outcome. These do not keep well and by day #2 they weren't holding up as well as real pizza would. I made a few plain ones as well and I prefer my regular pita bread recipe to these.

• Crispy, spiced-meat flatbreads (Lahm bi ajeen)

  • mjes on December 19, 2024

    I first learned to make this from a Kurdish cook who called it lahmacun and used adjikah for the sauce, greatly simplifying the recipe. I like the versatility of this recipe as it allows me to make the flat bread for two family members with allergies. I made it with lamb and found the flavors to be well balanced. I'm not sure that the yogurt is necessary - we will certainly skip it.

• Tangy coconut-semolina cake (Namoura)

  • eclairea on November 17, 2025

    Nice cake, flavourful and aromatic! Perfect accompaniment for tea time :)

• Pistachio-cardamom sticky buns (Lafaa'if foustik)

  • CaptainPantsless on April 20, 2026

    At first I didn't think the dough was going to work. It didn't seem very lively, it was very wet, and it was extremely hard to get the gluten developed because so much fat is added so early on. However! The finished buns have an extremely fine, soft crumb. Absolutely beautiful. I wish there was a little better caramel coverage - i may increase the "goo" by 15% next time.

• Roasted red pepper-walnut spread (Muhammara)

  • eclairea on November 30, 2025

    So tasty! Juice of a full lemon really brightened it up, and it was lightning fast to whip up. Will enjoy having this to snack on!

• Beet-tahini spread (Mutabal shamandar)

  • ak_cali8 on November 30, 2025

    Good as is, even better with some feta on top

• Chard-tahini spread (Mutabal silik)

  • ak_cali8 on November 30, 2025

    The best dip I have ever had, such a flavorful way to get your greens in! I've made it at least three times and it comes out great every time

• Spicy garlic-smashed potatoes with spicy red pepper aioli (Batata harra)

  • eclairea on December 06, 2025

    Used Eric Kim’s method for smashed potatoes instead of deep-frying. Instead of full homemade aioli, started with kewpie and added the rest of the ingredients. Delish!!

• Savory bread pudding with short ribs and chickpeas (Fattet lahme wa hummus)

  • EmilyR on April 22, 2022

    I made and used the spice mixes in the book to incorporate into this and other recipes. Finding short ribs oddly proved challenging. I ended up finding "country ribs" that I then learned aren't ribs at all, but they still suited this recipe nicely and I didn't have to dig bones out of it. This takes a fair amount of prep work / planning and referential recipes, but was a nice meal.

• Spiced rice with fried vermicelli (Ruz Arabi)

  • SpatulaCity on November 11, 2025

    This was good and heavily spiced. Served alongside the lamb meatballs and it was a nice pairing.

• Onion-studded lentil and rice pilaf (Mujaddarra)

  • michalow on June 12, 2022

    This is a good, straightforward recipe for mujaddarra and it came together pretty quickly. I used only half the oil and didn't miss the rest. The spicing was nice and fairly mild -- I added a generous amount of black pepper but nothing more. Topped with some garlicky, minty yogurt, a bit of lemony arugula, and some cherry tomatoes, it made a delicious and satisfying meal. Potential pitfall is that the prep can dirty quite a lot of dishes, but if you read the recipe through first and strategize a bit, you can minimize the mess.

• Cracked green wheat and chicken porridge (Shorbat freekeh)

  • eclairea on February 22, 2026

    This was so comforting and hearty on a snowy afternoon! Perfect porridge for cold weather season.

• Chicken stuffed with spiced rice (D'jaj mahshi)

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    I loved how crispy the skin got and the rice goooood. I havent made rice in a pot for a while now so I was super careful but im glad with how it turned out. I didnt add ground meat anymore cuz we have people at home that dont eat beef but it still turned out pretty good.

• Sumac-spiced chicken wraps (Musakhan)

  • EmilyR on April 22, 2022

    This chicken was nice and while we made wraps according to the recipe, I found that it also paired nicely with the wheat berry fava bean dish that seemed it could use some more interesting elements.

  • SpatulaCity on November 11, 2025

    Very tasty! Loved how forgiving chicken thighs were. After 55 min in the oven they were over 200 degrees, yet were perfectly tender and delish! I only marinated the chicken for an hour before roasting and it was still great and I don’t see a need to go longer since you wind up shredding the chicken in all the juices anyway. Used flour tortillas and added a smear of Greek yogurt. Many other things would be just as tasty wrapped in here.

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    I did this quite differently and made burritos out of them! I used the toum, spiced rice and saj bread to come with it. The musakhan itself was pretty easy to put together and pretty tasty in itself! The recipe said 6 cups of onions = 2 whole onions and i honestly dont think it yielded that much. I even used pretty big ones. That being said, I think 2 big onions is fine, i put half to bake with the chicken and half to caramelize in the pan. It was nice. But as a burrito, it was great!

• Arab-spiced burger patties (Kafta)

  • kkmatti on August 09, 2023

    These were disappointing. I had imagined something that I could serve with pita bread and a yogurt sauce. They were more like dry meatloaf burgers. I won't make these again.

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    The meatballs were good with the tomato sauce but in itself, i found them dry and a bit too salty.

  • tacoquokka on February 10, 2026

    I make these using Impossible instead of beef or lamb, and the texture comes out perfectly and not dry. Would recommend using less salt than the recipe states.

• Meatballs in Arab-spiced tomato sauce (Kafta bil bandoura)

  • SpatulaCity on November 11, 2025

    Delicious! Used a 50/50 blend of ground lamb and beef. The warm, gentle spices in the sauce and meatballs are perfect against the lamb! Overall an easy dish to put together and loved by everyone! Served with the spiced rice from this book and it was a hit.

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    made this for the kids since i figured they’d pick this over rice. this was pretty good! i did adjust the seasoning on the sauce a bit cuz it turned out a bit bland for me but it was nice and easy dish to put together.

• Gazan clay pot shrimp (Zidbiyat gambari)

  • Ishie1013 on October 18, 2023

    Made this for a weeknight meal and it's really delicious! The mods I made (due to availability) were using two pounds of shrimp and one green bell pepper rather than two red ones. I used the Aleppo pepper. This came together quite quickly despite the 30-40 minute hands off cooking time. I used an immersion blender to get the sauce consistency so I didn't have to use another pan. I was concerned that using a whole bulb of fennel plus the fennel seeds would give it too licorice a flavor, but it really didn't. It was a lovely rich sauce throughout the shrimp that tasted even better the next day.

• Wheatberry-fava bean salad (Salatet amah wa ful akhdar)

  • EmilyR on April 21, 2022

    I used the wheat berries and fresh fava beans, which both have a lot of chewiness. I think this recipe could have benefited from a little more direction... the photo showed unshelled fava beans and there's the mention of later in the season they need boiled longer. Even so, I ended up shelling most of them, because it already felt like a very healthy fiber bomb of a meal. I think if I were to make this again, I would likely use bouillon or something to give more seasoning to the wheat berries. It's a beautiful dish, but could be rounded out with rotisserie chicken or something.

• Spiced rice tower, layered with caramelized veggies (Ma'louba)

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    sooooo i really wanna like this dish but :( it was my first time cooking basmati rice, idk if i cooked it wrong but it was still a bit too moist but if i cooked it any longer i feel like it’ll be mush so i just took it out. some of the veggies stuck to the bottom of my pan so it’s not as pretty as the cover pic. taste wise, its okay. it had soooo much eggplant flavor. i dont mind eggplant, but now i dont think i wanna eat eggplant for a while lol. idk if i just made it wrong but i did follow instructions to the T. this dish wasnt for me.

• Arab milk custard and strawberry compote (Mahalabiya)

  • dmdmdmmm on January 16, 2026

    It’s so prettyyy hehe sooo she referenced that it’s not much different from Maja Blanca, which is a filipino dessert but I disagree. Maja blanca is firm, like gelatin. This didnt set that way, its more like cream or like those pudding cups. I also found it a bit too sweet for me if just eaten as is. It reminds me of the rose water sugar syrup that came with the Gulab Jamun I get from my fave indian resto.The compote def helps balance that out and I like the texture contrast the pistachios give. It was ok. I’ll def lessen the sugar if i were to make this again

• Blossom-scented shortbread cookies (Ghraybe)

  • eclairea on November 26, 2025

    My shortbread-loving husband ate 5 of these in one sitting, so I’d say this recipe is a win!

• Damascus lemonade (Polo)

  • nutrica6 on June 20, 2024

    A nice twist on classic lemonade. I would cut back the orange blossom water just a bit next time, it was overpowering. 2 cups of mint seems like a lot, but I used less and wished I had added more! This is so refreshing out of a pitcher in the fridge. Yum!

• Hibiscus-rose cooler (Karkadeh)

  • eclairea on June 01, 2026

    Made half the recipe and it was the perfect amount for me and a girlfriend. Refreshing and sweet, I might even cut down the sugar by 25% next time. Very floral, so if you don’t like rose, this is not the drink for you!