Notes about Recipes in this book

• Salmon, tamarind & aubergine curry (Auntie Dalia's mutahfy)

  • lkgrover on April 21, 2024

    Excellent curry, with my changes. I used 1/3 cup tamarind paste. I think there is an error in the amount of oil used to cook the onions; I reduced to 3 tablespoons. But then I increased the oil for cooking the eggplants -- started with 1/2 cup as instructed, but added several tablespoons (multiple times) while cooking.

• Mutrah Corniche chutney burger

  • jenburkholder on January 30, 2026

    Tasty veggie burger. I wouldn’t feel wedded to the (unexciting) chutney, but the burger itself is make-again worthy.

• Apricot & dried lime ice cream (Mishmish ice cream)

  • Anea25 on August 06, 2024

    I had high expectations for this one, but it ended up missing flavour (maybe because the apricots weren't the best.

• Dhofari beef in a sweet milk stew (Ma'ajeen)

  • lkgrover on September 16, 2024

    This beef & spinach stew is absolutely delicious; one of my favorite recipes of 2024. I reduced the caster sugar by 50%. Served with basmati rice.

• Sweet cardamon saffron vermicelli with an omelette (Sewiyya, Tambi, or Balaleet)

  • lkgrover on August 31, 2024

    Delicious. The pasta is slightly sweet, and blends well with the savory eggs for a unique breakfast. My pasta cooked more quickly than the suggested time; requires monitoring the pan closely. I substituted peanuts for the optional cashews.

• Creamed coconut spinach (Mchicha)

  • alysekstokes on April 10, 2025

    Absolutely delicious! So indulgent but not too rich or heavy.

• Dill & kidney bean rice

  • alysekstokes on April 10, 2025

    A lovely pilaf with fresh, light flavors. I would increase the amount of beans next time for a more filling dish.

• Coconut rice pancakes (Chila)

  • jenburkholder on March 06, 2024

    Very enjoyable and simple to make. I cut back the sugar just a tad, and could have stood to cut it back slightly further. Lovely with toppings (sweet or savory) or just with a smear of butter, how we ate most of them.

• Spinach & coconut shakshuka

  • lkgrover on September 14, 2024

    Excellent vegetarian shakshuka, which I enjoyed for breakfast. I included the optional black olives; couldn't find the (optional) pomegranate.

• Pomegranate & honey beef short ribs

  • lkgrover on February 09, 2026

    I followed the instructions closely, which resulted in overcooked beef & burnt onions after 2 hours in the oven. Perhaps reduce browning the short ribs to 4-5 minutes on each side?

• Za'atar & garlic focaccia

  • andrea_2pu6kl on May 25, 2026

    Makes a beautiful focaccia-like bread with a crisp exterior and tender interior. The coconut milk gives it a light sweetness and richness, which is a lovely contrast with the garlic and zaatar. I did put one tbsp of zaatar in the dough during the mixing process and then only used 1 tbsp on top, along with some smashed up garlic confit. This is the best "quick" focaccia I've ever made, will definitely make again!

• Dina's famous brownies

  • Babycarrot on February 08, 2026

    Interesting recipe and I really loved the addition of the cardamom. She says you can use either vanilla or cardamom but I used both cardamom and vanilla bean paste. It’s a short bake at a high temp (400 degrees for around 23 min). This brownie recipe does call for use of a stand mixer (in order to beat the 3 eggs, sugars, vanilla, cardamom). You also start by melting the butter on the stove and using that butter to melt some of the chocolate and cocoa powder. This was also the first time I used the pan-banging method for brownies which she calls for in the recipe. I baked this in an 9in cake pan and I didn’t have an 8 in sq.