Ramadan Man’ousheh Mini Bites {Recipe}

May 26, 2018June 3, 2018 | acraftyarab

Ramadan is a good time to adjust the quantities of the different foods one consumes. I remember in Libya, we would start our iftar, إفطار in Arabic, with a warm soup, add salads, proteins and very few carbs. Iftar is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

For our carbs, we used to have quartered pita bread, but after we moved to America, my mother substituted crescent rolls to our meals. They were small and were excellent in soaking up the last of the soup juices.

While visiting Egypt a few years ago, I was introduced to man’ousheh, مناقيش in Arabic, a dough dish that had spices and sometimes cheese added. The spices were called za’atar, زعتر in Arabic, and the cheese varied in type, depending on the region.

I have loved the dish ever since and have found a local restaurant that does a good job of duplicating it. Lucky for my, they are not close to my house or I would eat there every day.

I wanted to introduce this dish to my daughters. I thought it might be fun to combine my mom’s love of crescent rolls with my new love of man’ousheh for either a supplement to an iftar meal or even to have on hand for a suhur quick bite. Suhur, سحور‎ in Arabic, is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting.

Supplies

Cheese (I used akawi)
Crescent rolls
Za’atar
Olive Oil

Lay out a crescent roll single triangle on a plate and cover it generously with the olive oil. Sprinkle the za’atar and add a strip of cheese at the end.

Roll the crescent roll, just as instructed on the of the package.

However, you’ll notice that you are not able to create the crescent shape due to the cheese. If you have your heart set on the Ramadan crescent moon shape, just cut up your cheese into smaller pieces. But whether you keep the cheese one piece or many, make sure to seal the sides to hold it in.

Bake the rolls, according to the instructions on the package.

Once they came out, I was excited to see only one side popped open, but the rest looked really good. They smell even better.

I can’t wait till my kids crack one open and see the surprise, cheese filling.

If you enjoyed checking out this recipe, stop by these other yummy treats

Sandwich Swap Hummus {Recipe}

Eid Sprinkle Marshmallow Pops {Recipe}

Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest to see more recipes.

Honey and Date Bee Cake {Recipe} plus Aishah Learns to Bake {Book Review}

May 1, 2018July 29, 2018 | acraftyarab

I was recently sent the book Aishah Learns to Bake by author Latifah Peerbux,‎ and illustrator Nurul Ruqaiyah Ahmad Maliki, from Almaurid Books.

This adorable book is about a little girl name Aishah who helps her mum make a cake. They start to play a guessing game, where her mum gives her hints of ingredients they’ll need. She explains how Allah (God in Arabic) made each one, from the bees that give us honey to the dates we eat during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. Along the way, there are silly illustrations of a cow standing on top of a cake and clocks that move way, way toooooo slow across the page.

Once all the ingredients are mixed, Aishah learns how things are baked. When her father comes home, she is able to share with him all steps and reminded him to say Bismillah an Arabic phrase that means ‘in the name of God, before he tried a bite. The book includes a recipe and instruction on making honey and date cupcakes.

We got all the ingredients together this weekend and tried our hand at turning the cupcakes into the cake that the cow is standing on. We had to go to two different stores to find caster sugar, as it’s not a common item in our local community, but everything else we had a home. My middle daughter also wanted to try her hand at fondant, so she tried a bee outer shell. A full list of ingredients and measurements are in the book.

Since this book was written in the United Kingdom, some of the measurements were written in metric, so we had to figure out how many dates we needed to pit (3 ounces). We spent some time looking at metric conversion charts and the history of the metric system, which is very different than the customary units we use in the United States.

After we had gathered everything, we placed the pit less dates in the food processor for a few minutes.

We added the dates and 3 tablespoons of water in a pot and placed it on the stove, till boil. This allowed it to become a paste before we set it aside to cool.

While the dates were cooling, we made the cake batter and the fondant mixture. Tip: We made them in separate bowls but at the same time because they shared a few dry ingredients. Just make sure to keep them apart!

We baked the cake batter into two pans. Tip: Inserting a toothpick when you pull it out tells you if the middle is baked. If the toothpick is dry, the cake is done, if the toothpick is wet, place the cake back in the oven for a few more minutes.

While the cake was baking and cooling, we divided the fondant batter into two batches. We added the yellow food coloring to one and the black to the second. We used the same toothpick to help control how much to add. And have a few sillies of our own while baking.

To be honest, the black ended up more of a grey, but that’s okay. We set them aside to work on layering our cakes.

We added a layer of the date paste to the bottom cake but didn’t spread it to the edges, leaving an outer circle.

In a side bowl, we mixed the honey buttercream icing and added it to the outer circle before adding the second cake layer. We spread the extra around the edges before adding the fondant.

We flatten the two balls of fondant and laid the yellow over the whole cake. Tip: It is easier to place on the cake to cut, rather than try to cut it flat. We then cut the black into strips.

We added a little extra black to fit around the edges. This is a great time to sneak in a lesson in math and angles.

My daughter rolled up a little extra ball, turned it into a cone shape and added it for a stinger.

The true test came in the taste and it got a thumbs up from all of us, even the little five year old boy my oldest happen to be babysitting. He not only finished it all, he wanted to know if it was okay to have a second piece since “it healthy.” (I said no, but sent an extra piece with his mom when she came to pick him up)

I am so excited to try this book out at my next story time with the kids at the library since my own youngest enjoyed the story and the cake.

Be sure to check out the book Aishah Learns to Bake from Almaurid Books or ask for it a your local bookstore, library or Amazon. Stop by to visit the activity kit too!

Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest for more of our adventures in the kitchen or the Education Resource page for hundreds of books for Muslim children.

Saudi Arabia Creamy Tomato and Chickpea Soup {Recipe}

November 30, 2017February 11, 2018 | acraftyarab

I was sent the cookbook The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Middle Eastern Cooking by Habeeb Salloum from Tuttle Publishing.

It focuses primary on recipes in the Arab Gulf region and has to be one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve seen in a long time.

I was pressed for time this week to look for dinner options for our Mawlid al Nabi celebration tonight and took the cookbook with me on the bus to work. Mawlid al Nabi commemorates the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), in Saudi Arabia. This annual Islamic holiday is celebrated by many Muslims around the world.}

On the bus, I caught my seat mate leaning in, reading over my shoulder. When we reached our destination, she had already asked where she can buy it. The photos were so eye catching that she couldn’t resist.

The book is broken up into the traditional chapters (salad, soup, chicken, seafood, drinks, desserts, etc) and includes an opening chapter on popular condiments and pickles. The intro is a well written explanation of the diversity of modern Arab Gulf cooking, followed up with useful tools and essential ingredients. Reading the chapter on the spices, nuts and vegetables unique to the region made me long for the smells I experienced in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.

The recipes include tips and notes on everything from how to stuff a lamb to which meals are best served family style. The stunning chapter introductions explain the dishes and their influences from surrounding regions. The resource guide includes Arab stores country wide, where tools and ingredients can be found.

I’d like to share the recipe for the Creamy Tomato and Chickpea Soup. But you don’t have to wait for the annual Mawlid al Nabi to enjoy this yummy delicious meal, you can make this anytime.

(Readers of the blog will note the similarities of this dish to the Egyptian Tomato and Chickpea Soup we made a few years ago. This version includes a few differences. Most notably, the addition of fresh cilantro, an herb introduced historically by Western Asia to the area.)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 minced onions
4 cloves garlic, crushed to paste
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
6 cups water
2 cups stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch of ground red pepper

Pour the oil into a large saucepan with a lid and place over medium heat. Add the coriander leaves and onion and saute for 10 minutes, uncovered.