Beginners Guide To Cooking in an Arab Kitchen: Garlic as a Main Ingredient

posted on: Jan 22, 2020

By: Emily Devereaux/Arab America Contributing Writer

Garlic has been growing in popularity, despite its already widespread uses. Garlic is used in kitchens and in medicine, with more people taking garlic supplements than ever to reap the benefits of this food. However, garlic is understood as the secret weapon in some Arab foods! Some recipes even go as far as to use garlic as the main ingredient of the dish. Of course, people do not just eat straight garlic cloves. Many Arab dishes use garlic as a main ingredient that perfectly compliments the other ingredients in the dish!

Toum

This traditional Lebanese garlic sauce is bold and creamy and can be used as a sauce, a condiment, or a dip! However, when you try the recipe, be advised that the garlic is delicate to blend! Many sources actually recommend that toum is made with either a food processor or a mortar and pestle. 

Ingredients

4.5 ounces of garlic cloves

2 teaspoons of Kosher salt

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (use about 2 lemons, divided)

1/4 cup of ice water

3 cups of a neutral oil 

Instructions 

1. Split each garlic glove in half (lengthwise) with a paring knife. Using the tip of the knife, remove the garlic germ from each garlic clove half.
2. If you are using a food processor
   1. Place de-germed garlic and kosher salt in the food processor bowl
   2. Pulse garlic in short bursts until finely minced (ensure you are scraping the sides of the bowl to all garlic is evenly minced)
   3. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice while continuing processing
   4. When a paste begins to form, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and process until completely smooth and slightly fluffy
   5. (With the food processor running) slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of oil (in a thin stream) and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
   6. Repeat the step above, alternating 1/2 cup of oil and 1 tablespoon of water (until all the oil and water has been used)
3. If you are using a mortar and pestle (please note that depending on the size of your mortar, you may need to make the recipe in smaller quantities, by halving ingredient amounts)
   1. In the mortar, combine garlic and salt
   2. Grind until it becomes a smooth paste
   3. Work the oil into paste 1 teaspoon at a time, and then add a few drops of lemon juice
   4. Repeat until all of the oil, lemon juice, and water have been used

Garlic Hummus

Hummus is another traditional dish with versatile uses. I’m sure by now, you know what you like to accompany your hummus with! This quick and simple dish is a crowd favorite that cannot be made without garlic, unless you want your hummus really, really bland!

Ingredients

1.5 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 garlic clove, mashed

1/4 teaspoon salt

Approx. 2-4 tablespoons room-temperature water or the water used to cook the chickpeas

Garnishes of your choosing (optional!)

Instructions 

1. Using a food processor or a high-speed blender, pulse/blend the lemon and tahini.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water
3. Layer the chickpeas, garlic, and salt in the blender and blend until smooth (scrape the sides as needed)
4. Slowly add additional water by the tablespoon as the machine is still on until the hummus is creamy or smooth

Baba Ganoush

This popular Levantine appetizer is similar to hummus, in that it requires other ingredients, but garlic is still the backbone of the recipe. However, baba ganoush requires eggplants, which has extraordinary health benefits. Eggplants are rich in many nutrients and have the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Ingredients

3-5 medium eggplants (approx. 3 lbs.)

5 tablespoons of Tahini paste

Juice from 1 freshly squeezed lemon

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

Instructions 

1. After slicing the eggplants, roast them in the oven on medium heat for about 30 minutes
2. Cool the eggplants, and peel them and discard as much as possible of their seeds
3. Place the eggplants in a colander for 10 minutes to strain the water (prevents the dish from being too liquidy!)
4. Add eggplants and all ingredients into a food processor for about 2-3 minutes or until it is a paste.

Potato Salad 

An Arabic potato salad is only a few ingredients, but full of flavor! It is typically great for a picnic or a hot day, especially because there is no dairy, so it doesn’t go bad as easily. Many Arab families have likely created their own “secret family recipe”. Amanda, from Amanda’s Cookin‘, shares her family recipe!

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. of Russett potatoes (approx. 6 medium potatoes)

1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley

salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions 

1. Clean, peel, and chop your potatoes into bitesize pieces.
2. Add to a large pot of well-salted water and boil until fork tender
3. Drain potatoes and return to the pot
4. Add in lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped parsley; toss, then season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Let sit, covered, in the fridge for a few hours (for flavors to really come together)
6. Garnish with more chopped parsley

Molokhia 

Many of the aforementioned appetizers sound wonderful, but are you looking for a more substantive meal that is heavy on the garlic- in a good way! This Egyptian-style chicken dish will take under an hour and a half to make for a nutritious dinner for the whole family!

Ingredients

1/2 large chicken (or 1 small)

1 medium onion, quartered

12 pods green cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups of water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 medium cloves garlic

1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

500 grams fresh molokhia

2 cups Egyptian short-grain rice

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions 

1. In a pot that’s just large enough to hold the chicken, add the chicken, onions, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt, and water. Completely submerge the chicken, then cover and bring to a boil. Skim until there is no foam, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes.
2. To make the Taqliya, combine the garlic, coriander, olive oil, and salt. Mash together into a paste in a fresh bowl.
3. Remove the leaves and stems from the chicken, and wash the leaves. After washing, mince the leaves or blend them.
4. When the chicken is done, use a pair of tongs to transfer it into a bowl. Cover the chicken to prevent it from drying out.
5. Adequately prepare your rice, per directions. However, substitute the chicken stock for the water.
6. 15 minutes before ht rice is done, preheat the oven to 230 C/350 F and spread about 1/3 of the Taqliya on the chicken skin, sprinkle with salt and then place the chicken on a roasting pan. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown.
7. Add half of the remaining Taqliya to a pot and fry the mixture until fragrant and browned. Add the 1 1/2 cups of reserved chicken stock along with the minced molokhia. Gently simmer, while stirring occasionally until the molokhia is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).
8. Add the remaining Taqliya to a small frying pan, along with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry until the garlic has browned.
9. Add the lemon juice to the molokhia and stir it in.

Malfouf 

Since malfouf means cabbage in Arabic, it’s only appropriate these are stuffed cabbage rolls! However, these cabbage rolls, that may make kids at the dinner table nervous, are packed with flavor. This traditional Palestinian recipe will guide you in making cabbage rolls everyone will love!

Ingredients

6.5 lbs. cabbage head

2 cups rice, thoroughly rinsed

1/2 kg ground lamb, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon allspices

2 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 heads of garlic, peeled and largely chopped

1 cube of chicken stock

1/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions 

1. Remove the damaged outer leaves from the cabbage. Carefully, peel away the cabbage leaves one by one water cutting the core off of the cabbage head.
2. Place cabbage leaves in a deep pot of boiling water. Keep batches of cabbage leaves in the boiling water under medium heat for about 2 minutes. Then, flip the batch of leaves over and leave them for another 2 minutes until they become tender. Set aside and let drain.
3. Start to make the stuffing. In a separate bowl, add rinsed meat, cumin, allspices, 1 tablespoon salt, and vegetable oil. Mix all together until combined well.
4. Now, cut each cabbage leaf into about 10 cm X 15 cm sheets, which will take different shapes depending on the leaf. Place the remaining large pieces of the leaves at the bottom of a large cooking pot.
5. Place the sheets of cabbage on a smooth surface, then add one tablespoon of the stuffing to each sheet. Spread the stuffing across the sheet and leave some space around the edges.
6. Roll the sheet forward toward the stuffing and squeeze the roll so the stuffing is neatly in the cabbage roll. Place it in the pot and fill half the pot.
7. Add half of your chopped garlic evenly throughout the pot. When the pot is layered with cabbage rolls, add the remaining garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the cube of chicken stock.
8. Cover cabbage rolls by water and place the pot over medium heat until the water is boiling. Then, cover the pot and reduce the heat.
9. Simmer for about 45 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.
10. Add lemon juice 15 minutes prior to the cooking time has elapsed.

Okra 

Okra is a food that has an interesting and widespread history. It is used widely throughout many cultures and therefore is an essential ingredient for many dishes. Check out this recipe common in the Middle East, which is low calorie and high in fiber!

Ingredients

2 lbs. okra

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, minced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (to taste)

Instructions 

1. Rinse the okra clean, and slice off the top and bottom tips of each piece.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Add the minced onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize.
3. When the onions are cooked, add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for another minute until fragrant. Add the okra to the pan and stir. Soon, the okra will shrink and soften.
4. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups of hot water, 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.
5. Pour the tomato liquid over the top of the okra. Bring to a boil.
6. cover the saute pan with a lid, vented at the edge. Reduce heat to a simmer. Let the okra cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the largest pieces of okra have softened.
7. For a more substantial meal, serve over rice, quinoa, or couscous.

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