Arabic dishes are known for being very decadent and flavorful. The cuisine also features a vast array of spicy, savory, and sweet flavors.
These Arabic dishes also offer a range of health benefits, which makes these foods not only nutritious but also delicious at the same time.
If you have always wanted to learn how to cook Arabic foods, there are several simple and easy dishes that you can try preparing to help build up your confidence and skill as you master the art of preparing Arabic cuisine right in your own kitchen.
Ghoraibi or Butter Cookies
These butter cookies are enjoyable and make a wonderful edible gift for friends and family members. The dough can also freeze well, which means you can save this for several weeks at a time and prepare these sweet treats every time you like. To prepare ghoraibi, you just need to prepare the following:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract
- 2 cups blanched almond halves
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups softened butter
- 1 cup of white sugar
Preheat your oven first to 300 degrees. You can use an electric mixer for beating the butter for up to 5 minutes before adding the white and confectioner’s sugar. Add the almond extract then add the flour in small amounts at a time.
Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill it for 30 minutes to one hour. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface then roll out the cookie dough. Form a rope shape when rolling the dough with a thickness of 1.5 inches.
Cut the rope into diagonal shapes then put the cookies on a piece of the ungreased cookie sheet. Press a piece of almond in the middle of every cookie. Bake these cookies for up to 12 minutes and put them on a rack to let them cool.
Shish Taouk or Chicken Kabobs
Chicken kabobs are very simple to prepare and serve as wonderful appetizers or entrees when you have some guests over. To simplify this dish further, you can request for the butcher to have the chicken cut into cubes so that you will be ready to have the meat marinated immediately. You will need to prepare the following to make the chicken marinade:
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 2 to 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
You need to marinate the chicken for a minimum of two hours although you can make the dish more flavorful by marinating it overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade then put the meat on skewers, with each skewer having about five pieces.
Grill the chicken on both sides for around 15 minutes, or until you are sure that the chicken has been thoroughly cooked. You can even add some vegetables such as bell peppers and onions to the skewers then serve it with rice for a completely delicious meal.
These are just some of the different Arabic dishes that you can prepare right in the comfort of your home. If you are ready to start cooking Arabic foods, you can start shopping at an Arabic food market – Bakkal Los Angeles.
