I’m not a big fan when it comes to eggplant, but mom convinced me that there are some flavors that you can add to enhance a taste you dislike.
First mom showed me how to grill the eggplant to give it that smoky flavor. Then she told me what ingredients the Mutabbal needs to be done perfectly. The Mutabbal on the endives topped with the sweetness of the pomegranate was surprisingly delicious!
Not only did I like it, I loved it. It had some bold flavors contrasting one another, and who doesn’t like bold flavors nowadays?
Mom also got me to make an extremely simple dish called, Baba Gannoush. It’s filled with vegetables, along with the great flavor of pomegranate molasses. Honestly, I didn’t expect to like anything with eggplant, but as usual mom always knows a way of tricking me with her genius food creations
Blog Posts by Emily Rihani
The bold flavours of Baba Ganoush and Mutabbal
By Emily Rihani | Cooking With My Mom – Mon, Oct 15, 2012
The best way to spend the day having fun, especially with little ones is to prepare this dish.
My mom showed me and our neighbor Theodor, since it was his birthday, how to have a good time making chocolate cake pops. The great thing is that they can be arranged to be given as a gift. Whether you use ready mix or decided to make your own, you can make them no matter what the flavor.
I’m sure most people would prefer chocolate, just like I do. The coloured sugar is a really great way of coating the cake pops. Theo got really excited and did a great job helping us out. He just wanted to dip and coat the cake pops all day with his favorite colour.
You can choose whatever colour you like, there are various colours, and even dip them in milk chocolate. I’m telling my friends as soon as possible so we could do it together. Mom won’t be happy with the mess in the kitchen afterwards.To see video on how to make 'Chocolate Lollipops', click here.
Read More »from Bake, crumble, mix, shape then dipKunafah is a common dessert that’s often served during celebrations and special events. Since it was my graduation party, mom decided to make the toasted Kunafah that she learnt from her friend. When we buy the Kunafah from shops, it usually consists of the stringy like dough and cheese.
Today mom made the Kunafah with white toast, and the most unusual thing about it was the addition of the pudding. Mom told me that the pudding keeps it moist and prevents the cheese from drying up.
Everyone was amazed by the Kunafah. Its taste was overwhelming and the stringy mozzarella cheese with the pudding gave it the perfect texture.
It might take me some time to learn and master it, but after tasting it, I will make sure that I pass it on to the next generation because this is one recipe that shouldn’t be forgotten!My sister and I were never big fans of kofta. Every time mom made kofta for lunch, my sister and I used to either order take out or just not eat lunch, until mom found a way to trick us into eating it.
She never stops surprising me with all the ideas that she comes up with. I’m not sure how she came up with this idea. Adding milk to bread, blending it, and then adding it to the meat makes the kofta extremely tender. Who would have ever thought of creating it like that?
I usually have mashed potatoes on the side, but somehow mom managed to put it in the center of the kofta, making it look like a beautiful flower. My sister inhaled the dish, rather than simply eating it. I guess mom did manage to trick Lilian into eating kofta. This is such a genius recipe; it’s super tender, and just really tasty. Way to go mom, you’ve done it again.
My favorite main dishes usually consist of chicken as the main ingredient. Curry is a dish that is usually full of chilly and isn’t favoured by people my age
Mom told me that you can make a curry dish that’s not full of chilly, and that you can use coconut milk and a wide range of colourful vegetables.
It’s a very healthy dish, and mom told me that I can replace the full-fat cream with low fat creaml, to reduce the amount of fat in the dish.As usual mom warned me to never overcook the chicken so it doesn't go dry. It was very interesting, introducing a foreign dish into our Arabic cuisine. It’s always nice welcoming different flavors from all around the world.
The recipe for mom's chicken curry is here
If you want to watch us make the chicken curry, just click here
Read More »from Chicken curry that's not spicy- Today, mom called me into the kitchen and started to tell me about the ingredients in Atayef.
She showed me how simple it is to make the dough at home, instead of buying it from bakeries or shops. The good thing is that you don’t have to wait for Ramadan every year to get the dough; you can make it all year long, whenever you want it!
According to mom, Atayef is a traditional sweet served during Ramadan. It reminds me of my childhood, when my grandmother used to get the whole family together and serve it after dinner. My mom taught me that the dough can be filled with whatever you want, walnuts, cheese, apples, dates, or cream.
Best of all was the ice-cream filling. It was a fun recipe to learn and a tasty one to eat. It’s a pretty easy recipe and when Ramadan’s here, I’ll make sure that I surprise my family one day and try to make it!