Gf Lebanese Recipes

[Japsnoet]

Thought I would share some gluten-free Lebanese recipes

Tabouli

This recipe is an all-time favourite.

Ingredients:

2 bunches of parsley (Lebanese/Italian parsley – it is flat not bushy)

¼ bunch of mint

¼ bunch of shallots (green part only)

¼ KG of tomatoes

1 small Lebanese cucumber

1 Tablespoon of fine crushed buckwheat

½ Teaspoon of salt

½ Teaspoon of pepper

2 Tablespoons of veggie or canola oil

1 lemon

Method:

Soak the fine crushed buckwheat in water, make sure it’s at least ½ an hour before you mix the salad. Cut finely the tomatoes; be sure to remove the excess tomato juice.

Cut the parsley, mint, cucumbers, shallots all really fine. Add all the vegetable ingredients together in a bowl with the crushed buckwheat. Pour oil, salt, pepper and lemon on top and lightly toss the Tabouli with your hands, be careful not to put too much pressure on the mixing because it will make Tabouli mushy.

NOTE: If you like your Tabouli sour add all the lemon or half if you don’t like it too sour.

Kebah balls

Description: Fine minced meat with crushed Buckwheat and filled with mince and herbs

Filling for Kebah balls:

Ingredients:

½ KG of Lean lamb Mince Meat (For the filling only lean lamb mince is used and not finely minced lamb.)

1 Onion

1 Teaspoon of dry mint

1 Teaspoon of mixed spice (The mix spice is: Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice)

1 Teaspoon of black or white pepper

1 Teaspoon of salt

Either ½ capsicum or a couple of fresh chillies (depending if you like it spicy or not).

Method:

Put raw mince meat in a saucepan and fry, once the meat is cooked, strain all the fat/oil off. Sieve the meat in a strainer with paper towelling to remove any extra fat/oil, and put to one side for now. Cut up the onion and capsicum or chillies really fine, fry in a saucepan (e.g. canola or veggie oil, don’t use olive oil)

Put strained minced meat into pot with onion and capsicum/ chillies. For 5-10 minutes let it simmer stirring occasionally.

Add all the spices and salt to the mixture again simmer for 5-10 minutes and stir occasionally.

Let the filling cool down, this filling may also be freezed for future purposes.

Kebah:

Ingredients:

The filling for Kebah

½ KG fine lean lamb minced meat from a specialty butcher (It’s called Kebah meat, usually sold by Lebanese butchers)I use very finely minced lean lamb but you can use finely minced lean beef. The mince is usually x2 minced to give it a very fine texture.

½ KG fine crushed buckwheat/ or 3 cups

1 Teaspoon of mixed spice

A few leaves of mint & basil

½ an onion

1 Tablespoon of salt

1 Teaspoon of salt

Method:

½ an hour previous to starting wash the fine crushed buckwheat and put aside for it to expand. Grind the mint, basil and onion in a blender or use a pestle and mortar.

Mix the wet and expanded crushed buckwheat with the fine mince meat and grounded herbs plus mixed spice and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Add the other tablespoon salt to the ingredients and kneed the mixture like dough.

Keep adding water to the mixture until it is slightly soft and ready to mould into kebah balls. Put a plate of water near you and start by getting a little ball of meat at a time and using wet hands.

Shape the kebah into ball looking case and add one teaspoon of the filling, then close around the ball. Deep Fry the kebah balls, the kebah is done when it is brown in colour. Any left overs may be freezed for future purposes.

[jenvan]

thanks for the recipes--i've wanted to try tabouli before. no excuses now!

[Carriefaith]

Thanks for the recipes, I will probably try some of them when I feel adventurous!

[mbland]

Thank you SO much for these recipes! I am a quarter Lebanese and my family makes these things all the time. I just found out a month ago that I have Celiac and I haven't even had a chance to breathe, let alone make lebanese food. Anyway, thank you so much! I will try these out very soon! You make me smile!

Mari

[Japsnoet]

Mari

Glad to hear the recipes will be helpful. One of my best friends is Lebanese and her mother is fabulous cook. She gave me the above recipes. She was kind enough to give us some cooking lessons and it was a real feast.

I really enjoy Lebanese food so please do share some of your recipes? I use the Zaar herbs in Salads on rice etc. I have another Lebanese spice mix that I bought can’t remember the name and I use it regularly to marinate chicken or lamb with it is really tasty.