The most vital ingredient of this classic Mallorcan salad is the time you leave it to sit. We have a love in Cyprus for zoumi, which are the juices at the bottom of a salad bowl. Growing up, it took me years to realize that those were the best part of the salad that was on the table at every meal, even on Christmas Day (the acid in a salad helps to cut through richer dishes).
Once we both understood the secret of zoumi, my sister and I would fight over who got them. Absolutely cherish those juices at the bottom of the salad bowl. Go to war for them. Whatever you do, don’t throw them away!
One of the things I struggled with in writing this book was coming up with reasonable recipe yields for most home cooks. You see, growing up in a household of twelve with a mother who loved to cook, our yields were always enormous. Take this chicken shawarma, for example: When my mom originally developed the recipe, it called for 10 pounds of chicken! She would keep the cooked shawarma in the fridge, and whenever one of us would tug at her clothes and say we were hungry, she could say, “There’s shawarma in the fridge; go make yourself a sandwich.”
I scaled this recipe back to use 5 pounds of chicken, which may still seem like a lot . . . but the Arab in me cannot tell you to make less. The warmly spiced, vinegary chicken is great in a sandwich, on a salad, or on its own—perfect for meal prep.
Though its exact origins are debated, this unique sweet and savoury sandwich, often packed with egg, cabbage and sugar, is now a ubiquitous sight on the streets of Seoul, and an iconic street food breakfast to fuel busy mornings. It’s the ultimate grab-and-go meal that perfectly captures the dynamic energy of the city.
I make this when I want “restaurant pasta,” but am short on time and ingredients. It’s a lovely Italian-inspired meal that you never knew could come from your home kitchen. Using one pot for the broccoli and the pasta makes for a breezy cleanup before bed—almost as simple as ordering in.
Sitting gracefully somewhere between an ice cream cake and a pavlova, the vacherin is an effortlessly chic French showstopper of a summery dessert. It is made with layers of ice cream and sorbet, sandwiched between crisp meringue disks. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, it can be made ahead and kept in the freezer for up to four weeks.
When you are ready to serve it, simply decorate it with whipped cream, plain or infused, and fresh fruit, herbs, or flowers. If you are feeling extra decadent, you can pour chocolate sauce, hot fudge, or caramel sauce over slices of the cake table-side.
My recipe uses homemade mango sorbet and mint and basil ice cream, but I have also made vacherins with store-bought ice cream, when I wanted to make something delicious but didn’t have access to an ice cream maker.
Despite Somalia’s long coastline, seafood has not traditionally been a big part of the Somali diet outside of coastal towns. In most of the country, red meat has been king, and both seafood and poultry have been seen as lower-class food, or not “real” food, in comparison to red meat. In the 1970s and 1980s, in a time of severe famine, the government tried to combat the negative view of seafood and boost the fishing sector. They relocated nomads to fishing cooperatives and even made certain days of the week officially “meatfree” days, dedicated to seafood consumption. Despite these efforts, the industry did not take off. A decade later, the Somali Civil War saw the full collapse of this sector. More recently, interest in seafood consumption is growing.
Mallaay qumbe can be found up and down the East African coast, including in the coastal towns of southern Somalia. This version is distinctly Somali, due to the addition of xawaash and creamy coconut milk. Serve mallaay qumbe with rice or soor.
I have this when the fridge is empty and I’m in a rush, as it’s super-easy to put together and packs a punch. High-quality olive oil is a must for this dish. If you fancy zhuzhing it up, add some crushed red pepper flakes and/or anchovies…
This cake is the epitome of summer: it’s sticky, jammy, fresh, and not too sweet. The browned butter and ground almonds give it a beautiful nuttiness, and it’s just dreamy with a dollop of crème fraîche on top, on a warm summer’s day.
Cold tofu with soy sauce is a staple. For me, it’s what I imagine cottage cheese and peaches, or yogurt and fruit, is for some other people, something that you can make real quick on the go as a snack, but in a savory rather than sweet sort of way. It also can be an appetizer or part of a spread of banchan and other side dishes to round out a meal of steamed pork belly or grilled meats or vegetables. Plus it’s a great blank slate for other toppings. Try it, say, with some chopped kimchi right on top.
This is wildly simple to make and one of those desserts that my friends can’t stop eating. It’s a sweet dessert that’s just pulled back from the edge by the bitterness of the tahini, alcohol and walnuts, resulting in something altogether grown-up. The caramelized walnuts, which – I warn you – are completely addictive, are adapted from Alison Roman. Meanwhile, the brown sugar bananas, while optional, add further indulgence and make this dinner-party-worthy.
It is best to use a Middle Eastern brand of tahini for this recipe in order to get the right texture. This dessert requires freezing overnight.