July 25, 2010 by lamyaalmas
What is distinct in this dish is the taste of the most expensive spice in the world–saffron. In Aden this is a dish we usually make for special occasions–weddings and special guest. It is usually made with lamb but I have tried it with chicken and it turns out just as good. You have to be generous with the spices for this dish to turn out aromatic.
You will need:
1) a pound of lamb cut into medium pieces
2) 4 patatoes halved
3) 2 onions–sliced
4) 2 tblsp of regular white flour [I use organic unbleached white flour]
5) 2 tblsp of olive oil
6) tblsp of either balsamic vinegar (recommended) or white vinegar
7) 1 tblsp of lemon juice
8) 3 cups of basmati rice
9) 2 tblsp of ground cumin
10) 2 tblsp of ground coriander
11) a few pods of cardamon
12) a few peppercorns
13) a couple of cinnamon sticks
14) 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
15) 1/4 tsp of black pepper
16) 1/4 of tsp of food coloring (orange)–half of which we will sprinkle on the rice.
17) about two pinches of saffron threads (one to marinate the lamb in and the other to sprinkle on top of the rice)
18) 1/2 cup of yoghurt or sour cream (whichever you prefer)
19) salt to taste
The night before you intend to make this dish, marinate the lamb and patatoes in ingredients 9-19 +lemon juice + balsamic vinegar + olive oil . Deep fry the onions after coating them with flour, and add half of it to the marinated lamb mixture for flavor. Place in an oven stoneware dish or pyrex (enough to accomodate the meat and 3 cups of half boiled rice) and refrigerate.
3 hours before your guests come, add 1 cup of water to the marinated lamb and cover (either with its lid or with foil. Place in a 350 F preheated oven for 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Make sure it does not dry out–if you feel it will then reduce the temperature to 300 F.
Boil some water with salt, a few peppercorns, cardamon pods, and sticks of cinnamon. Boil the rice until it is almost done. Drain the rice and leave aside.
When the lamb and patatoes are cooked through layer the rice on top. Sprinkle the rest of the saffron and food coloring. A little water–about a 1/4 of a cup evenly sprinkled. Distribute the rest of the fried onion on top of the rice and OPTIONAL : Take a piece of natural coal –about the size of a nickel or quarter. Light it up, and place in a nest made of the outer and first inner layer of an onion. Place in the middle of the pot , add a few drops of oil to the coal and cover and let the smoke permeate the dish. It will give it a nice smoky flavor. Then cook in the oven at 300 F for another hour–or until the rice is cooked through.
OPTIONAL : I like to add three dabs of butter or aromatic ghee on the face [surface] of the rice. It gives it an extra special aroma and taste.
We usually serve this dish with pickled lemons in red chillie sauce and with yoghurt on the side.
ENJOY 
Posted in Rice, Yemeni Dishes | 56 Comments »
July 25, 2010 by lamyaalmas
This recipes brings back fond memories of the season of ” Bagha” in Aden. Bagha (will have to look up its equivalent in English) is a fish about the same size as the small rainbow trout found in the US.
In the summer, they are abundant in Aden. I remember while we drove home from school or wor, the fishermen selling them on the side of the roads. They are usually sold in bundles of ten, fresh out of the Red sea , with their silver skins glistening in the sun. The last time i visited Aden in 1999–in July and August–I requested them but they were no where to be found. They are a seasonal treat.I personally can sit and eat the bundle of ten on my own.
If you don’t like whole fish, then you can use the same recipe for fish fillets. I enjoy it whole.
For this recipe you will need:
1) 3 tblsp of red chilly paste (I make my own. You can too, by soaking some red dried while Mexican chillies in water overnight–I get the mild ones–and then liquidize them in a food processor. Make sure the mixture is smooth, and does not have any small bits that might get stuck in your throat. They are very unconfortable)
2) 1 tsp of ground cumin
3) 1 tsp of ground coriander
4) salt to taste
5) 3 cloves of garlic finely minced
6) small to medium size rainbow trout
7) 3 tblsp of Olive Oil
Wash the rainbow trout well with cold water–inside and out. Cut it open from the middle–from its spine so it opens up like a book. You just want to cut it far enough so it opens up (see pic)–you don’t want to separate the fish into two pieces.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together well and cover the whole fish–YES EVER NOOK AND CRANNY. I like to coverand leave it in the refrigerator for an hour or two for it to suck up the flavors.
This is not a deep fried fish–Adenis NEVER deep fry fish. For fying you will need a frying pan big enough for the fish to fit comfortably (GOTTA MAKE THE FISH HAPPY HA HA HA).
Heat the oil in the frying pan, and then gently place the fish TUMMY down. Let it cook for about 6 minutes , or when it loosens from the frying pan. DO NOT FLIP IT WHEN IT IS STILL STICKING TO THE PAN–it will come apart and won’t come out picture perfect like mine .
Gently flip to the other side and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until cooked through, and is nice and crispy on the outside.
Serve with wedges of lemon.
Posted in Fish, Yemeni Dishes | 1 Comment »
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