Mediterranean ghallaba

[Echeadle]

Hello you beautiful chefs!
This is my first post but I've been cooking a lot since I turned vegan about 7 years ago. There's a dish at a local Mediterranean place that I just love but I can't quite get the flavor right when I do it myself at home.

It's a vegetable ghallaba which is kind of a stewy stir fry ish dish.

Basically I just sauté onion carrot green pepper then throw in some mushrooms and tomato mid way through. While cooking I put in quite a bit of very red paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper garlic.

It was good but still not as good as the rest' I go to. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas of other seasonings or whatever that I could add next time?

The place I go to, their ghallaba, is a bit sweeter and very savory. Any ideas would be spectacular!

Eric

 

[Andy M.]

Consider adding cumin and/or sumac.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking

I agree with Andy - it looks like cumin and sumac are key to this dish.

https://veggiezest.com/2012/04/11/ghallaba/

 

[Echeadle]

Yeah I forgot I did add a bit of cumin. Just looking for what made theirs more savory and a little more sweet.

 

[GotGarlic]

This recipe (scroll down a bit) calls for marinating chicken in coconut, soy sauce and lemon juice, which would add both of those flavors. You could marinate your veggies to get this effect.

There's also flaked coconut in the dish, for more sweet flavor.

http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0410M06.htm

 

[RPCookin]

There are lots of different paprikas too. You might try some Hungarian sweet paprika.