Moving to Kuwait...need recipes :-)

[cookwannab]

Greetings Everyone,

My name is Kathy. I've been a member for a while now, but haven't had the opportunity to paricipate much. However, that may all change soon.

We (hubby and me) will be moving to Kuwait soon (work related) and even though I understand Kuwait has huge super markets stocked with food for American cooking, I will want to learn how to cook the local traditional foods too. So any help I can get with Middle Eastern dishes would be great. It may be one of those things where I have to wait until I actually get over there....try a few dishes in local restaurants and decide what I like and want to learn to cook at home.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll be hearing more from cookwannab soon.

Later,
Kathy (cookwannab)

 

[Poppinfresh]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1571459774/sr=8-9/qid=1142292796/ref=pd_bbs_9/102-2770011-6708161?%5Fencoding=UTF8

The only Mediterranean cookbook I've ever owned, or will ever need. Great, great book, though the style of cooking isn't something I always enjoy (unless it has pomegranates in it :P ). Middle Eastern cooking is largely a mirror of Mediterranean.

 

[Yakuta]

Kuwait just like Dubai is pretty diverse in it's population. It's not all Middle eastern food but the food is also heavily influenced by Indians and Pakistani's that live there.

Middle Eastern food is not that difficult to pick up, all you need as the earlier poster mentioned is a good cookbook.

I have tasted some excellent Middle Eastern dishes from my aunt who spent 3 or 4 years in Saudi Arabia when her husband was staffed on a project there from England.

My favorites are the tabbouleh salad that is made of bulgar wheat with lots and lots of parsley, olive oil, tomatoes (finely diced) and seasoned with black pepper and salt and the kebabs she learnt to make. They were just lamb kababs which were marinated in lots of lemon, garlic and parsley and grilled to perfection.

My favorite sweet dish was one she made with Katafi (it's shredded phyllo). It appeared easy to make although I have not tried it. She basically buttered a pan added the katafi layer in the pan. She then made a thick cream (using Nestle's table cream cans) and soem sugar and made a layer of that on top of the katafi. She then sprinkled some more katafi and butter and baked it until the katafi was golden. She sprinkled the katafi with chopped pistachios and made a simple rose syrup that she drizzled on the hot katafi. She cut it (not to perfection) but just randomly and served it to us.

It was so yummy. The crunchy katafi with the creamy middle was a perfect balance of flavor. The rose flavored sugar syrup gave it the perfect sweetness.

The other well known dish they make is called Shawarmas. It's basically sliced meat (lamb or goat or chicken) that is served in a pita with garlic, yogurt sauce, tomatoes, french fries etc. It's like the taco of the middle east or some compare it to the gyro. I think the spices used in the meat are different and hence the taste is different too.

A vegetarian version of the Shawarma would be the Falafel which are lentil fritters (deep fried) that are served in a pita with garlic sauce and lettuce, tomato and other veggies of choice.

Goodluck with your visit and enjoy the new experiences. I have been wanting to visit UAE and try some good fare and meet up with some friends.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Another easy dish is Chicken Sumac (Sum-mak). Sumac is crushed dried berries in the form of a powder, can be found almost anywhere in the middle east.

The easiest way to make it is to take a roasted chicken, cut it up into pieces (breasts, legs, thighs, etc), leaving the skin on.
On an ovenproof platter, lay out pieces of arabic bread (the pita bread, but open each piece fully), top with chicken pieces (skin side up), and coat with sumac powder and drizzle of olive oil. Pop this into the oven at 350.
Then saute sliced white onion and pine nuts in olive oil until onions are transluscent.
Open the oven, top the chicken and bread with the onion and nuts, and keep heating for another 10-20 minutes.

So good. I also like to add sumac to salads.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Check out these sites:

http://www.kuwait-information.com/

http://www.deliciousglobe.com/InternationalRecipes/MiddleEast/middle_east.htm

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/find/browse/results?type=browse&att=20

 

[Swann]

Paula Wolfert's cook books of Middle Eastern/Moroccan foods is terrific. I highly reccommand. I have not been to Kuwait so I cannot comment on the food there.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

Whole Stuffed Camel

Ingredients :

1 lrg Camel
2 lrg Sheep
4 lrg Turkeys
20 lrg Carps
200 med Sea-Gull Eggs
400 lrg Dates
Banana-Leafs

Method :
Cook the eggs, peel them. Scale off the carps. Fill the carps with the dates and the eggs. Fill the turkeys with the Carps. Fill the sheep with the turkeys. Fill the camel with the sheep. Dig a large mould, give in about 500 kilos of charcoal and light them. Wrap the camel in the banana-leafs and give into the mould. Cover with earth and bake for two days.

 

[Swann]

I suggest you google Foods of Kuwait. You will get lots of info to help you find the right cookbook.

 

[velochic]

I suggest you make quick friends with another cook when you get there. There is nothing like learning at the elbow of a native.

 

[cookwannab]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

I want to thank all of you who helped me out with my questions regarding cooking when I move to Kuwait. I'm soooooooooooo sorry I haven't responded sooner. It hasn't been for lack of trying. For some reason I have been unable to log into my account and after several different tries and emails to the, Contact Us link I FINALLY made it in. YIPPPPEEEE!!

I am going to try every one of your suggestions and I'll let you know how it goes. Course, it may not be until I get there...which could be a ways down the road yet. It's our understanding that my hubby has to complete a 100 day probation before he will be able to sponsor me into the country. It may be a shorter separation but they said not to count on it. Wow, I may have to try your suggestions on some of my friends here in Texas....that way I'll already be a pro when I get to Kuwait. OK, maybe just an upgraded novice.

Anyway, thanks again for your help.

cookwannab (kathy)

 

[Constance]

I wanna try the stuffed camel.

 

[cookwannab]

The Stuffed Camel

Hey Y'all....I decided to try the Stuffed Camel first. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM NUMMY NUMMY.....great dish with exception of one thing. I decided to leave the carp scales on....just adds a nice little layer of crunch to the dish.

Have a GREAT DAY!

cookwannab (Kathy)