Ten foods I've learned to love in the past five years

[clyrc]

I moved to the United Arab Emirates five and a half years ago, and I couldn't imagine the culinary treats in store for me here. I'm certainly not any skinnier than I was five years ago, and here's why:

1. Saffron- I hated saffron the first time I tasted it. It had a weird taste I didn't like, but I first started to get used to it in ras malai. Now, I have saffron tea almost daily, and just the mention of saffron fish makes me drool. Don't even mention saffron marinated lobster, because I will stare into space in day dreamy delight at the very thought. I should add that saffron is a fraction of the price you would pay in the US, and it is fresher. Most herbs and spices here are, which makes it a delight for any cook.

2. Lamb ribs- When I lived in the States, I didn't like lamb. It's all over the place here, so I had to try it, but I only really started to like it when I tried lamb ribs. There's an Egyptian restaurant in town that grills smoky, melt in your mouth ribs that I eat way to many off when we got there.

3. Moutabel- Which is a smoked eggplant dip I never tasted til I got here. I had tasted and loved hummus, but never moutabel, which is almost always served at the same time here. A good moutabel is one of the most mouthwatering things I've ever tasted, and if there is enough of it I might be too full to eat my main dish by the time it comes. I never ate much eggplant in the States, but it has become one of my favorite vegetables because they make it in so many delicious ways in the UAE.

4. Kidney beans- I love pinto, navy and black beans, but I never cared much for kidney beans. Then one day my Pakistani friend's mom made something called Rajma, and I was totally hooked. Rajma tastes kind of like chili without the meat, and I always eat too much of it when it's around. It has given me a taste for kidney beans in general, and now I make this salad with kidney beans, onions, garlic, mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder and cheddar cheese.

5. Cigalis- These are local lobsters which are grilled and they are just heavenly. Slightly sweet and slightly bitter, I could eat my considerable weight in them.

6. Masala Dosa- These are dirt cheap and delicious around here. They are a thin crispy bread with a spicy potato mixture in the center. I eat it with coconut chutney and sambar, while drinking masala chai, and mmmm it's a cheap and delicious meal.

7. Palak paneer- Spicy spinach with cheese. I love spicy, I love spinach, and I love cheese. Good stuff all together.

8. Chicken tikka masala- Grilled chicken in a spicy tomato sauce. My whole family loves it.

9. Um Ali- This is a dessert with cream, bread, nuts and cardamom, one of my favorite spices. I've had versions made with croissants, rose water,coconut, pine nuts, pistachios and cashews, and it is usually good any way it is made. I think it's the Arabic version of bread pudding.

10. Aisha Soraya (possible misspelling!) - Another version of bread pudding, with saffron and sugar soaked bread, and a cream topping. Very good but very rich.

I imagine I'm missing a few of the better foods from here, but those are the ones that stick out in my mind right now.

[NanceGreggs]

1. I just put on ten pounds ...

... by reading this post.

The Moutabel and Palak Paneer sound especially scrumptious!!!

[MissHoneychurch]

2. Hmmmm ....

:9

Good thing I'm making me some lunch right now ... or I would get very very jealous ... more than I am already after reading this :)

[clyrc]

3. I made myself a bit hungry!

I must say, though, that I loved the food in Germany. I'm usually not so much of a bread fan, but I ate bread every day in Germany, and I loved it.

[MissHoneychurch]

4. Yeah, we have good bread

and so many different sorts, it is amazing how much you can make with flour. :)

Have you learned to cook some of those dishes you mentioned?

[clyrc]

5. Only a few

the Rajma didn't turn out right, and I never can smoke the eggplant to the desired affect. For most of the dishes, I think you need to see a native cook make them for them to turn out right. I've found that to be true of American food here, many times- they have the recipes and ingredients, but they don't know how the food is supposed to taste. I know what the food is supposed to taste like, but I don't know the techniques to make the food really good.

[MissHoneychurch]

6. I know what you mean

and some of the dishes sound so complicated ... even though I am sure they are pretty easy to cook.

I am preparing a soup for tomorrow at the moment. Easy compared to your dishes :)

Any plans for New Years Eve?

[clyrc]

7. We usually don't go anywhere

Jerry hates traffic and really New Years Eve isn't such a big holiday for us, since we don't like parties or alcohol that much. If we had plans in Dubai, we would have been disappointed. Last night all celebrations were canceled by the sheik, because of what happened in Gaza. NYE is huge here, so I imagine there are LOTS of angry people right now who can only grumble.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. it all sounds delicious...

:9