Side Dishes

3 recipes

Ka'ak Bi Simsim

A soft yeasted dough (plain flour, milk, water, oil, yeast, sugar, salt, a touch of mahleb or nigella) rises for 1 hour. Divides into 4 or 8 portions. Each rolls into a long rope, then is shaped into an oblong ring with one slightly elongated side (the traditional shape is closer to a stretched horseshoe than a perfect circle). Dipped briefly in a molasses-and-water glaze, then dredged heavily in toasted sesame seeds. Rises for 30 minutes. Baked at 220°C 15-18 minutes until deep gold.

1 hour 48 minutes Serves4

Msabaha

Dried chickpeas soak overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The next morning, they simmer in fresh water with garlic, cumin and bay until very soft (about 1 hour, longer if the chickpeas are old). Some chickpeas (about a third) blitz with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and ice water into a smooth purée. The remaining whole chickpeas keep warm in their cooking liquid. To plate: smooth purée on the bottom of the bowl, hot whole chickpeas piled in the centre, more tahini-lemon-garlic sauce poured over, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of cumin, scatter of parsley. Eaten with hot bread.

1 hour 45 minutes Serves4

Salata Arabieh

Tomato, cucumber and onion all diced very small (the cut is small, 5 mm pieces, not chunky). Fresh parsley, mint and an optional chilli chop. Everything mixes in a wide bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, salt and pepper. Rest for 5 minutes for the flavours to integrate. Eat immediately, the tomato weeps quickly and the salad goes watery after an hour.

15 minutes Serves4