lebenese platter

LEBANESE PLATTER

An assorted platter of snacks, dips & salads.
Serves 2

Pita bread 1
Falafels 4
Vegetable samosas 4
Hummus dip 4tbsp
Tabouleh salad 4 tbsp
Cottage cheese salad 6 tbsp
Arabic pickle
Lettuce leaves

Make all the recipes as given in earlier posts.
To arrange, take a serving platter. Starting from the left side, put a small lettuce, arrange Arabic pickle on it. Next to it put the tabouleh salad on a lettuce leaf, arrange Arabic pickle on it. Next to it put the tabouleh salad on a lettuce leaf & then put paneer salad.
Put 2 falafel cutlets & 2 hot samosas in the centre of the plate.
Put hummus dip on the right side of the plate. Warm pits bread on hot tawa, turning sides till hot.
Cut in to 6-8 triangular pieces & serve separately on the side. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve.

Cheese & Pepper Salad

CHEESE & PEPPER SALAD

Serves 3-4

Cottage cheese cut into 2”square 100 gms
Onion chopped 1
Chopped coriander ¼ cup

DRESSING
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Vinegar 1 tbsp
Lemon juice 1-2 tbsp
Sugar ½ tsp
Garlic paste ½ tsp
Salt & pepper ¼ tsp

Mix all the ingredients of dressing in a bowl.
Add cottage cheese, onion & coriander. Mix well. Serve.

Mixed Arabic Pickle

ARABIC PICKLE

Serves 4

Peeled carrot cut into thick sticks ¼ cup
Cucumber cut into fingers with peel ¼ cup
Cauliflower florets ½ cup
Flakes of garlic sliced 3 large
Onion cut into 8 pieces 1
Vinegar ¼ cup
Salt ½ tsp
Water 1 cup
Sugar ½ tsp

Mix 1 cup water, vinegar, salt & sugar in a pan. Bring to a boil.Remove from fire.
Add all vegetables & olive oil. Mix & keep aside for 2 hours.
Store in an air tight glass jar.

Tabulleh(Labenese Salad)

TABULLEH

Serves4

Bulgur wheat (dalia) ½ cup
Oil 2 tbsp
Cottage cheese grated 100gm
Ground cumin seeds ½ tsp
Salt ¼ tsp
Black pepper powder ½ tsp
Cinnamon powder ½ tsp
Minced onion ½ cup
Pine nuts ¼ cup
Chopped tomatoes ½ cup
Finely chopped cucumber ½ cup
Finely chopped coriander leaves ¼ cup
Finely chopped mint leaves ¼ cup
Finely chopped spring onions ¼ cup
Lemon juice 2 ½ tbsp
Olive oil 2 ½ tbsp

Place the bulgur in a large bowl & pour in enough hot water to cover generously. Let it stand until the grains soften, about 15 minutes. Drain well in a fine mesh strainer, pressing out excess water. Set aside.
In a frying pan, heat the oil over the medium high heat. Add cottage cheese. Cook about 5 minutes.
Add the onions. Sauté until soft.
Add the pine nuts & cook until roasted. Remove from the heat.
Place the mince mixture into a bowl. Add the bulgur & the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine.

HUMMUS(Chickpea Dip)

HUMMUS

Anyone familiar with Middle Eastern food recognizes this rich sauce as a favourite.

Serves 4
Chickpeas (boiled) ½ cup
Lemon juice 3 tbsp
Sesame seeds ½ tbsp
Olive oil 4 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tsp
A pinch of pepper powder
Salt to taste

Heat pan add sesame seeds & toast, shaking frequently, until fragrant but not brown. Remove from heat & cool.
Place sesame seeds & 2tbsp olive oil in the grinder & grind to paste.
Add the channas, lemon juice & garlic. Churn again until smooth.Season with salt& pepper.
If you find it little thick add little water to make sauce like consistency.
Drizzle with remaining olive oil.

labenese samosa

LABENESE SAMOSA

Makes 10

Cornflour ¼ cup
Flour ¾ cup
Salt & sugar ½ tsp
Oil 1tbsp
Water ½ cup

FILLING
Cottage cheese(grated) 50gms
Coriander finely chopped ¼ cup
Red chilli powder ¼ tsp
Salt ¼ tsp
Onion chopped 2tbsp

GRIND TO MAKE POWDER
Black peppercorns 1/2 tsp
Laung 4-5
Nutmeg ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp
Ginger powder ¼ tsp
Green cardamom seeds ½ tsp
Fennel seeds ½ tsp
Cinnamon 1” stick

Mix all ingredients of the dough. Add enough water to make firm dough. Knead well.
Cover and leave aside for 1 hour.
For the filling, mix all the ingredients of the filling & keep aside.
Divide dough into small lemon sized balls. Roll out to form circles (2-3” diameter)
Put filling on one side of circle. Fold over one end to make semicircles. Press edges with fingers so that they stick together.
Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot.