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Tag: lebanese cooking

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Blog Lebanese Food

Why Lebanese Cuisine Should Make Its Way into Your Kitchen

Lebanese cuisine is amongst the freshest and tastiest in the world – so why wouldn’t you start introducing it to your own kitchen? Grilled meats like shawarma, gorgeous pastries like baklava, even the classic combination of pita bread and babaghannouj, are all memorable Lebanese dishes that you can serve right at home.


The Lebanese Essentials

Before you embark on your Lebanese odyssey, there are some basic ingredients that you should have close to hand.

Olives: Olive oil, and olives as they are, heavily present in Lebanese menus. There are over 170,000 olive producers in Lebanon because there is clearly a market for them! Olives and olive oil help to lower our ‘bad’ cholesterol and raise our ‘good’ cholesterol.

Onions & Garlic: Onions are an integral part of Lebanese stews, and garlic is undoubtedly the most common flavouring. You can find it in dips, sauces, pesto and stews.

Lemons: Lemons and lemon juice are another crucial components of Lebanese food. You’ll need copious lemon juice to make a truly tangy, tasty hummus or fresh tabouli.

Herbs & Spices: The essential herbs and spices you’ll need for authentic Lebanese dishes include mint, coriander, cinnamon, sumac, and parsley.

Easy Lebanese Meals

Amongst the best dishes to attempt as a beginner are:

Kafta – Lebanese mince meat skewers made of lamb or beef.

Babaghannouj – creamy eggplant dip that’s perfect with a piece of soft pita bread.

Tabouli – the vegetarian salad that consists of finely chopped parsley, Bulgar wheat, tomatoes, mint, onion, with lemon juice and olive oil mixed through (delicious!)

Shawarma – juicy, well-seasoned grilled meats.

Tabouli Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 handful of mint leaves
  • 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
  • 1-2 lemons
  • 2 tbsp fine bulgar wheat
  • 3-4 diced tomatoes
  • 2 white onions finely chopped
  • Salt & pepper
  • Olive oil

Method

  • Finely shred the parsley and mint.
  • Juice the lemons and pour over the bulgur wheat and set aside to soften for ten minutes.
  • Combine the parsley, mint, soften bulgar wheat, tomato and onion in a bowl.
  • Season with salt & pepper, add olive oil and mix.
  • Add more olive oil and/or lemon juice according to taste.
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Blog Lebanese Food

6 Traditional Lebanese Dishes From Our Menu You need To Try

Lebanese cuisine has a long and colourful history. Fresh and delicious, using vibrant ingredients and age-old techniques, it is diverse, with a range of iconic sweet and savoury dishes that every food lover should try.

Here at Manoosh we bring the Middle East to the Inner West, offering a traditional Lebanese experience unlike any other. If you haven’t eaten Lebanese food yet, you are missing out. Here are 6 dishes from our menu that you absolutely have to try.

Lebanese dishes
Lahembajin – photo by B-Kyu

Lebanese food is absolutely delicious, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out. Here are 6 traditional Lebanese dishes from our menu that you need to try.

Sambousik

Sambousik is a small pastry filled with either meat and/or cheese. In Lebanon, lamb is a traditional choice, and cheeses can range from haloumi to feta. Onions, herbs and spices add more flavour while pine nuts impart a deliciously nutty texture and taste. These popular pastries can be either baked or fried and you’ll often find them on a classic Lebanese mezze spread.

Sujuk Pizza

Sujuk is spiced Lebanese sausage that is somewhat similar to salami, with its three main characteristics being that it is salty, dry and has a high fat content. It is traditionally made using ground beef (though mutton and pork are also used) combined with spices such as garlic, salt, cumin, sumac and red pepper before being piped into a sausage casing.

Our folded sujuk pizza is packed with cheese, sujuk, olives, capsicum and tomato. Yum.

Shawarma

Shawarma is the Lebanese variant of a Turkish kebab or Greek gyros. It is made from marinated meat that has been slow roasted on a vertical spit for many hours. Once cooked, the meat is carved off in thin, wide strips and stuffed inside a flatbread along with a variety of vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pickles and parsley. Condiments can range from garlic yoghurt to hummus to chilli.

Our shawarma is filled with juicy beef fillets, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles & parsley topped with our garlic yoghurt sauce.

Lebanese dishes
An assortment of kebbeh – photo by MilkTea Eats

Lahembajin

Lahembajin is made from flat bread topped with a mixture of ground meat, vegetables and herbs and baked in a wood fired oven.

The meat is commonly lamb or beef, the vegetables are usually onion, capsicum and tomato, and herbs can include parsley, mint and coriander. Just add a squirt of lemon, fold it up, and you have one mouth watering snack.

Kebbeh

Kebbeh is another Lebanese classic you will usually find as a part of a mezze spread. It is made from finely ground meat, onion, herbs and spices, combined with burghul (cracked wheat) and rolled into balls then deep fried to golden perfection.

There are even vegetarian versions of kebbeh made with hearty vegetables that hold their shape, such as potato or pumpkin, replacing the meat. Served with fresh hommus or a yoghurt sauce with garlic and mint, they are a delicious snack.

Za’atar Flatbread

Manoosh have some of the best za’atar bread in Sydney! This traditional dish, known as man’oushe or Lebanese pizza, is simple but delicious, featuring baked flatbread topped with olive oil and zaa’tar – a tangy mixture of herbs and spices, namely ground thyme, sesame seeds and sumac.

If you’re on the hunt for authentic Lebanese dishes in Sydney then look no further than Manoosh. Stop by Manoosh or order online – we guarantee you will be glad that you did. Or if you’re after top quality mobile pizza catering, give us a call.

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Blog Lebanese Food

Why We Love Lebanese Food

We are absolutely infatuated by Lebanese food. It’s a rare kind of cuisine that is both delicious and healthy across the board and it inspires pride across the entire country. Traditional Lebanese traditions has snuck its way into modern food culture across the entire world too, birthing some delicious multicultural cross overs – such as our pizza. We are blessed in Australia to have some of the best Lebanese food options widely available and Manoosh are incredibly proud to be a part of that.

lebanese food

Lebanese food is absolutely incredible, with a deluge of modern and traditional flavours crossing over to create one of the best cuisines in the world.  Here why we love Lebanese food.

It’s Healthy

Lebanese cuisine has always utilised fresh local ingredients, ensuring that you get the maximum nutritional benefits from every bite. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and proteins form the foundations of traditional Lebanese food which are then embellished by an array of fresh spices.

Lebanese cooking is all about the use of olive oil instead of butters or fats, which reduces cholesterol intake. We also favour brown rice or lentils over other starches like heavy potatoes, noodles or white bread. Finally, the chick pea is a hero – adored for its amazing health benefits – in Lebanese cooking (think falafel and hummus). It is pure, natural cooking.
lebanese food

It’s Delicious

All of these fresh, healthy ingredients are in no way boring either. Although relatively simple and grassroots in nature, Lebanese cuisine is incredibly delicious. The heart of flavour in Lebanese food is spice. The spices used in traditional Lebanese cuisine make it truly irresistible – from the well-rounded flavours of za’atar and baharat to the tang of sumac, through to the freshness of mint and the sweetness of cardamom.

Every one of our spices plays a vital role in creating that authentic Lebanese taste. Add this to a deluge of core ingredients like chick peas, lamb, fresh veggies, grilled cheeses and fried sujuk and you have some damn tasty food.

lebanese food

It’s Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly

Lebanese food doesn’t deliberate when it comes to favouring meat or veggies, it strikes a perfect balance between the two. There are a plethora of vegetarian and vegan choices in our cuisine, whih can be eaten alone or with some delicious meats on the side. Hummus, falafel, manoushe, tabbouleh and pumpkin kebbeh are just a few of the delicious vegetarian dishes that are synonymous with Lebanese culture.

If you’re not across Lebanese food yet, you are truly missing out. It’s one of the most wholesome, satisfying cuisines out there to cook and eat. Manoosh are plating up some of the best traditional Lebanese food, vegetarian Lebanese food in Sydney and what we think is the best pizza in Sydney too. If you would like to try it, drop by Manoosh or order from us online. We guarantee you will love everything.

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Blog Lebanese Food Traditional Ingredients

Awesome Traditional Lebanese Ingredients & Cooking Techniques

Lebanese cuisine has been around for thousands of years and amazingly little has changed since ancient times, with the secret to this healthy and delicious food still being fresh ingredients and time tested techniques. As Lebanese food continues to rise in popularity around the world, we look at some of the most awesome traditional Lebanese ingredients & cooking techniques. Let’s take a look at a few of the essential elements of traditional Lebanese cooking.

Awesome Traditional Lebanese Ingredients & Cooking Techniques
CC Image Courtesy of insatiablemunch on Flickr http://bit.ly/1RjCQBO

Traditional Lebanese food is famous for its fresh ingredients with everything from mint and parsley to cucumber and tomatoes playing key roles in classic dishes.

 

Traditional Lebanese Food Ingredients

Fresh herbs and vegetables

Traditional Lebanese food is famous for its fresh ingredients with everything from mint and parsley to cucumber and tomatoes playing key roles in classic dishes. Regardless of whether you are preparing a falafel wrap, a shawarma or salads such as tabouleh or fattoush, they simply wouldn’t be the same without the burst of flavour provided by fresh local ingredients.

top lebanese ingredients

Bread

In Lebanese cuisine nothing is more important than bread as we eat fresh baked pita with every meal of the day. Pita provides the perfect way to enjoy our many dips, such as hommus and baba ghannouj; it is the ideal vessel for encasing falafel balls or marinated meats, or you can simply slather your pita with labne for a fast and healthy breakfast.

main lebanese cooking techniques
CC image courtesy of jeffreyw on flickr http://bit.ly/1Dtyqwz

Tahini

Made from crushed sesame seeds, tahini has been a core part of Lebanese cuisine for thousands of years. Apart from being a central ingredient in any authentic hommus, tahini is added as a dressing to everything from falafel wraps to shawarmas, making it an essential element in any Lebanese kitchen.

traditional lebanese food

Legumes

Our cuisine also includes plenty of legumes, particularly chick peas and lentils, both of which have a wide range of health benefits. Chick peas are the star of the show in classics such as falafel and hommus, while one of our most popular dishes, mujadara, basically consists of lentils, onions and rice.

traditional lebanese cooking

Lamb

While Lebanese food nowadays can contain anything from beef to lamb to chicken, lamb is the traditional meat of choice. Our many mouth-watering lamb dishes include our national dish, kebbeh nayeh, as well as our wildly popular ground lamb kufta kebabs.

lebanese cooking techniques
CC image courtesy of Basher Tome on flickr http://bit.ly/1L9FKzE

Traditional Lebanese Cooking Techniques

Vertical roasting

Since the early days of the Ottoman occupation Lebanese cooks have been roasting meat on vertical spits; this enables the meat to cook in its own fats and juices making it tender and delicious. Our most famous dish utilising the vertical roasting technique is none other than shawarma.

Grilling

Few cultures have been grilling longer than we have, with our traditional ground lamb kufta kebabs one of our most famous grilled specialties. Lebanese cuisine also includes a variety of grilled skewers that can include all manner of meats and vegetables.

Baking

Wood fired ovens have been in use in the Middle East for eons, so it should come as no surprise that Lebanese people have mastered the art of baking. Our many baked specialties include the flat bread ‘Lebanese pizzas’ known as manoosh, as well as our impossibly delicious baklava.

Frying

While Lebanese don’t tend to cook in oil very much frying certainly has its place in a true Lebanese kitchen, particularly when it comes to preparing the perfect falafel balls or a delicious batch of fried kebbeh.

Get the year started off right by treating yourself to some of Sydney’s most delicious and authentic Lebanese food. Simply drop by Manoosh or order from us online, because you haven’t lived until you have tasted our traditional Lebanese cuisine.

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Lebanese Food Traditional Ingredients Blog

The Importance of Olive Oil

Olive oil has been part of Lebanese culture for thousands of years and it has impacted everything from the way we eat to how we conduct our ceremonies. Here is a brief look at the long and rich relationship between Lebanon and olive oil.

manoosh olive oil Lebanese pizza sydney
CC image courtesy of USDA on Flickr http://bit.ly/1JEBzOQ

Olive oil is an ancient delicacy unlike any other and no one knows how to work its magic quite like we do.

An ancient part of our landscape

The first olive tree is believed to have grown in the Levant (an area comprising modern day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel) and it came about when a creative farmer grafted a fruit tree to a local evergreen more than 8,000 years ago. The result was the Olea Europaea – the same olive tree we know and love today. Lebanon’s temperate summers and mild winters proved to be the perfect conditions for olive trees to flourish and they soon became a distinctive part of the landscape. Today, some of the oldest olive trees in the world can be found in the northern Lebanese villages of Bshaale and Amioun – some are more than 1,500 years old!

olive oil manoosh pizza sydney
CC image courtesy of goats greetings on Flickr http://bit.ly/1Uc4L2B

From olives to oil

Olive oil is believed to have first been pressed around 6,000 BC in the region where modern day Lebanon now sits, although it wouldn’t take long for the practice to spread throughout the surrounding area. The evidence of early oil production in Lebanon is extensive. For instance, ancient clay jars that were used to store olive oil have been unearthed in the city of Sidon, while presses thousands of years old were discovered in the villages of Oumm el-Amed and Khan Khalde.

A lucrative trade item

The Canaanites are believed to have been the first to trade olive oil around 3,500 BC, doing so out of the Lebanese port city of Byblos. They traded extensively with the Ancient Egyptians, who used olive oil for religious ceremonies, massage and embalming, receiving Egyptian gold and papyrus in exchange for high quality Levantine olive oil. The Phoenicians would later become the region’s dominant traders, introducing both olives and olive oil to Greece, Spain, Italy, France and North Africa.

olives manoosh pizza enmore
CC image courtesy of Alkan Boudewijn de Beaumont Chaglar on Flickr http://bit.ly/1NA7cwY

Tasty, healthy, versatile

One of the main reasons why olive oil has become such a big part of Lebanese culture is thanks to its amazing versatility. It has been used in medicine and cosmetics, villagers preserve their vegetables in it, and our ancestors burned olive oil in the temples of Baalbek for thousands of years. Olive oil has also had a dramatic impact on our cuisine, becoming part of almost every traditional Lebanese food – everything from manoosh and hommus to labne and lahembajin just wouldn’t be the same without olive oil.

How to make olive oil

Olive oil has been made using the traditional method for thousands of years. The basic process is as follows;

  • Olives are ground into a paste, pit and all, using large millstones.
  • Next, the olive paste is spread onto large discs (often made from natural fibre) which are then stacked on top of each other in a pile. The pressure from the pile forces the liquid (oil and water) from the paste and it is collected at the bottom.
  • The oil and water is then separated, typically via a decantation process where it is allowed to settle naturally.
manoosh pizza lebanese olive oil
CC image courtesy of docnic on Flickr http://bit.ly/1U58PXL

Modern methods of olive oil production involve grinding the olives using industrial machines, pressing them with hydraulic mechanisms and separating the oil using high speed centrifuges.

Olive oil is an ancient delicacy unlike any other and no one knows how to work its magic quite like we do. To try authentic Lebanese olive oil at its best, stop by Manoosh or order online, you are in for a real treat!