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Adas bi hamod

Adas bi hamod — 'lentils with sourness' — is a Lenten staple in Lebanese Christian homes and a thrifty weeknight pot everywhere else, especially in the south. Brown lentils simmer with chard, potato and a fried paste of garlic and coriander until the broth turns thick, then a generous amount of lemon makes it tangy and refreshing. It is somewhere between a soup and a stew and is just as good warm or at room temperature with bread. Common mistake: adding the lemon at the start; the acid stops the lentils softening, so add it at the end. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of lentils against the side of the pot to give the broth body without any flour.

60 min

Lebanese Soups

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Moghrabieh

Despite its name, which nods to North Africa, moghrabieh is thoroughly Lebanese: big, chewy pearls of hand-rolled semolina cooked with chicken, baby onions and chickpeas in a broth scented with caraway and cinnamon. Families in Beirut and the mountains make it for Sunday lunch and especially on Christmas Eve in some villages. The pearls are served in a mound with the chicken and onions on top and a jug of broth to moisten each plate. Common mistake: boiling the pearls in the broth from the start; they turn gluey, so parboil them in water first. Chef's tip: toss the drained pearls in a little butter and caraway before mixing them with the onions — they stay separate and glossy.

90 min

Lebanese Chicken

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Znoud el sit

Lebanese sweet shops in Tripoli and Saida fry trays of znoud el sit every evening during Ramadan, and families queue for them after iftar. Filo is rolled around a thick, set milk cream (a home version of ashta), baked or fried until shatteringly crisp, then dipped in cold syrup and dusted with ground pistachios. The contrast of crackling pastry and cool, fragrant cream is the whole point, so eat them within an hour or two of filling. Common mistake: filling with warm cream; it leaks and makes the pastry soggy, so chill it until firm. Chef's tip: brush with clarified butter rather than whole butter — it browns evenly without burning and keeps the rolls crisp longer.

70 min

Lebanese Desserts

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Meghli

When a baby is born in Lebanon, the family cooks a big pot of meghli and hands out bowls to every visitor who comes to congratulate them; it also appears at Christmas in Christian homes. Ground rice is simmered with sugar and warm spices — caraway, cinnamon and anise — until it sets into a smooth, cocoa-brown pudding with no milk or eggs at all. Each bowl is topped with desiccated coconut and a generous pile of soaked walnuts, almonds, pistachios and pine nuts. Common mistake: walking away from the pot; ground rice catches and lumps fast, so it needs steady stirring. Chef's tip: soak the nuts in cold water overnight and peel the almonds; they turn plump and crisp, which is the hallmark of a good meghli.

50 min

Lebanese Desserts

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Kibbeh labanieh

In Lebanese homes, kibbeh labanieh is the dish that turns a batch of stuffed kibbeh into a comforting winter supper: the little torpedo-shaped shells of bulgur and lamb, filled with spiced mince and pine nuts, are poached in a silky yoghurt sauce scented with garlic and dried mint. It is eaten hot, ladled over vermicelli rice. The yoghurt has to be stabilised with cornflour and stirred in one direction while it heats, or it splits. Common mistake: letting the sauce boil hard before it has thickened; it curdles instantly. Chef's tip: make the kibbeh balls a day ahead and freeze them on a tray — they hold their shape better in the sauce.

95 min

Lebanese Meat

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Riz a djej

Riz a djej is the centrepiece of Lebanese celebrations and Eid lunches, carried to the table on a huge platter: rice cooked in chicken broth with a little spiced minced beef, crowned with pulled poached chicken and a heavy scattering of fried almonds, pine nuts and cashews. The flavours are gentle and warm — cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg — so it is a favourite with children too. Plain yoghurt and a crisp salad go alongside. Common mistake: skipping the rinse; unrinsed rice turns sticky in the rich broth. Chef's tip: poach the chicken the day before and chill the broth so you can lift off the fat; you get a cleaner, more savoury rice.

100 min

Lebanese Chicken

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Layali Lubnan

Layali Lubnan — 'Lebanese nights' — is the cool, wobbly pudding Beirut families make for Ramadan evenings and summer gatherings, because it is quick and feeds a crowd from one dish. A base of milk thickened with fine semolina and scented with orange blossom is topped with a thick layer of cream, then finished with pistachios, rose petals and a trickle of sugar syrup at the table. It is gentle and milky rather than very sweet; the syrup lets everyone choose. Common mistake: pouring the cream on while the semolina is still hot; it melts in and the layers blur. Chef's tip: whisk the semolina in slowly and keep whisking for the first minute — that is what keeps it perfectly smooth.

30 min

Lebanese Desserts

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Kabees lifit

No falafel or shawarma wrap in Beirut is complete without a few batons of kabees lifit, the crunchy, vinegary pickled turnips that glow pink from a slice of raw beetroot in the jar. Lebanese families put them up in autumn when turnips are young and sweet, and a bowl sits on the mezze table next to olives and green chillies. They are sharp, salty and crisp, and cut through grilled meats, fried kibbeh and hummus. Common mistake: using iodised table salt, which clouds the brine; use pure fine salt or sea salt. Chef's tip: choose small, firm turnips with smooth skins — big woody ones stay bitter however long they pickle.

25 min

Lebanese Basics

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Bizri

Fish restaurants on the harbours of Byblos, Batroun and Tyre bring bizri to the table within minutes of ordering: a heap of tiny whitebait, dusted in seasoned flour and fried so crisp you eat them whole, heads and all, with a squeeze of lemon. It is a mezze for sharing with fattoush, tahini sauce and fried pitta, usually while waiting for the bigger grilled fish. Buy the fish very fresh and keep it on ice until it goes into the pan. The common mistake is crowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and leaves the fish greasy and soft. Chef's tip: toss the damp fish in flour in a sieve and shake off every bit of excess; a thin coating fries glassy-crisp.

25 min

Lebanese Fish

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Shanklish

Up in the mountain villages of northern Lebanon and around Tartus on the Syrian coast, families once made shanklish at the end of summer to keep milk through the winter. This home version starts from strained yoghurt (labneh), seasoned and dried into firm balls, then coated in za'atar and Aleppo pepper for a tangy, crumbly cheese with a herby crust. Crumble it over chopped tomato and onion, drown it in olive oil and eat it with bread for breakfast or as mezze. Because it is made from labneh rather than rennet cheese, it is fully vegetarian. Common mistake: rolling the balls while the labneh is still soft; it must be firm enough to hold a thumbprint. Chef's tip: dry the balls uncovered in the fridge for two extra days if you like a sharper, more crumbly cheese.

30 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

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Kallaj

Kallaj appears in the sweet shops of Beirut and Tripoli only during Ramadan, when bakers sell paper-thin starch sheets to wrap around cream or cheese and fry for after iftar. Home cooks recreate it with filo: square parcels of thick milk cream, baked until they crackle, then soaked briefly in rose and orange-blossom syrup and finished with pistachios. Serve them warm, a few minutes after the syrup goes on, while the outside is still crisp. Common mistake: drowning them in syrup and leaving them to sit; spoon it over just before serving. Chef's tip: a cheese version — fill with half mozzarella, half unsalted ricotta — is just as traditional; choose a vegetarian-rennet mozzarella if you need it.

60 min

Lebanese Desserts

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Kibbeh bil sanieh

When a Lebanese family is expecting a crowd for Sunday lunch, out comes the round tray of kibbeh bil sanieh, cut into diamonds before baking so everyone can lift a neat piece. Two layers of lamb and fine bulgur kneaded with onion and spices sandwich a filling of minced lamb fried with onions and toasted pine nuts; the top bakes crisp and brown while the inside stays moist. Serve it warm or at room temperature with yoghurt, cucumber salad or fattoush. Common mistake: using coarse bulgur, which won't bind; you need fine bulgur (number 1). Chef's tip: dip your hands in iced water while you press the top layer — it smooths the surface and stops the mixture sticking.

90 min

Lebanese Meat

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Sayadieh

In the port towns of Saida, Tyre and Batroun, sayadieh is what fishermen's families cook with the day's white fish: rice simmered in a deep brown stock made from very dark caramelised onions and cumin, topped with flakes of fried fish, toasted almonds and pine nuts. The rice is savoury and faintly sweet from the onions, and it comes with a tahini-lemon sauce (tarator) on the side. Common mistake: stopping the onions too early — they need to be almost mahogany for the right colour and taste. Chef's tip: simmer the fish trimmings in the onion stock for 20 minutes before cooking the rice; it doubles the sea flavour.

80 min

Lebanese Fish

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Shish barak

Shish barak is a labour of love that Lebanese grandmothers turn into a family afternoon: everyone sits round the table pinching hundreds of tiny dumplings filled with spiced lamb and onion. The dumplings are baked until lightly golden, then dropped into hot yoghurt sauce, and the bowl is finished with garlic and coriander fried in butter. It is rich, tangy and deeply comforting, served on its own or with plain rice. Common mistake: rolling the dough thick — it should be thin enough to see the board through, or the dumplings turn stodgy. Chef's tip: baking the dumplings before they go into the sauce sets their shape and adds a toasty flavour; you can freeze them at this stage.

115 min

Lebanese Meat

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Arayes

Arayes are what Beirut grill houses and family barbecues do with kafta when they want something you can eat with your hands: pitta breads split and filled with a thin layer of lamb or beef mince mixed with onion, parsley and spices, then pressed and grilled until the bread is shatteringly crisp and the meat juices soak in. Cut into wedges, they come with tahini sauce, pickles and a tomato salad. Common mistake: spreading the meat too thickly — the bread burns before the centre is cooked; keep it about 5 mm. Chef's tip: brush the outside of the bread with the fat from the mince bowl or a little olive oil; it fries the pitta to a perfect crunch.

30 min

Lebanese Meat

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Yakhnet bazella

Yakhnet bazella is weekday food in almost every Lebanese household: cubes of lamb (or beef) simmered until tender with peas, carrots and tomato, with a last-minute hit of garlic and coriander, ladled over buttery vermicelli rice. Mothers in Beirut make it with frozen peas in winter and fresh ones in spring; children love its sweetness. Common mistake: adding the peas with the meat — they turn grey and mushy; put them in for the last 10 minutes. Chef's tip: brown the meat in small batches so it really sears; that browned base is where the stew's flavour comes from.

100 min

Lebanese Meat

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Hindbeh

Each spring, people in the Lebanese hills go out with a knife and a bag to gather wild chicory and dandelion for hindbeh, a Lenten favourite in Christian homes and a regular on mezze tables all year. The bitter greens are blanched, squeezed and fried with garlic in olive oil, then piled with a tangle of deeply browned, crisp onions and served with lemon wedges. The bitterness, the sweetness of the onions and the sharp lemon balance each other, and it is eaten at room temperature with bread. Cultivated dandelion or curly endive from a greengrocer works well. Common mistake: not squeezing the greens dry; water stops them frying and dilutes the oil. Chef's tip: fry the onions slowly and pull them out a shade lighter than you want — they keep darkening on the paper.

50 min

Lebanese Vegetarian

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Shorbet kishk

In the Bekaa Valley, late summer means spreading bulgur fermented with yoghurt on rooftops to dry, then rubbing it into kishk powder that keeps the family through winter. On a cold morning that powder becomes shorbet kishk, a thick, tangy, porridge-like soup eaten for breakfast with radishes, spring onions and flatbread to scoop it up. Meat-eaters often add preserved lamb (awarma); this version keeps it vegetarian with plenty of garlic and onion fried in olive oil. Kishk powder is sold in Middle Eastern grocers. Common mistake: adding the powder to hot water; it clumps, so always whisk it into cold water first. Chef's tip: finish with a spoonful of garlic sizzled in oil and a pinch of dried mint poured over each bowl.

30 min

Lebanese Soups

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Mtabbal shamandar

Beirut's modern mezze bars made mtabbal shamandar a fixture next to hummus and moutabal: roasted beetroot blended with tahini, garlic, lemon and a little yoghurt into a magenta dip that is earthy, nutty and bright. It is quick to make and keeps well, so it is good for a weekend spread with warm flatbread, crisp cucumbers and radishes. Common mistake: boiling the beetroot, which waters it down; roasting in foil concentrates the sweetness. Chef's tip: add the lemon a little at a time and taste — beetroot varies a lot in sweetness, and the dip should taste lively, not sugary. Use plant yoghurt to make it vegan.

70 min

Lebanese Chutneys & Dips

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Turmus

Strolling the Beirut Corniche or a Sunday market in Amman, you will pass carts selling turmus: plump golden lupini beans kept in salted water, scooped into paper cones and eaten by nicking the skin with your teeth and popping out the bean. They are also a fixture on mezze tables and a fasting snack for Lent. Dried lupins are naturally very bitter and must be soaked for days to wash those compounds out; never eat them while they still taste bitter, and if you are allergic to peanuts, check with a doctor first as lupin allergy is linked. A jar of ready-debittered lupini, drained and seasoned, is a quick shortcut. The common mistake is salting the beans before they are fully sweet, which seals the bitterness in. Chef's tip: finish with lemon, cumin and a little chilli just before serving; the salty brine keeps them, the dressing makes them moreish.

90 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

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Sujuk

Late-night sandwich counters in Bourj Hammoud, Beirut's Armenian quarter, fry sujuk on a flat-top until it crackles, toss in tomatoes and wrap the lot in thin bread with toum and pickles. Ready-made sujuk is usually dried and cured; this home version is a fresh, uncured beef sausage mix seasoned with garlic, cumin, sumac and Aleppo pepper and shaped into skinless fingers, so it cooks quickly and safely. It is just as good at breakfast with fried eggs. The common mistake is frying on a high heat from the start, which burns the spices before the meat cooks through. Chef's tip: chill the shaped sausages for 30 minutes first; they hold together and brown better.

60 min

Lebanese Meat

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Maghmour

In Lebanese villages from the Chouf to the Bekaa, maghmour turns up on the table during the long Lenten fasts and through the summer, when aubergines are piled high at every greengrocer. Chunks of fried or roasted aubergine collapse into a sweet, garlicky tomato sauce with chickpeas and plenty of olive oil, so the dish is soft and silky rather than chunky. Lebanese cooks serve it at room temperature with flatbread, pickles and a bowl of olives, and it tastes even better on the second day. Roasting the aubergine instead of deep-frying keeps it lighter without losing the melting texture. Common mistake: stirring hard once the aubergine is in; fold gently or it turns to mush. Chef's tip: add a final drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of dried mint just before serving to lift the deep, sweet flavours.

75 min

Lebanese Vegetarian

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Salatet el raheb

Mezze restaurants along the Lebanese coast serve salatet el raheb as the fresh, chunky cousin of baba ghanoush: the aubergine is charred until smoky, then chopped rather than puréed and tossed with tomato, peppers, spring onion, parsley and a sharp dressing of lemon and pomegranate molasses. There is no tahini, so it is light and summery and sits well next to grilled halloumi or kebabs. Common mistake: leaving the aubergine juices in; drain the flesh in a sieve or the salad turns watery. Chef's tip: char the aubergines directly over a gas flame or on a barbecue rather than in the oven — the smoky flavour is the soul of the dish.

40 min

Lebanese Salads

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Balila

On winter mornings in Damascus, handcarts with steaming pots of chickpeas park outside schools and offices, and vendors ladle balila into paper cups with a squeeze of lemon and a shake of cumin. In Beirut it is a mezze dish and a light Sunday breakfast, served warm in a shallow bowl with pine nuts and parsley and bread on the side. It is simply chickpeas, cooked until creamy inside, dressed while hot so they soak up the garlic and oil. The usual mistake is dressing cold chickpeas from the fridge; they stay waxy and the flavours sit on the surface. Chef's tip: keep a ladle of the hot cooking water and add it to the dressing; it turns the oil and lemon into a light, clinging sauce.

85 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

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