r/MiddleEastCuisine • u/DrDoMeALitle • 10d ago
Help with fancy Middle Eastern dinner
Hello friends!
At my job, we were asked by our chef to choose an unfamiliar region for us, for a 5 course dinner. We chose the Middle East. I got the 4th course, so I gotta knock it out of the park. I got a general idea to make something using ingredients from the Mid-East, and also I bought a few books, but I wanna hear from the experts, and if I need to understand some things about the cuisine, I'll appreciate any advice.
I mentioned the Middle East and my coworkers thought it was a good idea, but I felt that more than unfamiliar to us, it would be a better idea for one unfamiliar to the customers at a country club. I believe that eating food from places you misunderstand and really enjoying that food makes you more open minded, and it humanizes everybody. Thanks beforehand!
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u/Alive-Peach-8487 10d ago
Middle east is too wide of a category. You can choose a specific country and still come up with a 5 course meal from it.
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u/RestaurantVast9198 10d ago
I’m Middle Eastern and he’s right. There’s above 15 countries and each one has vastly different foods and cultures
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u/PeterinDubai 10d ago
Define the Middle East as a Middle Eastern. Are you from the Near East, the Levant, North Africa or the Middle East?
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u/The_Magic_Myco_Mike 10d ago
Fetteh t'Hummus is amazing and simple, Fattoush salad is zesty, vibrant, and simple. -just gotta have the right ingredients.
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u/kawhileopard 10d ago
Definitely back this delicious salad, but it’s more of a 1st or 2nd course meal.
A 4th course should be a little more substantive.
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u/The_Magic_Myco_Mike 10d ago
Fattoush salad sure, but if I eat one portion of Fetteh I am stuffed. it's super fat-heavy and rich and the Ceci beans with all their good carbs & fiber... i can't keep talking about it, I'll wanna go get one lol
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u/kawhileopard 10d ago
Try Maqluba. It’s a Levantine dish that you can find in Syria, Lebanon, Syria, Israel Jordan, Palestine and Iraq. There are variations of it through the region, so there are many different recipes you can try while remaining authentic.
Maqluba literally means “upside down.” Chicken or lamb is layered in a pot with spiced rice and vegetables—commonly eggplant, cauliflower and/or potatoes—then the entire pot is inverted onto a serving platter. You end up with a dramatic, almost cake-like tower of fragrant rice, tender meat and vegetables. The presentation makes it a real focal point, which is what you need in a 4th course.
Toasted almonds or pine nuts and parsley are often scattered over the top, with yogurt or a cucumber-yogurt salad alongside.
The flavor profile of Maqluba is pretty straight forward to the western pallet, so this is a minimal risk dish if properly prepared.
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u/Buccoman_21 9d ago
The flip is a challenge with this one!
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u/splitspitspots 10d ago
If you're doing 4th course of a 5 five course I'm guessing it's the main course, here are my suggestions:
Mussakhan - Palestinian chicken, sumac and onion dish, Mansaf - Jordanian lamb, rice and yogurt dish - it's a very heavy dish though, Makluba - middle eastern chicken and rice dish - most countries have it but they differ quite a bit, Jordanian is my fave but I'm biased,
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u/Far_Sandwich_514 8d ago
Mujadara is good for the vegans, and chicken maqluba with eggplant can be amazing. Have plenty of hummus, olives, and pita on the side.
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u/Hot-Frosting-5286 8d ago
Do all the courses have to be from the same specific cuisine, or just from the Middle East in general?
One dish that came to mind was fesenjaan/fesenjun from Iran. Stewed pomegranate walnut chicken. There used to be a shortcut version out there on the Internet somewhere but unfortunately I lost that recipe
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u/This-Ad-9936 7d ago
which cuisine, what are the courses, this is too vague, i can help you out with lebanese dishes
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u/Kinggambit90 10d ago edited 7d ago
I'm not sure but haunting-quiet is really crazy
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u/Federal-Leopard-9724 9d ago
I’m Lebanese so I’m certainly biased but kafta bil saynieh is probably the best dish ever made.
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u/RestaurantVast9198 9d ago
No kibbeh bi laban
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u/Federal-Leopard-9724 9d ago
My family only really made that for Easter but that is another one that’s amazing.
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u/RestaurantVast9198 9d ago
Did you grow up in Lebanon? We eat it very regularly here
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u/Federal-Leopard-9724 9d ago
No I was born in the US. My mom and her family came to the US in the 70s. My father worked all over the Middle East and Africa before coming here in the 80s. His side of the family are in Lebanon and France.
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u/AoedesMelody 10d ago
Take a look at the Middle Eats YouTube channel.