modern middle east

Exotic, fragrant, beautiful – what’s not to love about this luxurious cake? Topped with icing and baked in a bundt tin, it's a cake for when you're out to impress.

For this recipe you will need a 23–25cm/9–10in bundt tin and a freestanding mixer or a hand-held electric mixer. 

Persian love cake 

golden caster sugar

eggs,

½ unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest and juice

½ orange, finely grated zest and juice

tsp rosewater or orange blossom water

150 grams/5½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon

100 grams/3½oz ground almonds

grams/3½oz pistachios

tbsp soured cream

icing sugar

½ lemon, juice only

orange juice

rosewater

tbsp edible dried rose petals,

grams/1 ounces nibbed pistachios (see tip)

Freekeh is dried green wheat, harvested while the grains are still soft, then sun-dried. It is very common in the Middle East and North Africa, and is used in the same way as bulgur, couscous or pearled spelt. It works well as an accompanying pilaf or a salad, in this case with pomegranate seeds, pistachios, mint and spring onion.

Each serving provides 347kcal, 6g protein, 46g carbohydrates (of which 7g sugars), 18g fat (of which 3g saturates), 1.5g fibre and	0g salt.


Freekeh salad

200 grams/7 ounces freekeh, pearled spelt or pearled barley

olive oil

spring onions, finely chopped

pomegranate, seeds only

pomegranate molasses

tbsp pistachios, roughly crushed

salt and black pepper

Chicken shawarma is usually cooked on a spit, but this is roasted in the oven. Here, I’ve served it modestly, on a pile of shredded iceberg, with some warmed pitta, lemon wedges and a tahini sauce. When I make this for groups of friends, or for a family lunch or supper, I slice up some fresh tomatoes sprinkled with mint, and cut some cucumbers into wedged slices, and macerate some red onions, cut into half-moons, with red wine vinegar or lime – in which case it will serve up to 10 people.

Oven-cooked chicken shawarma

chicken thighs

lemons

100 milliliters/3½fl oz olive oil

fat garlic

bay leaves

paprika

tsp cumin

tsp coriander

tsp dried chilli flakes

cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

tsp sea salt flakes

lettuce leaves,

250 grams/9 ounces plain yoghurt

tbsp tahini

salt,

pomegranate seeds

Chicken shawarma is usually cooked on a spit, but this is roasted in the oven. Here, I¹ve served it modestly, on a pile of shredded iceberg, with some warmed pitta, lemon wedges and a tahini sauce, as made below. When I make this for groups of friends, or for a family lunch or supper, I slice up some fresh tomatoes sprinkled with mint, and cut some cucumbers into wedged slices, and macerate some red onions, cut into half-moons, with red wine vinegar or lime ­ in which case it will serve up to 10 people.

Bring the enchanting flavours of the Middle East to a simple pot of lentils. Top with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon for a moreish meal. 

Middle Eastern lentils

onions, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, finely chopped

cumin seeds, toasted and then ground (to taste)

chilli flakes,

lentils

green peppers, seeds removed and quartered

lemon juice,

coriander,

fresh mint, torn

flatbreads

Greek yoghurt

Herbs, pulses, noodles, spinach and soured cream combine in this Iranian comfort food dish, topped with deeply caramelised onions.

Persian noodle soup

tsp turmeric

tin chickpeas, drained

100 grams/3½oz small brown lentils

haricot beans, drained

vegetable stock

grams/1½oz butter

grams/3½oz linguine or Iranian reshtey noodles

spinach

parsley

grams/¾oz coriander

grams/½oz mint

x 250 milliliters/9fl oz tubs soured cream

Chicken shawarma, but cooked in a pan! While this Middle Eastern spread feels really fresh and summery, it uses lots of store cupboard ingredients like roasted peppers in a jar, pickled vegetables, tinned lentils and harissa for flavour, meaning you can make this year round with a reliable red cabbage, a handful of parsley and a bulb of garlic.
Each serving provides 559 kcal, 47g protein, 25g carbohydrate (of which 9g sugars), 28g fat (of which 7.6g saturates), 8.7g fibre and 1.3g salt.

Top 6 modern middle east recipes from across the web

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Persian love cake

Freekeh salad

Oven-cooked chicken shawarma

Middle Eastern lentils

Persian noodle soup

Frying pan chicken shawarma with le...

Top 6 modern middle east recipes from across the web

The most viewed modern middle east recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Persian love cake

Freekeh salad

Oven-cooked chicken shawarma

Middle Eastern lentils

Persian noodle soup

Frying pan chicken shawarma with le...

The most viewed modern middle east recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine