Siyyadiyeh (also Siyadiyeh, Siyyadiyi, Siyadiyi, Siyyadiet Samak, Sayyadiet Samak, Lebanese fish on rice, arabic صيادية) is a famous Lebanese dish mainly consisting of a decorated fish. This dish originated in the coastal city of Tripoli, but now is known across all Lebanon. This is a very healthy dish, very low on calories, yet very nutritious. The dish takes a significant amount of time yet it is worth it.
 
Ingredients

• 1 fish (1 kg, cleaned and fried or grilled, flaked
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 7 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups long grain rice, washed and drained
• 5 cups boiled water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• a dash of white pepper and cumin
• ½ cup fried pine nuts

Procedure

1. Heat oil in a deep pot.
2. Fry fish’s head until golden.
3. Remove from oil.
4. Fry onion until golden in 1/2 cup of the oil in which the fish’s head has been fried in.
5. Add fish’s head, salt, cumin, and pepper to onion. Cover with water. Cook on high heat until it boils. Lower heat to moderate and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the fish’s head. Strain stock. Add rice and lemon juice to stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Serve rice in a platter.
8. Garnish platter with flaked fish and pine nuts.

Shish Taouk (also Shish Tawoo2, Shish Tawook, Shish Tawuk, Shish Tawu2, Chich Tawou2, Barbecued Boned Chicken, arabic شيش طاووق) is a traditional Turkish, Syrian, and Lebanese chicken kebab. Shish means “skewered” and Taouk means “chicken”, compared to shish kebab (skewered beef). The term shish taouk comes from Turkish for skewered chicken. The original version was served with rice and a garlic paste along with vegetables. The sandwich version comes in a bread or pita wrap seasoned with garlic paste, along with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickled turnips.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (32 oz) boned chicken
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• a dash of ground ginger
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup vegetable oil

  Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients above.
2. Soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Place in an oven tray. Place tray in a 220°C oven for 30 minutes. Lower heat, cook for 30 minutes or until tender (or thread chicken pieces onto skewers, alternate with mushrooms if desired).
4. Serve accompanied with Lebanese (pita) bread, fresh vegetables, french fries, and garlic purée.

Shawerma Djaj (also Shawarma Dajaj, Shawarma djaj, Chicken Shawarma, Chicken Shawerma, arabic شاورما دجاج) is a delicious chicken dish often served in Lebanese (pita) bread. It is famous across all the Middle East, especially Turkey (where it originated), Syria, and Lebanon. It is currently a very known and beloved dish all over the world.

Ingredients

• 2 kg boned chicken, cut into finger size slices
• 2 cups lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• a dash of salt (as desired)
• a dash of ground white pepper
• a dash of ground paprika
• a dash of ground mastic
• 1 tbls ground 7 spices

Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients above
2. Soak placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours
3. Place in an oven tray
4. Enter tray into a 220°C oven for 45 minutes
5. Serve in Lebanese (pita) bread, with grilled tomatoes, french fries, and lettuce salad

Batata 7arra (also Batata Harra, Hot Potato, arabic بطاطا حرة) is a spicy Lebanese dish mainly consisting of potato (batata in Lebanese and several other languages).
Batata 7arra is usually served as an appetizer.

Ingredients

• Potatoes - 3 (peeled and  julienned)
• Onion - 2 table spoon (finely chopped)
• Garlic - 1 teaspoon (minced)
• Red Pepper - 1 or 2
• Green chillies - 2-3 (cut finely)
• Cilantro or Fresh Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Coriander powder - 3 pinches
• Pepper - 2 pinches
• Salt - To taste
• Olive oil - for saute (3 table spoon)
• Oil - Any vegetable oil for frying
• Lime juice - 1/2 teaspoon

 Procedure

1. Heat oil and fry Potatoes until crisp.
2. Set it on a paper towel to drain the oil.
3. In another pan heat Olive oil then add Onions, Garlic, Red Pepper, Green chillies, Coriander powder and Cilantro and saute, finally add Potatoes and Salt and Pepper.
4. Mix well and add lime juice.
5. Serve Immediately.

Fattet Hummos (also Fattet Hummus, Fattet Humus, Fattet Himmos, Fattet 7immos, Fatteh bi Hommos, arabic فتة حمص) is a rich Lebanese/Syrian dish that is eaten usually as an appetizer before the main meal. This dish mainls consists of chickpeas, bread, and might be decorated with ground lamb meat.

Ingredients

• 1 can of chick peas
• 2 cups yoghurt (Laban)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Pepper
• 2 Lebanese (Pita) bread
• Vegetable Oil
• Olive Oil
• 1-2 tbsp Dried mint leaves
• 3 tbsp Pine nuts or silvered almonds
• 1 tbsp Butter (or clarified butter)
• Salt
• Fried ground lamb meat (optional)

Procedure

1. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and beat in the garlic and pepper to taste.
2. Open out the bread and toast in a very hot oven until it is crisp and brown. Then break it up into the bottom a of the serving dish. Alternatively, you may cut the bread into triangles and deep fry in hot oil, then drain them on absorbent paper.
3. Pour the chick peas and some of their water over the bread, soaking it thoroughly, keeping a few to decorate the dish. Pour the yoghurt mixture over the chickpeas. Crush the mint leaves over them.
4. To garnish, fry the pine nuts or almonds in sizzling butter until they are golden brown and sprinkle over the yoghurt with extra check peas. 
5. Add fried ground lamb meat on the top (optional).
6. Serve at once with the chick peas hot and the rest lukewarm.

Persian Chicken on Skewers

Ingredients

• ½ KG ground chicken
• 6 tablespoons fine dried bread crumbs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• ½ teaspoon ground dried turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure

1. In a bowl, mix chicken, crumbs, egg yolk, onion, turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day
3. Divide chicken mixture into 4 equal portions. Dipping your hands frequently in water to keep mixture from sticking, pat each portion around a skewer (flat metal ones are easiest to handle) to form a log 1 inch thick and about 7 inches long
4. One skewer at a time, lay chicken on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds) and rotate quickly to firm up the surface of the meat.
5. When all of the skewers are on the grill, close lid of gas grill.
6. Rotate skewers every 2 to 3 minutes until meat is lightly browned and firm, not squishy, at skewer (cut to test), about 10 minutes total
7. Cut or push meat off skewers. Add salt to taste
8. Serve with basmati rice and grilled tomatoes

Labneh (also spelled Labaneh, Lebnah, Labni, arabic: لبنة) is a white Lebanese yogurt cheese made from cow milk. It has a consistency between that of yogurt and that of cheese, and has somewhat of a paste texture. In order to keep it for longer, it can also be allowed to dry and harden further, then formed into balls and preserved in olive oil. Labneh may also be flavored by spices like thyme and hot pepper.
 

Ingredients

• 4 cups plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Olive Oil
• 1 sterile bag made of cloth (found in supermarkets)

Procedure

Hummus (also hommos, hamos, houmous, hommus, hummous, humus, homous, arabic حُمُّص‎) is a dip made of ground chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

In Arabic the word hummus is used to describe the dish or just chickpeas on their own. The full name of the dish is hummus bi tahina (Arabic: حُمُّص بطحينة‎)  chickpeas with tahini.

Hummus is popular in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world where it probably originated from. It is served as a Mezza with the main dish.
 Ingredients

• 1 cup dry chickpeas
• water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Tahini (T’hina) and water, to make a paste; fresh lemon juice can be substituted for some of the water [do not use preserved lemon juice!]
• Salt

Procedure

Note that steps 1-3 can be skipped if you buy a can of an already cooked chickpeas.

1. In a large pot, add the chick peas, 2.5 cups of water, and baking soda.Leave to soak for 6-12 hours.
2. Rinse.
3. Add the rinsed peas to 3 cups of water, the garlic and one teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. After about 45 minutes, they should swell enough for their skins to come off. Give it a stir, and use a sieve spoon to remove as much of the skins as you can from the water.
4. Cover the pot and continue cooking for about 2 hours, or until they almost dissolve to a paste.
5. Pour out the water [option: some can be reserved to add later, for extra flavor].
6. Mash the peas by pressing them through a pasta sieve. DO NOT use a food processor!
7. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
8. Add tahini and water until you get the right consistency.
9. Some cooks add tahini concentrate and lemon juice, instead of diluted tahini.
10. Serve with olive oil, onions, and mint leaves

Samkeh Harrah (also hot fish, samkeh 7arra, samki 7arra, arabic سمكة حرة, سمكة حرة طرابلسية) is a delicious Lebanese dish originating in the coastal city of Tripoli. It is known as a very healthy and energetic dish. Many famous small restaurants in the Mina (port) of Tripoli still serve this meal in Lebanese (Pita) bread.

Ingredients

• 1 kg fried or grilled fish flaked
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• ½ cup finely chopped coriander
• ½ cup ground pine nuts, almonds, and pistachio nuts
• 3 cups sesame paste sauce (Taratour)
• 1 tbls dried coriander
• a dash of ground paprika
• ½ tspn ground chili (red pepper)
• ½ tspn ground cumin
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ tspn salt

Procedure

1. Fry in hot oil onion, bell pepper, and coriander until soft.
Stir in spices, salt and ground nuts.
2. Pour sesame paste sauce over the mixture, stir constantly on medium heat until the oil’s bubbles appear and the mixture thickens.
3. Pour mixture in serving platter. Garnish with fish flakes, lemon wedges, fried pine nuts and some chopped parsley.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (also dolma, warak inib, warak inab, wara2 3inib, wara2 3inab, arabic ورق عنب) is a stuffed grape leaf dish famous in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions, including Turkey, Armenia, the Middle East, the Balkans, Greece, and Central Asia. 
 
 

Ingredients

• 1/4 stick of butter/margarine
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 Kg of chopped beef
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice

Procedure

1. Stuffing: wash rice, melt butter. Mix rice, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add melted butter and stir. Add chopped meat a mix well.
2. Wash grape leaves and lay flat with dull side up. Stuff with meat and roll.(Place a small amount of meat near stem section of leaf. Curl over the leaf to cover meat, fold in the sides and roll the leaf into a cigar shape.)
3. On the bottom of pan place either meat bones or unstuffed grapleaves in pan and add water until grape leaves are covered. Add 2 tablespoons of butter/margarine. Cook on high until water boils, lower heat and let cook for another hour or until rice is cooked. place a dish on top of grape leaves while cooking to keep them down. When grape leaves are cooked add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.