Yotam Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern recipes (2024)

My colleague Noor Murad has opened my eyes to a world that is both familiar and a bit exotic. Dishes from her native Bahrain (and the rest of the Arabian Gulf) have their roots in Arabic, Persian and Indian cooking, but also draw from Europe, Africa and Asia. It is a vibrant cuisine, shaped over centuries of trade and perfected mostly by women in home kitchens. The sharp flavours, generous use of spice, and love of rice and seafood are perfect building blocks for some seriously joyful feasts.

Beef skewers with dried lime and sumac onions (main picture)

Dried limes, also known as Iranian limes, Omani limes and various other names, are widely used across the Middle East, adding an earthy sourness to soups, stews, marinades and stuffings. I’ve used black dried limes here, but lighter ones are also fine. You’ll find them in Middle-Eastern supermarkets and online.

Prep 15 min
Marinate 2 hr
Cook 25 min
Serves 4

4 x 250g beef rump steaks with some fat attached
5-6 dried black limes, roughly chopped, then finely ground in a spice grinder to get 3 tbsp
2 lemons, zest finely grated, to get 2 tsp, and juiced, to get 2½ tbsp
1 tbsp ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Sunflower oil, for greasing
1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli) (or ½ tsp regular chilli flakes)

For the sumac onions
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1½ tsp sumac
¾ tbsp cider vinegar
4 shop-bought naan or pitta
1½ tbsp picked parsley leaves
1½ tbsp picked mint leaves

Equipment
8 metal 25cm-long skewers, or wooden skewers soaked in water for 10 minutes

Put the steaks on a board and cover with a sheet of clingfilm. Using a mallet or the base of small, heavy saucepan, bash the steaks until they are about 1.5cm thick. Cut up the steaks, fat and all, into 1.5cm cubes and put in a bowl with the ground black lime, lemon zest and juice, cumin, garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon and a half of salt and a good grind of pepper. Leave to marinate at room temperature for at least two hours (or refrigerated overnight).

For the sumac onions, mix the onion, sumac, vinegar and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and leave to soften for at least 30 minutes.

Thread the beef on to the skewers, packing the cubes closely together. Generously grease a grill pan with sunflower oil and put on a high heat. Once smoking, lay in the skewers in batches and cook, turning as you go, for about three to four minutes in total, until charred all over but not over-cooked. Transfer to a tray and cover with foil to keep warm.

Warm the bread on a hot grill for about 30 seconds on each side.

To serve, put a flatbread on each plate and top with two beef skewers each, brushing them with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkling with the chilli. Toss the parsley and mint into the sumac onions, divide the mixture between the plates and serve.

Machboos rubyan (AKA spiced rice)

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern recipes (1)

Versions of spiced rice are found all around the Arabian Gulf, and also go by names such as kabsa or mandi. “Eat with your hands,” Noor says as I grab a fork. Serve with Greek yoghurt and chopped green chillies.

Soak 2 hr
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr 55 min
Serves 6

400g basmati rice, soaked in plenty of water for 2 hours
1kg sustainably sourced* unshelled tiger/king prawns
1 tsp garam masala
¾ tsp turmeric
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
75ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
3 onions, peeled – 1 cut into 4 wedges, 1 finely chopped and 1 thinly sliced
2 lemons, 1 halved and the other juiced, to get 1 tbsp
1 head garlic, cut in half widthways
800ml chicken stock
2 cinnamon sticks
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into 2cm pieces
8 cardamom pods, roughly crushed in a mortar
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely minced
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch ground cloves
3 plum tomatoes, coarsely grated and skins discarded (270g net weight)
40g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
35g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
1½ tbsp fresh dill leaves, roughly chopped
¼ tsp chilli flakes

Tip the soaked rice into a sieve and leave to drain. Peel and de-vein the prawns, saving the heads and shells. In a bowl, mix the peeled prawns with the garam masala, a quarter-teaspoon of turmeric, two cloves of crushed garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then refrigerate.

Put the onion wedges in a large saucepan for which you have a lid, then add the prawn heads and shells, lemon halves, head of garlic, stock, one cinnamon stick and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil on a medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain through a sieve set over a saucepan; discard the solids.Measure out 650ml of the liquid and keep warm (reserve any excess prawn stock for another dish).

On a medium-high flame, heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan for which you have a lid. Add the chopped onion, green pepper, cardamom and remaining cinnamon stick, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about eight minutes, until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add the remaining crushed garlic, ginger and green chilli, and cook for a minute more, until fragrant. Add the spices, the remaining half-teaspoon of turmeric, tomatoes, 35g coriander and two tablespoons of the prawn stock, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened – about seven minutes.

Stir in the rice, to coat, then add the remaining prawn stock, one and three-quarter teaspoons of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, cover tightly first with foil and then with the lid, turn down the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, keeping the lid on, and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Uncover, dot with 20g butter, cover again, and leave to sit for 10 minutes more, until the butter has melted through the fluffy rice.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil and the remaining 15g butter in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and deeply browned – about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, return the pan to a high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. In two batches, add the marinated prawns and cook until browned and cooked through – about three minutes per batch. Transfer the prawns to a bowl and mix through the dill, chilli, lemon juice and remaining coriander.

Spread the rice on a large platter, top with the browned onions and then the prawns, and serve warm.

* The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US.

Chopped salad with feta and yoghurt

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern recipes (2)

This fresh and crunchy salad cuts right through rich dishes such as the one above.

Prep 20 min
Cook 5 min
Serves 4 as a side

3 sticks celery, cut into 12mm-thick slices
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthways, deseeded and cut into 2.5mm half- moons
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into 2.5mm-thick strips
½ red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
3 tbsp dill leaves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
120g Greek-style yoghurt
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (ie, from 1-2 lemons)
Salt and black pepper
100g feta, thinly sliced into random shards
1 tsp sumac

Put the celery, cucumber, green pepper, onion, herbs and half the coriander seeds in a large bowl and mix to combine.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, two tablespoons of oil, the lemon juice, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then pour over the vegetables and toss well to combine.

Transfer half the salad to a large serving platter and top with half the feta. Repeat with another layer each of salad and feta, then top with the sumac and remaining coriander seeds, and finish by drizzling over the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best Ottolenghi recipe? ›

Our Best Yotam Ottolenghi Recipes
  • Couscous, Cherry Tomato & Herb Salad. ...
  • Shakshuka. ...
  • Burnt Green Onion Dip with Curly Kale. ...
  • Honey & Yogurt Set Cheesecake. ...
  • Roasted Onion Salad with Arugula & Walnut Salsa. ...
  • Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake. ...
  • Sweet Potato Galettes. ...
  • Beet, Caraway & Goat Cheese Bread.

Is Ottolenghi Middle Eastern food? ›

From this, Ottolenghi has developed a style of food which is rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, but which also draws in diverse influences and ingredients from around the world.

Are Ottolenghi recipes complicated? ›

Some of the recipes are fairly straightforward but he does have a reputation for including some hard to get ingredients and some recipes can be very involved. I really enjoy his recipes and find they are very tasty.

Is Ottolenghi A Vegan? ›

The guy's an omnivore but his recipes are overwhelmingly vegetarian and vegan. His vegetarian (not vegan) cookbook Plenty< spent years near the top of Britain's bestseller lists.

Is Ottolenghi a trained chef? ›

Ottolenghi trained at Le Cordon Bleu

Although his great success might suggest otherwise, Yotam Ottolenghi did not plan on being a chef. Instead, his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood were dedicated to academia.

Is chef Ottolenghi vegetarian? ›

If anything, Mr. Ottolenghi — tall and dapper, with salt-and-pepper hair, half-rim glasses and a penchant for pink-striped button-downs and black sneakers — should be a vegetarian pinup. But here's the rub: he eats meat.

What is the most popular Middle Eastern food? ›

Falafel: These deep-fried, meat-free balls have become a common international street food dish. Hummus: Made from mashed chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice and garlic, this is one of the most popular Middle Eastern foods -- and a topic for fierce regional rivalries.

Why is Ottolenghi so popular? ›

The deli quickly gained a cult following due to its inventive dishes, characterised by the foregrounding of vegetables, unorthodox flavour combinations, and the abundance of Middle Eastern ingredients such as rose water, za'atar, and pomegranate molasses.

Is Ottolenghi a Michelin star? ›

So far, his books have sold 5 million copies, and Ottolenghi - although he has never even been awarded a Michelin star and without being considered a great chef - has successfully blended Israeli, Iranian, Turkish, French and, of course, Italian influences to create a genre that is (not overly) elegant, international, ...

What are the criticism of Ottolenghi? ›

The only real criticisms heard by the industry about Ottolenghi's earlier books were that that the ingredients lists were too long, and the recipes too complicated. "So Simple was simply genius," says Jane Morrow. Each book is very much a hands-on process, with a core team of long-term collaborators.

What is the hardest cooking recipe in the world? ›

Our countdown includes Beef Wellington, Fugu, Baked Alaska, and more!
  • #10: Beef Wellington. ...
  • #8: Soufflé ...
  • #7: Galantine. ...
  • #5: Macarons. ...
  • #4: Baked Alaska. ...
  • #3: Turducken. ...
  • #2: Croquembouche. ...
  • #1: Fugu.

What is surprisingly not vegan? ›

Honey. Honey is a controversial food for many vegans. Bees do produce it, and it is also a food source in the hive. Because bees produce it, and bees have died to make it, honey is not considered vegan.

Why is falafel not vegan? ›

Since falafel is prepared with chickpeas, herbs, spices and alliums, it is vegan. However, falafel is sometimes served in wraps which may not be vegan, or with yogurt- or dairy-based sauces, so be sure to seek out vegan-friendly accompaniments.

What food is surprisingly vegan? ›

18 Snacks and Foods You Didn't Know Were Vegan
  • Sriracha Mayo. I'm just as surprised as you are that Flying Goose's brilliant sriracha mayo is completely plant-based. ...
  • Hackney Gelato Dark Chocolate Sorbetto. ...
  • Lotus Biscoff Spread. ...
  • Lindt Excellence 70% Dark Chocolate. ...
  • Ritz Crackers. ...
  • Jacob's Cream Crackers. ...
  • Oreos. ...
  • Twiglets.
Jan 11, 2023

Where is the original Ottolenghi restaurant? ›

Culinary career

In 2002, the duo (in collaboration with Noam Bar) founded the eponymous delicatessen Ottolenghi in the Notting Hill district of London.

Who is Ottolenghi great British chefs? ›

Yotam Ottolenghi is a cookery writer and chef-patron of the Ottolenghi delis and NOPI restaurant and ROVI. He writes a weekly column in The Guardian's Feast Magazine and a monthly column in The New York Times.

Where to find best recipe? ›

15 Best recipe websites
  1. Pinch of Yum.
  2. Budget Bytes.
  3. Smitten Kitchen.
  4. Damn Delicious.
  5. Simply Recipes.
  6. Minimalist Baker.
  7. Half Baked Harvest.
  8. Joy the Baker.
Dec 18, 2023

How did Ottolenghi become famous? ›

In 2002 the pair opened Ottolenghi, the famous delicatessen in Notting Hill, which became an instant hit for its use of unique flavour combinations and fantastic produce paired with Middle Eastern opulence.

References

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