Zaher Matboukh
December 23rd, 2009
Zaher Matboukh is a winter dish. It is prepared from white cauliflower deep fried in vegetable ghee, then cooked with ground meat, crushed garlic, ground cumin and water, and served with rice.
Let’s make Zaher Matboukh:
1, 2, 3, 4. Cut white cauliflower into florets, put the florets in large bowl and add water to cover and allow to soak for 10 minutes, then drain very well.
5, 6, 7. Heat vegetable ghee, and deep fry cauliflower florets in vegetable ghee until light golden brown in color.
8. Drain fried cauliflower florets on paper towel, and try to drain several times, change the towels and drain so that will remove excess ghee.
9. In deep pot, heat 1 tsp ghee.
10. Add ground meat, and add salt.
11, 12. Stir meat until completely cooked.
13, 14. Once meat is completely cooked, add crushed garlic and stir for 5 minutes.
15. Add fried cauliflower florets to the pot.
16. Stir gently the mixture of meat, crushed garlic and fried cauliflower.
17. Add ground cumin to the pot, and stir gently.
18. Add 900 ml water to the pot.
19, 20. Cover the pot, and keep it on low heat for one hour, but check every 20 minutes and stir gently, do not forget to cover the pot after you finish checking and stirring every 20 minutes. Taste and decide if it needs salt or not, so you can add salt.
21. Zaher Matboukh is ready.
22. Melt 2 tbsp ghee and bring it to high heat, then turn off heat.
23. Rinse rice with cold water in several changes.
24. Boil water.
25. Soak rice in boiled water for 10 minutes.
26. To ghee, add 4 1/2 cup water, and add salt, then turn on heat and let it boil.
27. Drain rice, then rinse it with cold water in several changes.
28. Once the water is boiling vigorously add rice.
29. Check if the water is good for the rice by this method which is called “Al-Samda” (Read more about Al-Samda in the post Maqloubat Al-Bathenjan), and keep the rice for 5 minutes over high heat so it will boil vigorously, then lower heat and cover pot and keep for 15 – 20 minutes till rice is cooked. when it is completely cooked, turn off heat, stir and serve.
Serve Zaher Matboukh hot with rice, lemon wedges and turnip pickles.
Zaher Matboukh
From: Family Recipe / Servings: 5 – 7 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
| 3 kg white cauliflower, cut to florets
500 g vegetable ghee, for frying 1 tsp ghee, for meat 250 g fat free ground lamb meat 5 tbsp crushed garlic 4 tbsp ground cumin 900 ml water Salt Rice 2 tbsp ghee 3 cups Egyptian short grain rice Boiling water, for soaking rice 4 1/2 cups water Salt To Serve Lemon Wedges Turnip Pickles |
Cut white cauliflower into florets, put the florets in large bowl and add water to cover and allow to soak for 10 minutes, then drain very well.
Heat vegetable ghee, and deep fry cauliflower florets in vegetable ghee until light golden brown in color. Drain fried cauliflower florets on paper towel, and try to drain several times, change the towels and drain so that will remove excess ghee. In deep pot, heat 1 tsp ghee. Add ground meat, and add salt. Stir meat until completely cooked. Once meat is completely cooked, add crushed garlic and stir for 5 minutes. Add fried cauliflower florets to the pot. Stir gently the mixture of meat, crushed garlic and fried cauliflower. Add ground cumin to the pot, and stir gently. Add 900 ml water to the pot. Cover the pot, and keep it on low heat for one hour, but check every 20 minutes and stir gently, do not forget to cover the pot after you finish checking and stirring every 20 minutes. Taste and decide if it needs salt or not, so you can add salt. Rice Melt 2 tbsp ghee and bring it to high heat, then turn off heat. Rinse rice with cold water in several changes. Boil water. Soak rice in boiled water for 10 minutes. To ghee, add 4 1/2 cup water, and add salt, then turn on heat and let it boil. Drain rice, then rinse it with cold water in several changes. Once the water is boiling vigorously add rice. Check if the water is good for the rice by this method which is called “Al-Samda” (Read more about Al-Samda in the post Maqloubat Al-Bathenjan), and keep the rice for 5 minutes over high heat so it will boil vigorously, then lower heat and cover pot and keep for 15 – 20 minutes till rice is cooked. when it is completely cooked, turn off heat, stir and serve. Serve Zaher Matboukh hot with rice, lemon wedges and turnip pickles. |
My teta used to make it with coriander and garlic.
tasteofbeirut: in Syria, cauliflower is always combined with cumin. In Zaher Maqli, it is served with cumin, and in Zaher Matboukh, it is cooked with cumin.