Orange Blossom Water

Kwaj is simple dish, prepared from vegetables (tomato, zucchini, eggplant, potato, onion and green pepper) and meat, all together cooked in the oven.

Let’s make Kwaj:

1. Bring tomatoes.

2, 3, 4. Peel tomatoes completely, there is no need to use the method of boiling tomatoes then peeling them, it is very easy to bring a knife and peel tomatoes without boiling them. Do not discard tomato skins.

5, 6. Cut peeled tomatoes into half.

7, 8. Remove seeds, and do not discard the seeds.

9, 10, 11, 12. Cut tomatoes into chunks, and set aside.

13. These are the tomato skins and seeds, put them in a deep pot, and add salt to them.

14. Bring them to boil over medium heat for 30 minutes.

15. After 30 minutes, strain and squeeze until you get all the juice out.

16. After straining, save the juice, and discard the skins and seeds.

17. In a pot, heat ghee.

18. Add ground meat to ghee.

19. Brown meat and cook until no water remains.

20. Bring vegetable marrow (marrow squash), rinse with water and drain. Cut off the stem of the vegetable marrows and use a knife to remove the round caps at the ends of the vegetable marrows.

21, 22. Cut vegetable marrow in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half.

23. Cut into cubes.

24. Place a strainer over a bowl, and transfer the cubes into the strainer.

25. Bring eggplant, rinse with water and drain. Cut off the stem of the eggplant.

26. Cut eggplant half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds.

27. Cut into cubes.

28. Transfer the cubes into the strainer.

29. Bring potatoes, rinse with water and drain.

30. Peel potatoes.

31. Cut into cubes.

32. Transfer the cubes into the strainer.

33. Cut onion into small pieces.

34. Deseed green pepper, cut in half.

35. Cut into small pieces.

36. Transfer onion and green pepper into the strainer.

37. Rinse vegetables with water.

38, 39, 40. Season with salt and black pepper.

41. Bring deep baking dish ( I used oval pyrex dish, capacity 3.4 qt), add vegetables.

42. Add meat over vegetables.

43. Add tomatoes.

44. Pour tomatoes juice over the vegetables.

45. Heat the oven (I used electric oven) at 302 – 392 °F (150 – 200 °C), and cook the dish until all the vegetables are tender and soft and the flavors combined, it may take about 70 minutes.

46. Serve Kwaj hot with Arabic flat bread and green bell pepper.

Kwaj

From: Family Recipe / Servings: 5 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

1500 g tomatoes 1 tbsp ghee 200 g fat free ground lamb meat 300 g (about 4 medium) vegetable marrow, cut into cubes 210 g (about 1 large) eggplant, cut into cubes 400 g (about 2 medium) potatoes, cut into cubes 1 medium red onion, cut into small pieces 1 small long green pepper, deseeded and cut into small pieces Salt Black pepper To Serve Arabic flat bread Bell green pepper

Bring tomatoes. Peel tomatoes completely, there is no need to use the method of boiling tomatoes then peeling them, it is very easy to bring a knife and peel tomatoes without boiling them. Do not discard tomato skins. Cut peeled tomatoes into half. Remove seeds, and do not discard the seeds. Cut tomatoes into chunks, and set aside. These are the tomato skins and seeds, put them in a deep pot, and add salt to them. Bring them to boil over medium heat for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, strain and squeeze until you get all the juice out. After straining, save the juice, and discard the skins and seeds. In a pot, heat ghee. Add ground meat to ghee. Brown meat and cook until no water remains. Bring vegetable marrow (marrow squash), rinse with water and drain. Cut off the stem of the vegetable marrows and use a knife to remove the round caps at the ends of the vegetable marrows. Cut vegetable marrow in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half. Cut into cubes. Place a strainer over a bowl, and transfer the cubes into the strainer. Bring eggplant, rinse with water and drain. Cut off the stem of the eggplant. Cut eggplant half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds. Cut into cubes about inch. Transfer the cubes into the strainer. Cut onion into small pieces. Deseed green pepper, cut in half. Cut into small pieces. Transfer onion and green pepper into the strainer. Rinse vegetables with water. Season with salt and black pepper. Bring deep baking dish (I used oval pyrex dish, capacity 3.4 qt), add vegetables. Add meat over vegetables. Add tomatoes. Pour tomatoes juice over the vegetables. Heat the oven (I used electric oven) at 302 – 392 °F (150 – 200 °C), and cook the dish until all the vegetables are tender and soft and the flavors combined, it may take about 70 minutes. Serve Kwaj hot with Arabic flat bread and green bell pepper.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2012 at 5:45 PM and is filed under Syrian Cooking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.