Aqras Helweh I
May 14th, 2010
Aqras is a kind of Syrian cookies. There are three recipes for Aqras, Aqras Helweh (Sweet Aqras) and this is the traditional one, and another recipe of Sweet Aqras which is the modern one, and a recipe of Aqras Malha (Salty Aqras). I’ll share with you the three recipes in separated posts.
Today’s recipe is about the traditional Aqras, there are no big differences between traditional and modern Aqras except the type of flour, the amount of yeast and the size.
Aqras was one of the foods that people took with them when they traveled on camels or by ships before the invention of planes, for example, when people traveled on camels to Mecca to perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), journey took months and Aqras was one of the best foods that remains long time without being affected or something happens to it.
My grandmother makes Aqras every few weeks, it is great for breakfast or as a snack with a cup of milk or hot tea and usually we eat them with jebneh, all Aqras recipes on this blog are from my grandmother.
Let’s make Aqras Helweh I:
Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha
May 9th, 2010
Lahm Bi-‘Ajin or Sfiha means meat with dough, it is a piece of dough topped with ground meat and the topping is prepared with different flavors which are:
Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha Sada (Plain Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha): gorund meat mixed with chopped onions, pomegranate molasses, tahini, salt and black pepper.
Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha Bel-Bandourah (Tomatoes Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha): gorund meat mixed with chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped red pepper, red pepper past, pomegranate molasses, tahini, salt and black pepper.
Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha Bel-Khudar (Vegetables Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha), or it has another names such as Lahm Bi-‘Ajin Armani or Lahm Bi-‘Ajin ‘Aentabli: gorund meat mixed with chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped red pepper, red pepper past, chopped parsly, chopped mint, pomegranate molasses, tahini, salt and black pepper.
Let’s make Lahm Bi-‘Ajin / Sfiha:
Bathenjan Mtabbaq
May 6th, 2010
Bathenjan Mtabbaq is a dish prepared from deep fried eggplants, then cooked with tomatoes, olive oil, onions, green pepper and salt. It is served with Arabic flat bread and green pepper.
Let’s make Bathenjan Mtabbaq:
Yabraq
April 20th, 2010
Last year I posted Yalanji (stuffed grape leaves), and today’s post is about Yabraq which is also stuffed grape leaves, the differences between Yalanji and Yabraq are:
Yalanji: The filling is rice and vegetables, the size of the grape leaf that is used is large, and the rolled leaves look thick.
Yabraq: The filling is rice and meat, and cooked in lemon juice, the size of the grape leaf that is used is medium and small, and the rolled leaves look thin and tall like cigarettes.
Let’s make Yabraq:
Waraq Al-‘Enab
April 17th, 2010
Waraq Al-‘Enab or Waraq Al-Dawali means Grape Leaves.
In Syria, grape leaves are used in two dishes:
Yalanji: Grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, served as appetizer. I posted the recipe last year.
Yabraq: Grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat, cooked in lemon juice, served as main course. I’ll post it next.
Before the post “Yabarq”, I preferred to write this post about grape leaves, so that will give you some information about the preparations of grape leaves.
Grape leaves are used fresh in their season (April, May and June), or stored in the freezer for winter use. This post is about:
How to Use Fresh Grape Leaves?
How to Store Fresh Grape Leaves in the Freezer?
More pictures with details:
