Oman (Asia) — coming next week

Oman is located in the continent of Asia. It has Iran to the north, Pakistan to the northeast, India to the east, Somalia to the south, Yemen to the southwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Bahrain, Qatar and U.A.E. to the northwest.

The capital is Muscat.

The official language is Arabic.

The climate is hot and dry in the interior and hot and humid along the coast.

The staple foods are spiced basmati rice, chicken, lamb, beef, swordfish, bread, dates, cardamom and so much more (https://www.exoticca.com/us/asia/middle-east/oman/gastronomy).  

https://www.britannica.com/place/Oman

CHICKEN MACHBOOS (Rice & Chicken Kabsa) (https://www.hungrypaprikas.com/chicken-machboos/):

• 4 full chicken legs, skin on, bone in (you can also use thighs – add 1-2 pieces per person)
• 3 medium onions
• 4 medium garlic cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3 dry limes (substitute 2 tsp dry lime powder if unavailable)
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 green cardamom pods
• ½ tsp allspice
•  ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C tomato sauce
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 3-1/2 C basmati rice, long grain
• 4-1/2 C water/broth
• 1/3 C raisins
• 1/3 C slivered almonds or pine nuts

1. Start by preheating the oven to 400F.
2. Finely dice the onion and crush the garlic.
3. To a large non-stick pot, add the oil and heat for 1 minute.
4. Then add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened.
5. Add the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, dry lime, and bay leaves) along with the crushed garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to smear the paste on the bottom of the pan and caramelize it.
7. Add the ground spices (salt, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice) as well as the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water.
8. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
9. Add the washed chicken legs and cover them in the sauce mixture.
10. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
11. Wash and rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear.
12. Remove the chicken legs, sprinkle with extra salt and pepper (if desired) and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil.
13. To finish cooking them, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until juice run clear.
14. Broil for 2 minutes to crisp the skin.
15. Add the rice to the pot along with the remaining 3-1/2 cups of water.
16. Mix well but gently to incorporate the rice.
17. Cover and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
18. Once boiling, keep the rice covered, lower the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not uncover the rice before the 20 minutes.
19. Turn off the rice and let the rice stand for 5 minutes.
20. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet with ½ TBSP of vegetable oil on medium heat, stirring constantly until golden. This should take no more than 5 minutes.
21. Remove the nuts and add the raisins using the same pan.
22. Stir on high heat for 1-2 minutes to heat through and slightly caramelize.
23. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
24. Serve in a large dish, with the chicken legs on top and garnish with the pine nuts/almonds and raisins.

The flavors in the rice and marinated chicken are fantastic!!! I highly recommend!

OMANI MALDOUF (https://cookwithrenu.com/omani-maldouf-a-flatbread-made-with-dates/):

• 2 C whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose flour or maida)
• Salt
• ¼ C ghee (clarified butter) for shallow frying
• Water for kneading dough

Date mixture:

• 8-14 (1/2 C) soft dates (depending on size)
• 1 C boiling water

1. Soak the pitted dates in 1 C of boiling water for 2-3 hours or until softened.
2. Puree the softened dates using a strainer or a fine mesh. You may require a blender to blend, if it is not very soft for you.
3. Mix the pureed dates along with salt, 1 TBSP ghee, and flour and make a soft dough.
4. Let the dough rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into equal or lemon size balls.
6. Roll each to form a flatbread/paratha/circular disc/or shape you like to 5-6 inches long.
7. Shallow fry each using ghee until cooked from both sides.
8. Since the dough have dates in them, it will be cooked very fast.

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out, but it made a great addition to the Machboos!!

PUDDING OMANI STYLE (https://www.puckarabia.com/en/recipes/pudding-omani-style/):

• 1 C milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/8 tsp saffron, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp rose water
• 50g unsalted butter
• ½ C crushed pistachio and sliced almonds

1. In a pot, before placing it over the heat, mix the eggs and sugar.
2. Add the milk, evaporated milk and mix well.
3. Put the pot over medium heat and stir and continue stirring until it melts and transforms into the custard, and it starts to thicken.
4. Remove from the heat, add the cardamom, saffron, rose water, nuts, and butter and mix well.
5. Divide the custard into serving cups, garnish with extra nuts, and enjoy it warm, or cover and refrigerate for 4 hours and serve it cold.

This was such a good custard!! Plus I like all the nuts too!!

Diet Coke for me just makes a meal so much better. In this case, the meal was great already!!!