Bahrain: Spice-Fried Grouper with Muhammar Date and Rose Water Rice And Green Rocket Salad
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The Kingdom of Bahrain is an arid archipelago of 84 islands in the Arabian Gulf. Know as the ‘Land of Immortality’ in ancient literature, this small but mighty nation has been famed since antiquity for its rich pearl fisheries. Over the last century Bahrain has become equally famous for its rich production of Gulf Oil.
Bahrain has been an important seaport and trading junction for over five thousand years so it is not surprising that it has also developed a rich and complex culinary culture. The food practices of this island country have been influenced for centuries by people from all over the world who have travelled to Bahrain and made it their home. As a result, Bahraini cuisine has adapted and evolved to form its own unique Arabic cuisine.
Marked by strong and bold flavours, Bahraini cuisine marries Arabic ingredients and culinary traditions with Mediterranean cooking methods and the food practices of India, Persia, Sri Lanka, Africa, Lebanon and Britain. As the islands of the Bahraini Kingdom are predominantly desert, there is little room for farming so food produced in the neighbouring land-based countries of Saudi Arabia and Qatar are important to Bahraini gastronomy. Key ingredients in this flavoursome and fragrant Middle Eastern cuisine are fish, rice, bread, lamb and chicken, complimented by vegetables, dates, pulses like chickpeas and prized exotic spices such as saffron.
Our BAHRAINI Menu included:
Spice-Fried Grouper
with
Muhammar Date and Rose Water Rice
and
Green Rocket Salad
SPICE-FRIED GROUPER
INGREDIENTS:
· 1 kg fish: Grouper, Golden Trevally or similar
· 2 tbs sunflower oil
· Extra sunflower oil to fry the fish
· Juice 1 lime
· 1 tsp ground turmeric
· ¼ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
· 1 tsp ground coriander seed
· ¼ tsp ground cloves
· ¼ tsp crushed black pepper
· 1 tsp ground dried ginger
· ½ tsp onion salt
· 1 tsp garlic salt
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 tsp cumin powder
· 2 lemons cut in wedges for serving alongside the fish
METHOD:
1. Wash fish and pat dry with paper towel
2. Coat fish with 2 tbs sunflower oil and juice of 1 lime – putting it into a large sealed container can help
3. Mix all the spices together
4. Add the spice mix to the fish and gently toss around until fish is well coated with the spices
5. Fish can now be pan fried or gently roasted
6. Cook presentation side down in hot sunflower oil until the first side of the fish is crisp and golden, about 10 minutes
7. Turn fish over and cook until the underside is crisp, about 5 minutes
8. Serve with lemon on the side
NOTE:
It is traditional for the fish to be fried whole but you can use fillets too
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several found at:
https://www.sliceofmylyfe.com/2017/01/10/fantastic-bahraini-delicacies-and-where-to-find-them/
https://sandkitchen.com/bahraini-style-baked-hammour-dakkus/
https://foodandtools.com/2015/06/29/arabic-sweet-rice-muhammar/
MUHAMMAR DATE AND ROSE WATER RICE
INGREDIENTS:
· 2 cups Basmati rice, washed
· 3 tbs honey
· 60 grams butter
· 1 tsp garlic powder
· 6 dates, finely chopped
· 2 tsp ground cardamom
· 2 tsp ground cinnamon
· ¼ tsp saffron threads
· 2 tsp salt
· 2 tbs rose water
· 2 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
METHOD:
1. Mix the chopped dates, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, honey and rose water together and set aside to combine fragrances and flavours
2. Bring 1 ½ litres of water to the boil in a heavy based pot that had a well-fitting lid
3. Add the salt and rice to the pot and stir until it comes back to the boil
4. Simmer the rice in the uncovered pot for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Strain the rice and wipe the pot clean
6. Add the butter to the pot, heat then sauté the garlic power in the butter gently for 1-2 minutes
7. Add the drained rice and stir well to coat the rice grains with butter
8. Now mix through the rose water infusion, turn the pot to very low, put the lid on the pot and let the rice steam for 15 minutes
9. Now turn the heat off and leave the rice to sit in the pot on the cooling element with the lid on for a further 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Do not remove the lid until ready to serve
10. Serve the rice in a bowl sprinkled with the fresh coriander
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several found at:
http://www.middleeastkitchen.com/rice/bahrainimuhammarrice.html
https://foodandtools.com/2015/06/29/arabic-sweet-rice-muhammar/
https://www.sliceofmylyfe.com/2017/01/10/fantastic-bahraini-delicacies-and-where-to-find-them/
GREEN ROCKET SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
· 4 cups rocket
· 2 cucumbers
· 1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
· 1 tbs fresh dill leaves chopped
· Juice 2 lemon
· 4 tbs olive oil
· Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
METHOD:
1. Place lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously to combine
2. Peeled the cucumber, cut in half lengthways deseed and slice into moons
3. Mix cucumber and other greens together
4. Pour the dressing over the greens and lightly toss
5. Serve alongside the fish
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several found at:
https://www.sliceofmylyfe.com/2017/01/10/fantastic-bahraini-delicacies-and-where-to-find-them/
https://www.internationalcuisine.com/arabic-salad/
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/sep/22/yotam-ottolenghi-middle-eastern-recipes-beef-skewers-spiced-rice-chopped-salad
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