Rose Scented Saffron Rice (Mulhammar), by Diane

This was the final dish we made for our Bahraini meal and it was also really delicious! The combination of flavors worked well on their own but also surprisingly went really well with the shrimp balls! Again, this tasted like something that would never come out of either of our kitchens, and we were pumped. Also great leftover!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp saffron threads
3 cardamom pods, cracked
2 tbsp rose water
6 cups water
1 tbsp salt
2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix saffron, cardamom, and rosewater together. Set aside.

2. In a medium pot, bring the salt and water to boil.

3. Rinse the rice under cold water repeatedly until the water runs clear.

4. Add rice to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes uncovered, stirring every few minutes. Drain and return to pot.

5. Put the rice back in the pot and add the saffron mixture along with melted butter. Poke holes in the rice with a wooden spoon. Cover and steam over very low heat for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Bahraini Shrimp Balls (Chebeh Rubyan), by Diane

This was the entree portion of the Bahraini meal a friend and I made last week, and I am still dreaming about it!! Both of us agreed that not only were the flavors outstanding, but honestly we were both shocked this came out of our kitchens. It tasted like take out and nothing I would have ever known how to create, like a combo of Middle Eastern and Indian and African food. I cannot wait to make these again and again! They were also amazing leftover! The only thing I would change is maybe an egg to help the shrimp balls hold together a bit more, as some of them were a bit fragile.


Ingredients:

Shrimp Balls:

1 lb shrimp, cooked and cleaned
1 tbsp cilantro
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 c brown rice flour

Baharat Powder:

1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp each nutmeg, black pepper, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon
1/8 tsp each cloves and ground cardamom

Sauce:

1/3 cup butter
1 onion, minced
1/2 lemon rind, grated
1 cup warm water
1 tsp tamarind paste
15 oz. diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp sugar


Directions:

1. Melt butter and cook 1/2 the onions (reserve the other half for the shrimp balls) until golden brown.

2. Add in baharat powder and remaining sauce ingredients, stir well and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Cover if the sauce gets too thick.

3. While the sauce cooks, place the shrimp ball ingredients in a food processor until it forms a paste.

4. Form 2 inch diameter balls, and fill inside with the remaining minced onions. I found the easiest way to do this was to flatten the shrimp balls, put a tiny bit of onions in the center, pinch closed, and roll tightly.

5. Add the shrimp balls to the sauce and cook for 20 minutes, occasionally flipping and re-covering with sauce.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Uukkous Al-Badinjan), by Diane

This week a friend and I found a list of all 195 countries and some fun new foods to try to cook from each one. We decided this would be a fun way to “have dinner together” virtually since we live far apart we would cook the same foods and eat together. I ran my finger up and down the list and when she said stop we landed on Bahrain. Having never tasted Bahraini food before, we were intrigued and picked three dishes to make for dinner. This roasted eggplant dip was the first one, and this photo is the only one because I tasted it and promptly tossed it out! I very rarely give up on a dish without trying to fix it, but here we are. The flavors were off in a way I can’t describe even though the ingredient list would make it seem like they easily blended together! My friend’s eggplant blew up in the oven shortly afterwards, so no one had a good report of this dish. But since Cheryl and I made a rule to post everything good or bad, here it is!! The other recipes were MUCH better, thank goodness!!


Ingredients:

3 large eggplants
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp salt


Directions:

1. Roast the eggplant until softened, and let cool.

2. Scoop out the eggplant and combine in a food processor with remaining ingredients until smooth.