Middle Eastern Recipes

Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce 

Take the Halal cart home with you.

Traditional Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)

A creamy and pungent garlic paste, perfect for grilled meats or in a traditional chicken shawarma.

Grilled Turkish-Style Chicken Wings

A Turkish twist on the classic grilled wings of summer.

The Best Baba Ganoush

A few simple tricks make this the richest, smokiest, creamiest baba ganoush in town.

Easy, Herb-Packed Falafel

For crisp-outside, light-and-fluffy-inside falafel, soak dried chickpeas, then grind them raw.

Israeli-Style Extra-Smooth Hummus

Puréeing garlic in lemon juice and blending chickpeas while they're hot = great hummus.

Seekh Kebabs (Pakistani Spicy Grilled Ground Meat Skewers)

Spiced Pakistani beef or lamb kebabs, perfect for your next cookout.

Perfect Homemade Pita Bread

You'll never want to eat store-bought again.

Sabich Sandwiches (Pitas With Eggplant, Eggs, Hummus, and Tahini)

This Israeli sandwich of moist fried eggplant, crunchy pickles, hard-boiled egg, and creamy hummus has won our hearts.

Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley)

Olive oil soaks up flavor from pounded herbs, garlic, chilies, and spices in this fiery sauce.

The Best Tabbouleh Salad

The key to great tabbouleh salad is to control its moisture.

Kanafeh (Middle Eastern Cheese and Phyllo Dessert)

For the best of salty and sweet, kanafeh combines buttery phyllo and gooey cheese in a floral syrup-soaked pastry.

Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are useful in all sorts of recipes, and they're easy to make.

Spicy Ful Mudammas (Fava Beans) With Olive Oil and Chili

Bean stew loaded with lemon, garlic, cumin, and chili powder.

Ful Mudammas (Egyptian Breakfast Fava Beans With Tahini)

An Egyptian breakfast dish of favas stewed with tahini and seasoned with garlic, cumin, and lemon.

Kofte Kebabs With Spicy Harissa Yogurt Sauce and Grilled Flatbread (Minc...

Kofte kebabs have seasoning built right into them.

Hummus Masabacha (Hummus With Whole Chickpeas)

A saucy, chunky chickpea dip.

Grilled Flatbread With Olive Oil and Za'atar

A quick and easy flatbread made on the grill gets topped with za'atar.

Grilling: Lebanese Kofta

Na'ama's Fattoush from 'Jerusalem'

Falafel With Black Olives and Harissa

Pair these moderately spicy falafel balls with a hot sauce like zhug for a real burn.

Vegetarian Maqluba (Rice Layered With Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Cauliflower)

A tall, golden savory cake filled to bursting with tender vegetables and crowned with yielding rounds of tomatoes.

Za'atar Rice Pilaf

Za'atar (Thyme-, Sesame-, and Sumac-Spiced) Popcorn

Easy as can be, thanks to a tasty Middle Eastern spice mixture.