My Guide to Modern Middle Eastern Cooking
Before working at a food magazine or a restaurant, I gained a deep love of food from my family. As a kid I was introduced to the bright flavors of my parents' home country of Iran. I remember watching my mother steep saffron until the water turned the color of the sun or how she would put a mound of herbs on the table for us to nibble on. But it wasn't until the last five years that I reconnected with my culinary roots in earnest. I've deepened my knowledge of the flavors I grew up with through fellow cooks and travel abroad. And though I love what might be referred to as "traditional" Middle Eastern foods, I've never wanted to replicate those dishes. Instead I've used them to cultivate my own cooking style. This story is not a representation of Middle Eastern food as a whole but rather a guide to the techniques and ingredients that influence me and a reflection on how I use them. I hope you feel empowered to adapt these fundamentals to the way you cook too.
Photo by Alex Lau1/101. Buy These Spices Online
The key to my version of modern Middle Eastern cooking? Vibrant and powerful ingredients that imbue each dish with flavor and character. Check out this guide to finding the spices, waters, and syrups you need online.
Photo by Alex Lau2/102. Go Savory, Not Sweet, with Orange Water
I may be the only person in my family who doesn’t love classic Middle Eastern orange-flower and rose water desserts, but I do love the floral essence in savory dishes. Add a splash to give depth to braises (it’s insane with lamb), transform a gin and tonic, or highlight the floral notes in a simple citrus salad.
Photo by Alex Lau3/103. Use Pickles for Punch
Every September my home filled with the sharp smell of vinegar. My father and his parents would turn summers' produce into an array of various colored pickles—torshi, as we say in Farsi. My father's pickles were aggressively tangy from the vinegar, a touch salty, and packed a good amount of funk and sometimes a vibrant fuchsia color thanks to a sliver of red beet in the brine. There's nothing quiet about my dad's pickles. Or mine (this is a riff on his recipe), which is why they'll wake up whatever you serve them with, whether that's rich meats or salads. Make some vibrantly pink pickles of your own, then add them to your lunchtime grain bowl.
Photo by Alex Lau4/104. Bloom Your Spices for the Fullest Flavors
I still think of my mother's near daily ritual of warming spices in barely shimmering oil. Just as toasting whole spices in a dry pan helps them release their natural oils, toasting ground spices in fat until they become very fragrant allows their flavors to be fully extracted. Try this trick with turmeric as an early step in curries, stews, or braises. Do it with dried mint, shown here, before stirring it into a yogurt dip. Toast a little za'atar in olive oil before spreading on some chewy flatbread. It's a such a simple step, but it's too often skipped. Use bloomed mint to make an extra-green, extra-flavorful spinach-yogurt dip.
Alex Lau5/105. Harness the Power of Sour
I learned early on to love ingredients that make you pucker. Acids like pomegranate juice can balance the sweet, the salty, and the rich, and they can invigorate your taste buds so they don't grow fatigued. Double up on pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses to make glazed chicken with buttery pine nuts.
Photo by Alex Lau6/106. You Already Love Toum, You Just Don't Know It
I'm embarrassed to admit that for years I thought the addictive white sauce slicked onto my chicken shawarma was just yogurt. In fact, it's toum, a magical emulsion of garlic, lemon, oil, and water. Its texture is lighter than mayo, and its garlic kick is no joke. Pair it with thinks that can stand up to it, like grilled meats or crispy potatoes. Read about my love affair with toum and get the recipe.
Photo by Alex Lau7/107. Saffron Makes Everything Better
Saffron is the stuff of legend—literally. But no matter how many tales have been told about the spice, a lot of us still don’t know what to do with it or whether it’s worth the high cost. As an Iranian, I’m admittedly biased, but when it’s good, saffron simply can’t be compared to anything else. Find out how to buy the best saffron.
Photo by Alex Lau8/108. And Saffron Rice Is Legendary for a Reason
Growing up, my mother would make tachin, or saffron rice, for special occasions. It was buttery, fragrant, and a little indulgent. With just a handful of basic ingredients (and that decidedly non-basic ingredient, saffron), tachin is the full expression of Iranian food: beautiful, surprising, and deeply comforting. Read about the undeniable allure of saffron rice, and get the recipe for tachin.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li9/109. When In Doubt, Put a Dollop of Yogurt on It
Fact: There are few things that can't be improved by a spoonful of yogurt. It provides heft and richness to lean dishes and brightness to heavier ones. In the Middle East, yogurt is usually drained to make it thicker and richer. From Persian-style yogurt (which is slightly thicker than American yogurt) to labneh, which is closer in texture to cream cheese, there's a Middle Eastern yogurt suited for pretty much any dish. Persian-style yogurt can be hard to find in the United States, but you can thin Greek yogurt with lemon juice or water to create any consistency. I constantly find myself drizzling and dolloping salty yogurt—here are some great recipes to try out.
Alex Lau10/1010. Now Start Cooking!
You're ready to go! Put these ingredients and techniques to work with these 18 Middle Eastern recipes I adore (not just because I created them). Start out with some spinach-yogurt dip with sizzled mint, then wake up your palate with fiery zhug hot sauce. Try the stunning and herbaceous kuku sabzi from my Persian New Year spread for your next dinner party and then make some sumac fried eggs for a simple-yet-showstopping Lebanese-inspired brunch the next day. I hope these recipes become part of your cooking rotation and that you love them as much as I do.
