Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette





Although Jeddah is a hub for the finest international restaurants that bring you foods from East and West, when visiting or living in the Kingdom you do not want to miss out on tasting traditional Saudi cuisine. You can find posh, upscale Saudi restaurants and other simple, casual restaurants that offer a glimpse to the past as their guests are seated in red-carpeted rooms on the floor, old Arabian-style, and alternatively Saudi restaurants in the food courts of most shopping centers.

Whereas American white rice is plain and rather tasteless, rice in the Saudi kitchen comes to life as it is the basis of several tasty dishes. Kabsa may be regarded as the national dish in Saudi Arabia and it consists of rice topped with either lamb meat or chicken.

The special spices used when cooking the rice give it a fiery orange color and its unique signature taste. Usually, chopped onions are sautéed in oil with finely chopped, peeled tomatoes, and a generous dose of black and red pepper, cloves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, dried black lime, bay leaves, and nutmeg, and the long-grain rice is cooked in this aromatic mixture.

Kabsa rice is flavorful and exciting but not uncomfortably spicy, which is what makes it so appealing. The meat or chicken that accompanies the kabsa rice is cooked in a variety of ways. A popular way of preparing meat, mandi, is an ancient technique that barbecues the meat in a deep hole in the ground that is covered while the meat cooks.

Another way of preparing and serving meat for kabsa is mathbi, or grilled meat. A third technique to prepare the meat involves cooking it in a pressure cooker, with lots of spices.

Saudi cuisine is quite lacking when it comes to salads, but the side additions of hot and spicy tomato sauce and the yogurt and cucumber sauce are nice partners with the kabsa rice.

Jareesh may not be familiar to many expatriates, but it is an absolutely delicious Saudi dish. Jareesh is comfort food at its best; it is similar to a soft, warming porridge that is filling and satisfying on a physical and emotional level as well. The main ingredient is crushed wheat, which is slowly cooked until it is tender but still chewy, in buttermilk (laban) rather than water; giving it a thick, creamy consistency.

One Saudi chef we met in Jeddah said, “I like to gently simmer the crushed wheat in laban and a bit of yogurt for up to four hours, and the longer and slower you cook it, the more flavorful the results. Well cooked chicken is shredded into small pieces and mixed in with the jareesh, which is finally garnished with golden, caramelized onions.”

Crushed wheat is lower in calories than rice and is actually healthier and more nutritious. Crushed wheat is made from whole-wheat berries and it contains a great deal of nutrition and fiber since it includes the fiber and nutrient rich outer bran and germ of the wheat kernel.

Cracked wheat and other whole grains are a good source of magnesium, essential to the health of the heart. Researchers found that eating one serving of whole grains such as cracked wheat every day lowers the risk of high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure by as much as 21 percent.

Although vegetables may not be central to Saudi cuisine, okra stew is popular and fairly common in most authentic Saudi restaurants and cookeries. Okra is cooked in tomato sauce, usually with lamb pieces.

An interesting Saudi dish, called mataziz, looks very complicated to prepare but is so easy to eat. First, several layers of paper-thin, dried dough are lined at the bottom of a deep dish. Meat and vegetables are cooked in a rich tomato sauce and then poured over the dough. The juices from the tomato sauce soften the dough and saturate it with scrumptious flavors. The vegetables are kept in large chunks and include carrots, zucchini, and potatoes.

Pasta that is so versatile has also found its way into Saudi cuisine. Mento are dumplings or pasta pouches made from scratch (similar to ravioli) and are stuffed with cooked onions, minced meat, and cilantro, and then dipped in a tomato soup.

I found one dish, magalgal, listed as an appetizer at a local Saudi restaurant to be a bit too heavy and oily to be labeled as such, but my family likes it. This consisted of strips of beef, fried in a lot of oil with onions and spices and served with whole wheat bread.

As for the famous mutabaq, it may actually be of Yemeni or Indonesian origin, but it ended up as a mainstay in Saudi cuisine. The word ‘mutabaq’ means folded and this dish is a series of thin pastry layers wrapped and folded around a mixture of mincemeat, eggs, parsley, tomatoes, onions, and a bit of jalapeño pepper.

The entire pocket is then toasted over a flat, hot black iron skillet to cook the egg and give it a crispy texture on the outside. Slice it into smaller squares and indulge; to boost its taste, sprinkle some freshly squeezed lemon juice on top.

A traditional Saudi restaurant may not be the most elegant place to dine but it is a place to relax, enjoy good, hearty food, and let go of one or two of the strict rules of etiquette.

Here is a place where you can eat with your hands and lick your fingers at the end of your meal; yes the food is that good!

After your tasty Saudi meal, go ahead and lick just three of your fingers, as Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was seen doing so, and not out of gluttony or inappropriateness but out of appreciation for the plentiful food and blessings that we are so lucky to have. The Prophet said, “You do not know in which portion the blessing lies.”