Are you looking to add some Israeli zest to your weekday meals? Check out these recipes where you can incorporate 5 Delicious Israeli spices into dishes that will leave your guests drooling even after dessert!
Zaatar
Za’atar, or hyssop, is a prepared spice mixture that’s generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and salt. One of our favorite ways to incorporate this yummy spice is by mixing it with popcorn - maple za’atar kettle corn to be exact.
Photo Credit: Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons of ghee or clarified butter
½ cup popcorn kernels
3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons of za’atar
1 teaspoon of Aleppo style pepper
½ teaspoon of Morton Kosher salt
Instructions:
Do Ahead: Kettle corn can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Step 1: Melt ghee in a large light pot with a lid over medium-high heat (make sure entire bottom of pan is coated with fat).
Step 2: Add a few popcorn kernels. As soon as they begin to pop, add remaining kernels, cover, and cook, vigorously shaking pot to keep kernels moving so they don’t burn, until just-added kernels begin to pop. Remove lid and drizzle in maple syrup. Cover pot and continue to cook popcorn, shaking pot, until most of kernels have popped and the rate of popping has significantly slowed (you should only hear an occasional pop), about 4 minutes. Don’t worry if all the kernels don’t pop.
Step 3: Carefully transfer popcorn to a large bowl, sprinkle za’atar, Aleppo-style pepper, and salt over. Toss popcorn with a wooden spoon to coat.
Sumac
Sumac is a reddish-purple spice that has lemony zest, making it a great choice for chicken, meat, fish and salads alike. Thanks to its tart flavor profile, it can be used as a substitute for fresh lemon juice and is a great alternative to salt for those looking to reduce their sodium intake. You often find sumac also hidden inside of za'atar to balance the bitter flavor. One interesting recipe we often refer to, incorporates sumac for a simple, easy, and flavorful dessert. Check out how you can make it below:
Photo Credit: SBS
Ingredients:
400 grams of plums
½ cup of of caster sugar
½ vanilla bean
2 teaspoons of sumac
Greek yogurt and amaretti biscuits for serving
Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan-forced160°C.
Step 2: Halve the plums with the stones still inside – they impart flavor so we will remove them later.
Step 3: Put the plums in a roasting dish with the sugar. Scrape out the insides of the vanilla pod and add the seeds to the plums along with the pod. Sprinkle over the sumac and mix everything together.
Step 4: Bake for 15–20 minutes till the plums are just soft. Take the dish out and remove the stones from the plums.
Step 5: Serve three to four plum halves each with some yogurt, a sprinkling of sumac and some crumbled amaretti biscuits. Drizzle over that plum juice.
Hawaij for Coffee
Hawaij is a Yemenite spice blend that most commonly comes in two forms - a savory one (typically used for soups) and a sweeter one used to sprinkle on black coffee. Hawaij for coffee can vary between vendors’ recipes but typically consists of a mix of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. This hearty, warm blend is most commonly enjoyed in a strong Turkish coffee, mixed in teaspoonful at a time - hence ‘hawaij for coffee.’ We love it in a strong cup of coffee as much as anyone else, but here at Delicious Israel we love to use it in other goodies, especially baked goods and desserts! Think of it like the Pumpkin Spice Latte mix Israelis were drinking before PSLs were even a thing. We guarantee this will be your new favorite treat, and are thrilled to share our recipe below.
Photo Credit: Delicious Israel
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar (less if you like a less sweet hot chocolate)
1 cup of milky liquid of your choice - milk, cream, almond milk, soy milk
Hawaij for coffee mix (we recommend starting with one teaspoon and adding more to your liking)
Instructions:
Whisk all ingredients together over low-medium heat until incorporated, whisking constantly and taking care not to burn the mixture. Add hawaij for coffee spice blend to your liking - and enjoy!
BBQ Rub
This blend, made with paprika, garlic and salt, among other spices, is more commonly known as the “Chicken Grill” or “BBQ” spice. It’s traditionally used as a rub for chicken, adds a hint of smokiness and a lot of flavor and explains why a basic chicken breast from your Israeli street food place is somehow so delicious. Here at Delicious Israel, we now call this our “Dorito Spice” thanks to a brilliant little boy who came on a market tour and proclaimed that this tastes just like his favorite snack food! We’ve found so many ways to use our beloved Dorito’s spice, such as our Easy and Delicious Baked BBQ Fries!
Photo Credit: Noble Pig
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet work best), cut into about 1/4-inch wide sticks
3 tsp. Doritos/BBQ spice
2 tbsp. olive oil (plus a little extra for greasing the pan)
Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 2: Spread a drop of oil over a large foil-lined baking pan.
Step 3: Place washed and cut potatoes in a large bowl and pour very hot tap water over the top, covering the potatoes by about an inch. Let the potatoes sit in the water for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Drain the potatoes and dry them well with a towel. If using paper towels, you will need quite a lot.
Step 5: Rinse and dry the bowl and fill with the dried potatoes. Add the olive oil and the Doritos/BBQ spice to the bowl, tossing well until potatoes are coated.
Step 6: Spread the potato mixture on the baking sheet, pouring any leftover spice from the bowl on top of the potatoes. Make sure each potato is directly on the pan.
Step 7: Bake the potatoes in the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes. Flip the potatoes and cook for an additional 12 minutes, or until they have reached your desired level of crispiness.
Step 8: Let cool, add extra seasoning if desired and transfer to a bowl.
Pro tip: For maximum authenticity, crack open a beer, put on some background music and video chat with your besties. I recommend repeating this weekly until you are able to take a trip to the barber and meet up with friends at a bar.
Ground Persian Lime
A ground Persian lime is a lime that’s been dried underground with charcoal. And what it does, is it takes on the smoky flavor and the lemony flavor, and typically in Iranian cooking, you’re going to use it the way you use a bay leaf. You cook it and get the flavor out of it, but you don’t actually eat it - you throw it away - it isn’t like preserved lemon used in Tunisian cooking. One interesting way to use this is by incorporating it into the seasoning of the ground beef you’ll mix into your hummus!
Photo Credit: Food Network
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon of vegetable/canola oil
1 pound of ground beef (or lamb)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of paprika (spicy paprika is also Delicious!)
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground dried Persian lime
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of silan (date honey)
¾ cup chicken or beef stock
Instructions:
Step 1: Begin by sautéing the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat until fragrant and slightly golden.
Step 2: Add the ground beef and continue to cook until the meat has browned and released its fat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the beef into small pieces as it cooks.
Step 3: Add the ground spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and ground Persian lime) and mix into the beef mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add the liquid ingredients, mix, put the lid on the pan, and turn the heat down to low. Cook at this temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to ensure it’s not sticking to the pan.
Step 5: Turn the heat to medium and uncover the pan. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the sauce has reached its desired consistency. It should be thick, silky, and sticky! If the mixture is too dry at any stage, add some more stock, a tablespoon at a time. Taste before turning off the heat, and adjust the seasonings.
Step 6: Serve over hummus and, for a showstopper, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh parsley or cilantro, and a sprinkle of sumac.
Some Other Spice-Based Recipes FOR YOUR TEST KITCHEN
As we scour the internet for Delicious recipes that are not as tried and tested by our crew, we did find some fantastic ways to use Delicious Israeli spices.
Replace the Baharat spice with Persian Kebab blend to make these yummy Kebabs with Spicy Sauce.
While the internet is filled with Za’atar recipes, here is a blog with a collection that looks quite impressive.
This labor of love sounds like a great investment if you want a new go-to Hawaij for Coffee spiced cake.
As the tartness of the ground Persian Lime and fish go hand in hand, this recipe for Persian Lime poached Cod feels like it will be a swimming success for a special weekend dinner.
While Sumac still hasn’t made it to the mainstream kitchen cabinet, this Bon Appetit collection of recipes for the ground red sour berry speaks loud and clear to where sumac should be front and center. The Jicama, Radish & Pickled Plum recipe is first on my list to try, and with Thanksgiving around the corner, the Grilled Sweet Potato Baba Ganoush is a must try.
Here is another easy peasy way to use the BBQ blend (don’t need to make it, you already have it!), for the last remnants of grilling season.
