Rice with Tomato Sauce-Red Rice

When we cook this type of rice, we top it with fried eggplant slices and pieces of chicken. We serve salad and pickles on the side. You could cook this rice with lamb broth and top it with stewing lamb and fried eggplants. In this recipe, I grilled the eggplants for a lighter version. We serve this dish as a whole meal.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups basmati rice

1 ½ cup chicken broth or water

½ cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon (bahar-spice mixture of cinnamon, allspice, black pepper)

Heat oil in a pot and sauté the rice until rice grains are coated with oil. Add salt and spices and stir. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring to a boil half covered. When the liquid is almost absorbed, stir the rice and reduce heat to low and leave it to steam for 20 minutes covered.

Grilled eggplants

Slice the eggplants and sprinkle with salt. Put them in the colander to drain for 30 minutes. Pat them dry with paper towel. Put them in a bowl and drizzle vegetable oil over them. Place them on a sheet pan under the broiler for 7 minutes until toasted. Turn the slices to the other side, and broil them. Set them aside and sprinkle Bahar spice over the slices.

You can prepare the eggplants ahead and keep refrigerated. We traditionally cook the chicken and remove the skin and bones. You could use leftover chicken. Sauté the chicken in butter or oil, and set aside. Plate the rice and top it with the eggplant slices, and chicken pieces.

Ground Beef and Eggs Omelet-Makhlama. مخلمة

This is a very filling omelet that you can prepare for a brunch or a light dinner. You can always prepare the meat mixture ahead of time and refrigerate. Reheat the meat and crack the eggs. You could scramble the eggs if you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ pound ground lean chuck or lamb

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Arabian spice or black pepper

1 medium tomato, chopped

3-4 eggs

Heat oil in non-stick pan. Sauté the meat and add the onions. Season with salt and spices. Add the tomatoes and stir. When the meat mixture is cooked and tomatoes are soft, crack the eggs on the meat mixture and cover for 4 minutes until the eggs are set. Serve in a pita bread or bread on the side.