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Category: Culinary Arts
Tags: CookingCultureMiddleEasternRecipesSpices
Entities: Atalangi Test KitchenBahrainBBC Saturday KitchenGoogleLugmaLumiNew York TimesNur Murad
00:00
[Music] Hi everybody. Welcome welcome to this talks at Google event.
I'm Lara Sulleon. I am the global lead um on the agency
00:16
and partnerships um team here at Google. I am also um the lead for the Arab at ERG here in London.
And I am delighted to welcome with us today Bahraini born chef, author, recipe developer and Lumi
00:34
ambassador Nur Murad. Nur's culinary experience has um has spanned three different continents taking her from her native Bahrain to Germany to New York City, Hawaii and London.
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N has been has been the lead for the Atalangi test kitchen here in London and she authored two of the Atalangi test kitchen books extra good things and shelf love. Nor has also contributed to two of the Atalangi publications by
01:06
developing recipes to Atalangi Flavor and Falstine. She's also had her own recipes featured in the New York Times and she's also um cooked on the BBC Saturday Kitchen.
Her Middle Eastern
01:22
roots have very much influenced her cooking um with Arabic, Indian, and Persian flavors making prominent appearance in her recipes. We are here today to talk about Nor's
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latest book called Lugma. Lugma in Arabic means a bite.
This is Nor's first solo book and it just launched last month. So it's very exciting.
Um so there are over a hundred recipes in
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Lugma and it's really an ode to the food that Nure grew up eating um as a child and it is includes modern dishes and traditional flavors from Bahrain the surrounding Middle East and um beyond.
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Before we jump into it, I do want to let the audience know that we will be taking questions towards the end of the talk and we will also be um Nor will be demonstrating as you can see uh some of her recipes. The audience will get to
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sample so we're very lucky. So yeah, without further ado, um Nor it is an absolute pleasure to welcome you to talks at Google.
Huge congratulations. Thank you.
A huge congratulations on the book. Um,
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so yeah, I I will kick it off. I read the book.
It is fascinating. And I am Middle Eastern myself, so I I could understand some of the dynamics and some of the nuances.
I think what makes your book so interesting that it's not just about the food. It's not only about the
03:00
recipes, it's also about the stories that you tell. The book is clearly a mashup of foods from Bahrain, from the Middle East with a westernized take.
Um, and it's also very fascinating how you straddle that line between the traditional and the re-imagined food.
03:18
But the book is also a very personal account. It's a very personal story, your story through recipes and food.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the book, why you wrote it, and how you cultivated those stories and recipes to to to be like that? Yeah,
03:36
I you know, it's always been my dream to write a cookbook since I was little. My mom had all the classics like she had uh Madura Jeff India, she had Ken Hom, she had Ana Hel um Lebanese cooking um and obviously like Dillia Smith, Miguela
03:51
Lawson, like all the classics. And um you know back then the recipe books weren't so like picture heavy so you had to like really use your imagination like read through a whole recipe to see how you thought it was going to look.
Um and I just found it so exciting. But then obviously I got into the food industry and just got swept up in the the chaos
04:08
that is hospitality. Um and I didn't actually start working in publishing until I started working at Oangi Test Kitchen and that's when I got finally got into the world of books and I fel felt like that's where I belong.
And um so Lugma I feel like it's like a
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lifetime in the making. It really is like my story um about my upbringing in Bahrain.
It's I think it's a part of the Middle East that not enough people know much about and I wanted to bring it to life uh through food and and different stories and different accounts because I think that's how people can connect um
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to to to a part of the world that they might not know enough about. Amazing.
Thank you. Um I do also want to note that April mark marks Arabic Heritage Month and uh this year at Google we are marking this occasion with
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a theme um which is diverse branches shared roots and really the goal of this is to demonstrate the diversity and really the rich tapestry of the region of Arabic speaking countries or or the Middle East. And um there is just so
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much diversity um across ethnicities, lived experiences, religions that it's really hard to um to paint the region with one stroke. What is also fascinating about the book is that you managed to so
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effortlessly showcase that diversity and celebrate it. And I don't know whether this was an intended outcome.
Was it a purpose or maybe it was your actual lived experience in Bahin? Yeah.
Um you know Baharini food
05:46
is quite unique because uh throughout history it was a really important like seapport and center of trade. So a lot of influences kind of came through the island.
Um and I always say that the three big flavors are like Indian, Persian and Arabic flavors coming all together. So you have like the big rice
06:02
flatters and the slowcooked meats uh that like are more like Arabian flavors, but then you also have like food that is super herb heavy, lots of sour flavors, dried limes, that's the influence of Iran. And then it is also super spiceheavy.
Um and that is the influence
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of India. And all these things come together to create this like super unique cuisine.
Um and and there's also just the the the more known foods of Leavant that also um are there as well. So, you know, you of course you have your shawmas and your fafas and your menish.
Um, and so I wanted to kind of
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show all of this uh through the book. And so I think I mean obviously I it was well it was thought out in the recipes but like I feel like our food our Middle Eastern food kind of speaks for itself.
I don't need to do much to it. It's already the flavors and are already there and they're just so beautiful.
So
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all I have to do is like combine them in ways that that that that comes out in the recipes. Amazing.
I want to go back to the book. Um the title is Lugma as we said that means a bite or maybe a mouthful even.
And um you know Lugma is
07:08
is a Bahraini dialect. I'm from the Levant.
I'm Palestinian. I wouldn't say it the same way.
I would say it differently. So I found it fascinating the use of language in your book.
I think there was a lot of um a lot of Bahraini dialect that was used to really
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bring out the story. Um but also there was a lot of very beautiful calligraphy throughout at the introduction of every section and if you look very closely I also found calligraphy hidden on the front cover.
Can you tell us a little bit about Arabic Baharini dialect
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language and how that is the significance of that in recipes and food and writing? Yeah, of course.
Um so I might be a bit biased but I think that Arabic is perhaps one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Um, actually when we were coming up for the calligraphy for this book, obviously my
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editor and um didn't know how to read Arabic, but she just said like, "It looks like really pretty swiggle swizzle swizzles." And I was like, "Yeah, that's that's about it looks good to you. It looks good to me." Um, so yeah.
Um, but I really wanted to, you know, I'm
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bilingual. Um, my dad is Arab, he's Bahini, and my mom is English.
Actually, she's um from Northampton. Uh but yeah, she moved to the Middle East over 40 years ago.
So she's an honorary Bahani at this point. Um and you know they
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always kind of kept my two worlds very much alive in my upbringing. I went to an Arabic school and Arabic was my first language.
So it was really important to me to showcase that in the book. Um but I always say that like dialect is very interesting in the Middle East because at school they teach us fossa which is
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classical Arabic but nobody speaks fa. It would be like Shakes people speaking Shakespeare and English to each other.
It' be like really weird. Um so every single uh country has its own like slang and its own dialect and um so the the Khaliji
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countries which is the Gulf uh also have their own slang and each country then has its has its unique way of speaking. Um so Bahali Arabic is quite casual.
I say like it's quite a casual approach in in like in comparison to I say the um
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Levant Arabic which I I always say that your Arabic is a bit more singongy. It sounds that way to me but whereas ours I think is a bit harsh.
So like for example luggma the classical Arabic is lma because it's uh but we would never say we'd never say that. We just drop
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it. We soften it.
So, it's Lugma. Um, and it was really important to me to kind of introduce that into the book in like in different ways and conversation.
Um, because I I just find it so fascinating and so so interesting how
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we're all so different even though we have one language. Absolutely.
Um, let's go back to the flavors and um I want to talk about black lime also known as Lumi and I believe it has other names. Uh, it is it
10:04
is on the table over there, right? Yes, it is.
It is right here. So, Nor has been credited for taking this spice to the international stage.
It's gone global. You can find it in Waitros here in London.
You can find it all over the
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world. Um, so I want to I want you to tell us a little bit more about what it is to begin with and then um why are you so passionate about it and why have you been on a mission to make sure everybody knows what Lumi is?
Um, so these are
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these are dried limes. Um, they come in two different colors.
So this one is the the natural one. They're both sundried and they're both exactly the same thing.
Just the black limes have been heat treated to make them that give them that dark color, but really they're interchangeable in flavor. They're
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really like earthy and bitter. And we use them.
It's the backbone of cooking in the Gulf, um, Iran, Iraq. Um, and you could throw them into stews, soups, rice dishes.
Um, you can even grind it up and use it as a marinade. For me, it's just
11:09
almost like acts as a tenderizer. Um, and I just think it is such a magical ingredient because you can do so much with it.
Um, and in the book there's just loads of recipes. You can even make a tea out of it.
I use it in a dessert as like um in a fla like stir it into
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the base of the caramel. Um, so kind of like cuts through that like rich creaminess otherwise.
Um, so yeah, I've I mean they they've obviously been around for years and years and years, so I you know, I can't claim them, but um I I am on a mission to kind of spread them
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and popularize them in the West because um I just think they're so versatile and they're so amazing and what they can do to a dish and transform it in such a beautiful way um I think is really special and worth celebrating. Amazing.
Um can you tell us again about
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food? I want to know what is the most iconic Bahini dishes and um in general what would you also um tell us more about the flavors Bahini dishes and how is like life and the history
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impact the recipes and the food honestly anything you want us to know about Bahin now it's it's it's fascinating it is an island and it's the only island in the region so tell us tell us uh more about it more about how the recipes. Um the
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the location of it has influenced the recipes as well. Yeah, I'd say that Baharin is Bahini food is super rustic.
Like it's very very comforting. There's no faf about it, but some of the recipes have like extremely long ingredient list like so many spices and it's one of those countries that I think like we
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share this throughout the Middle East, I think, is that every household has its own way. So you make it and then someone else be like, "Well, my mom does it this way and so it's better." Um, so you kind of are always bickering about like the the true way to do things.
Um, but yeah,
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it is an island, so it's pretty heavy on the seafood as well. Uh, we love our fish.
Um, usually very heavily spiced. Um, yeah, Baharini seafood is like I really love it cuz it's very salty.
Uh, even the prawns are just amazing. Um,
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and you know, you have anything from slowcooked stews, things that take a very long time, need a bit of patience to like cooking on charcoal and you've got like smoky grills and that kind of stuff. Um, but you know, generally um there part of the land is quite fertile
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and there's natural springs. So you do have your local veg.
Uh, but a lot of stuff has been introduced through trade. So, for example, rice is the main carb in in Bahrain and it's one of those carbs that like you don't sit down at the table if there's no rice on the table.
It has to appear. Um, so that's
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why there's a whole rice chapter in Ligma and I I know I'm in a potato loving nation, but I I I want to argue that rice is so much better. Um, but so yeah, so there's a lot of rice dishes and that was introduced through trade um and has now become like such a staple.
14:05
So, I mean, one of the dishes I'm making today, it's called Madroba. It's quite unusual, which is why I chose it.
Um, but it means beaten in Arabic. Um, and it is a rice dish, and it's kind of like if you were going to make like a spice rice, but then add too much water and you let it cook and then you kind of
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like shred the chicken and you beat it um really nicely. And then another dish that I love, people always ask me, what's your favorite dish in the book?
Um it's called fagart and um it's a really like unique dish and it's truly truly bahini. Um so in Arabic means the
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bottom of something. So in Bahrain of often fishermen will say like so the very bottom of the sea.
Um so that name was used for the bottom of the pot. So so in the bottom um and that's where
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all the good stuff happens obviously. So you add um chicken and like loads of onions, tomato, potato, ghee, loads of spices, black lime obviously.
Um and you just leave it at the bottom of the pot and then you top it with par- boiled rice and um and then you pour it with
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like this over some saffron rose water so it's super fragrant. You put a lid on and you just let it cook for like an hour and 45 minutes and your whole kitchen smells amazing and super super fragrant.
Um and then you invert it. So then bottom is top, top is bottom.
And
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it's just so wonderful. It's like this amazing dish that you can just dig into and it's really really comforting, but it's so intricate.
And that's what I say that our food it is like the layering of flavors is so unique and yet you eat it and it just feels like a warm hug. Um so
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yeah, that that is Bahini food I think in a in a very long way. Thank you.
Fascinating. Um I did mention that the book had a lot of um personal um storytelling and a lot of a lot of um I would say maybe even stories
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that bring out vulnerability and growth and um there is something to be said that food is beyond sustenance. The making of food, the eating of food and there were there were stories about how food helped you find home almost.
Um can
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you talk a little bit about the relationship with food? Obviously also food is a passion for you that has also become your job.
Can you talk a lot a little about those dynamics? Yeah, absolutely.
I think um you know when I moved to London, I moved here
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almost 9 years ago now and um you know I didn't really think much about black limes and these kind of things because they just existed in my life. But it wasn't until I moved here in my late 20s that I really kind of felt this sense of like loss of like who I was and and
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where I belong. And often times you just find that identity in in the kitchen and in cooking.
Um and yeah, I just became quite lost in this cooking like my rice dishes and my slow cooks and and you know and my lentils and everything like
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that. And it really brought brought like the flavors of home because even though I was working off Langi and there was like quite a few Middle Eastern dishes, it wasn't my Middle East.
It was it was the Leavant uh which is completely different and beautiful and amazing in its own right, but there was no
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representation of the food that I knew and I and I loved. Um so yeah, and I often turn to food when I don't really know where to where to turn at all.
But at the same time, when you work in recipe developing and you're constantly cooking and you're constantly tasting, like any chef will tell you, you just
17:36
want to go home and you don't just have a bowl of soup or have a bowl of cereal and just be like done with it. Um, so like I often say like our relationships to food are so are so unique, you know?
Um, often times it's not really about like feeding your stomach, it's more about feeding your heart. Um, and yeah,
17:54
I think I really channeled that energy when I created the recipes for Ligma. I really kind of questioned myself when I was making it.
I was like, is this just a recipe because like I need to fill in the blanks. I really need a potato recipe, so I'll just put it in the book or is this generally a recipe that I really, really, really want to like cook
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for my friends and my loved ones. Um, and yeah, I just had to have those conversations with myself when I really thought about um how to put Lugma together.
And you also talk a little bit in the book about how Lugma is um is a little bit was inspired from the way you
18:27
develop recipes, right? So you had to take a bite of things and then figure out how to improve them.
Was that also part of the story? Yeah, definitely.
Um I mean, as as you explain, Lugma means a bite in in Arabic. And I always say it's the
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ultimate form of love because in the Middle East, we're feeders. We love people to we love to feed people um almost to the point of discomfort sometimes and um yeah we'll offer um offer them a bite from our plates.
So my grandfather always used to say like
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um and he would offer me a bite from his plate with his hands. So that is the ultimate form of love I say.
So if like if anyone tries to feed you, you'd know that that is just like a good sign. Um um so yeah, and I think also in in
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developing recipes, I'm constantly having to take just like bites out of things because all you really need is one bite and you just have to sit with it and be like, "What does this do? Is it is it right?" Um and so like the name of the book came very naturally because I was like, "Oh, actually like um this
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is the ultimate form of love and it's also what I do on a day-to-day basis." Amazing. Um, switching gears a bit, uh, social media.
I actually came across your amazing cooking during co, so that's five years ago now. And, um, it's
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been life-changing for me. I finally do cook.
Oh, great. So, it's been really life-changing.
What can you tell us about as a chef and having been in this industry for for quite some time, what's what can you tell us about the impact of social media and um, how do you how do
20:05
you manage and work with it? Um, I mean, like many people, I think I have a lovehate relationship with social media.
Sometimes I'm like, this is a monster and we created it. Um, and other times I I I'm like, well, this is the way to reach people on a global level.
20:21
Um, so yeah, I think social media definitely went through like a complete boom during lockdown, which is probably how how you found me because everybody was home cooking um sourdough apparently. I was making mad roba and um and chickpeas.
Um but yeah, but it
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really helped people to connect at a time when nobody could. Um so I think it is it can be used as a very powerful tool tool.
Um it's just sometimes to our own detriment I think with the with the doom scroll. Um and uh yeah so I think
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it's just like learning that balance um and knowing when to to put it down and like kind of disconnect because like I feel like social media especially in the food world is just so intense. It's like video after video after video of content creators doing all these like amazing
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like very very polished things. Um but almost it just doesn't feel like real life.
Um and I think sometimes we just have to remind ourselves of that and like bring ourselves back to the cooking of our childhoods. So what we grew up eating and what like your grandma would
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make for you or your parents would make for you because that's that's more real and that's real food. Um so yeah I think yes social media is a is you know it's got it good side and its bad side I think.
Absolutely. Before we jump into the
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cooking I do want to ask you since we're in the UK your mom is British. What can you tell us about the influences of British cuisine in your cooking and what can we expect in the book?
Um, so my mom is um she's she clung on to her her
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English roots um quite a lot when we were when we were growing up. Um which is hard to do when you're in in a on an in an island in the Persian Gulf.
Um but she was really big on Christmas and pancake day. Like those were the two things that she absolutely was like my
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children need to have this. Um so yeah, you know, sunny day, 18° on December 25th.
um fake tree, but we would we'd do it all. Um and uh I think she also did cook like my mom's a very adventurous cook.
She loved to to to like cook from
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all parts of the world, but never the golf food because I think she was quite intimidated intimidated by it. It's very different.
Um but yeah, you can kind of see that reflected in the book. Um there is an oath to my mom's pancakes in the book, but mom always went with the
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classic like lemon and sugar, which I can't beat. It is a great combo.
Uh so in the book I've done it with like a burnt honey lime syrup uh with pistachios and sugar and lime zest. Um there's my take on a tuna jacket potato um which I know is like you know quite a
23:02
favorite here in the UK but there's no mayonnaise and no tin sweet corn I'm afraid. Uh but it's got this really lovely like middle eastern spiced tuna sauce with lime yogurt and herbs.
So it kind of like takes this jacket potato to different heights. Um and there's a Middle Eastern Bolognese as well because you know every house has to have like a
23:19
good spag bowl but um in the Middle East we cook it with lamb and we are not shy in our spices. So we call it like macaroni.
So you have it with like yeah macaroni and this like very spiced lamb lammy uh bolognese which is just so
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delicious. Um so yeah, I urge people to give it a try.
Um but yeah, that's kind of how I bridge my two worlds. Um, and I think that's that's how uh yeah, where I belong kind of has made sense to me in the kitchen.
23:50
Really incredible. Thank you so much, Nor.
We will jump into the cooking right now. So, as we said, there will be a demo and from there the audience will get to sample some of the food.
Yes. Can you remind us what are we cooking?
What
24:05
are we making? So, um, I chose two completely different dishes.
One of them is very traditional and one of them is just completely out there and I just kind of want to show how you can you can still make the very traditional dishes and then also use what you know and the
24:21
flavors that you know to create something completely unique and different. Um so I'm starting with uh mad robba uh which as I said is the beaten chicken and rice.
Um and it's quite a it's quite a laborious dish. There's lots of different steps.
Um, but
24:36
what you want to start with is a really great base of onion sauteed. You know, you've got ginger, garlic, you've got your bone and chicken, and then loads of spices.
Um, and that's how you start the base. So, yeah, if you start with a good foundation, you know that the end is
24:51
going to be a good result. Um, so yeah, I'm just going to I'm going to hold this for now.
Um any guys have peanuts
25:07
and dairy. So um is it going to be like a 15
25:26
minute probably? Yeah, I'd say roughly roughly about that.
Yeah. Um um while we're cooking, I was actually thinking about um there's obviously, as you mentioned, a lot of spices.
Yeah. Um for somebody who is not familiar with the
25:41
Middle Eastern cooking, who would like to start? Um what would you say is the accessibility these days for these kind of spices?
I know Lumi is on the market now, but what about the other recipes in your book? Do you feel that the ingredients are accessible and um and
25:57
available? Yeah, I I do think they are.
Um besides Lumi, I don't really think there's anything that's not accessible as long as you have a very well stocked spice cupboard. Um that's all that really matters.
And then you can you can make
26:13
you can make all the dishes. Um also I can see that you're currently tasting the second dish uh which I can talk about.
Um, so these are this is this is my completely out there um dish of butter beans. So we love our beans, especially in in in Bahrain.
Um, and we
26:30
love our dairy. Um, so they're tossed in just like a very simple yogurt sauce.
And then they're topped with a Middle Eastern chili crisp. Um, so this is not a condiment that my grandma ever made.
Um, but I kind of just was so inspire. I love chili crisps and like kind of oily
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chili based sauces. Um, so this one has fried uh shallots and and um and garlic and pine nuts and then really lovely spices.
So you've got carowway and fennel and coriander seeds mixed with loads of different chili. Um so you just
27:02
that's kind of what makes the dish. You kind of pour it on top.
So you've got like creamy soft bean, then you've got this lovely textured um chili crisp on top. Um, and this is how you can kind of, yeah, introduce Middle Eastern flavors, um, into dishes in a way that is super fun and different, I think.
27:35
[Music] Let me know if I can help in any way. Yeah, it's fine.
Speed up the
27:51
process. Um, so I got the chicken chicken gone in and now I'm going to throw in the lumi because these are really hard, but they're going to soften um in in time.
Can you remind us nor between the dark
28:06
one and the lighter one? Yeah.
One is just um what why why is it darker? So it is heat treated um in a factory.
That's what makes it black. Um but they are kind of the same.
So you can use them interchangeably except like in Bahin we tend to use the black ones more. They're
28:22
just more dramatic. We love a bit of drama.
And uh also if you like if you um grind them up. We have this very traditional dish called tikka uh which is basically like beef or lamb skewered uh with like lamb fat in between.
And the marinade is ground black lime um and
28:40
just like yeah some people add yogurt or a bit of oil but it's just very heavy on the ground black lime. And then you cook it on charcoal.
Um, and yeah, you you just need the black lime cuz it's just it Yeah, it kind of is like a lot more attractive, but gives it that really really dramatic look. Um, as well, it it
28:57
feels like a lot of the of in general Middle Eastern food, you really need um a lot of people around the table. It's actually more challenging to do a meal for like a one person Yeah.
one person kind of thing. Would you agree?
Yeah,
29:13
definitely. I've I I'm a batch cook kind of girl.
I don't really know. When you say like one portion, I'm like I don't know what that means.
Um so yeah, I'd rather just do something like a big pot of rice or you know a big pot of like majad or something like that and then you can have it for a few days. Um that
29:31
makes a lot more sense to me. Uh yeah.
So kind of like cook once, eat four times. Absolutely.
29:51
In the book you mentioned that you have a date tree at home in Bahin. Uh is that Sylvier?
And I'm very jealous by the way. Are you?
Yeah. So um my dad in his retirement, one of his big retirement projects um is the date harvest.
So we've got four palm trees in our garden
30:07
and my dad takes this very seriously. So every August kind of is is the time for the harvest.
Um and yeah, he gets the dates. He like he he he has this guy who comes in to like hack at the dates when they're ready.
And then he like he used
30:23
to put out these sun beds, like suntanning beds. So then you put all the dates on them um and dry them out in the sun um and these variety of dates called kalas.
Um and for me they're the best kind of dates. Um I love medul but kalas is just so delicious.
It's kind of like
30:39
stickier and fudgier and chewier. Um, and my dad like vat packs it and even like has a little label and everything like with nutritional value on it.
He's honestly there's no one getting it like just for him and his mates and like me.
30:55
Um, but he brings them to London every year and I like savor them. I I have them every morning.
I have three dates and I just, you know, it's kind of around this time of the year that it starts to run out and then I have to patiently wait until the next August
31:10
where I can have my beloved dates. But I guess they're just so special cuz they're from my dad's hands, you know.
So, um, yeah. All right.
So, I'm going to add the spices now and the ginger and
31:29
garlic. I've got chili, turmeric.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I'm gonna get it closer to you. I um I have actually reduced the spices, believe it or not.
We don't um you know, so I've got cumin, coriander
31:47
seeds, um and garam masala. So, what was the last one?
What did you call it? Garam masala.
Oh, got it. Yeah.
So, yeah, just like a mixed spice. Indian.
So, you know, in Bahin you'll be like, "Okay, so what did you put?" And they
32:03
say, "Barat, you know, um, so I find it quite funny because in the stores here, they say like they call it barat, spice mix, but bharat in Arabic means spices." So for me, I'm like, "Well, that doesn't mean anything. It could be anything." And in Bahin, you know, you have like
32:19
baharat for fish and you have one for chicken, you have one for meat, and you and then, you know, and you have one for the veggie dish. And there's like all different m spice mixes, but no one will tell you what's in them.
Like every house is different. They don't want to share.
And um so you'll get like a kala, you know, your own like mix and then you
32:35
can use it as as you want to. Um so yeah, I've kind of had to come up with my own mixes based on like my memory and taste and flavor.
Um and just like hope that I've done it justice. Incredible.
I I can I can tell you those spices really smell incredible. Much better than
32:52
whatever I use at home. It's very strong.
You probably never have um you never b buy anything round. You grind everything at home just before using it.
Yeah, I think Bahinis are pretty like they're Yeah, they're very pedantic with their spices. So they they they buy the
33:09
whole spice and then they wash it um to get any like dust off of it and then they dry it in the sun like separately and then they make their own spice mix mixes that way. Um so yeah, anytime I've tried to dry anything in the sun in England, it hasn't gone very well for
33:24
me. Um so so you know I just kind of have to like not do that.
Um, but yeah, I always say buy your spices in the whole form and then you it's not only cheaper, but it's just so much more fragrant and then you can use it as you as and when you want it and just get a pestle and mortar and it's just like
33:41
it's just you can smell it. It just smells so much better.
Um, so yeah, as you know, um, that's what I say in the book, invest in a pestil mortar.
33:59
We're going to serve up the dish now. Yeah, go ahead.
Allergies. Um, if anyone's veggie, not veggie, but otherwise it doesn't have any nuts or anything else in it.
Chicken. All right.
Or dairy. Yeah.
34:15
So, in the base of this, I've got loads of herbs going in. So, like coriander and dill.
Um, yeah. People always do herbs as like a finishing touch, but in Bahin it really is like the base of a meal, the base of a rice, the base of a curry.
And like when you cook herbs,
34:30
they just become so earthy and fragrant and they just kind of completely change in their flavor. Um, so yeah, that's gone in with some tomato and tomato paste.
And then I'm going to add the water and let it simmer. Um, and that cooks for a very long time.
So you've
34:45
got like 80 minutes of like slow cook. And meanwhile, I'm going to do a little switcheroo.
Here's one I made earlier.
35:00
Would you say most of the recipes are time consuming or I'm guessing in the book you just mix it up? I think when you're writing a cookbook, you really have to think about your audience.
So like some of the recipes are a bit more timeconuming, but those are usually the traditional ones that I didn't want to deviate too much from. Um, and then you
35:16
have to have a healthy mix of like things that are a bit more approachable like one pan dishes, like meza dishes, easier things, and then the more adventurous dishes, and then people can kind of choose what they want. You know, you might start with something easy and then get the hang of it and then go from there.
Um, but yeah, I am quite like
35:33
precise in my directions and in my measurements. And I think that's just from working at Offangi Test Kitchen, like you know, just like weighing everything.
Um, the way I never used to be like that. I used to be one of the we call it in in in in the Middle East like you use your nephes like just a bit of
35:49
your of your soul of your spirit to cook and it's all about the eye you know and you you go to like any mom or grandma and you're like how much did you add and they go like this much you're like okay but like when when you want to translate that to a to a global audience and you
36:06
want them to really get the flavor that you're looking for you kind of have to be like a bit more precise with your measurements and really kind of put those in because it's is it food that no one knows. So yeah, you want them to kind of measure it and then once they get a hang of it then they can like
36:23
measure with your heart, you know. Yeah, it totally makes sense.
Um, sorry. So, um, this is going to be covered and
36:38
simmer for a very long time, but I really wanted to show you the the what the dish actually looks like. So, the reason this dish is called maduba is because it's traditionally cooked in these cylindrical pots that kind of had like a a tall spout.
And the women will
36:55
sit on a chair and put this pot in between their legs. And then they use a long wood wooden paddle and they beat the dish.
So the rice and the chicken and they kind of like scrape it against the side of the pot to give it this like really interesting consistency. So it's almost like a porridge uh congi kind of
37:12
thing. Um and and that is where the name comes from.
Madroba means beaten. Um, obviously I'm not gonna ask anyone to do that um because you you probably couldn't find the pot or the paddle here, but um a whisk and a bit of arm work.
Uh the lovely chef here, you know,
37:30
he got his his arm session in. Only one side though, so um and uh and yeah, and you just want to beat it and beat it and beat it until it kind of looks like this and it has this like really uh porridge-like consistency.
Um, so yeah. So what you after it's beaten, you get
37:47
it to the consistency that you want and you kind of taste for salt, for lemon, that's when you start plating. Sorry, I'm just gonna grab.
Yeah. So there was no blender used here at all.
No, no, no. That would be cheating.
That would be cheating. You have to work for your food, you know.
So you got to So yeah,
38:03
you just kind of want to like the way it's traditionally used in a really big pot. Um, but you basically just kind of spread it out into a bowl kind of like, you know, and you make a little well in the center just how you would like with hummus or
38:19
something. Um, and then you want to add um loads of fried onions or caramelized onions.
And how much is honestly to your heart's content? I'm one of those people that's like there's never enough fried onion
38:36
really. Um, these have just been fried with oil, right?
Yeah. Olive oil.
Yeah. So, there's no there's no dairy in here, but you could finish it off with a bit of brown butter if you wanted to and just to make it a bit more um naughty.
Um, and yeah, and then you just
38:52
finish it with some really good olive oil. Um, and yeah, it's got loads of loads of herbs in, but obviously I'll never say no to more herbs.
Um, would you would you scoop it with bread or would you just eat it with a spoon? With a spoon.
39:07
Yeah, you you eat it with a spoon. I mean, you could you could definitely do bread cuz never say no to a double carb, but um yeah.
Um and that's it. That that that really is mad.
And for me, it's such a special dish traditionally served in Ramadan. So, if you've been fasting
39:23
all day, it's really easy on the stomach to digest the rice. Um, and because it's rice and because it's beaten in this way, you can eat quite a lot of it.
Um, and it just makes you feel really really full up and and good. So, it looks and
39:40
smells incredible. I've never I've never heard of this before reading your book, so it's been very fascinating to learn about it.
Thank you. So,
40:00
Nor, I think you're going to be doing something else now with the Yeah. So, um, this is kind of simmering.
I also have to add the rice um and let that cook um in there. It's only 200 g, but the the the pot it cooks down and it
40:18
just makes loads and loads. Um, but now that we're kind of done with that, I'm going to move on to the butter beans to show you some of that as well.
Chef Dan, you have another pot for your left hand here if you want to.
40:34
Sorry, if you could just pass. Abs.
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
And I need the yogurt and the lime juice. Absolutely.
Thank you so much. Yogurt.
40:50
So, this recipe, as I explained, is completely different and it's a bit of like a modern twist on something that I love to eat. Um, so yeah.
Um, it's as simple as mixing yogurt with garlic, lime juice, um, and the salt to taste.
41:06
Um, and then adding in some really good quality butter beans. I think we're quite lucky in the UK cuz you can get some really lovely like jarred beans that are like so lovely and soft.
The Spanish the Spanish kind. Um and the jarred is always better than
41:22
the canned, isn't it? Yeah, I think so.
Like I don't know. When I moved here, um the first time I tried like a sainsbury's tinned bean and um and they're a bit al dente um and I wasn't ready for it.
Um cuz back home like we
41:38
really make them quite soft, especially when you use them for like humos and stuff like that. You really want to have like a really nice soft bean.
Um but yeah. Um so for me, I really prefer the jarred ones because they have they're like salty and they're soft and they're really nice and it's all the work is
41:55
done for you. So all you really have to do is kind of mix it with whatever you want and you have like a really lovely nourishing lunch um to have at like Yeah.
42:13
Aloesco. So, what makes this so special is this um chili crisp that I have here.
Um and that's going to add the textural element, the smokiness from the chilies and you know your crunchy shallots and your garlic. And you can pour as much as
42:28
you want to your heart's content. um which for me is quite a lot.
Is it is it um marinated in olive oil? Yeah.
So you you you fry it in in olive oil. Um and and then it keeps in your in your
42:46
in in the cupboard for as long as as you want and you can mix you can actually add it to like you know stir fries, you can add it to eggs. It's just so it's so lovely and so so different I think.
Um, it's very versatile. Is it Is it a
43:03
traditional Bahini or is it one of the re-imagined creations? This is definitely like a newer exclusive, I'd say.
Have to get it patented. But yeah, I actually was making it.
I was making a Christmas hamper for a friend. Um, and I was just
43:21
like, um, he's obsessed with all different kinds of like chili based sauces. So, I thought, "Oh, it' be cool if I just made all these different hot sauces." And then I made this chili crisp and then he was like, "This is amazing.
Like, you need to you need to jar it up and sell it." And I was like, "I think I'll just put it in my book."
43:36
And then um uh which you know um so yeah, now all of you have access to it. It's a good idea though, I must say, drawing it up.
Thank you. And selling it.
Don't tell anyone now. Um but yeah, so there you go.
Um and
43:54
that is just like a really lovely thing to have. You can have it as like a mezz with some like pita bread to kind of like scoop up all the oily goodness or yeah, you could serve it um just with lunch for lunch with a bit of salad on the side and uh there you go.
Easy.
44:12
Looks absolutely incredible. Um we have time for uh yeah how many how much time would it take?
Five two minutes. Yeah, do it.
Okay. Um, so, uh, last thing, uh, as you said, um, I'm obsessed with dates.
Uh,
44:28
so there's this thing called, um, so just dates with tahini, um, that we have all the time back home because our coffee, our Arabic coffee, gawa, is very, very, very strong, especially in Bahrain. It's infused with saffron and cardamom.
Um, and you kind of have it
44:45
almost like in a little um, a little cup um, called a fine. Um, and it's like almost like a shot, but because it's so strong, we always have it with dates and sometimes dates with tahini.
So, I've kind of like dressed it up a little in my own way. Um, and so what you want to
45:02
do is you have some dates here. And you can stuff it with whatever you want, any kind of nuts.
Uh, so I use pistachios, but you could use like walnuts or um almonds or pine nuts even.
45:17
Uh, whatever you fancy really. It just gives it a nice texture.
Um, these dates are massive, so I kind of have them. Um, are they from the garden or Sorry, we're going to hand hand out the dates as well now.
So, obviously nut allergies, guys. Ances
45:35
Sorry for the nut allergy people. Um, and then yeah, you basically just want to take um some tahini and pour enough to your heart's content and um some date molasses as well.
Um so it
45:51
gives it this like lovely molassesy flavor. And then lastly, I top it with some toasted sesame seeds and some Aleppo chili, which is a
46:08
bit milder than uh than regular chili flakes. And of course, some salt because, you know, you got all that sweetness.
So, you want a bit of salt and dates with salt is so nice because you get like this caramelly flavor. where you have the nuttiness of the
46:23
tahini, the molassesy flavor of the of the the date molasses, and you know, you've got some nuts, some texture, some some some heat, some salt, so it all kind of is like a little party in your mouth really. Um, and that's a great way to like um end end a end a night when
46:41
you've had something heavy like madoba and butter beans and you don't you don't have any you don't you can't even find room in your second stomach for dessert. Um, so you just give give your guests some of this and a nice strong cup of gawa or coffee.
Um, and send them out
46:56
the door. They know it's time to leave by then.
Yeah. Sal.
Um, Nora, this was unbelievable. Absolutely incredible.
I could feel all the flea the the smells are just
47:12
absolutely amazing. Thank you.
Um so for the last segment now we will open it up to questions um from the audience and I believe there is also a dory um so let's just let's take live questions to begin with and then we will turn it off we
47:28
will turn it over to the dory I guess if you have a question please just um raise your hand or Hi thank you so much this looks delicious I'm just wondering about the rice for the mur is it a specific type of rice that you recommend um and also uh For the chili sauce, did you add
47:45
the pine nuts in there beforehand with in the jar or do you add it later? Um, yeah.
So, for the mata and most of the rice dishes in the book, I use basmati rice because that's the main rice that we use in Bahrain. Uh, except sometimes we use Egyptian rice.
Uh, especially for
48:02
like stuffing veg and stuff cuz it's a bit like starchier. Um, but yeah, for the madroa, uh, basmari rice is the best.
Um, and then for the the chili oil, so I fry all the components separately. So you fry the shallots till they're crispy.
You fry the garlic till it's crispy and you and you also fry the
48:19
pine nuts. Um, using the same oil and then you heat that oil and you pour it over all of the spices and the sesame and the chili and it kind of like sizzles.
And then when it when it cools down, that's when you add in all your crunchy components. Um, and yeah, and that's how you how you make it.
Thanks
48:36
so much. Thank you.
Yeah. Thank you so much.
Um, I was wondering, you said that you had cut down the amount of spice for the dish. What, like, how much would you traditionally be putting in?
Honestly, it really depends on the household and
48:52
who's making it, but people have their own way, you know? Um, people will add other things like maybe some um some cardamom and and it's really up to you on on the flavor.
So, uh, for me, I kind of, you know, you
49:08
look at a spice mix or a traditional, like I said, the bajaras, like the bahini masalas. Um, and it's like you're thinking there's like 20 odd spices in there.
So, for me, I I'll always try to just like think of the predominant ones. I have a rule when I'm testing recipes.
If if I can't taste it, I either have to
49:24
increase it or I have to lose it. And that's what I that's what I kind of do.
Um, and yeah, that's kind of how I've I've led um in LGMA. Thank you.
Hi. Thank you so much.
Everything was really delicious. Thank you.
Um, I
49:41
really resonated with uh what you had said about how uh like all of the uh like grandmothers would like answer when you're asking them recipes of like, oh, this is like how much? Yes, that's what my Lebanese teta does all the time and I
49:58
it really just bothers me. How much trial and error did you have to do to get the spices right for some of these traditional recipes?
Um, so I think for me I I usually have a rule with recipes unless it's something that I've made
50:13
many times and I just know it. I usually test a recipe around three times.
Um, it could be more, especially if it's like a a baking one cuz that baking is not my forte. But I mean, I get the hang of it, but I need a bit more trials.
Um, but yeah, and I just try it until I'm
50:29
really, really happy with it. And then there's also a cross- testing process for me.
So I, um, work with a cross tester, uh, this lovely lady, Claudine in Wales, um, and I send her all my recipes. So she kind of cooks it blind.
So she just reads it and cooks it as a direction, say, and
50:47
she would come back to me. And what's great is that, you know, she's um I think she's like French living in Wales.
So like, you know, her palette is not quite like is not Bahini food, but she has a really strong palette. So for me, it was great sending her the recipes
51:02
because it's something completely different. And if someone uh western can be like, "This is such a delicious dish.
I would totally make it again." For me, I'm like, "Oh, that's great." Because it's something so different. Um and I know it can it can work with a western western audience.
So yeah, it goes quite
51:19
a few tests on my end and then a further test um by the lovely Claudine. Thanks.
Um we've got a Dory question from Melissa and first they say that they're very hungry watching
51:34
this and they ask um where do you source your spices, rice, etc. in London?
Where do I source them? Yes.
Uh well I mean we're very lucky in London. Uh there's just so many great Middle Eastern stores.
Uh when I first moved to London,
51:49
one of the first places I lived was Kentishtown, uh which isn't too far from here. And um I I literally just strategically chose it because I was working in Camden and I didn't want to have to go on the tube in the mornings and um and you I could just walk to
52:04
work. And when I was kind of, you know, I was quite new to London, quite homesick.
and I started discovering the the city and I found Phoenicia, this little shop on Kentan Road and it's run um by a lovely family. I think they're Lebanese um and they import all all the
52:22
things that I that I that I need. So it was and I when I went in it was like I felt like I'd walked home like I they were because everyone was speaking Arabic as well.
Maybe not my dialect but it was so comforting to hear and yeah that's where I get most of my spices. Um
52:38
yeah, my tahini zatal sumac everything I need um is yeah is is is very close by. But otherwise like there's so many amazing Middle Eastern stores all throughout London especially in North Finchley you have all of the Iranian stores.
So you can definitely get the
52:53
dried limes and the barbaries and the pistachios. Um so I haven't had to go very far.
Um you know the only thing that that comes is is my dad's dates that that that's packed into the suitcase. the dates.
I think it was really delicious. Amazing.
Um, thank you. I had
53:09
no idea about Bahraini food, but it inspires me to try it out more. Um, were the dates from your father's garden?
Um, no. These dates are from Chef Dan.
Um, so good.
53:26
Thank you so much. Everything is so delicious.
Thank you. I um have a question about like cooking with pulses and beans.
mentioned sort of how as an Indian person we also like to cook from scratch but it takes a long time. So do
53:43
you have any tips or tricks on how to sort of gauge cooking time and is a pressure cooker the only way to go to cook and beans. Thank you.
Um to be honest I've I have yet to invest in a pressure cooker believe it or not. Um,
53:59
but I do kind of plan my meals ahead. So, I think, yeah, planning ahead is probably your best bet cuz they do require soaking and all that kind of stuff.
Um, and yeah, it does it does take a long time, but I think some of the best foods do. And it's it's crazy
54:15
because I think our world is like so fast and everything is like convenience food and we're constantly moving, but there's something about just slowing down to cook that I think makes makes it worth it in a really lovely way. Um and yeah, but I do think I mean everyone who's from yeah, Indian culture or
54:31
Middle Eastern culture have like you need to invest in that pressure cooker. It will save you a lot of time.
So yeah, I think I think you've done the right thing. Um we've got another question on Dory.
Melanie asks, "Where would you recommend to go eat proper Bahrain food in
54:47
London?" Um well, I I haven't tried it yet, but there is a Bahini restaurant in in London. I think it's called the LA Mamas.
Um, but to be honest, like Bahin is one of those places that like even when you go to Bahin, the best food
55:03
you're going to find is either like hole-in-the-wall street food or at someone's home. Um, so I always say like if you really really want a taste of Bahini food, you you have to have a Bahini friend invite you over for lunch or you can cook it yourself from
55:19
Nuga. Nor, it was an absolute pleasure to have you here with us.
Thank you so much. Thank you for teaching us so many new things, for the amazing flavors.
It's been absolutely delightful to have you with us here at Google. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
55:34
[Applause] [Music]