Today the Eat the World group is traveling by tabletop to Oman. Read more about the Eat the World project, being spearheaded by Evelyne of CulturEatz; here's her challenge.
Back in 2013, when the boys and I were on our multi-year Cooking Around the World adventure, I made Swayweih (Omani Sweet Vermicelli) and Omani Breakfast Tea. Neither were particularly beloved.
I decided to research some completely new-to-me recipes and processes. I whipped up a less than traditional Omani Kofta with a mushroom sauce instead of a zucchini sauce. And I will be sharing that recipe shortly because, although not traditional, it was delicious and will be on our table again soon.
But, for this event, I landed on sharing my version of Squid Mishkak and Majboos. First, though, here are the other recipes that the #EaththeWorld group is sharing...
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chicken Mishkak
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
Culinary Cam: Squid Mishkak and Majboos (you're here)
Kitchen Frau: Rosewater Lemonade
Sneha’s Recipe: Khabeesa- Oman
Squid Mishkak
Let's start with this - because I am excited to see that Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm also pick a mishkak recipe. Mishkak is a popular and ubiquitous street food. Mutton, chicken, and beef are common, but I found a reference to squid and camel mishkak. I will always pick squid if I see it on a menu, so that's what I decided to make.
I cobbled together several different recipes, but most were similar.
Ingredients
1 pound squid, cleaned of the quill and beak
3 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
5 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup papaya juice
3 Tablespoons vinegar (I used one made with kiwi fruit)
3 Tablespoons tamarind paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons oil
Procedure
Blend everything except the squid in a food processor to form a paste. Massage the paste into the cleaned squid and let marinate for at least two hours.
Skewer the squid, and cook on a hot charcoal grill or a grill pan. The squid will turn from translucent to opaque. Take care not to overcook as squid turns rubbery if grilled too long. Move the grilled squid to a serving plate. Because of the flavor profile in the marinade, I served my squid mishkak with a chutney.
Majboos
Majboos is a spiced rice dish. Often made with chicken, I opted for a vegetarian version with cubes of carrots, zucchini, and cooked lentils.
Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 small dried lime*
3 cinnamon sticks
6 cardamom pods, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoons peppercorns
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh herbs (I used a mixture of cilantro and mint)
1/3 cup each diced carrots, diced zucchini, and cooked lentils
*dried lime is available at Middle Eastern markets or some specialty spice markets. If you don't have any available to you, you can substitute in 1 teaspoon of ground sumac. It's not quite the same flavor, but will add a unique citrusy layer
Procedure
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the onions until starting to brown, approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove from the pan. Into the same pot, add in the ginger, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom. Cook until aromatic. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, dried lime, carrots, zucchini, and lentils. Pour in the stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes.
Return the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven along with the tomatoes, dried limes, cardamom pods, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, approximately 40 minutes. Stir in two-thirds of the caramelized onions and the herbs.
Turn the rice onto a serving platter. Top with the remaining onions and serve hot.
That's a wrap for my offering to the #EattheWorld Omani event. Stay tuned for our travel by tabletop adventure next month.