Tharida Shamiyya (of the Levant)

Spiced Honey Meat over Bread

Translation:

Take lamb and chicken. Alternatively, use young fowls or any other similar birds (instead of chicken). You also have the option of using either lamb or poultry. Cut the meat into medium pieces and clean them.  Remove (and discard) the entrails of the chicken and discard the heads and necks.

Put the meat in a clean pot.  Add the strained liquid of truffles, which have been washed and soaked in water over night. Put enough of the liquid to cover the meat.  If the truffles are not available, boil some honey until it turns black then pour on it a small amount of ma’kamakh (murri, liquid fermented sauce), add it to the pot with a little chickpeas and salt. Light fire under the pot.

Tie into one bundle fresh rue, leeks – Either Rumi or Nabati – and cilantro.  Add this bouquet to the pot.  Then add ground spices such as coriander, cumin, caraway, and black pepper. Continue cooking the pot until the meat is done.

Break fine bread into pieces (in a big bowl) and add enough of the broth to submerge it.  Put the meat pieces all over the bread and garnish the dish by arranging small sausages and tardin (thin meat patties) all around.  (Nasrallah, pp. 337)

Substitutions and Why:

First thing we don’t have truffles in such quantities as to be cost effective.  Luckily the recipe calls for browned honey with Murri.  So make your own murri or use a mixture of soy sauce and honey (I haven’t done this one myself.

If you feel adventurous try making Murri at home or go with honey and soy sauce mixture.  Do not use Rue.  It’s a bit like eating poison ivy. 

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. chicken (thighs) cut into bite sized pieces

1.5 lbs. of lamb cut into bite sized pieces

Liquid of truffles or 2 cups of honey cooked to a dark color.

1.5 cups Murri

4 Leeks

Chopped cilantro

1 tsp each of coriander, cumin caraway and black pepper

1 tsp salt

15 oz garbanzo beans

Bread

Small sausages

Flattened meat patties

Redaction:

First if you have the strained liquid of truffles add that.  I didn’t have truffles to strain liquid through. So, I cooked 2 cups of honey down and added 1.5 Cups of the murri sauce.  I then added the chopped-up chicken and lamb. 

Next came the leeks, cilantro, and garbanzo beans.  Finally, the spices.  I put the stove on a low temperature to cook the meat all the way through.

Next, I sliced up the bread and arranged this on platter. 

I poured just enough of the cooking liquid to cover the bread. 

After the sauce was over the bread, I added the meat, leaks and beans arranging them over the bread and sauce. 

Finally, I added the thin meat patties to the main dish and served.

There was nothing bad about this dish. My favorite parts were dipping the bread into the sauce before dishing it out, and dipping the meat patties into the sauce before the dish was ready. It is sweet with amazing flavor. Lots of effort but well worth it!