So whats for dinner?  Beef!  I had a yen for a new dish and a bit of time on hand.  This gem showcases different flavors in the best of way.

Tabahija with Honey (Slice Meat with Honey)

Translation:

In a green glazed bowl, mix to blend 1/4 ratl murri with 2 Tbs. honey. Strain the mix through a sieve. Add 3 grams coriander, 1 1/2 grams black pepper, 1 gram cinnamon, and 1 gram asafetida.

Slice 2 lbs. lamb and marinate it in the sauce. Set up a pot on the fire and add 2/3 C. sweet olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced meat with the marinade along with 1 gram crushed salt.

Cook the meat until the sauce is greatly reduced. Let the pot settle for a while then serve the Tabajija garnished with chopped cilantro and rue. (Iban Sayyar al-Warraq. Pp. 358, 359)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. slice meat (beef or lamb)

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp coriander

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cloves minced garic

2/3 – 1 C. olive oil

Optional:

1 tsp sea salt

1 C. mead or sweet wine

Redaction:

I gathered the spices together and had to make a few changes (it’s cooking you’re allowed to change things a little).  I know…cinnamon and garlic and cumin just sound weird but it works.  Give it a try!

I used fish sauce mixed with soy sauce to mimic a good murri.   Then I mixed this with honey but I did not strain before mixing.

There were neither vegetable matter nor bug parts from the murri or honey that needed to be strained out.

I sliced up the meat.

I had a hunk of beef brisket tip that needed a long slow cooking recipe, this was that recipe. The meat was sliced roughly 1/2 inch thick as this will cook down and I didn’t want paper thin strips without texture. You can if you want cut the meat paper thin; this is a texture/taste issue!

I mixed the meat with the marinade.

As you can tell the marinade just covers all the meat. Either I need more marinade or I can use a sweet liquid to help bolster the sauce. I decide the liquid route especially since I had a bottle of mead handy. Red or white sweet wine can be used instead if you desire to use the liquid route or you can make a lot more marinade if you have more meat than expected. It’s all good.

Once the meat was in the marinade, I poured the olive oil into a pot and let it get hot.

When the oil was hot, I slide the meat, piece by piece, into the oil.

The marinade liquid was poured on top after all the meat was in the oil. The heat was turned low to allow the meat to slow cook until tender.

I didn’t add any salt.  I thought the fish sauce and soy sauce gave the dish a wonderful salty flavor complimented by the honey.  Because I think the meat is well salted and flavored I would suggest serving over a savory or plain jasmine rice.