Pulses are a prominent ingredient in Syrian cooking. Burner esbao is a type of lentil stew.Danielle Matar/The Globe and Mail
Before coming to Canada, chef Rabie Abo AlZahab worked as master chef at the Sheraton Damascus Hotel. His passion for Syrian cuisine started young, when he worked with his father preparing Syrian sweets and delicacies.
Abo AlZahab now runs Shamiyat Middle Eastern Cuisine Catering in Toronto and says this stew is particularly popular with women hosting their female friends. "The dough is made from flour, but to save some time, we use a short pasta such as vermicelli, orzo, orecchiette or broken-up pappardelle," he says. "We make a beautiful decoration with cilantro, garlic, fried onions, fried pita and fresh pomegranate seeds on top of the dish for serving."
Tamarind comes as a concentrate in a plastic container. It is available at many supermarkets.
Servings: 6
Ready Time: 1 hour
Burner esbao
5 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 cup chopped coriander leaves and stems
1 12-inch pita
1 cup (230 g) green lentils
1 1/2 cups short pasta, such as egg vermicelli
1 tbsp tamarind paste or lemon juice
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, or more to taste
Method
Heat 3 tbsp oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, add onions and fry until crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve. In same pan, adding more oil if needed, fry garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coriander and fry 30 more seconds. Remove from pan and reserve. Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil and add pita to pan and fry until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Crumble and reserve. Place lentils in pot and cover with 4 cups salted water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
Bring separate pot of well-salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente (time will vary depending on which pasta you use). Drain and stir into lentils. Combine reserved lentil cooking water, tamarind paste and half of fried onions. Add half of garlic-coriander mixture and pomegranate molasses. Stir to combine flavours then add into lentil stew.
Transfer mixture to serving dish and scatter with remaining onions, garlic and coriander, crumbled pita and pomegranate seeds. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.
Lucy Waverman