Fast and Easy Middle Eastern Meal Ideas
Make Quick, Tasty Foods Like Falafel, Shwarma and Israeli Salad
Oct 8, 2009
The classic foods of the Middle East are more readily available than ever, and that's good news for busy cooks! Most grocery stores now carry falafel mix, pitas and hummus. Here are some of the best-known Middle Eastern foods, along with how to make them and/or where to find them.
Middle Eastern Cuisine Basics
Falafel, pita, hummus (also spelled chumus) and tahini (also known as techina or tehina), and Israeli salad are favorites that are easy to keep on hand for a quick meal. Pita is well-known as the famous Middle Eastern “pocket bread”.
Falafel is, basically, balls of mashed chickpeas and spices that are then deep-fried and served in a pita with hummus, tahini, salad(s), and often harif / zhoug – two words for an extremely hot red or green pepper paste (harif literally means “hot”). And tahini is a spread or dip made from sesame paste, while hummus is a mix of finely mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and spices.
Israeli Salad Ideas
“Israeli salad” is, at its most basic, diced cucumbers and tomatoes mixed with a little oil, salt and pepper, and perhaps also a bit of garlic powder to taste. For a more interesting Israeli salad, mix in green or red onions, diced avocado, fresh parsley or other fresh herbs, and/or diced half-sour pickles.
The beauty of Israeli salad is that it doesn’t have lettuce that can wilt – so it stays fresh in the fridge for days. And for a nutritious snack (or very quick lunch) with extra protein, just mix in some canned or cooked chickpeas.
Don’t have the patience to cut up cucumbers and tomatoes? Make a regular lettuce salad (the kind that comes pre-washed in a bag is fine) more exotic with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of za’atar.
Also spelled zatar, zaatar, satar or zahatar, za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend featuring hyssop and sesame seeds blended with other spices, usually including thyme, marjoram and oregano. It’s available online from several stores or in any Middle Eastern grocery.
How to Make Shwarma – The Easy Way
And then there’s shwarma (also spelled “shawarma”). Shwarma usually starts with a tall vertical spit, covered with slowly-roasting chicken breasts, lamb or beef and occasionally basted with seasoned oil as it turns all day in a shwarma restaurant – until the customer places an order and some of the chicken is sliced off, very thinly, and sautéed to make it crispy on the outside.
Shwarma is then usually served in a pita or on a lafa (a pocketless flatbread) with many of the same condiments used for falafel. And it is often served with chips, otherwise known to those of us in America as French fries.
But it’s very easy to make chicken shwarma with leftover baked or roasted chicken:
- Slice a small onion into thin slices.
- Separate chicken meat from bones, or slice into thin pieces if using boneless cutlets.
- Warm a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a skillet and fry the onions until translucent.
- Add the chicken and fry until slightly crispy.
- Add spices: either shwarma spice, which is available in Middle Eastern groceries, or regular spices like a dash of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and a pinch of turmeric.
- Serve in warm pitas (wrap in foil and warm in the oven at about 300 degrees F) with lettuce, Israeli salad, hummus, tahini, charif or zhoug.
Shwarma from leftover chicken isn’t totally authentic, but it’s quick, easy and satisfying (not to mention a great way to use last night's chicken) – and kids love it.
Where to Find Israeli Food and Other Middle Eastern Foods
Interested in trying Middle Eastern foods at home? Making falafel from scratch can kill a blender rather quickly, but tasty falafel mixes are available in most supermarkets, and frozen falafel can be found in most kosher or Middle Eastern groceries.
Of course, hummus, tahini and pita are all common supermarket fare these days. Experiment and enjoy! And for more quick, healthy and inexpensive meal ideas, see Healthy Meals on a Tight Budget.
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