All the Middle Eastern dishes you need to celebrate Aladdin’s premiere
By Louis Skye
Mena Massoud as the street rat with a heart of gold, Aladdin, and Will Smith as the larger-than-life Genie in Disney’s ALADDIN, directed by Guy Ritchie.
Fun for Meat-Eaters
Could you possibly eat any more food after such a huge mezze? Well, best ask Aladdin’s Genie for a second stomach because you will not want to miss out on the treat that is the Middle Eastern meat dish. Starting with the shish tawook, which features skewers of delicious grilled meat served with garlic paste that will make you lick your fingers. This is a meal you can eat all day and every day!
Then there’s Mansaf, with its enormous cut of lamb cooked in fermented dried yogurt and served on a heap of flavoured rice. It may be an acquired taste but it’s one that you won’t be able to stop eating. Maybe the Genie can grant us a third stomach?
For lovers of rice, the mandi is a meal that could feed your entire household. Twice! Similar to the Indian biriyani, mandi is lighter and is usually accompanied by goat, that is cooked slowly until the flesh is practically falling off the bones. And it’s huge!
Of course, the ever-popular shawarma has to be featured on our list of meats. This delectable dish sees succulent chicken cooked to perfection on a vertical grill, basted from time to time so that every slice that is cut is equally moist and flavorful. Eaten within a roll of fluffy bread, the shawarma is a dish you cannot miss.