Saudi Recipes

Saudi cooking is the food of the desert, the Red Sea coast and the highlands, and it changes a good deal from region to region. In the central Najd, meals are built on wheat, lamb and dairy, with dishes such as jareesh, marqooq and qursan. The Hejaz in the west, home to Mecca, Medina and Jeddah, absorbed flavors from pilgrims over centuries and is known for saleeg, mutabbaq and spiced street snacks. The east is a land of dates and fish, and the south cooks with grains, honey and bananas. Rice dishes such as kabsa and mandi are served on large shared platters, usually with lamb or chicken, a chili tomato sauce called daqus and yogurt on the side. Cardamom, saffron, cloves and dried limes season most pots. Arabic coffee with dates opens every visit, and Ramadan brings samboosa, oat soup and sweet drinks at sunset. Dates are everywhere, eaten fresh, stuffed, baked into pastries and folded into desserts.

Staple ingredients

• rice
• lamb and chicken
• wheat (jareesh, flatbread)
• dates
• cardamom and saffron
• dried limes
• ghee
• Arabic coffee

• Breakfast 1
• Appetizers 1
• Soups 1
• Main Dishes 7
• Desserts 1
• Snacks 2
• Drinks 1

Breakfast

• Masoub (Banana and Bread Pudding with Honey and Ghee)SA20 minEasy

Appetizers

• Samboosa (Ramadan Fried Pastry Triangles with Meat or Cheese)SA1 h 30 minMedium

Soups

• Shorbat Shoofan (Saudi Oat Soup with Beef and Vegetables)SA1 h 15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Kabsa (Saudi Spiced Chicken and Rice)SA1 h 50 minMedium
• Mandi (Saudi Slow-Roasted Lamb and Smoky Rice)SA4 h 30 minMedium
• Bukhari Rice (Saudi Spiced Rice with Lamb, Carrots and Raisins)SA3 hMedium
• Jareesh (Saudi Cracked Wheat Porridge with Chicken)SA2 h 50 minMedium
• Saleeg (Hejazi Creamy Rice with Chicken and Milk)SA1 h 50 minMedium
• Marqooq (Najdi Thin Dough Stew with Lamb and Vegetables)SA2 h 40 minChallenging
• Qursan (Najdi Thin Bread Soaked in Chicken and Vegetable Stew)SA2 hMedium

Desserts

• Hanini (Saudi Date and Bread Dessert with Ghee)SA35 minEasy

Snacks

• Mutabbaq (Stuffed Pan-Fried Pastry with Spiced Meat and Egg)SA1 h 40 minChallenging
• Balila (Hejazi Warm Chickpeas with Lemon and Cumin)SA1 h 40 minEasy

Drinks

• Gahwa (Saudi Arabic Coffee with Cardamom and Saffron)SA30 minEasy