Greetings dear readers, and a very warm (albeit slightly belated) Ramadan Mubarak to those of you who observe holy month.
Earlier this month, I had the honor of filming an episode with vlogger extraordinaire Khalid Al Ameri on the benefits of a vegan diet, the stigma it faces in Middle Eastern culture, and we even cooked a couple of vegan dishes together for a vegan iftar. It was a truly wonderful experience and I can’t thank Khalid and his superstar team enough for choosing me to be a part of it. It goes without saying, but it fills me with an immense amount of joy to see veganism being brought to the forefront by someone as influential and as relatable as Khalid. If you’re curious about the video, you can watch it on Facebook here, by the way.
Filming the segment got me thinking – this is my 8th Ramadan as a vegan! Although it hasn’t always been easy, one of the most important things I’ve learned about fasting Ramadan as a vegan, is to keep things simple, wholesome and nutritious.
I’ve become accustomed to honing in on a handful of staples that are easy to make, wonderfully filling and of course pack quite the nutrient-dense punch. Doing so takes the guess work out of “what am I going to eat tonight”, and means I can channel my creative juices into concocting new culinary delights when the inspiration strikes – like this one.
Traditionally made with roasted chicken baked with onions, sumac and a smattering of other spices, Musakhan is a Palestinian dish that is also popular in other Levantine countries. I will admit that since my aversion to poultry started at a young age, I have never had the meat version of this dish, so this recipe is based purely on culinary instincts and is in no way “authentic” by any stretch of the imagination.
It is however incredibly easy to throw together, stunningly fragrant (thank you, sumac) and of course a true treat for the tastebuds. All in all, a welcome addition to my repertoire of plant-based iftar staples.
Cauliflower Musakkhan
Ingredients
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER MUSAKKHAN
- 1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into medium-sized florets (around 3-4 cups worth)
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sumac
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp pomegranate tendrils
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
FOR THE TAHINI YOGHURT DRESSING
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- ¼ cup non-dairy yoghurt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp water plus more as needed
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER MUSAKKHAN
- Start by preheating your oven to 200°C / 390°F
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cauliflower florets, onions, olive oil, sumac, cumin, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Mix well and ensure that the spices are evenly distributed.
- Add the mixture to a large pyrex baking dish and cover with foil, then bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and add in the chickpeas, using a spatula to mix in with the contents of the dish. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
- Remove from the oven and assemble on serving dish, drizzling the tahini yoghurt sauce on top along with pomegranate and parsley.
FOR THE TAHINI YOGHURT DRESSING
- Prepare the dressing by combining the garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, tahini and yoghurt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until well combined, taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as desired. You can also combine the ingredients in a small blender for a super smooth texture.
مسخن القرنبيط
Ingredients
- مقادير المسخن
- 1 رأس متوسط من القرنبيط ، مفروم إلى أزهار متوسطة الحجم تبلغ قيمتها حوالي 3-4 أكواب
- 1 بصلة حمراء متوسطة ، مقطعة إلى شرائح رفيعة
- 1 كوب من الحمص المطبوخ
- 2 ملعقة كبيرة زيت زيتون
- 2 ملعقة كبيرة من السماق
- 1 ملعقة صغيرة من الكمون
- 1 ملعقة صغيرة قرفة
- 3 ملاعق رمان
- ربع كوب من البقدونس الطازج المفروم
- ملح وفلفل الأسود حسب الرغبة
مقادير صلصة الطحينة بالزبادي
- 1 فص ثوم مهروس
- 2 ملعقة صغيرة خل ابيض أو خل عصير التفاح
- 2 ملعقة كبيرة عصير ليمون
- 2 ملعقة كبيرة طحينة
- ¼ كوب من الزبادي الخضري مصنوع من دون الالبان
- 1 ملعقة صغيرة من مسحوق الكمون
- 2 ملعقة كبيرة ماء واكثر حسب الحاجة
- ملح وفلفل الأسود حسب الرغبة
Instructions
- ابدأ بتسخين الفرن إلى 200 درجة مئوية / 390 درجة فهرنهايت.
- في وعاء خلط كبير، اخلط القرنبيط والبصل وزيت الزيتون والسماق والكمون والقرفة والملح والفلفل. امزج كل شيء جيدًا وتأكد من توزيع التوابل بالتساوي.
- ثم ضع الخليط في طبق خبز بيركس كبير وقم بتغطيته بورق الألمنيوم، وقم بخبز لمدة 20 دقيقة في الفرن.
- قم بإزالة ورق الألمنيوم ضيف الحمص إلى الطبق، مستخدماً ملعقة لخلطها مع باقي المقادير. اخبز لمدة 10-12 دقيقة إضافية حتى يصبح القرنبيط طريًا.
- أخرج الطبق من الفرن وقم بنقل القرنبيط إلى طبق التقديم ومن ثم رش صلصة الطحينة من الأعلى مع الرمان والبقدونس.
- يمكنك تحضير الصلصة عن طريق خلط الثوم والخل وعصير الليمون والطحينة والزبادي في وعاء خلط صغير. ثم يجب أن تخفق كل شيء حتى تنسجم بشكل جيد. تذوق واضبط التوابل مع الملح والفلفل حسب الرغبة. يمكنك أيضًا مزج المكونات في خلاط صغير للحصول على ملمس ناعم.
This dish was one of the ones I chose to make for the shoot with Khalid – and I am happy to report that it was very well received by the entire crew. The tender baked bites of cauliflower marry incredibly well with the sumac-spiced onions, and the chickpeas of course add great texture.
The crowning glory is of course the tangy tahini and yoghurt sauce as well as the delightful bursts of sweet pomegranate interspersed throughout.
Why cauliflower, you might ask? While you could definitely re-create musakhan with a vegan chicken substitute (say seitan or soy-based) – I prefer the more wholesome option of cauliflower, and personally feel that soaks up the flavours in this dish amazingly well.
It also has just the right pull-apart texture to be an apt stand-in for the original ingredient.
Plus as of writing this, it’s still cauliflower season in the UAE – and you know how I feel about organic and local produce.
Until next time, dear readers!
Hi Nada,
I enjoyed the video – you were great on camera. I’m looking forward to making this dish.
This sounds wonderful, especially since I’m a big fan of cauliflower under any circumstances. I will pin this to try as soon as I can get the ingredients together..
Congratulations on being vegan for 8 years! You are doing a wonderful thing for your health and for the welfare of countless animals used in the food supply. Much respect to you for this choice.
Happy Ramadan from another vegan (since 2001) and keep the fabulous recipes coming! <3
Please for the love of time skip to the recipe for those of us who care to
A friend and I made your Musakkhan last night and absolutely loved it! Just the perfect combination of flavours! Thanks for sharing your recipe.