your hands. Add yeast, sugar,
rosewater and orange blossom
water and mix to combine. Begin
adding water, a tablespoon at
a time and knead gently (do
not overmix, or your ma’amoul
will be tough) until a clump of
dough holds together without
crumbling. Cover and leave
to rest (15-30 minutes).
3 Meanwhile, for date filling,
knead ingredients in a bowl
until combined, then shape
into grape-sized balls (this
makes three times what you’ll
need, so keep remaining
for another batch, or reduce
quantities as desired). Or,
for nut filling, combine all
ingredients in a bowl.
4 For date cakes, take a
walnut-sized piece of dough,
flatten slightly, and place a date
ball in the centre. Enclose filling
completely and roll into a ball.
Slightly flatten with your palm,
then, with the round tip of a
wooden spoon, make a hole
in the middle of the cake and
decorate with a metal pincher
or decorative mould (or pinch
with your fingernails).
5 For nut cakes, take a piece
of dough and use your thumb
to create an indentation in the
centre. Fill with about 1 tsp nut
mixture and enclose, carefully
forming a dome or oblong
shape, then decorate.
6 Preheat oven to 200°C and
line two baking trays with baking
paper. Place cakes on trays and
bake until bases are a very light
golden brown (5-10 minutes).
Remove and cool completely.
7 Dust with icing sugar before
serving. Cakes will keep in an
airtight container for 7-10 days
at room temperature or in the
freezer for 3 months.
Note Mastic is available from
herbies.com.au. Mahlab,
a spice made from ground
cherry pits, and date paste
are available from select
Middle Eastern grocers. ●the surface, then simmer until
lamb is tender (1 hour to 1 hour
20 minutes). Remove from heat,
strain broth and set meat aside.
2 Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat
butter and the extra oil in a
cast-iron pot over medium-high
heat. Once butter has melted,
reduce heat to low, add
sliced onion and cook, stirring
occasionally, until softened
and golden (10-15 minutes).
Add garlic, sauté until softened
(2-3 minutes), then add spices
and 1 tsp salt and stir until
fragrant (1 minute). Add rice
and toss to coat, then add
chickpeas and toss to combine.
3 Pour 1 litre reserved broth
over the rice mixture and
increase heat to high. When
broth starts to boil, remove from
heat, arrange meat on top of the
rice, cover pan and place in the
oven until rice is fully cooked
and the meat has browned
nicely (1 hour).
4 Remove from oven and stand
uncovered for 5 minutes then
sprinkle with toasted nuts and
serve with yoghurt.
Note Mastic, the dried sap from
the mastic tree, is available from
herbies.com.au.Holiday date and nut cakes
MAKES ABOUT 30 // PREP TIME 2 HRS // COOK 5-10 MINS (PLUS RESTING“With a Muslim mother and a Christian father I had twice as many
holidays as most people,” says Kassis. “This meant double the
amount of ma’amoul, which are synonymous with holidays for both
Christians and Muslims in Palestine.” Begin this recipe a day ahead.Lamb, garlic and chickpea pilaf
SERVES 6-8 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 2 HRS 30 MINS (PLUS SOAKING
“This hallmark dish of Hebron is prepped at home, then sent to the
neighbourhood oven where it’s cooked in a special copper pot,”
says Kassis. “It’s quite easy to cook at home with an almost identical
taste. Serve it with yoghurt to contrast the richness.” Pictured p118.
1 kg fine semolina
500 gm butter, at room
temperature
60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
250 gm plain flour
½ tsp mastic ground with ½ tsp
sugar (optional; see note)
½ tsp ground mahlab
(optional; see note)
1 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp rosewater
4 tbsp orange blossom water
Pure icing sugar, to serve
DATE FILLING (OPTION 1
1 kg date paste (see note)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp each ground nutmeg
and cloves
NUT FILLING (OPTION 2
1 kg coarsely chopped
walnuts or pistachio nuts
(or a combination of both)
200 gm white sugar
2 tbsp orange blossom water
2 tbsp rosewater
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon1 Place semolina, butter and oil
in a large bowl and work with
your hands until combined and
it resembles wet sand (at least
10-15 minutes). Cover with
plastic wrap and rest overnight.
2 The next day, add flour,
mastic, mahlab and 1 tsp salt to
semolina and gently rub in with3 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
extra
2-3 pieces mastic (see note)
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tbsp nine-spice mix (see
recipe p120), plus 1 tsp extra
½ tsp turmeric
600 gm boneless lamb shoulder,
cut into 5cm cubes, or
2.5kg bone-in stewing
cuts of lamb or beef
2 onions, 1 sliced into
half-moons
2 tbsp butter
15-18 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
500 gm rice ( jasmine or medium
grain), washed and drained
400 gm canned chickpeas,
drained and rinsed
Toasted pine nuts, almonds
and plain yoghurt, to serve
1 Heat olive oil in a large
saucepan over medium-high
heat until hot but not smoking.
Add mastic, bay leaves,
nine-spice mix and turmeric,
and stir until fragrant, (1 minute).
Add lamb and sear on all sides
(about 3 minutes) until golden.
Add whole onion, tossing to
coat in spices, then add 2 litres
water and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to
the boil, skimming foam from
Holiday date and
nut cakes