Dig into healthy Arabian cuisine

Arabian cuisine is one of the healthiest and richest cuisines of the world. It is rich in terms of the nutrients and healthy because most dishes are prepared with olive oil. Olive oil has many beneficial factors — it reduces the danger of heart diseases, has age-defying properties, lowers blood pressure etc.

Garlic is another ingredient that is a prime component of Arabian cuisine and its medicinal properties are not lost after cooking. Garlic diminishes the thinning of blood and regulates cholesterol. If you are new to Arabian cuisine, you can start with some healthy kebabs. They are cooked without oil, and hence, are perfect for weight watchers. Here are two simple Arabian recipes that go well with the Indian palette.

Mutton with rice (Kabsa Laham)
Ingredients
2 cups rice
2 pieces ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tomato (minced)
1 carrot (minced)
1 cabbage
1 capsicum (sliced)
½ tsp white pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste

Method
Firstly, wash the rice and leave it to soak. Then, grind the ginger and garlic to a paste. Add the paste to the minced tomatoes and mix. To this, add white pepper, lemon juice, a dash of salt and olive oil and mix. Add this mixture to the mutton and leave it to marinate for 45 minutes. Add the carrot, capsicum and cabbage to the marinated mutton and cook the same with water and without oil till a semi-thick gravy is formed. Remove the gravy and add some water to it. Add rice to the same and cook. Once the rice is cooked, add the mutton to it and cook on dum for 10 to 15 minutes.

Chicken cube kebabs (Shish Taouk)

Ingredients
500 gms chicken breast
1 garlic clove
¼ tsp white pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 capsicums
2 tomatoes
Salt to taste

Method
Cut the chicken breast into half-inch cubes. Grind the garlic clove and white pepper to a paste. Add the garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice and salt to the chicken. Mix well and marinate for 45 minutes. Slice the tomatoes and capsicum. Thread the chicken cubes intermittently with slices of tomato and capsicum onto the skewers and barbeque till done. Barbequing brings out the exquisite flavour of tomatoes and capsicum. Baste and turn until a delicate brown colour is attained.

(The writer is a weight reduction and obesity specialist)