188 eastern recipes

Homemade tahini from scratch with just toasted sesame seeds and oil. Smooth, nutty paste for hummus, baba ganoush, salad dressings, and Middle Eastern cooking. Keeps for months in the fridge.

Syrup-soaked semolina cake made with yogurt, toasted almonds, and butter, drenched in chilled lemon syrup while still hot. A beloved Middle Eastern dessert that serves 20.

Ripe plum filling for pierogies uses fresh peeled plums with sugar and cinnamon tucked inside pierogi dough. A traditional Eastern European sweet dumpling filling with three ingredients.

Spicy bulgur salad with fresh tomatoes, fennel, radishes, herbs, and romaine in a cumin-cinnamon-cayenne lemon dressing. A tabbouleh-style dish with warm Middle Eastern spice.

Fried batilgian is egg-dipped eggplant fried in olive and vegetable oil until crisp outside and creamy inside. Just five ingredients for a classic Middle Eastern side.

Middle Eastern rice pilaf with cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and warm spices like cardamom and turmeric. A fragrant side dish with caramelized onions and a sweet-savory balance.

Quinoa tabbouleh swaps traditional bulgur for protein-rich quinoa, tossed with cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, mint, cilantro, pine nuts and a bright lemon-olive oil dressing. A gluten-free Middle Eastern-style salad.

Salata tahina, a creamy Middle Eastern tahini sauce with crushed garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and parsley. Serve as a mazza dip, salad dressing, or drizzle for grilled meats.

Taskebab, a Middle Eastern beef and eggplant stew baked in tomato sauce with basil and oregano. Fried beef and eggplant slow-simmered until the sauce permeates every bite.

Eggplant relish with baked eggplant, hard-boiled egg, green pepper, and onion ground together with vinegar and garlic. A cold Eastern European-style spread for bread and crackers.

Romanian fried noodle pudding (kugel) with golden sauteed onions and eggs, pan-fried until crispy on both sides. A savory, skillet-browned noodle cake from Eastern European tradition.

Saffron-laced pastina salad with pine nuts, currants, fresh mint, and orange blossom water. A fragrant Middle Eastern-inspired room temperature pasta side dish with turmeric and cumin.

Nut kolachky filling is a traditional Eastern European walnut filling for kolachky cookies and pastries. Ground walnuts, egg whites, sugar, and melted butter mixed into a thick paste.

Crispy phyllo triangles stuffed with spiced lamb, raisins, pine nuts, and warm cinnamon-cumin-allspice. A Middle Eastern-inspired appetizer that bakes lighter than fried, perfect for parties.

Classic tabbouleh salad with bulgur wheat, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, and a lemon-olive oil dressing. A no-cook Middle Eastern grain salad that improves as it chills.

Radishes in cream: a 10-minute peppery radish salad in a tangy sour cream, yogurt, and horseradish dressing. Served in crisp lettuce cups. A classic Eastern European spring side.