Jordan,a Hashemite kingdom on the banks of river Jordan is a country rich in cultural heritage and paleolithic remains. My son along with his work friends had a mini weekend vacation to this exotic country. They visited the ancient red city Petra- a wonder of the world and Jordan’s most valuable treasure, the famous Dead Sea which has no life in it because of high salinity, Wadi Rum-Valley of the Moon formed of sandstone and granite,Amman-a capital city spread over 19 hills , camped in Dana-a quaint old stone village and enjoyed the local food prepared by Bedouins.
Jordanian cuisine is famous for its meats,baking,grilling,olive oil ,Sumac and blend of spices like Za’atar. Mujaddara is a rice and lentil casserole garnished with caramelized onions. There are different versions of Mujaddara. The one I have tried is simple and easy to make and needless to say delicious. It can be simply eaten alone or paired with yogurt or some flavorful roasted Jordanian chicken.It makes a wonderful meal.
Jordan Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken pieces( breasts and thighs) with skin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp sumac
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- pomegranate arils for garnish
- fresh chives/spring onions, chopped fine for garnish
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF or 180ºC
- Rub the chicken pieces with a mixture of salt,sumac and cardamom making sure the seasoning reaches under the skin.
- Heat a skillet and add olive oil in it. Place the chicken pieces with skin side down.
- Sear the chicken for 5 minutes on each side on medium heat.
- Remove chicken from the pan and keep aside.
- In the same pan add chicken stock,pomegranate molasses and thyme. Bring to a boil while scraping and stirring it.
- Let the sauce reduce to half.
- Now add the chicken pieces and coat them with the sauce.
- Put the chicken along with the sauce in an ovenproof dish/baking tray and roast for 15 minutes.
- Serve with the reduced sauce and garnished with pomegranate arils. Enjoy…
Mujaddara-A flavorful Jordan rice and lentil casserole
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white rice(soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
- 2 cups brown lentils(soaked overnight in water, drained)
- vegetable oil
- ½ cup vermicelli noodles (fried golden in a teaspoon of oil)
- 1 kg onions( thinly sliced and fried golden)
Method:
- Place the lentils in a cooking pot with 4 cups of water.Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the drained rice, fried vermicelli and half of the fried onions to the lentils pot and stir. Add salt. Cover with a lid slightly ajar and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Check halfway through to see if you need to add more water. Remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Place the lentil and rice mixture on a large serving platter and scatter over the remaining fried onions to serve. You can serve hot or at room temperature.
- You can serve it alone,with yogurt or with the Jordan roast chicken.
Recipe Courtesy: sbs.com
Enjoy this delicious platter from Jordan in the comfort of your home.
Aromas and Flavors from my Kitchen 
The addition of pomegranate makes this a heavenly mediterranian dish!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree with you! Sumac and pomegranate give the dish a Mediterranean feel. Thanks. Have a lovely day ahead 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, enjoy :))
LikeLike
Agree with the first comment – love the big hit of pomegranate!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are right Laura! I am glad you like it too. Have a lovely day ahead 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like an exotic and Mediterranean dish. With the salty and sour combination I’m sure it’s delicious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yum! Gorgeous photos, and delicious food!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Nell ☺
LikeLike
Ana, thanks for sharing the photos of Jordan and the menu- I loved seeing them all and hope I can visit it some day.
It is always so fascinating to learn about different cultures and their food. This Jordanian chicken with the pomegranate molasses and the mujaddara bot look delicious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Sandhya! Thanks for liking the post. The Jordan pics were shared by my son with me. I would love to visit it soon. I like places which have an old world charm. I just tried to recreate the dishes he enjoyed there. They tasted awesome. Have a wonderful weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved the read, photographs and the recipe. This Jordan chicken with pomegranate’s sounds so amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for liking the post. It turned out to be deliciously interesting ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely journey this post is. The scenery is amazing and your chicken looks gorgeous. It’s almost too pretty to eat. But I’m sure one whiff of the aroma would make me dig into it. 😀 Hugs.
LikeLike
Great recipe and tour my friend…. Awesome to learn about the city Petra… a wonder of the world, indeed. Magnificient architecture. Beautiful post to enlighten us, dear SKD… Love & all my best wishes! ⭐
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yay! A golden star. Yoohoo! Thank you Aqui. Lots of love and best wishes to you too. 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
This looks delicious!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for stopping by and liking the posts. Please do keep visiting ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person
you’re not perhaps interested in adopting a 30 something grown-up??? maybe prep, freeze, cook subscription service??? everything looks so delicious!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha!Thats such an awesome comment. Thank you Sarah. I would love to have you over for dinner and cook for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent tasty food & fab photos too! 🙂 Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for stopping by Sophie and for the kind words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome, my friend! 🙂 x
LikeLike
Thank you so much Sophie for stopping by Sophie and for the kind words
LikeLike
♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope I did some justice with this recipe
LikeLike
I’ve always wanted to visit Petra, but I am still not having the chance. And I have heard of this dish, but haven’t tried it. This looks so delicious!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you dear Jhuls. This dish is light on the system and very subtle. Quite ideal for the month of Ramadan. However I couldn’t lay my hands on the Mediterranean kind of black lentils they use. Nevertheless it was delicious😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Dana village looks wonderful and so does that dish…Yummm… I actually sat through and read the entire menu..😜making me hungry now..🙈
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too Neethu. I just finished making Katori chat to break the fast. Not one not two but all 50 because I am taking them to my inlaws place where we potluck in Ramadan. And I am ravenous😊😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow that’s awesome..😍😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks😊
LikeLiked by 1 person