Back to my favorite corner at home, my kitchen! It’s been since I got busy with our move that I haven’t really spent quality time in there. I circulate in the kitchen pretty much most of the day, everyday, having converted it temporarily to an operation room/playroom/dining room while the rest of the house is gradually getting fit for use. Nevertheless, I only recently started using my kitchen to create things that makes my family happy and not only sated. And voila some happiness in a bowl!

It is called Harrak Osba’o (حراق اصبعه) which translates from Arabic to “finger burner” (I promise no finger burning required for the recipe)! It is a Syrian dish that I discovered a couple of years ago when my mother-in-law was entertaining. A fun and really easy vegetarian dish when Mdardara (lentil based Lebanese vegetarian dish) starts becoming meh. It is all about that sour punch that gives it all its juiciness and the secret for that is pomegranate molasses. The recipe combines lentils and pasta seasoned essentially with sautéed onion, garlic and coriander. The combination of a legume (lentil) and a grain product (pasta, preferably whole grain) makes of Harrak Osba’o a rich-in-protein vegan dish. Not to mention that lentils are also rich in fiber, folate and iron. The original recipe includes garnishing the dish with fried pieces of dough or fried pita croutons. I chose to omit this part to keep it as healthy as possible:

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1 cup of brown lentils
• 1 cup of small shaped pasta
• 1 onion chopped
• 5 garlic cloves mashed
• ½ cup of coriander chopped
• 4 cups of water
• ¼ cup of pomegranate molasses
• 4 spoons of lemon juice
• 1 spoon of vegetable oil
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Place oil, onion, garlic and coriander in a cooking pot and stir-fry
2. Add lentils and water, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes
3. Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes
4. Add pomegranate molasses and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes

Sour never tasted so good!