Bebe Imtithal’s Iraqi Recipes

A collection of six Middle-Eastern recipes

Hello! I will keep the introduction brief, SEO be damned. Here is a collection of six Iraqi recipes. I sat with my grandmother (“Bebe,” in Arabic) and discussed the process of cooking some of my favourite dishes. What follows is my translation and organization of that conversation into some semi-standardized recipes. Though some recipes include measurements, my Bebe is a big proponent of eyeballing your measurements and seasoning to taste. Her intuition, of course, is the secret ingredient in all of these recipes.

Bebe Imtithal is a sweet lady and a wonderful cook. My favourite food here is the Khubz Aroog. The tepsi betenjan is also wonderful, especially when paired with rice. Make sure to enjoy a cup of black tea (and maybe a sweet treat) after each meal, as is tradition. 

Lastly, Bebe has given her stamp of approval to two Iraqi YouTube chefs—Sinan and Linda. If you are lost, they can show you the way.

Me and Bebe from 2022

Okra and Lamb stew

البامية ولامب

Bamia wa Lamb

Ingredients: 

• Lamb leg, shoulder, or neck—chopped into cubes

• Frozen or fresh okra

• Garlic

• Crushed tomatoes

• Tomato paste

• Oil

• Salt 

• Bouillon cube

Directions: 

1. Prepare your lamb

   1. Cook your lamb in unsalted boiling water until tender

   2. Let this cool and rest overnight 

   3. Remove the rendered and cooled fat and store for later use

   4. Strain the meat and store the broth. 

2. Prepare your okra.

   1. Frozen okra is already prepared

   2. For fresh okra, wash the vegetables and trim the stem and the tip

3. Fry your okra and garlic

   1. Chop your garlic and fry it in fat with the okra

   2. Fry your tomato paste to deglaze the built-up fond

4. Add crushed tomatoes and your lamb broth 

   1. Add salt, bouillon, and seasonings to taste, remember it will weaken as the vegetables and meats absorb the broth

   2. Recommended seasoning: black pepper, pomegranate molasses

5. Add in lamb

   1. Simmer on low until the lamb and okra have absorbed the stew

   2. Enjoy with rice!

I stole this image from food.com

Crispy hairy rice 

تمن حكاكه ؤا شعرئا

Timn hakaka wa sharia

Ingredients: 

• Rice

• Vermicelli noodles

• Oil

• Curry powder

• Cardamom

• Saffron

• Bouillon 

Directions

1. Fry your vermicelli 

   1. Crush vermicelli noodles and toast them in oil until golden brown

   2. Add some water and a square of bouillon to stop cooking

   3. Add your rice and water if cooking steam method, otherwise store the cooked noodles on the side

2. Parboil your rice

   1. Use more water than you need, the rest will be strained

   2. Once the rice is slightly further than al dente, strain it and set aside

3. Fry your rice

   1. Set a pot to medium heat, add fat and a small amount of curry powder (1 tsp per 3 cups) 

   2. Add cardamom if you wish

   3. Put the strained rice in this pot and place a lid on

   4. Once the lid is hot to the touch, set heat to low

4. Add your saffron

   1. Steep a few strands of saffron in hot water (~1/3rd cup per 3 cups rice)

   2. Pour your steeped mixture into the rice evenly and slowly

5. Fluff the rice and test

   1. Use a fork to fluff the rice, without disturbing the bottom crispy layer

   2. Use your fork to test if the rice is ready by poking the bottom layer

   3. A crust should form after 30 minutes

   4. Enjoy with stew! 

another heist, this time from “The Sephardic Table.” Unfortunately, I could not find an image with the noodles included.

Eggplant Casserole

تبسي باذنجان

Tepsi Betengan

Ingredients:

• 2KG Eggplants

• 1KG Potatoes (optional)

• 1KG Ground Beef (optional) 

• 3 TBSP Tomato Paste

• Oil

• 2 Bell Peppers

• Bouillon

• 1 Tomatoes

• 1 bulb Garlic

• Citric acid (or lemon)

• 1 tsp Sugar

• 1 small onion

Directions:

1. Prepare your eggplants (betenjan)

   1. Determine the amount you need—Bebe usually opts for 2:1 kg ratio of eggplant to either ground beef or potatoes

   2. cut the eggplants into quarter-inch slices, then marinate in a brine for 10 minutes

   3. Rinse the slices and let them rest on a towel to drip out water

2. Sear your eggplants

   1. Set a pan to medium-high heat and add oil

   2. Brush some oil onto each eggplant slice

   3. Cook the eggplant until it is seared on both sides but not cooked

3. Prepare your beef or potatoes

   1. Cook your ground beef with garlic, chicken bouillon, diced onions, and diced bell peppers, until the beef changes colour 

   2. Alternatively, cook your potato slices until they are seared

4. Prepare the casserole

   1. Layer: Eggplant, ground beef, then eggplant to top (if using potatoes, they go on the bottom of the dish)

   2. Rough chop two to three cloves of garlic and sprinkle it on top 

5. Cook

   1. In a small pot, simmer olive oil, tomato paste, one rough chopped tomato, a cup of water, citric acid, and a spoonful of sugar. Season this to taste. When it boils, pour this mix over the casserole

   2. Place casserole dish on the stove until simmered, then bake uncovered for 30 minutes

   3. Let broil for 5 minutes, then let the casserole rest for 30 minutes to an hour

   4. Enjoy with rice!

Flat Bread + Aroog Bread

جبز +  خبز عروك

Khubz + Khubz Aroog

Ingredients: 

• 1KG Flour

• 1.5 tbsp Salt

• 3 cup Water

• 1 tbsp Yeast

• 1 tbsp Sugar

• Aroog-ified: 

  • 1 kg Ground beef or lamb

  • 1 kg Onion

  • 2 bunches Parsley

  • another tbsp Salt

  • 1 tbsp curry powder

  • 1 tbsp turmeric

Directions: 

If you want to make normal flatbread, follow directions 1-3, and then skip to direction 6. If you want to make Aroog bread, follow every direction except for direction 6.

1. Prepare dry ingredients

   1. Mix your flour and salt (you can vary the salt level from 1 to 2 tbsp

2. Prepare wet ingredients

   1. Mix a cup of warm water with your yeast and sugar. Let this mix rest

3. Mix

   1. Combine your ingredients 

   2. Add in some more water as needed (Bebe usually adds another two cups). The dough should end up very soft and decently sticky (wet your hands to avoid sticking)

4. Aroogify your bread

   1. Combine your meat, onions, finely diced parsley, and spices. 

   2. Combine that mixture with your rested dough. Leave this new mixture to rest for 10 minutes

5. Bake your Aroog bread

   1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

   2. Prepare a tray with aluminum foil, oiled and lightly dusted with flour

   3. Spread your dough thinly (¼ - ½ inches) on the tray, then let rest for 30 minutes

   4. Cook the bread at the bottom of the oven for 2-5 minutes, then broil the top until it crisps up slightly

6. Bake your flatbread

   1. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour

   2. Make 10-12 buns and rest them on a floured surface

   3. Roll out the buns until they are flat

   4. Broil them one or two at a time on a large sheet pan for approximately a minute until the top crisps up. Then, flip the bread and let it broil to your liking

   

   I stole this image but it should look something like this

Bebe’s Date Squares

تمرمال بيبي

Tamar mal Bebe

Ingredients

• Ripe pitted dates (dried dates will do, but you need to rehydrate them)

• Butter

• Crushed mixed nuts, salted and roasted

• Cardamom

• Salt

• Crushed tea biscuits

Directions

1. Cook your dates

   1. Pit them 

   2. Cook in a pot with some butter, moving them around until they are soft

   3. Season the mixture with cardamom, salt, and some cinnamon

2. Add mix-ins

   1. Add crushed mixed nuts

   2. Add coarse tea biscuits

   3. Add cardamom

3. Mix

   1.  The mixture will resemble soft cookie dough, but much stickier (I wish I had a better analogue)

4. Cook

   1. Line a baking tray or any receptacle with fine biscuit powder

   2. Fill the tray with 3/4 inch thick layer of the mixture

      1. You can stack the layers—powder, mixture, powder, mixture, etc. 

   3. Freeze the tray overnight

I’ve made this so many times it is truly so delicious