French fries, Aleppo-style

January 23, 2013  •  Category:

 

 


To say that Aleppo’s cuisine is famous in the Middle-East would be stating the obvious. In fact, one of Lebanon’s premier chef, Mrs.  Marlene Mattar, has recently published a cookbook devoted to the cuisine of this wonderful city, Maedat Marlene men Halab.

This recipe for French fries, Aleppo-style, is one of many I tried from her book. It combines Aleppo flavors with the straight-forward French fries and is, of course, delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • oil for frying
  • Sauce: 1 tbsp mashed garlic (4 cloves)
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper paste (mild)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp of paprika or chili powder
  • parsley to garnish (optional)
  1.  Peel the potatoes and cut in matchsticks-size. 
  2. Prepare the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a small skillet and add the coriander, cinnamon, mashed garlic and the red pepper paste and lemon juice. Stir to combine and set aside. (This step can be prepared a day ahead).
  3. Dry the potatoes thoroughly with paper napkins; het the oil to 375F and fry the potatoes till golden. Remove the french fries and drain. Place the fries over the sauce and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with paprika or chili powder and garnish with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Deir el-Qamar

Deir el-Qamar (Convent of the moon),  former capital of Mount-Lebanon,  offers many historic landmarks and is nestled in the Chouf Mountains, South-East of Beirut by 30 miles.

Comments

17 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Rosa says:

    What afantastic flavors! Those fries are far from being bland.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. Lizzie says:

    These look delicious! I am definitely going to try them. Thanks for sharing Joumana.

  3. Sarah G says:

    These are great! I love the idea of a bit of heat with potatoes. I bet they would be nice with sour cream or labneh.

  4. Belinda @zomppa says:

    Ooo – those are super flavorful fries!!

  5. Needful Things says:

    These sound very flavorful and I love the color – I guess I could bake these in the oven?

    • Joumana says:

      @Needful things: Sure, why not? I would use the olive oil though.

      @Paula: Yes, Aleppo is in Syria and you are right a lot of dishes that originated in Aleppo or Syria have been totally adopted in Lebanon and vice-versa. In fact, the lentil dish I posted about a couple of days ago is most likely from Damascus. The Lebanese have a different version with rice onion and garlic.

  6. Joy @My Turkish Joys says:

    These look absolutely delicious! Yum!

  7. Paula Mello says:

    Aleppo is Syria, is not it? The flavors of Lebanon mingle with the Syrians, resulting in a feast for the palate. My grandfather is from Homs, but most of his recipes were Lebanese!! He used to make these potatoes. I miss him. In a good way…
    Have a great weekend.

  8. domi says:

    De belles frites bien dorées et superbement épicées moi j’en veux….

  9. leaf says:

    Love it. Looks spicy and delicious.

  10. Oui, Chef says:

    Oh my…..I would eat a whole sack full of these lovelies. Such a beautiful color too!

  11. Susan says:

    Those wouldn’t last long in this house – they look delicious! Love the color from the pepper.

  12. Heide M. says:

    Can’t wait to try this.

  13. clippingpathlab says:

    former capital of Mount-Lebanon, offers many historic landmarks

  14. Isabel Dose says:

    Taste of Beirut! sounds pretty good. Once I had opportunity to visit Lebanon. Love to see this again.

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