About Razan Masri

I love exploring, researching, finding and sharing. I love to learn and to teach, I love to live and to laugh, I wish to speak to the world as an Arab Woman using the most beautiful language through photographs and writing.

Have you ever tried to make Hummus at home? Hummus by my Middle-Eastern Mother…

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Razan Masri

Hummus.

Where shall I start ?

As an Arab, Hummus is an essential, a signature, part of my culture, tradition, ritual… Internationally; Hummus has become a fetish, a classic, a basic, a topic…

In this blog post, I will be covering a little bit of it’s origin, benefits, essentials, how to be creative with it and most importantly; how to make it. Feel free to add your signature Hummus recipe as a comment on this blog post to share your love for Hummus.

Origin

Hummus – حمص in Arabic which means chickpeas; is an ancient dish made and ready in various Middle-Eastern countries like Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon along with Turkey & Morocco. Hummus is considered to be an appetizer “Meze”, a dip, spread, or/and a dressing. Hummus is so ancient that it is considered to be an essential dish to most Middle-Eastern countries. Until today, the oldest Hummus recipe was found in one of the Egyptian books back in the 13th century. Today; Hummus is prepared with its essential ingredients and garnished with the chef’s own signature.

Benefits

To begin with, Hummus is vegetarian [unless meat is added as garnish] and is very high in protein; it is high in iron, vitamin C, boosts your energy, includes folate and vitamin B6. Chickpeas do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fat and can maintain correct blood sugar levels. Hummus is made with Tahini which is mostly made of sesame seed and is very rich in amino acid.

For the love of Hummus

Hummus is loved by many, is prepared by many, and is claimed to be a traditional dish to many. Recipes in households, restaurants, online and in books vary in ingredients and garnish and this is exactly why I love Hummus; for its diversity, for how it makes each and everyone Hummus maker special in his/her own preparation. Nonetheless, Hummus does contain essential ingredients which are the basics to making Hummus: chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt and cumin.

As for the garnish…

I find is art. What you add to it after the basics is up to your taste. Some essential garnish are used in most households like: cumin, parsley, pine-nuts, minced meat, sesame seed, pickles, whole chickpeas, walnut, olive oil, olives, sumac, mint leaves, pomegranate molasses “Dibs Roman” and radish.

For the full recipe click here..

Have you ever heard of Okra in Olive Oil? Here is a new Middle-Eastern vegetarian recipe for you to try at home. Bamieh Bil Zeit | طريقة عمل وصفة بامية بالزيت

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Razan Masri

Bamieh bil Zeit | باميه بالزيت.

Bamieh, Bamia, or what is also known as Okra and apparently some people refer to it as “Lady finger”, when I type an Arabic word in English it is very difficult to be precise in the choice of letters for the accent differs from one person to another in our region.

Anyhow, I am one of the people who loooooovvvvveee Bamieh, I mean really, this vegetable tastes so good and different from anything else. This is a vegetarian dish and I have noticed that most Middle-Eastern dishes are vegetarian but we tend to add meat to them, so when checking my recipes, just try to look for the ones that can substitute the meat.

I am always so curious to why Okra is not so much used in the west ?

History

Apparently Bamieh or Okra is mostly found in Asia, Ethiopia and West Africa. The Egyptians have used it since the 12th and 13th century, and is very well-known in the Middle-East and between all Arabs as Bamieh or Bamia.

Benefits

Bamieh / Okra is very low in calories, they provide 30 calories per 100g, has neither saturated fat nor cholesterol. They are rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

I must admit to you that so many people are turned off by the bamieh as soon as they are introduced to the dish because of its slimy appearance after cooking. I personally don’t mind it maybe because I grew up with it and I love the taste of it.

The recipe below is a famous Lebanese dish and is called Bamieh bil Zeit (which mean Okra soaked in olive oil) and is usually eaten with pita bread. What most Palestinians and Jordanians make is Okra stew or Bamieh bil Bandora “Bamia in Tomatoes”, hopefully I will share the Okra stew recipe with you soon in the following months. Meanwhile give this amazing Bamieh bel Zeit a try at home.

Using my Canon 70D… Read more for the full recipe.

Most viewed post of the year 2014: Mansaf, Read more on what is Mansaf and How to make it.

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Razan Masri

Mansaf.

I am very happy to announce that my most viewed post of the year 2014 was the Jordanian Traditional Dish Mansaf. Most visitors on my blog were from 1- Jordan 2- United Stated 3- United Arab Emirates 4- Germany 5- Italy 6- Canada 7- United Kingdom 8- France 9- Palestine and 10- Israel. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog in 2014, and I will work really hard on making 2015 a great year dedicated to my lifestyle as a MiddleEastern bringing out everything beautiful about my culture, tradition, and surroundings.

Mansaf; was my first recipe choice for my Food Photography Project.

What is Mansaf? To those who are unfamiliar with it, you must be familiar with Jordan. The beautiful Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; an Arab kingdom on the East Bank of Jordan River, and Mansaf is the Jordanian Traditional Dish. You haven’t really visited Jordan until you try it’s mouthwatering unforgettable Mansaf.

I was introduced to Mansaf at a young age from having it being the main dish at all big occasions. Occasions that include; Eid (Holiday’s), big family gatherings, weddings, funerals and other, Mansaf was like a mandatory dish to celebrating happiness or sorrow.

…and what is Mansaf? “منسف is how we spell it in Arabic” with the Lamb being the hero or victim of the dish cooked in dried yogurt that we also call Jameed “جميد” served with rice and flatbread (Shrak/Markouk) then garnished with almonds, pine-nuts & of-course spices.

This is not it, Mansaf is a long story of meanings, findings, bindings, and a Bedouin tradition. Mansaf in Arabic also means “Large tray/dish” which it truly is; Mansaf comes in a very big round tray/dish and is placed in the center of a big round table with everyone standing around the table with their left hand behind their back, and using their right hand…Click Here to Read More and For the Full Recipe.

Fashion Reflex: The Art Trend & how to wrap the best of it around yourself.

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Razan Masri

Art is an incredible way to express yourself, your feelings, your thoughts, and your understanding. Art is free, it is the freedom of expression, you can express your love in artistic way, you can express your anger through art, and you can express what is hard to speak or write through art. Art is an international language. There is art for every one of us, and we should all be artistic in our own way.

Fabric prints is art; stripes, colors, patterns, prints, all of it is a form of art, how you dress, what you mix, and what you put on is a form of art. So be artistic, in the way you shop, what you choose to dress, how you dress it, create patterns, draw sometimes, back, sing, or dance, be creative and let it all out.

Today I choose to share with you the art I found in the prints of this seasons fall winter 2014/2015 looks by designers like Burberry Prorsum, Diane Von Furstenberg, Elie Saab, Etro, Issa, Just Cavali, Karen Walker, Leonard, Manish Arora, Opening Cermony, Talbot Runhof, Tia Cibani, and many more. All pictures belong to www.style.com

Craving Dessert? Try this incredible chocolate Tiramisu recipe. طريقة عمل وصفة تيراميسو

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Razan Masri

Chocolate Tiramisu.

Believe it or not, I was never a big fan of Tiramisu up until I went for a visit to Roma; there I fell in love head over heals with Tiramisu. I also then realized, it wasn’t the Tiramisu that I didn’t enjoy, but the Tiramisu I have had in the past. I realized that as much as it seems to be a simple dessert, it is really all about the right ingredients.

It has been said that Tiramisu was invented not long time ago in the 1960’s and the word Tiramisu means “Pick me up or Lift me up” which is perfect sense to a great dessert. The basic ingredients of Tiramisu are the ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese.

Rome didn’t only teach me the real taste of Tiramisu, it also taught me that Tiramisu does not only come in coffee, but can come in so many different flavors, the original Tiramisu of course is coffee based. If you do happen to live in Rome, or plan on visiting make sure you try Pompi which is located near by the Spanish steps. There I have tried the best strawberry tiramisu, mixed berries, hazelnut, and the very famous classic Tiramisu. I also recommend that if you go, you should try the local Roman restaurant Felice in Testaccio that serves great local food and one of the best Tiramisu I have ever had. Not to forget mentioning one last stop in Rome for a great Tiramisu experience and a beautiful place to check out as well; Angelina, I tried the one that is very close to Fontana di Trevi and you can experience a Tiramisu in a jar with one of the best cup of coffees. If you wish to learn more about my experience in Rome you can always check my travel section by clicking here Rome.

And so it is only natural that when I went back home, I started craving Tiramisu again, and I didn’t know where to go to find good Tiramisu in Jordan so I decided to experiment myself until I find the best recipe ingredient, and so I did.

Today I decided to share with you my outcome of a great taste to a great home-made Tiramisu. I made several relatives and friends try it and I am certain that if you put the steps below together you will be very pleased with the results.

My recipe is a combination of 2 online recipes that I selected from over 8 different recipes I tried. I took the basics that I found delicious from Cooking with Ruthie as for the flavoring I decided to add chocolate from the recipe steps of Sugarhero and therefore my recipe includes a taste of chocolate added to the coffee based Tiramisu.

I would love to hear your feedback after trying the recipe below, I truly hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and still do, looking forward to hear your feedback on my blog.

All photos taken with my CANON 70D and it really made all the difference in my photography, and of-course as usual, I can not cook without some good music in the background…. so here is one of my very favorite Italian songs by Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini – Ora

For the Music Video and Full recipe click on Chocolate Tiramisu.

A blog post on Charlie Hebdo #JeSuisCharlie, from a Muslim Woman living in the heart of the MiddleEast #JeSuisMuslim

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Razan Masri

On Wednesday the 7th of january 2015, I received a WhatsApp message from my friend in Canada asking me if I have heard of what has happened in Paris and that it is all over the news…. Well, I don’t usually follow the news much because I don’t believe in any of it, but I went on twitter and started to read all about #JeSuisCharlie … At first I felt terrified, disturbed, frustrated and sick to my stomach. As I continued to read, questions and thoughts started to come right through me: Is this ever going to stop? “this whole terrifying act of violence in the name of Islam” Where are they trying to go with this? “Who ever is plotting these ridiculous acts of terror to create more racism, violence and hate” Why would anyone kill for any reason what so ever? “We all grow up learning the same basics around the world, killing is not justified” Why would anyone kill in the name of religion, culture and race? “Seriously, why would millions of people be tagged along an act of one or more disturbed human being” Why is it always an international story against Islam as a religion when it is a Muslim behind an act of violence? “As if there are no violence, murder and rape stories happening everyday in Europe, the United Stated, China or Russia? by people, gangsters, Mafias or any other…” Why would a religious person get something as sacred as God and religion into an act of murder? “If you are very religious, you are in a temple, in a mosque, in a church, in a synagogue, God is so sacred to be mixed with blood and violence. Therefore those people who are acting like animals are no way part of any religion in any way possible.” Didn’t the world go through enough already? “Enough of hate, racism, segregation, and stereotype?” And then right before I went to sleep last night, I read this article that truly disturbed me in every way possible. “In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, Free Speech Does Not Mean Freedom From Criticism” by Jacob Canfield. What disturbed me about his article, is how well written it is, how ugly the truth is and I couldn’t agree any better with him. I have never seen the cartoons published by Charlie Hebdo before, I heard about them, but I never really searched for them. And while I looked at them, all I was thinking is why would anyone be so racist? why would anyone be so anti-Islamic? and why would anyone offend any religion so publicly and in such humor? Where is the line of respect? Why is it even legal? I still believe that the act of murder is never to be justified, and I will always be against any type of violence. But why are those cartoons so cool, and why were they okay to be distributed and published? I repeat what Jacob Canfield wrote in his article: “The statement, “JE SUIS CHARLIE” works to erase and ignore the magazine’s history of xenophobia, racism, and homophobia. For us to truly honor the victims of a terrorist attack on free speech, we must not spread hateful racism blithely, and we should not take pride in extreme attacks on oppressed and marginalized peoples.”

This is part of the propaganda, It is always a Muslim who is acting like a terrorist, it is always an Arab, and it always turns into a soap opera. We must all fight together “including Muslims” for the rights of all victims, there is terror happening every day in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and many other cities besides Paris. But for some reason, it is terror and an international story only when the media decides to make it go big. Every victim is a human being, and every human being deserves the freedom to live in peace. This fight should be against the act of violence, against creating racist generations, and against creating more segregation in the world of today.

I am an Arab, a woman, a Muslim and a very spiritual person. I meditate everyday, I do yoga every morning, I read at least 2 pages of Quran everyday, I read books for Oscar Wilde, Einstein, Rumi, Robert Green, Paulo Coelho, Jack Canfield and many more. I have Christian friends, Jewish, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, and people I have no idea what they practice or believe in. I don’t care, I don’t even ask what they believe in, religion is personal and when it is a topic, it is sometimes an interesting topic to discuss and explore, and if I have noticed any similarities they all call for Peace, Love, Acceptance, Sharing, Life, Kindness, Giving, Charity, Light, Meditating, Praying… And they all forbid the act of Violence in all manners what so ever.

Here is a little bit of something about my peaceful religion Islam for those of you who are anti-Islamic:

And the people who believe in the Most Merciful “referring to God/Allah” are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace. (Quran Verse 25:63)

Say, [O believers], “We have believed in God/Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims believers of God.” (Quran Verse 2:136)

Say, “Do you argue with us about God/Allah while He is our Lord and your Lord? For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. And we are sincere [in deed and intention] to Him.” (Quran Verse 2:139)

Be kind, for whenever kindness becomes part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished. (Prophet Mohammad PBUH)

The best among you is the one who doesn’t harm others with his words and hands. (Prophet Mohammad PBUH)

I still believe that Love wins at the end. You can always read more about Islam by visiting Omar Suleiman, Rumi, My Post

How to make one of the most delicious Middle-Eastern meat pie “Sfeeha | Lahm bi Ajeen – لحم بعجين|صفيحة”

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Razan Masri

Once you try a Sfeeha, you are hooked. This Middle-Eastern lamb pine-nuts pie or savory pastry taste like heaven, they are traditionally served as an appetizer, sometimes with mini pizzas and other savory pastries as finger food. Sometimes they are made in bigger size and quantity to replace a main meal for lunch.

Ask any Middle-Eastern about them and they must have a favorite place or recipe. The best part is that wherever you have them, they are slightly made different. Sometimes the pastry is very thin, sometimes it is thick, sometimes different spices are added, sometimes it is just concentrated with meat and onion, some people eat them with yogurt, some eat them with tahini, either way, and anywhere they are mostly very tasty.

My mother’s recipe below is really worth millions, she makes one of the best Sfeeha I have ever had in my life, not just because they are my mothers, but really the taste is just exquisite. You can easily remove some of the ingredients for a different juice, and it is up to you how spicy you wish to make your Sfeeha.

All pictures are taken with a CANON 70D, give this recipe a try to share your experience with me on this blog.

Enjoy this song while you are at the making, it is by a Lebanese alternative rock band, Mashrou’ Leila مشروع ليلى – Fasateen

SUZIE|S KITCHEN

Make enough for 8 people – Preparation Time 1 hour

Sfeeha | Lahm bi Ajeen – لحم بعجين|صفيحة

Ingredients:

15 – 20 sqaure frozen puff pasry

1 kilo of “soft” fine minced meat

1 large red onion (peeled)

1 teaspoon of salt

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of mixed pepper

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon finally chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses دبس رمان

1 tablespoon of yogurt

1 tablespoon of ketchup

1 tablespoon of tahini

Pinch of crushed red pepper (or as DESIRED)

1 teaspoon of hot sauce (Tabasco or any other)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 cup roasted of pine-nuts

recipe:

Preheat the oven to 300 (F).
Finally crush the red onion with an electric mixer.
Mixx the onion with the minced meat.
Add all the flavoring spoons of spices and juicing into the meat and mix very well.
On a cooking tray, start lining the pastry one next to the other, adding 1 tablespoon. of the juiced meat on top of each pastry and spreading the meat over the pastry covering the full square.
Sprinkle the meat pastry with pine nuts.
Place your cooking tray into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Your pies should look a little golden before serving.

Note: Prepare your meat pies only half an hour before serving for better taste. We always serve yogurt and fresh mint on the side along with a big bowl of salad.

How to make Hummus recipe, chickpeas, origins of hummus, signature

Check out our very favorite how to make Hummus at home by clicking on this photograph.

A recipe for cold days, how to make the most delicious Pumpkin soup. طريقة عمل شوربة اليقطين

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Razan Masri

On a cold gloomy day all I want to have when I get home, is soup, to start with of-course, and sometimes, when the soup is really good, I just want to have it all day. It is just so pleasant to have.

When I was child, I used to associate pumpkin only to Halloween, I was never aware of how good the food made of pumpkin is until recently. Today as soon as I hear we have pumpkin soup for lunch or dinner, I just can’t wait to start with it, pumpkin soup and precisely this recipe below is heaven, it is super good that one dish is never enough.

Why is soup good for the soul?

Soup is warm, and it soothes the throat, soup feels warm on a cold day, and you can enjoy the feeling of defrosting. Soups are generally made out of vegetables and sometimes with some fruit which makes most soups very healthy and high in vitamins.

Why is pumpkin good for your soul?

Pumpkins are very low in calories!!!! Now isn’t that one of the most important things on our health list? It is a wild vegetable; it is rich in vitamins and vital antioxidants. Pumpkins contain no saturated fats or cholesterol. Pumpkins are rich in fiber, which will keep you full for a while and it also has minerals. Pumpkins are very high in vitamin A, which proves to promote vision. And what is better than all of this is that pumpkin helps keep your skin look younger, the beta-carotene found in pumpkins will help protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays as well as the pulp can be used for fantastic facial masks.

Now let’s get down to business, the great recipe is very easy to follow, all you need is the following ingredients some good cozy song, scent candle and enjoy your cooking while you are at it. Have a fantastic warm winter and happy holidays.

All photos are taken with a CANON 70D

SUZIE|S KITCHEN

Makes enough for 6 people – Total time required: 1hour

Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 PUMPKIN (2KILO & ORANGE COLOR)

5 CUPS OF WATER

1 TABLESPOON OF SALT

½ BAG OF ONION SOUP (READY-MADE POWDER SOUP) “SUZIE|S SPECIALITY

1 TABLESPOON OF BUTTER

1 TABLESPOON OF FLOUR

1 TABLESPOON OF WHITE PEPPER

1 SMALL CAN OF LIGHT COOKING CREAM

RECIPE:

PEEL THE PUMPKIN AND CUT IT INTO MEDIUM PIECES.
IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN, ADD THE PIECES OF PUMPKIN, 5 CUPS OF WATER AND BRING TO BOIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT, AND THEN ADD THE SALT.
AFTER 30 MINUTES AND ONCE YOU FEEL THE PUMPKIN IS VERY TENDER ADD EVERYTHING INTO A BLENDER ALONG WITH THE POWDER SOUP AND BLEND THEM UNTIL CREAMY.
IN A CLEAN LARGE SAUCE PAN ADD THE BUTTER, FLOUR, AND WHITE PEPPER AND STIR FOR FEW MINUTES.
ADD THE CREAMY MIXTURE OF PUMPKIN OVER THE BUTTER MIX IN THE SAUCE PAN AND STIR UNTIL IT BOILS.
ADD THE COOKING CREAM TO THE SOUP AND LEAVE TO BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES.
TASTE FOR AMENDMENTS, YOUR SOUP IS READY TO SERVE.

Tomato art styling and food styling with garlic and red flowers

Check out SUZIE|S famous tomato soup recipe

A recipe of an unforgettable Cream of Tomato Soup to keep you warm before the storm | طريقة عمل شوربة البندورة

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Razan Masri

For the full recipe click on the following link Tomato Soup.

Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes; Who doesn’t love them Tomatoes ? A fruit yet is always considered a vegetable, claims to be first used in Mexico and then spread worldwide, although if we look closely to any cuisine, tomato is mostly in all culinary, international dishes; except Mansaf 😉 but yeah, Tomatoes are mandatory, they come in soup, salad, appetizers, main dishes, drinks and dips.

Shopping for Tomatoes is no longer a one stop shop; instead you have varieties of tomato styles to select from. Around 7500 varieties of tomatoes are grown and to name some: slicing tomatoes, globe tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, paste tomatoes, pear tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and campari tomatoes. Today China is marked to come first in producing Tomatoes, Turkey comes 4th, Egypt comes 5th and Mexico 10th, but in any mini market around the block, a tomato is there waiting to be picked up.

Benefits? Tomatoes contain lycopene which prevents prostate cancer, protects against UV rays, helps against sunburn and keeping the skin looking youthful. Tomatoes have double the normal Vitamin C, 40 times the normal Vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and high level of anthocyanin. How much more do you now love tomatoes? 🙂

At SUZIE|S KITCHEN we are all fans of her famous cream of tomato soup, trust me when I say you will love it, so here is her secret ingredients and recipe to making tomato soup.

I find wearing leather during winter is so much fun, buy your best leather items this winter.

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Razan Masri

You can only go wrong with leather if it is not the right cut for you, but in today’s world, and multimillion different existing designers, I am pretty sure you can find just the perfect pair for you. Try shopping online at www.netaporter.com , www.shopbop.com , www.asos.com , www.brownsfashion.com , www.temperleylondon.com , www.theoutnet.com

Favorite looks from this winter and fall collections from designers like Balenciaga, Balmain, boss, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, McQ Alexander McQueen, Vera Wand and many others. All photos belong to www.style.com