Joanna James
Qatari cuisine is inspired by Indian and Iranian cuisines as is evident by their use of saffron and cardamom. If Qatar is your next travel destination, earmark below-mentioned dishes as must-eats.
The dish is vastly consumed during the time of Ramadan. With the consistency of a porridge, Harees is made of meat and ground wheat. While you can consume this at Doha restaurants at any time of the year, locals treat the dish as a wedding speciality. Though it might seem like just adding of wheat and meat, it's not quite that simple, in fact, it takes a bit of time to prepare the dish, so you might have to wait for a little before you are treated to delicious mouthfuls of harees.
Rhymes the same way as harees, thareed is as much popular and delicious. This has a great resemblance to a pot of stew and tastes like stew as well. A blend of potatoes, carrots, beans and onions, thareed is made tastier by the addition of tomato paste. As you dig into your freshly made dish of thareed, at the bottom, you will find pieces of bread added to soften the stew.
If you are staying at a resort like Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara, you will most likely be served balaleet for breakfast. But you could also enjoy the dish as a dessert; it's completely up to you. Balaleet is served hot or cold, which is again down to your preference. If this is your first time trying this dish, you will be adding this in your future meal plans for special occasions. Often enjoyed with an omelette, balaleet is sweet and has the crunchiness only nuts can dispense.
More a form of a soup than a solid meal, Saloona is a broth made of meat and vegetables. Containing potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine and carrots, Saloona can be enjoyed with a dish of rice.
The mushy combination of rice, butter, cardamom and milk is a special favourite during the season of Ramadan. Madhruba translates to 'beaten porridge' which is exactly what it is. The mashed beans enhance the flavour of the dish while chicken or any other type of meat is stewed to make it a nutritional dish.
A favourite not only in Qatar but also in every part of the Middle East, Kousa Mahshi is a dish of great distinct which tourists seem to savour in equal measure as locals. It's not that complicated of a recipe, but it does take some expertise. Inspired by foreign styles of cooking, Kousa Mahshi is stuffed zucchini – the stuffing contains lamb infused with garlic and mint.
To get your fill of vitamins, order a dish of Margoog. With a combination of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants and soft meat, Margoog has the distinctive flavour achieved by the addition of dough – strips of dough are stewed in the stock so it can absorb all the flavour.
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A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
