Arabic Sayyadeyeh - Quick and Easy Fish Recipe Made From Scratch

I grew up as a Christian Palestinian-Briton in the Lebanon, an Arab country. Fridays were days that we did not eat meat. Sometimes, lentils were served (not like any lentils most Westerners would recognize, I hasten to add), and sometimes fish. It always struck me as odd, this fish thing, as strictly speaking it is meat, but I digress. My grandmother used to stand in the kitchen carefully feeling the fish between her thumb and forefinger, feeling for bones.


Whenever she felt a bone, she took it out. Then she put the boned bits of fish in a bowl to use for cooking and started on another piece of fish, feeling and boning. I have since mastered this art and can bone the fish for this meal in about 5 minutes. You can too, with practice, or you can ask your fishmonger. I remember those loving moments watching my grandmother prepare the fish. When I had my own children, I did the same for them. And now I am married again with the children having flown the nest, I cook for my spouse. Sayyadeyeh is best cooked for someone. Although having said that, it's quite nice all to yourself too. I keep the skin for the fish oils and cook it with the fish.

Cooked fish is OK for this meal, for example, if you have leftovers.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, coconut oil, or butter for cooking (make sure you don't over-cook it)
• ½ - 2 Onions or a bunch of spring onions, according to preference
• 250-500g of Your favorite fish or whatever fish is available
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Allspice
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp tarragon (if you have it)
• 1 cup (about 240 ml) of Your favourite rice
• 2 cups just-boiled water in the kettle
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 50g Pine kernels, if available
• A bit more oil or butter for cooking the pine kernels, if used
• Natural yoghurt to use as a sauce - or salad

Heat oil or butter gently on a low heat in a pan while you quickly roughly chop the onions, then put in the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Add cinnamon and allspice and stir. Stir every now and then as you bone the fish, then add to the onion mixture and stir. Keep stirring as you add tarragon, salt, pepper and turmeric. Break the eggs into this bowl and add salt and pepper. Then quickly turn heat up, add rice and boiling water, stir, and as it starts to simmer, cover and leave alone for 15 minutes or as long as it says on your rice packet. When done, uncover, fluff up rice with fork, cover and leave to rest for about 5-10 minutes.

Fry the pine kernels until they start to brown. Serve over the rice.

Serve with yoghurt as a sauce or with salad.

Serves 2. Enjoy!

© Suzanne Zacharia 2010. My name is Suzanne Zacharia and I am committed to spreading the word about health options. A virus caught at university at the end of 1986, plus medical negligence, meant that I got smokers lung at a relatively young age. In desperation for help with my symptoms and quality of life, I turned to complementary therapy and am now a complementary therapist, author and trainer, helping others achieve health and happiness. Want to use this article? You can, as long as you credit me with it and invite your readers to get my FREE book "7 Real Truths of Energy Psychology" at http://www.newagetherapies.com or my free course "5 Days To Change Your Life" at http://www.NewAgeInternationalTraining.com

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