"Mina Simeena Mithl 3ajeena" - Persian Dill & Lima Bean Rice

Photo credit to theshiksa.com

If you know Arabic, you can understand what the title means but not sure why I've put it. And if you don't know Arabic, you're just staring at a yummy photo of rice - and that might be enough :)

Basically, while I was a child growing up, I used to be very chubby and my skin was very white so my family decided to make a little jingle that goes like, "Mina Simeena mithl 3ajeena" which translates to, Chubby Mina like flour (cooking flour). I guess it was fine to call me chubby because it was in a song, right? 

So I decided it would only be appropriate to give praise to the yummy dishes that I used to feast on growing up, and still do enjoy them occasionally. I mean after all, there was a song involved so I think it's necessary...

The first dish that comes to mind is Persian Dill & Lima Bean Rice with Chicken and a cucumber/yogurt salad. The title self-explains what the dish consists of. So simple but so tasty. But let me tell you that the rice is the star of the dish. I used to always gobble up just the rice with the salad on top, and sometimes without, and be a happy camper. I always tell my mom when she's making it, the more dill, the better. It makes the rice greener, give beautiful fragrance and the taste is just unbeatable. I absolutely love this herb - it always livens up a dish, even with chicken, salmon and vegetables.

In Persian, this dish is called Baghali Polo, similar to Arabic as we say Timan o Baghila, meaning Rice and Lima Beans. One prized bit about this dish is the crispy part of the rice at the bottom of the pot which is actually not as easy as I thought to get perfectly. I know that in Iranian cooking, they like to add saffron to the bottom to get a yellow tinge crust which makes it look even more appealing when you unveil the rice upside down from the pot to your serving dish. The crispy part in Persian is known as tahdig and in Arabic, hakaaka. It is said that the talent of the cook is measured on their ability to produce quality tahdig/hakaaka. No pressure?

Photo credit to theshiksa.com

Have you guys tried this dish before? What dishes take you back to your childhood?

Here it goes.

Hello... world :)

This feels a little weird but also very exciting!

I can officially say that this is my first blog post ever (well, I did do a blog post during university for media class but that was kind of a fail). Anyways, I am very excited to finally start something to do with my one and only love, food.

Food, food, food. :)

Anyone that knows me can guarantee you that I've had moments where I would be having my own conversation about the food I've just had, about to eat, or dreaming to eat (My Aunt's Xmas Turkey - mmm drool.................. wait what were we talking about?) Oh yea - Food! (See what I mean?)

Ever since I was a baby, my mom would always tell me that I would be constantly crying because I was hungry. I was always stuck to her as she was, back then, my only food source (TMI - sorry). Growing up as a child, I somehow was very picky about the food I ate and went through a phase where my mom would have to cook something different than to what the rest of my family would eat almost everyday. This phase lingered on to my early teenage years. Looking back now, I honestly have no idea why I was so picky because I can eat anything and everything and love many different types of food now. Once university came into place, I was pretty much enjoying everything and started to develop a real passion for trying new things. Being a part of the Middle Eastern culture, you can't help but become infatuated with food, eating out and taking that same mind set when you travel.

So let's get down to the wire and ask the real question, why am I starting a food blog and who am I? I'm 23 years old, living in Dubai and originally from Iraq. I've lived in Libya, Canada, and Dubai (longest here in Dubai) and I've been privileged to travel to many countries, although still many, many more to see. I've come to a point of realization that I'm happiest when I'm around food. I'm constantly watching, trying and learning about food almost all the time. I have to say that one of the biggest inspirations for this blog was my recent Family trip to Italy. I believe that Italian food is one of the best cuisines mainly because of the freshness and simplicity of their dishes. Being in Italy and getting to try their home-cooked, fresh food in their surroundings and culture pretty much blew my mind. I fell in love with the place and I feel like I fell in love with food all over again (if that was even possible).

I know that this post probably seems way too long but this is just to start and get things rolling! I promise I will be sharing many more interesting segments, videos, reviews and lots more so stay tuned. And since this is a food blog, I'm sure we need to drool over some photo right about now so I thought I'd share with you my favorite meal from my Italy trip.

Linguine all'astice e pomodoro / Linguine with lobster and tomato

One last thing, to all reading this that don't know me, thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you stick around for more!

Love,

Mina