An Arabian Feast – 7 dishes prepared in just 1 hour. Stress free, crowd pleasing, exotic, super cost efficient and make ahead. Oh, and incidentally gluten free. I can’t think of a single reason why you shouldn’t try this menu for the next time you have a party!
“An Arabian Feast – 7 dishes, 1 hour of preparation, cost efficient, easy and make ahead. My favourite menu for feeding a crowd!”
This menu will be very familiar to my friends because it is my “go to” spread when I’m entertaining 12+ people. I recently single handedly prepared this for 50 people (though this did take more than 1 hour as I had to make 4x the quantity of each dish!). I started writing all the reasons why I love this menu and it started to get really lengthy so I thought it would be more efficient to just list the high points:
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Fast and easy – it takes 1 hour to prepare 3 starters, 2 meat dishes, 2 salads + 1 sauce which can be prepared the day before. Then all that’s required to be done is to grill the meat just before serving (or you can even grill ahead, the meat stays really moist);
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Prepare ahead – other than grilling the meat, everything can be made ahead by a day (or more in most cases);
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Everyday Ingredients & Cost efficient – all the ingredients are everyday ingredients you can get at any supermarket. Plus there are common ingredients across all the dishes. This menu will feed 8 people very generously (12 people if you increase the lamb/chicken by 50%) and costs around A$40 – $45 (~ US$30 – $35) which I think is great value for a feast like this;
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Pantry Essentials – I think you’ll be surprised how many of the spices and herbs you already have in your pantry. Though Middle Eastern food is often thought of as quite “exotic”, the most common spices are things like cumin, coriander and paprika which are used in many cuisines including Mexican, Spanish and Asian cuisine;
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Unique and exotic – I think this is quite a unique menu. It’s quite modern too. These dishes are inspired by chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and Karen Martini, both of whom are known for their contemporary (and traditional) Middle Eastern and Arabic dishes;
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Eat with your hands – you can get away with serving this with just napkins which is really convenient when hosting large numbers! If you are using large pieces of lebanese bread (which I was), just cut them into quarters so they are easy to make and hold in your hand rather than needing a plate;
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Flavour Explosions and Freshness – this menu has a balance of “flavour explosions” (the chicken and kebabs), rich and creamy (hummus and marinated feta) and freshness (the salads); and
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Fragrant and Colourful – when it comes to food, we smell first then we eat with our eyes. Every single time without fail, someone comments on the smell when the meat is grilling! And the bright fresh colours always brings a smile to my face!
“All these dishes are made with everyday ingredients you can get from any supermarket. I think you’ll be surprised how many of the spices you already have in your pantry.”
You will be amazed how fast and easy it is to prepare this feast! This is what’s on the menu (click for the recipe):
TO NIBBLE
1. Hummus (5 minutes) – just whizz up chick peas, tahini (sesame paste – usually in the spreads or health food section of your supermarket), olive oil, garlic and lemon juice until smooth. Can be made ahead up to 2 days (keeps for a week, but is best made closer to serving day).
2. Chargrilled Vegetable Platter (Homemade Vegetable “Antipasto”) (15 minutes) – Slice vegetables of choice, cook until charred on grill or stove with just salt, pepper and olive oil. Make ahead (day before) or on the day. Serve drizzled with olive oil and Yoghurt Sauce on the side.
3. Herb & Chili Marinated Feta (5 minutes) – dice feta into cubes, drizzle over olive oil, crushed garlic and your choice of herbs, finely chopped chili, lemon zest. I like to use a soft feta (like Danish feta) so it can easily be spread onto bread with a knife, but sometimes I make it with hard Greek feta too. Make ahead (day before) or on the day.
Serve with pita / lebanese bread.
FOR THE MEN TO GRILL
4. Chicken Sharwarma (5 minutes prep) – thigh fillets marinated overnight in spices, olive oil and lemon juice. The spice mix marinade will only take you minutes to make. Then on the day, grill, rest then slice to serve on pita bread with salad.
5. Lamb Koftas (10 minutes prep) – mix ground lamb (mince), spices and breadcrumbs. Shape into sausages and thread onto skewers. Can be prepared ahead.
Stuff into pita bread with salad and a drizzle of Yoghurt Sauce (included in the Chicken Sharwarma, Lamb Koftas and Chargrilled Vegetable Platter recipes).
BECAUSE WE MUST HAVE GREENS
….and cater for Vegetarians….
Both these salads are great for stuffing into pita breads with the grilled meat. The chickpea salad is a great meat free alternative for stuffing into pita breads.
6. Spiced Chickpea Chopped Salad (15 minutes) – chopped tomato, cucumber and red onion topped with chickpeas coated in a spice mix, herbs and a fresh lemon zest dressing. The dressing and chickpeas can be made the day before but the salad is best chopped on the day. I have made it up to 12 hours before serving and it was fine. The tip to make ahead is to scoop out the watery centre of the tomatoes before chopping them. This helps keep the salad fresh for longer.
7. Shredded Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad (10 minutes) – if you have a tool to julienne the carrots (I slice the cabbage by hand), this takes just 5 minutes to chop.
A SWEET ENDING
Since publishing this post, I’ve shared a couple of recipes that will fit right into an Arabian feast – Baklava and a Persian Love Cake, a syrup soaked semolina cake.
While the Baklava does take time to assemble, it is actually quite straight forward and is an impressive dessert that lasts for days – and feeds a crowd! The Semolina Cake is very straight forward to make – and the best part isn’t pouring the hot syrup over, it’s poking tons and tons of holes in the surface of the cake!!
Notes
* All the savoury recipes are entirely gluten free. Use gluten free flatbreads.
* The same Yoghurt Sauce recipe is used for the Chargrilled Vegetable Platter, Chicken Sharwarma and Lamb Koftas. So just make one big batch. This also saves on preparation time.
So truth be told, the total preparation time adds up to 1 hour and 5 minutes, but I rounded it down to 1 hour! Love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below if you have any comments at all. (Note: excludes desserts which I subsequently added)
Happy chopping, marinating and grilling! – Nagi
I made this Arabian feast today for a lunch with some friends. It was a huge hit! Every bit of it was absolutely delicious. The flavours & colours were amazing! The prep took me a bit longer than stated but it was worth it ?
It’s so wonderful to hear you enjoyed it Pip, thank you for letting me know!! N x
Nagi – This whole Arabian Feast sounds fabulous! I’m hosting a dinner party for 12 next month at a meeting room that doesn’t have a kitchen, so I have been searching for dishes that I can make-ahead, transport to the venue, and serve at room temperature. It seems to me that all of these could be served at room temperature, with the possible exception of the Lamb Koftas. What do you think, would they be OK at room temp?
Also – any suggestions for a “themed” beverage (preferably alcoholic?), and a dessert?
Hi Penny – you are bang on about all this being served at room temperature! I actually prepared all this for a large party for someone and the only thing reheated was the chicken (I didn’t make the koftas for them). Themed beverage….hmm. How about a mint tea with a slash of vodka? 🙂 Mint tea is very Middle Eastern! I would probably use peppermint tea with sugar then add a good slug of vodka.
OMG this set of recipes is FANTASTIC. I love many of your recipes but these in particular are outstanding. Easy, affordable, healthy and SO FLAVOURFUL!!
I’ve made each of these recipes at least once, including the full set once when I had a dinner party – it was a huge hit. The sharwarma and cabbage salad are my two favourites and I make them at least twice a month.
Thank you a million times for sharing your beautiful recipes.
WOO HOO! Yay, thank you SO MUCH!!!
And oh my goodness, I just realized I’ve already left you a comment here a year ago LOL!! But that just shows you how much I ADORE this set of recipes. Still on my regular dinner rotation!
BA HA HA! I LOVE that Viva!!! N x
I’m getting ready to make this for 6 people Thursday night – can’t wait to see how it goes!! Everything looks amazing 🙂
I hope you love it Emma! 🙂
You do realize the lamb is not gluten free when you have BREAD CRUMBS in them?
Errm, yes. 🙂 Did I say it was gluten free???
Yes, at the start … “An Arabian Feast – 7 dishes prepared in just 1 hour. Stress free, crowd pleasing, exotic, super cost efficient and make ahead. Oh, and incidentally gluten free.”
great
all the repeches are great
Thank you Jaime! I’m so glad you like the look of my recipes! 🙂
Thank you!!! I found this post a few months ago and I’ve been making variations of this feast for my regular dinner rotation. I don’t entertain much but it’s easy to pare this down for two of us and the leftovers keep well. Easy, cheap, healthy, and sooooo good. The cabbage salad is something else, really really good – I make a big batch because I think it tastes even better after several days. Sometimes I add mujaddara (Lebanese lentils and rice with caramelized onions).
Thanks again this is a brilliant dinner plan!
Hi Viva! I’m so glad you enjoy it! I LOVE mejadra (that’s how I spell it!! I know there are loads of variations 🙂 ) Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it!!
What an amazing spread! I love it! 😀
Thank you Sarah! You’re so sweet!
Whoa – you must have had one heck of party with all of this amazing food! Lucky, lucky guests! I love this cuisine! I could literally eat it every single day! I particularly love the shawarma – mmm, I can just taste the spices on it! Of course, I eat cheese like I have an addiction, so the feta looks wonderfully tasty as well! You’ve created another incredible spread, Nagi!
Thanks Kathleen!! You know I have a weakness for cheese too…..I have to admit, I’m a sucker for the feta!!
I want to come for THIS dinner one day. Or come up and we’ll make it together. I love every bit of this. What a beautiful meal to look at as well as to eat.
Thanks Maureen!! This makes me happy just looking at it, it’s so colourful!! 🙂
As you commented the other day Nagi – we have similar tastes – I say yes, yes, to this menu – love the way you assume that the men can do the BBQ:)
I definitely mean it!! No way do the ladies BBQ at my place 😉
An absolutely fantastic menu I would not even try to make under thrice that time – but that would still be a great outcome for a result like this! Naturally am filing this with capital letters for the next few weeks and shall add your name to the feast for certain!!
Awww, thanks Eha! I’m so honoured to be filed away in CAPS!! Love to hear what you think it you do try it!!
I know I shouldn’t be…because you are so very masterful…but I am blown away by this spread! I want to come to your house for a party! I love every dish here, I wouldn’t even know where to begin! My husband is Arabic and so, many of the flavors you are offering here, we enjoy rather often, at his mama’s! From the lamb, to the use of mint, and of course the chickpeas…loving this, Nagi!!
Oh wow you are SO LUCKY that you get to eat the real deal food at this mum’s!! I’ve so jealous! I can only dream about the amazing spread that you get 🙂
Oh Nagi! I love this whole menu and done in an hour?? Fabulous! Every bit of it looks delicious and how fun to entertain (and wow) a crowd without cooking all day…
I’m SO glad I found your blog! This sounds absolutely fantastic! I adore those flavours together, and your photography is just amazing!
Thanks Alessandra!
shawarma koftas and feta!!! =) I am in food heaven and you are saying you took only an hour for them all? I always need quick food ideas that make my tummy happy. =D
Hi Helene – yep, it sure does! Well, the meats get cooked just before serving, but everything else is prepared and ready to go 🙂
That is an amazing spread, one that is perfect for any party and enjoyed by kids and grown ups alike.
Brilliant post 🙂
Thank you so much!!
WHAT. I can make all of this in ONE hour?? Amazing!! I can’t wait to try those char-grilled vegetables, what a gorgeous and exciting menu!
Thanks Anna!! I do love this menu 🙂 My kind of food!
G’day and WOW Nagi as this is my kind of feast! A beautiful collection of dishes and your photo always inspire me!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks for your kind words Joanne!!