BREAKFAST MENU

Enjoy these favorite recipes from Omani kitchen:


BREAKFAST TEA - In most homes here, a cup of this tea is an essential breakfast item. It may also be served after the afternoon siesta or in the evening, especially if one has guests.
Ingredients:
3 cups of water
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 tea bags or 2 tsp. of loose tea
1 Tablespoon fresh or ground ginger (or a tsp. ground cardamom)
a 170g can of unsweetened evaporated milk

Put the water, sugar and tea into a teapot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2–3 minutes. Add the canned milk, and if using ground cardamom, add that too. Bring again to a boil. Then immediately remove from the heat (before it rises and comes out of the teapot). Strain into a thermos. If using ginger, add that to the thermos first. Enjoy piping hot.

SWAYWEIH - sweet vermicelli, a popular breakfast/brunch item
Ingredients:
2 cups of dry, uncooked swayweih noodles (1/2 inch vermicelli pieces)
4 Tablespoons of margarine or butter
1/2 cup of finely chopped onion
1/3 cup desiccated coconut (optional)
1/3 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon of ground cardamom
1 large pinch of saffron powder
Saute the chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons of butter until lightly browned. Remove the onions from the saute pan and place in a bowl on the side. Scramble the eggs in the saute pan by frying them while constantly stirring them (so that the eggs are cooked in small pieces). In a separate sauce pan, bring water to boil and add the vermicelli. Cook until the vermicelli is just tender. You want the vermicelli to be firm (yet cooked). You do not want it to be soft and smashed together. This thin vermicelli goes from the "just cooked" phase to the "soft and smashed" phase quickly so you will have to be diligent in watching it and removing it from the heat as soon as it is cooked. Drain. In the sauce pan put the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter, the cardamom, saffron, sugar, cooked onions and eggs, and coconut. On top of all this, add the cooked vermicelli. Return to the heat (med-low heat) and cook while stirring for one minute. Serve warm.
Variations: (1) when the onions are nearly translucent add 1/4 cup of mixed nuts (cashews and pistachio nuts are best) and sultanas (i.e. yellow raisins) and brown them with them onions. (2) brown the vermicelli before cooking (roast it over the stove in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often until a light brown color.) (3) Instead of adding eggs to the vermicelli, whisk the eggs, fry in one omelette and lay the omelette on top of the vermicelli when serving.

SOUPY OATMEAL - excellent for the winter months
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of oatmeal
4 1/2 cups of (prepared) milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cardamom

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Stir about once a minute while it is cooking. Serve hot in individual bowls.

KHABEESA - also known as farina, sameed, or "Cream of Wheat"
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of khabeesa (farina or "Cream of Wheat")
5 cups of milk
1/3 cup sugar (more or less to your tastes)
1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of rose water (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of saffron powder or one big pinch of saffron threads
Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest level and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm in individual bowls or on small desert plates. Drizzle with butter, if desired.

SHAKSHOUKA - eggs and tomatoes, served with pita bread
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
2 Tablespoons of margarine or butter
4 cups of peeled and chopped ripe tomato
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper powder)
3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or coriander
7 medium eggs
salt, to taste

Saute the chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan until translucent. Add the tomatoes, cayenne pepper and chopped parsley. Heat. Then simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender. Add eggs and salt. Stir. Cook over low heat for another five minutes stirring occasionally. Serve hot on a plate with pita bread on the side.

POTATO AND ONION OMELET
Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
1 large potato
1 small-to-medium onion
4 Tablespoons of oil

Peel the potato and cut into pieces (approximately 2cm x 2cm x .5cm or smaller in size). In a skillet, fry the potatoes in the oil until tender, stirring occasionally and covering with the lid in between stirrings. Uncover and add the onions. Stir and fry until the onions and potatoes are slightly browned. Drain away excess oil. You will need only about 1 Tablespoon in which to cook the eggs. Spread the potatoes and onions evenly on the bottom of the skillet. Pour the eggs over the potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, to taste. As the bottom of the eggs get firm, slightly lift the eggs with a spatula. Tilt the skillet and allow the uncooked egg from the top to run to the bottom of the skillet. When all of the egg is relatively firm and the bottom is lightly browned, flip the whole omelet to brown the other side. Once both sides are lightly browned, remove from heat and serve.

RAISED PANCAKES
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of white flour (in Oman, flour #1 or #2)
1/2 cup of brown flour (in Oman, flour #2 or #3)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 beaten egg
1 1/4 cups of prepared milk
2 Tablespoons of cooking oil
butter and honey
In a mixing bowl combine the flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. In another mixing bowl combine the milk, eggs and oil. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture all at once. Stir just until blended. Do NOT over stir. It will still be slightly lumpy.
Pour about 1/4 cup of batter on a hot and lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook until bubbly on the top and set at the edges (golden brown on the bottoms). Flip and cook until the other side is also a golden brown. Drizzle with a little butter. Serve with honey or syrup.

FLAT PANCAKES - also made quickly to serve with coffee for guests
Ingredients:
1 cup of brown flour (in Oman, flour #2 or #3)
2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
butter and honey
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, water, salt and ground cardamom. Beat well with a spoon.
Pour about 1/8 cup of batter on a hot and lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side is also a golden brown. Drizzle with a little butter. Pour honey over it and serve.