Bringing Zahav home is not about mastering cheffy restaurant tricks. It’s about replicating flavors. It’s about assembling an inspired stash—a strategic collection of just the right herbs and condiments: the fragrant dried leaves and seeds; the aromatic pods and berries; the silky syrups and deeply pungent peppery pastes; the zesty pickles and spicy sauces; the mellow cheeses and toasty grains, all available from our favorite purveyors. This is where the flavor lives.
Pomegranate molasses is simply the juice of the pomegranate cooked down into a thick syrup. It has a long shelf life and a signature balance of sweet and sour that makes it incredibly versatile in our pantry. The pomegranate is native to the Middle East and has long been a revered symbol. Today, it’s considered an antioxidant superfood and shows up in some of the most well-known recipes of the region, like the Persian fesenjan and the Levantine dishes fattoush and muhammara. And of course, pomegranate molasses is a key ingredient in Zahav’s world-famous lamb shoulder, so we’ve run through a truckload over the last 15 years. But it can do so much more. Pomegranate molasses is terrific in salad dressings instead of vinegar, in all kinds of stews, drizzled over roasted vegetables (or vanilla ice cream), in cocktails (grenadine is made from pomegranates), as a glaze for salmon, in barbecue sauce, or even to brighten up a fruit salad.
Amba is a fermented mango condiment that was brought to Israel by Iraqi immigrants in the1950s. Spiced with fenugreek, turmeric, and chiles, it’s like Indian mango chutney (“amba” is the Marathi word for “mango”). This connection is said to reflect the presence of an influential Iraqi Jewish community based in Mumbai in the 19th century. Amba is a defining ingredient in sabich—fried eggplant and hardboiled eggs stuffed inside a pita—that has become a new Israeli classic. We believe a little amba adds depth and complexity to tomato or barbecue sauce and excels brushed on grilled fish and as part of a marinade for chicken before roasting. Amba is powerful stuff (the fenugreek has a long half-life), so a little goes a long way. We especially like to whisk a small amount of amba into tehina sauce to carry the flavor without overpowering a dish.
The ground version of black lime can be more convenient to use, although the flavor dissipates much faster than its whole form, so you’ll want to make sure you’re buying the powder from a reputable source (meaning it hasn’t sat for years) and using it relatively quickly. You can make your own black lime powder by blitzing whole dried black limes in a food processor and then sifting it. Black limes can also be grated on a Microplane, but you may want to skip your upper-body workout that week. Black lime powder is often used to season fish and is a common ingredient in Persian Gulf–style baharat blends. A small amount can add complexity to citrus-based drinks and desserts, like lemonade or Black Lime Bars. It can also be used as an herbal tea that is said to soothe indigestion.
Coriander seeds are the dried fruit of the cilantro plant. The seeds have a floral, citrusy flavor with notes of orange. Coriander seeds, along with orange peels, are a traditional addition to many Belgian-style wheat beers, and an important botanical in flavoring gin (and Coca-Cola). Culinarily, crushed coriander seeds are a typical ingredient in garam masalas and Indian curries. In the Israeli kitchen, they are key to the North African spice blend we love (we call it the “Three C’s”: caraway, cumin, and coriander) and one of two must-have schug spices (along with cardamom). One of our favorite uses for coriander seeds is in a version of tahdig, the crispy rice at the bottom of a pot of Persian rice. In this particular preparation, the bottom of the pot is lined with thinly sliced potatoes and scattered with coriander seeds. When the finished dish is inverted onto a serving platter, the top layer is a mosaic of golden brown potatoes and crunchy coriander seeds.
Za’atar refers to a spice blend as well as to the native herb that is the basis for this blend. The herb is similar to oregano or marjoram, both of which can be substituted in a pinch. The za’atar spice blend also contains toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac, and salt. Za’atar is as much a fixture on the Levantine table as salt and pepper is on the American table. Pita dipped in olive oil and then za’atar is a common use, as is manakeesh—za’atar mixed with olive oil and spread on flat bread dough before baking. Labneh with za’atar and olive oil is a popular breakfast dish.
We love za’atar generously sprinkled over chopped salad or hummus, slathered on roast chicken, and rubbed on lamb chops. Look for bright green za’atar, which is a sign of freshness and quality, as well as an indication that the blend has not been stretched with fillers.
Sumac was an important source of sour flavoring in the Middle East before lemons became widely available. It is a staple ingredient in the spice blend za’atar. We like to use sumac to bring acidity to dishes without adding liquid. It has a naturally salty taste (but contains no salt) and is sometimes used as a salt substitute. We like to sprinkle sumac liberally on salads and steamed vegetables to give an extra punch of flavor to finished dishes. We marinate thinly sliced onions with salt, sumac, and vinegar as an accompaniment and use it to season roast chicken. There is a lot of old, inert sumac on our shelves; for a fresh batch, look for berries that are more red than brown and appear a bit oily.
This powerful pod packs a fragrant punch with a piney, almost minty flavor. Native to Asia, cardamom traveled the legendary spice routes and was prized as a digestive aid. Ground cardamom is what gives our Yemenite latte at K’Far its trademark flavor, and it’s one of the spices that makes schug so distinctive. We typically use the seeds of the green cardamom pod. Black cardamom is a related species with a distinctly smoky flavor.
From “Zahav Home” by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Copyright © 2024 by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
