shwayaشوية
≈ 1 tsp
A little. Shwaya cumin makes the ful warm and deep. Double it and breakfast tastes like the spice drawer. Start small, taste, go again.
Hear it in: Ful, the Friday One →
The Mama Translator | YALLAH
YALLAH · Arab food, fast
The Mama Translator
مترجم الماما
Teta never measured. Six words crack the whole code. Then go cook.
The big six
nitfehنتفة
tiny pinch
Smaller than shwaya. A nitfeh of salt on dates sharpens the sweet. Two and it is a salt lick.
Hear it in: The Date Thing →
bas habbeh!بس حبة
just a pinch
The plea when someone pours too fast. One habbeh of salt lifts the baba ghanouj. Keep going and the eggplant sulks.
Hear it in: Baba Ghanouj, For Real →
rashshehرشة
1 shake
A flick of the wrist. One rashsheh of sumac brightens the labneh. Three and your mouth folds in half.
Hear it in: The Lazy Mezze →
finjanفنجان
≈ ¼ cup
The little coffee cup teta measures with. One finjan of za'atar to one of oil is the manakish ratio. More oil slides off the bread, more za'atar chokes it.
Hear it in: Manakish in the Oven →
kaman shwayaكمان شوية
a bit more
The loop that finishes every dish: taste, add a little, taste again. Tahini sauce too thick? Kaman shwaya water, whisk, repeat until it pours.
Hear it in: Falafel Night →
Also: mal'aket shay = 1 tsp · mal'aket akel = 1 tbsp · kaset = 1 cup · fass toom = 1 garlic clove · 'ala zaw'ak = to your taste, the final authority.
Now cook like she's watching
Labneh Za'atar Plate
⏱ 3 min · 😌 no cook
Manakish in the Oven
⏱ 10 min · 🛒 3 things
Ful, the Friday One
⏱ 10 min · 🥣 feeds 4
Falafel Night
⏱ 25 min · 🛒 4 things
The Lazy Mezze
⏱ 7 min · 😌 assembly only
Baba Ghanouj, For Real
⏱ 45 min · 🔥 mostly waiting
The Date Thing
⏱ 3 min · 🍬 dessert
YALLAH, from Arabi Supermarket. Every card shops itself in one tap.