Tag: malawach

Malawach Dogs

THIS. MAKES. ME. SO.  HAPPY.
Sigh (the good kind).

If you missed it, there’s big news on the Abeles & Heymann front – they’ve made it to Trader Joes, and at $5.99 a pack, it’s a total steal! Not only that, their hot dogs are now available nationwide, so you can ALL get a taste of the BEST kosher hot dog in town!!

This news had me so stoked that I had to celebrate with something extra special, so I went EN CROUTE (literally: wrapped in pastry). But not just any pastry.

Malawach pastry. The Yemenite stuff of dreams that puffs up into buttery goodness, and gets dipped into the ultimate pairing: resek (grated tomato) and schug (jalapeno dip).

Malawach with resek and schug, plus some hard boiled eggs on the side, is something you’ll find on many Middle Eastern menus, at loads of stalls at the Shuk and AT MY HOUSE. I’m convinced I must have been Yemenite in another life because their food just speaks to my soul.

Yemenite chicken soup, lachuch with butter and honey, jachnun, kubaneh… I can’t get enough. The traditional hawaij-spiced soup has become a Shabbat staple in my home, and whenever I can make it to Zion in Borough Park, I load up on spongey lachuch for my freezer. Jachnun gets stuffed into my cholent, and kubaneh is the one recipe I have yet to master, but consider it done.

And the beautiful, light and refreshing dips of tomato and jalapeno – well they’ve become an essential fridge stock and I always have jars on hand! Paired with tahini and pita, they make a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner, with eggs on the side.

So yes, I am in love with Yemenite food. I am in love with Abeles & Heymann hot dogs. And that, my friends, is what makes the perfect recipe. Enjoy!


Related Recipes:

bunless fajita dogs
hot dog eggrolls
spiralized spud dogs

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Malawach Cheese Pastries with Dipping Sauce


When the Kosher Connection (a group of kosher food bloggers that I belong to) decided on an April Linkup with the theme “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”, I think we were all excited, but equally spellbound. We can all think of at least a hundred foods that make us say “Wow! that was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!” How could we possible pick only one?!

You’ve probably realized this by now, but I’m a total foodie. There are so many dishes that I could call my favorites! Like my mom’s cheesy lasagna, my Bubby’s stuffed cabbage, or Pardes’s fries with red wine ketchup. There’s also NoiDue’s mac ‘n cheese balls, Jezebels risotto with truffle “butter” and Chef Avram Wiseman’s wild mushroom & duck confit ravioli in demi-glace sauce. To pick just ONE thing and say that that was the best thing I ever ate is practically impossible.

I started thinking about some of my favorite food memories and I realized something. The best thing I ever ate is about more than just the food I put into my mouth at a given time. It has to do with who I was with, and the memories associated with that experience. It has something to do with comfort. Food that didn’t just taste good, but evokes a feeling of nostalgia and sentiment, even years later.

Some of my best food memories were ones I experienced at Bissaleh, an Israeli-style cafe that was located on Coney Island Avenue & Avenue P in Brooklyn. It’s been closed for years now, but it was once a hub of late-night socializing for people of all ages. Back in my teens, my friend Dina and I would go there in the wee hours of the morning, talking and nibbling like there was no tomorrow. We’d usually order stuffed Bissaleh (Israeli-style spiral boreka), classic malawach, or ftut. We’d also get their amazing steak fries on the side, and of course one of their delicious smoothies like banana, date, milk and honey.

While Bissale allowed it’s patrons to experience an array of Middle Eastern delicacies way into the night, it’s practices were especially shady. The fact that they only accepted cash should have given them away, but there was a lot more to be skeptical about. In the back of the restaurant, down a long corridor, there was a secret hookah bar (way before hookah bars were trendy). From the looks of it though, there may have been a lot more than hookah going on there. Up front, Bissale hailed it’s owned psychic, who would tell you your fortune if you agreed to pay for her meal. We actually did it once, and let me tell you, as crazy as that woman was, she told me some things that were right. on. target.

Bissaleh wasn’t the only happening place on the block. In fact, right next door, there was either a sports bar or a gentlemen’s club, I couldn’t quite figure it out. What I did notice though, is that Bissaleh had a picture frame on the wall that they shared with the bar. The picture would slide open, and they’d periodically send over plates of food or drink to the bar next door. Super shady. It should come as no surprise then, when one night, Bissaleh suddenly closed it’s doors for good, right out of the blue.

A few years later, another Bissaleh location popped up in Miami Beach, FL. They have since closed their doors as well, but I was able to find their simliar menu online, which I’ve included here, for your drooling pleasure.

I’ll never forget those late night outings at Bissaleh. Sure it had a lot to do with the amazing food, but it had more to do with the meals spent with an amazing friend, who’s friendship I have cherished for over 20 years. Dina and I shared a lot more than food there. We joked, we laughed, and sometimes, even cried, over malawach dough.

In light of the April Kosher Connection linkup, I invited Dina over for some deconstructed ftut. I told her about my plans to relive our Bissaleh memories on my blog, and to pay homage to our experiences by choosing ftut as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. The only problem with my idea was that ftut is not exactly appealing on a plate. It’s chopped up mallawach dough (a buttery, fried yemenite dough that is similar to puff pastry) that’s baked along with cheese, zaatar and sesame. While it’s superbly delicious, ftut still looks like mush on a plate. So I did what any self-respecting blogger would do – I deconstructed it. These melt-in-your-mouth savory rugelach (rolled pastry) are not only prettier, they’re also more fun to eat. One bite and you’ll be wishing that Bissaleh was still around so you could try the real thing.

Ftut was always served alongside a hardboiled egg, pureed tomato sauce, and spicy schug. The schug was spooned into the center of the pureed tomatoes, so that you could dip your ftut in, picking up as much spice as you desired. The dip really rounded out the dish, taking it from good to over the top. You can use store-bought schug, or make your own, using my recipe below.

Give these deconstructed ftut bites a try, and you’ll understand just why I’ve included them in the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” Linkup. For more “Best Thing I Ever Ate” recipes, see the Kosher Connection Linkup below!



1 year ago: crocheted pacifier clip
2 years ago: BBQ pulled chicken sammies

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