How to make middle eastern steamed rice : Always Ask Never Assume

At the heart of Kuwaiti and Iranian cooking is rice. Long grain basmati steamed and fluffy rice. We eat it almost everyday at lunch with a protein dish [ lunch is the main meal in the middle east, often eaten at around 2 P.M]. It is usually prepared with cardamom, bay leaf and saffron to make for the most fragrant and delicious side dish.

I still remember when I first got married, I was discussing my non-existing cooking skills with my sister-in-law and she told me that the most important dish to master is rice. "If you can master making rice then you'll be fine." She told me. And I remember thinking to myself; What??! I can make rice!  It should be easy, right? Nine years of cooking later proved me wrong. I didn't master making "nath'ri" rice until a few weeks ago.

A Salad recipe from My Foodie Auntie

I have an aunt who is always bringing in new dishes, trying new recipes and finding exotic food in the supermarket (I think I got my "foodieness" from her). She's that person that is always giving away recipes after the meal is finished and asking everyone what they had in their dishes and what ingredients they used.

She's a math teacher and she has the most sincere, easy going , down to earth personality, and I've always enjoyed chatting with her. What I always admired about her is the fact that she is able to take criticism for her food even though she put her time and energy in it. She would just laugh about it, move on and try again.

Chicken Biryani : The Bridge to India

One can't really talk about Kuwaiti/Khaleeji cuisine without mentioning Indian food. It just has a strong presence and a big influence on our diet. We eat chapati for breakfast, biryanis and tandories for dinner and samosas for, well, anytime snack. Indian restaurants are all over the city, from high end to small street little shops.