Our Arab Breakfast (with Gluten Free Option)

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 3 orange pekoe tea bags (i use tetley tea bags)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• heavy cream (or half-and half)
• 6 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
• 7 cardamom pods, crushed slightly
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (a good quality please!)
• halloumi cheese (haloom, arabic, hellim -turkish)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (to be gluten free i use rice flour or a mix with tapioca starch in 1/2 the amount)
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 large pita bread (1 bag, do not use if gluten free)
• rice crackers (optional, for the gluten free)
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced
• cream cheese (not sliced!!! called puck, buck in arabic, danish cream cheese, no substitute) or yogurt cheese balls in oil or goat feta cheese, sliced
• assorted gourmet olive
• hummus (homemade or store bought, ours tends to be the later)
• assortment fresh fruit, cut up into chunks (lovely sprinkled with orange blossom water & sugar if needed)

Recipe

• 1 heat water & cardamom pods covered in a pot until boiling.
• 2 drop in tea bags and simmer covered for about 1 1/2 minutes add sugar to taste along with the cream and keep simmering and adjusting cream to your desired amount not worrying about the fat content, only the taste :) this is called breakfast tea or you could use, afghan tea - an authentic family recipe. serve in regular tea cup/mugs.
• 3 now slice the haloumi cheese into thick slices and rinse with water. do not dry.
• 4 place the flour on a flat surface and dip each piece of haloumi cheese to coat all sides in a light fashion. you may use just half the package.
• 5 heat the olive oil on medium high and fry cheese slices until lightly golden reducing the heat as needed.
• 6 remove to a plate and place halved lemon around it to squeeze on top while eating.
• 7 place butter, cheeses, gourmet olives, hummus drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil, the fruits (lovely sprinkled with orange blossom water & sugar if needed if wished) on their own plates or in bowls.
• 8 lay this all out on a low table or blanket/newspapers on the floor. this is both traditional and islamic to sit on the floor while eating.
• 9 lay out spoons for the fruit and heat the bread until warm with your preferred method just before serving.
• 10 scoop up cheeses etc in bread pulled in half. (that's the way to do it traditionally) i serve rice crackers to as we are gluten free.