Siyadieh

It’s Good Friday today and in many parts of the world, it’s a meat-free day. Most people in the Levant Area will prepare something that includes fish. Today, I prepared a very popular dish with fish and rice called Siyadieh. It is an eastern meal, but each country has it’s own way of preparing it. Even in Lebanon each area has it’s own way of cooking it. this is the way I make it.

Ingredients:

• 1000 grams of hamour fish fillet (or any other white fillet) cut into medium sized pieces, and the head of the fish
• 4 onions
• 2 cups of rice
• 2 tablespoon of cumin
• 2 tablespoon of salt, 2 teaspoon seven spices
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• frying oil
• handful of pine seeds, handful of boiled and peeled almonds
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 4 tablespoons flour+1/2 cup to coat the fish fillet

Preparation:

• Cut the onions in thin slices
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a pot, fry the head of the fish and remove it
• Fry half of the cut onions in the same oil of the fish until dark brown color,cover with 1/2 cup of water cover the pot and let it simmer until the water evaporates and the onion get caramelized, remove half of the onions and put aside. We will use it for decoration of the plate
• Put the head of the fish back, add about 6 cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon seven spices, 1 tablespoon cumin, let it boil, then let it simmer for about 20 minutes on a low heat, then drain it. We will use this water as a fish stock to cook the rice
• In another pot, heat the remaining vegetable oil and fry the remaining onion until brown, then cover with 1/2 cup of water and caramelize it
• Wash the rice, add it to the fried onion, cover it with 4 cups of the fish stock, add salt, seven spices, cumin and 1 teaspoon of turmeric, cover and let it cook on very low heat until done
• To make the sauce of this meal, we will use the remaining water of the stock fish, put it on fire
• Dissolve the flour with 1 cup of water and add it to the fish stock, stirring with a whisk until it gets thick
• Rub the fish fillet with a bit of salt and seven spices, coat it with flour and fry it until nice light brown color
• In a small saucepan melt the butter and fry the pine seeds, then the almonds, place them on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess of butter
• To serve, place the rice on a plate, cover with the fried fish fillet, place over the fried onion and the pine seeds and the almonds. Place the sauce in a bowl, and just pour some over the rice when you’re about to eat.

ET VOILA..C’EST TOUT..BON APPETIT.