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roya's culinary journey

food creative

June 15, 2016

Roasted Eggplant Boats with 7-spice Ground Beef, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

Eggplant is one of my all time favourite vegetables ever. It’s smoky, creamy, and goes really well with minced beef or lamb. When combined with aromatics of thyme or za’atar, which is a wild oregano commonly found and used throughout the middle-east, it’s out of this world!

alislami-eggplant-groundbeef-pomegranate-feta_v3

The thing about eggplant is that it has quite a high water content, and tends to absorb quite a bit of liquid. If you’ve ever tried to just lightly pan-fry eggplant, don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve used up half a bottle of your vegetable oil. These guys soak up oil like a sponge! To help reduce this scenario, I usually do two things:

  1. I first salt the sliced eggplant pieces to help draw out the moisture and bitterness from the seeds, then squeeze the excess juice away.
  2. Instead of frying, I always opt for roasting it. Not only does it create a delicious charred flavour, but you really only need to drizzle it a bit with oil and let the roasting do it’s magic.

This dish is finished with juicy and sweet bits of pomegranate, salty feta cheese, crunchy pine nuts, and a spicy bite from arugula… It makes a wonderful side dish or appetiser, and looks gorgeous on a long platter.

Check out the video of my hands in action making this dish for Al Islami Foods.

Roasted Eggplant Boats with 7-spice Ground Beef, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

Created by Roya on June 3, 2016

This recipe was developed for Al Islami Foods.

  • Prep Time: 30m
  • Cook Time: 1h
  • Total Time: 1h 30m
  • Category: Lunch & Dinner, Salads & Sides

Ingredients

Al Islami Ground Beef

  • 1 pack (400g), Al Islami Ground Beef
  • 1 piece, medium red onion
  • 2 cloves, garlic
  • 2 TBS, olive oil
  • 1 tsp, seven spice mix
  • 1 tsp, turmeric
  • 1 tsp, sumac
  • 1 tsp, dried thyme
  • 1 TBS, pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tsp, salt and pepper

Eggplant

  • 5 – 6 pieces medium (1kg), eggplants
  • 1/4 cup, olive oil
  • 1 TBS, salt sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 piece, pomegranate seeded
  • 3 TBS, feta cheese
  • 3 TBS, toasted pine nuts
  • 2 – 3 TBS, pomegranate molasses
  • 1 cup, Greek yoghurt

Instructions

Al Islami Ground Beef

  1. Heat up a large non – stick pan, add the olive oil and defrosted Al Islami Ground Beef, brown the meat for 5 – 7 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Add finely chopped onions and garlic, seven spice mix, turmeric, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 – 8 minutes (until onion has softened and meat is fully cooked).
  3. Stir in sumac, dried thyme and pomegranate molasses, and cook for a further minute
  4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Eggplant

  1. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, keep the top stems intact. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh in a diamond cross – hatch pattern halfway deep.
  2. Press open the cuts and sprinkle the eggplant halves with the salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  4. Gently squeeze the eggplant to remove the salty water, patting them dry with a paper towel. Brush the eggplant, top and bottom with olive oil and top each with fresh sprigs of thyme.
  5. Place the eggplants on the baking tray and roast for 45 minutes, or until they have softened and cooked through.

Serve the eggplants onto a platter, top each one with a ground beef mixture, fresh pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta cheese and toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses. Garnish with rocket leaves and serve with a side of Greek yoghurt.

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    Note: Earlier this year in April, I had the opportunity to work with Al Islami Foods; one of UAE’s pioneering food production companies that specialises in halal chicken and frozen foods since the 80’s. The project involved developing recipes using their food products in time for the holy month of Ramadan.

    This delicious dish was made using Al-Islami’s ground beef. However, for anyone without access to this particular brand (living abroad), you may still use alternative ground beef or lamb from your local grocer or butcher.

    For more info on this project collaboration, check out the relevant posts related to the Al Islami Recipe Development & Food Styling and the amazing Kitchen on Ice event!

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    Filed Under: Lunch & Dinner, Salads & Sides

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    Hey Friends,

    I'm Roya. A food creative with a passion for cooking, photographing and styling food for a delicious living Read More…

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    Throwback to 2 years ago... a weekend sharing what Throwback to 2 years ago... a weekend sharing what I love... Food. Family. Photography.

It's been a while as I SLOWLY dip my toes back in socials, as Instagram is trying to lure me back in by turning my old stories into reels 😆  I see what you're doing IG, nice hand holding.

Just don't hold your breath. I miss you guys, my life has been a whirlwind and most challenging yet, but in what I believe is monumental for my growth. I'll share when  can. 😊🎈. Much love, Roya.
    Hey lovely friends! Popping on here to say a very Hey lovely friends! Popping on here to say a very quick hello… you’ve all been missed, I haven’t given up on instagram (yet) 😅 but need this break during my transition to another country!
🧡
I’ve been in Riyadh and trying to discover as much as possible without overwhelming myself. A big part of it feels familiar and reminds me of life growing up in Dubai. There’s so much going on, the city and business is booming, and compound residential life is another story! LOL.
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I wish I could say that I picked up where I left off, but in reality, trying to get acclimated to anything new throws me off a bit.
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Instead, I’ve been working towards my health and fitness goals, working on personal projects, and meeting some wonderful people in the community. I need to take the time to observe what’s around me in order to feed my creative spark and energy.
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I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving Potlucks, Pumpkin-Spice everything, and I’ll be back to share my adventures with you before you know it.
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Sending much love,
Roya
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#thanksgiving #pumpkinspice #pumpkinseason #foodphotoshoot #foodiegram #eatpretty #foodphotographyandstyling #foodphotographer #foodphotography #foodstylist #darkfoodphoto #moodygrams #foodfluffer #foodartblog #hautecuisines #wherewomencreate #stilllifefoodphotography #riyadhfoodphotographer #riyadhfood #riyadhfoodblogger #foodartblog #ihavethisthingfordarkness #still_life_mood #darkfoodphotography #foodartblogger #visualstorytelling #moodygrams #beautifulcuisines #pinkladysnapsnov21 @foodartblog @beautifulcuisines @hautescuisines @pinkladyappleuk @foodphotoaward
    NEW ADVENTURES... Hey friends. I hope you've all NEW ADVENTURES...

Hey friends. I hope you've all been doing well. I wanted to pop in here for a minute to wish many of you a happy Eid and I hope you're enjoying some summer breaks.
🌻🌻🌻
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It's been about 2 months since I've been socialising on social media, and I've missed a lot of you! Truth be told my life lately has been focused on preparations for our move soon, as we embark on a new adventure to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! 🇸🇦
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Not gonna lie, but personally for me its been a bit of an adjustment emotionally. The pandemic certainly caused a shift in our plans to move to Portland, Oregon, but we're trusting the cosmos and will make the most of this "detour" 🙏.
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Dubai will always be my home away from home. I grew up here since the 80's and I know I'll be back from time to time. Lots of wonderful friendships and bonds have been formed, and I met the love of my life here ❤.
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My priorities at the moment have shifted to organising and packing as we try to sell most of our furniture, and then rent out our beautiful home.

As most of you have seen over the past 3 years, a lot of love and nurturing went into building a space we really loved... My renovated kitchen hosted wonderful gatherings and even turned into food videoshoots for client work. I also did some of my best work in my studio room and worked towards my food and creative business goals. Boris and I will certainly miss taking you along our green thumb experiments in the garden.
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Not gonna say goodbye, I suck at that, but leaving you with one grand of a Persia rice dish which I hope to make again once I'm all settled in.

Sending you guys much love.
I'll see you soon
Roya xoxo
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#persiancuisine #persianfood #iranianfood #foodgawker #wherewomencreate #still_life_gallery #stilllifefoodphotography #onourcreativetable #foodartblog #feedyoursoul #foodblogfeed #creativityfound #foodphotographyandstyling #makeitdelicious #ihavethisthingfordarkness #darkfoodphotography #stilllifefoodphotography #feedfeed #foodartblogger #visualstorytelling #moodygrams #still_life_mood #bonappetit #beautifulcuisines #hautescuisines @foodartblog @beautifulcuisines @hautescuisines @feedfeed
    . . "Surround yourself with people who allow you t .
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"Surround yourself with people who allow you to blossom" - elizabeth mcrorie.
🌺🌺🌺
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Sending these beautiful peonies that I picked from my Aunts garden last year, to all you warm, kind, and wonderful people that have been such a positive influence, support, and cheerleaders in my life. Thank you for being here from the get go.
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And to all my friends and family celebrating, I hope you have a happy and safe Eid Mubarak. 
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#ramadanvibes #eidmubarak #momentslikethese #lifeandthyme #still_life_gallery #darkphotography #slowfloralstyle #selfportrait #ihavethisthingfordarkness #ihavethisthingwithflowers #stilllifephotography #visualstorytelling #mygarden #instagarden #flowermagic #mybloominglens #flowerstagram #theartofslowliving @still_life_mood @still_life_gallery_
    . And that my friends, wraps up the Adas Polo sequ .
And that my friends, wraps up the Adas Polo sequence. I’ve included recipe cards in this post for you guys to save and refer back to anytime. Previous post has the IGTV recipe video as well.
💜💛💜

Dedicating this dish to my Amma Fakhriya that introduced me to it last year, when I was in the US during  lockdowns.
🌹🌹🌹 

To be honest, I really miss the cooking escapades with my family. Most times it feels very lonely doing this solo, and not being able to enjoy the laughter and banter in the kitchen, and then feasting with my brothers and cousins.
❤❤❤
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Looking back I realise that we did quite a few "Polo's" actually, meaning that rice is steam cooked in a pot between layers of either vegetables, legumes, herbs, or meat. Which got me wondering...

Do you guys have a favourite kind of Polo rice dish, or do you prefer plain rice with sauces and stews on the side?
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Sharing this series to some lovely food photography challenges this month.
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#5daysofstorytelling @evakosmasflores @bealubas
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@vaimomatskuu #texthursdays
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#onourcreativetable #ooctsavoury @onourcreativetable @haniyeh.nikoo @bakingmydays @violaminerva @panyaskitchen @lionelandhetta @story_on_a_plate_ @berryhunting
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"SAVORY" by @useyournoodles @thelittleplantation @elisa_ceramics #useyourcreativenoodles

#adaspolo #persianfood #persiancuisine #middleeasternfood #feedyoursoul
    Here we go… Adas Polo! (عدس پلو)
💜💛💜💛
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The Persian Rice and Lentils recipe you’ve been hearting on my last post, thank you so much.

If you love that combination of sweet and savoury, this dish is for you. It’s perfect on its own as a hearty and filling vegetarian dish with yoghurt and a shirazi salad on the side. Otherwise, serve with oven-roasted chicken or lamb shanks.
💛💜💛💜
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Be warned… it smells like the holidays… thanks to floral and citrus notes coming from orange peel, rose petals, cinnamon, and saffron just to name a few. And that's a marvelous thing.
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Much love,
Roya xoxo
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#adaspolo #persianrice #persianfood #persiancuisine #middleeasternfood #feedyoursoul #visualstorytelling #beautifulcuisines #mydubai #dubaifoodie #ramadan2021 #bayaraworld @bayaraworld #ramadanrecipes #foodgawker #saveurmag @saveurmag @bonappetitmag #bonappetitmag #feedfeed @thefeedfeed.recipevideos #dubaifoodphotography #dubaifoodblogger #damnthatsdelish #arabicfood #makeitdelicious  #stilllifefoodphotography #foodartblog #foodblogfeed #foodfluffer #foodphotographyandstyling #foodvideos #recipevideos
    Persian Rice and Lentils recipe... also known as A Persian Rice and Lentils recipe... also known as Adas Polo, is happening right around the corner as I finalise edits on my next IGTV video.
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Thought I'd entice you in the meantime and hope you can just smell the aromas of this dish from here. If not... let's imagine for a moment a savoury-sweet love affair of the senses, with a big pot of rice, lentils, butter, saffron, black currants, dates, orange peel, rose petals, cumin, turmeric, walnuts, and crispy fried onions in the air.
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Oh, It's exotic. Stay tuned.
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#adaspolo #persianfood #persiancuisine #middleeasternfood #feedyoursoul #foodblogfeed @foodblogfeed #creativityfound #foodphotographyandstyling #foodartblogger #visualstorytelling #beautifulcuisines @foodartblog #foodartblog @beautifulcuisines @hautescuisines @cuisine_creations #cuisine_creations #bayaraworld @bayaraworld #ihavethisthingwithcolor #ramadanrecipes #foodgawker #stilllifefoodphotography #dubaifoodphotography #dubaifoodblogger @pinkladyappleuk @foodphotoaward #pinkladysnapsmay21
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@creativelysquared #cs_texture2021
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@vaimomatskuu #texthursdays
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#onourcreativetable #ooctfindyourlight "sidelight" @onourcreativetable @haniyeh.nikoo @bakingmydays @violaminerva @panyaskitchen @lionelandhetta @story_on_a_plate_ @berryhunting
    I've fallen in love with the flavours, colours, an I've fallen in love with the flavours, colours, and aromas of this trio of rose buds, cardamom, and pistachio... especially when I tend to go towards the darker side in my imagery.
💞💚💞💚💞

I had a few of you innocently ask me if the recipes, pictures, and videos on my feed were all done by me. And that's a big fat yes! A one woman show until I can hire someone to help take the pain away 😅. But for all other client projects, I tag my teammates and mention them in my caption.

So thanking you all for the love, messages, shares, and saves of my pistachio mahalabia cake. For someone who bakes once in a blue moon, it truly means so much. Speaking of baking, this amazing matte-finish green plate is made by my good friend @peaceofbake... a food photographers dream.
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Now switching back to some savoury recipes this week, I've got a Persian dish coming up tomorrow, and a wonderful authentic Moroccan Lamb tagine very very soon!
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Stay tuned!!!
Roya xoxo
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#aprilisforarabfood #persianfood #persiancuisine #arabicfood #middleeasternfood #feedyoursoul #foodblogfeed @foodblogfeed #creativityfound #foodphotographyandstyling #foodartblogger #visualstorytelling #beautifulcuisines @foodartblog #foodartblog @beautifulcuisines @hautescuisines @cuisine_creations #cuisine_creations #bayaraworld @bayaraworld #ihavethisthingwithcolor #ramadanrecipes #foodgawker #stilllifefoodphotography #dubaifoodphotography #dubaifoodblogger @pinkladyappleuk @foodphotoaward #pinkladysnapsapr21@cblbackdrops #cblbackdrops
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@creativelysquared #cs_texture2021
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@vaimomatskuu #texthursdays
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#onourcreativetable #ooctfindyourlight "backlight" @onourcreativetable @haniyeh.nikoo @bakingmydays @violaminerva @panyaskitchen @lionelandhetta @story_on_a_plate_ @berryhunting
    The Pistachio Mahalabia Cake recipe you've all bee The Pistachio Mahalabia Cake recipe you've all been waiting for, as over 80 of you saved it! Thank you so much. I hope you try it and love it as much as we did! 🥰

I also hope you guys enjoy the video... these take me all day to create! 😅 the recipe cards can be found in my last post and in the video as well.

Much love,
Roya
Xoxo
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#aprilisforarabfood @sweetpillarfood @tavolashop #pistachiocake #bayara @bayaraworld #pistachio #instacake #cakedesign #prettycake #ihavethisthingwithcolor #cakestagram #damnthatsdelish #cakesofig #ramadanrecipes #arabicfood #middleeasternfood #feedfeed #foodgawker #makeitdelicious  #stilllifefoodphotography #dubaifoodphotography #dubaifoodblogger #foodartblog #feedyoursoul #foodblogfeed #foodfluffer #cuisine_creations #foodphotographyandstyling #beautifulcuisines #hautescuisines @bonapetit @saveur @foodartblog @beautifulcuisine @hautescuisines @thefeedfeed @cuisine_creations @thefeedfeed.baking @chicagometallic
    . Pistachio Mahalabia Cake… Inspired by some of .
Pistachio Mahalabia Cake… Inspired by some of my favourite desserts and flavors this Ramadan, and turning it into this pretty spring-themed cake.
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With a decadent yet tender crumb, this cake is packed with pistachios and kissed with floral notes of cardamom and orange blossom water. Then, once baked and cooled, it gets topped with a thick milk custard (mahalabia) with a hint of rose water, adorned with seasonal fruit, edible rose petals and a dusting of pistachio kernels before being chilled in the fridge to set.
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It’s one of those cakes that you want to share with your family, or gift to your friends at your next suhoor gathering. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee to end (or start!) the evening with.
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If you LOVE the look of this cake, you can get the cake pan from @tavolashop. It’s known as the “MaryAnn” pan that has this raised base to fill with all sorts of whipped creams, frostings, or ganache.
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And while this cake is all sorts of pretty, the idea I had for this cake took me lots of research, 3 various attempts, one being disastrous, and then reaching out for advice from my bestie baker friend @peaceofbake to get it to the stage of quantity and form perfection.tried, tested, tasted, and shared with family until it was approved!

Swipe for the recipe card. Will post video on stories soon! I hope you will try it and love it.

Wishing you well and happy baking my friends.

Roya xoxo
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#aprilisforarabfood @sweetpillarfood #pistachiocake #bayara @bayaraworld #pistachio #instacake #cakedesign #prettycake #ihavethisthingwithcolor #cakestagram #damnthatsdelish #cakesofig #ramadanrecipes #arabicfood #middleeasternfood #feedfeed #foodgawker #makeitdelicious #stilllifefoodphotography #dubaifoodphotography #dubaifoodblogger #foodartblog #feedyoursoul #foodblogfeed #foodfluffer #cuisine_creations #foodphotographyandstyling #beautifulcuisines @foodartblog @beautifulcuisine @hautescuisines @thefeedfeed @cuisine_creations @thefeedfeed.baking @chicagometallic @cblbackdrops #cblbackdrops
@creativelysquared #cs_composition
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Adapted from Sabine Venier @alsothecrumbsplease
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