Established 1961 5 Local Wednesday, June 13, 2018 International Flavors Ramadan dishes from the ancient Armenian cuisine By Faten Omar bage leaves boil in salted water for 5 minutes. Remove the cabbages leaves from the boiling water and place uwait Times adds the perfect mouthwatering them in ice-cold water for 1 minute. Cut the center vein dishes to your Ramadan table from the glory of of each leaf, place a tablespoon of stuffing and start KArmenian cuisine, which extends far beyond the wrapping. Cut the top of eggplants and tomatoes, country’s borders. Lilit Galstian-Badeyan, the wife of remove the pulp and stuff with the meat mix. Place each the Armenian ambassador to Kuwait, prepared stuffed cabbage roll in a pot with the stuffed vegetables Armenian dishes enriched with more than 2,000 years on top. Pour water in the pot until it reaches the top of of history. Armenian cuisine is as ancient as its history. the dolmas. Place a plate on top of the dolmas to keep The abundance of meat on Armenian tables is the result them fixed. Cook on medium heat for about 30-40 min- of the most ancient development of cattle breeding in utes. You can use grape leaves also if you want! Armenian uplands, which led to a variety of livestock KUWAIT: Lilit Galstian-Badeyan, wife of the and poultry. “Today I will prepare Armenian dolma, a Armenian ambassador to Kuwait. Armenian gata — Photos by Joseph Shagra rich and tasty dish. It is stuffed with vegetables and Ingredients for puff pastry: Lilit Galstian-Badeyan, wife of the Armenian ambas- dried Armenian tomatoes, mixed with herbs and olive (For the dough) sador prepares the dish for serving. oil,” she said. For dessert, Badeyan said gata is a tradi- • 1 bunch of fresh or dried herbs/parsley, rosemary, • 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour tional delicious Armenian pastry. “It has been prepared coriander, basilica • 1/2 tsp baking soda for many centuries, especially for weddings. This sweet • 2 onions • 1 tsp baking powder • If the mixture sticks together after you palm it, pastry is associated with happiness and prosperity. • I/2 cup of uncooked ground rice • Pinch of salt then the consistency is good. Gata can last for months as cookies, like lavash • 2 teaspoons of salt • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar • Open the puff pastry along your baking sheet to (Armenian flatbread). Lavash quickly dries out and • 1 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon paprika, chili • 150 grams of cold unsalted butter, cubed be about the same size. hardens the longer it is exposed to air. Once dried, the pepper (optional) • 1/2 cup of full fat plain yogurt • Place the butter mixture onto the pastry sheet and bread can be kept for nearly a year. • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste spread it evenly. Armenian summer dolma/stuffed cabbage leaves • Water and salt Filling • Roll the pastry, flatten it and cut it into medium and vegetables • 1 cup granulated white sugar sized pieces (the size can vary according to your taste.) Filling • 1 cup all-purpose flour • Place the pieces on a baking sheet, aligned with Ingredients: Mix the meat, rice, chopped onions and herbs, spices • 4-5 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter,120- parchment paper. • 1 cabbage. and tomato sauce. Add a little water to let it mix better. 130 grams • You can dot the already folded and sliced dough • 3 small eggplants • 1 tsp vanilla extract with a fork to give it a nice design. • 3 medium tomatoes Preparing the wrapping and vegetables Preparation process • Beat an egg and brush the pieces of gata with it. • 3 green peppers Cut the core of the cabbage from the bottom, then • Preheat the oven to 180 C. • Bake gata for about 25-30 minutes, or until they • Ground beef 700 gm carefully remove the leaves one by one and let the cab- • In a bowl, combine and mix the butter, flour and sugar. become nice and golden. Ramadan’s Umrah with double the reward By Nawara Fattahova Marwa and performs other acts also done in hajj like cutting the hair, wearing ihram and others. uwait Times celebrates Ramadan in Kuwait with Umrah can be performed at any time during the 30 days of the Icons of Ramadan. We highlight year, but many faithful choose to do it during Ramadan Kour favorite activities, events, symbols and foods to be rewarded more by God. People even prefer to that are popular during this holy month, along with perform it during the last 10 days of Ramadan. Kuwait’s Ramadan culture, history and traditions. According to a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) During the holy month of Ramadan, people strive to said: “Whoever goes for umrah in Ramadan, it’s like do more good deeds, as they believe that God will dou- going on hajj with me.” When pilgrims return from the ble their rewards. Also, the atmosphere of this month is umrah, they are welcomed by their families with flow- spiritual in general and people practice religious rituals ers. They usually bring holy Zamzam water from more than the rest of the year. Umrah is an optional rit- Makkah, as this is the most popular gift from there and ual similar to the hajj pilgrimage but shorter, during the most demanded. which a Muslim visits the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Email us at [email protected] with your circumambulates the Kaaba, runs between Safa and favorite symbols of Ramadan and Ramadan photos. month with the children, their parents, as well as the medical Zain shares the joys staff who take care of them. Zain’s team, including staff and volunteers, distributed gifts and girgian candy to children in a number of Kuwait’s biggest of Ramadan with and most prominent hospitals, including Al-Amiri Hospital, Al-Razi Hospital, and Ibn Sina Hospital. children in hospitals Zain expressed its heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all the parties involved in organizing the visits including hos- pital staff, officials, children’s families, and the volunteers themselves, who all helped draw a smile on the faces of the KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in children. Zain highlighted that the aim of undertaking the Kuwait, shared the joys of the holy Month of Ramadan with annual hospital visits during special occasions is part of the children and patients in a number of the biggest hospitals in company’s commitment to celebrating the holy month of Kuwait. The company’s team visited the hospitals during this Ramadan through ongoing social activities that generate a blessed time of year to distribute gifts and girgian to children sense of generosity and caring. As a responsible telecommu- and their families and celebrate the occasion in a family nications company, Zain looks to improve the lives of the atmosphere full of joy and happiness in cooperation with the people within the communities it serves. Kuwaiti Society for the Care of Children in Hospitals Zain affirmed that its social and Corporate Sustainability (KACCH). and Social Responsibility campaign during the holy month of Zain organizes visits to hospitals several times a year in Ramadan will include an extensive array of initiatives and many occasions, most importantly the holy month of programs that will focus on helping less fortunate people to Ramadan. The initiative, which comes under the umbrella of enjoy Ramadan happily, as well as celebrating the true spirit Zain’s CSSR strategy, aims at sharing the blessings of the holy the Holy month brings. .