Imad Alarnab's Syrian recipes

Looking for Syrian recipes? Try these authentic recipes from Imad Alarnab, then check out our Middle Eastern meze recipes.

Imad uses ingredients such as pomegranate molasses (a tangy sweet-sour syrup made from boiling and reducing pomegranate juice), sumac (the vibrant, citrussy sour dried and ground berries of the sumac plant), bulgur wheat (cracked wheat berries that are cooked and dried, traditionally used in tabbouleh) and tahini (a paste made from toasted and ground sesame seeds).

Best Syrian recipes

Sumac-cured trout with potato rosti

Imad says, "This makes a great breakfast or brunch dish. I have used a lot of Syrian spices and aromas to give this dish our tweak and flavours."

Roasted curried cauliflower

Imad says, "I’m a big fan of cauliflower – I always love to take humble ingredients and make them the star of a dish."

Lemon cardamom cake

Everything tastes better with lemon and cardamom, especially if it is sweet, and these are signature flavours of Syria. Enjoy this gorgeous bake with a cup of tea or Syrian coffee.

Syrian baba ghanoj

Perfect as a snack or a side to a meze feast, this recipe from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen in London makes great use of aubergines, tahini and greek yogurt.

Muhammara

A traditional Syrian dish, make this smoky red pepper dip and garnish with parsley, red onion, pomegranate seeds and a trickle of olive oil.

Syrian chicken with bulgur wheat (burghul bl ja)

Transform chicken thighs with fragrant cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin, then serve on top of raisin-studded bulgur wheat for a colourful dinner. This recipe comes from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen.

Syrian falafel

Try this spiced falafel recipe from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen as part of a meze-style feast. They are best served with a fresh salad and lemony tahini sauce.

Barazek shortbreads

Barazek cookies or biscuits are thin, crispy and usually come with sesame and pistachios. They're easy-to-make and are traditionally served as sweet treats in Syrian bakeries. This recipe was created by Lily Vanilli for her book #Bake For Syria. Lily says… “I love the traditional barazek biscuit, and wanted to merge the Syrian flavours with a traditional English biscuit.”