It was winter. I could see light rain through the windows – it wasn't really cold, but the rain made it feel like it was. I was with my Teta (grandmother) and could smell a strong aroma coming from a package sent to her from her Qatari neighbour.
As she opened the package I didn't really pay attention to anything inside aside from a box with a strong and unfamiliar smell – and I saw the smile on my Teta's face as she looked at the box. She said, 'Oh how generous they are, they sent me the secret of their tasty food, bizar!'. She took the package to her tiny kitchen and started to take out the remaining contents.
At that time, all the grandchildren were inquisitive about what Teta was going to cook for dinner - I was the eldest, so I had the courage to ask. 'It is a surprise,' she answered, 'wait for it'. My mother asked us to go and watch TV and leave Teta to do her work, but I was curious to know about the strong-smelling small box, so I snuck into the kitchen to see what was going on. Teta had a big pan that looked like a wok, which I later came to understand was a saj pan (a large Middle Eastern frying pan), which she used upside down so the surface was wide enough to toast all spices together at the same time. 'How clever she is!', I thought.
The smell was very strong and made me cough. 'What are you doing here little lady?', Teta asked, and quickly opened the windows to clear the air. Then, she asked me to help her make the bizar. I added whole toasted spices into her al raha (a pair of flat, round stones used for grinding grain) while she rotated it. I was excited to help Teta, it felt like a big win for me cooking with my role model. After that, she let the spice blend cool, then added it into sealed jars and put them in the fridge – aside from some that she set aside to cook dinner that night, which was rice with lamb (machbous laham).
Qatari spice blend (Bizar) Source: Huda Albardawil
The smell of the food coming out from her tiny kitchen, the rain outside, the tea pot, and our family together laughing and chatting is a remarkable memory for me – and whenever I’m making my bizar and the aroma starts coming out, I think back to my Teta rotating that millstone, singing, and looking at me with her warm smile.
Qatari spice blend (Bizar) Source: Huda Albardawil
Bizar
Makes 250 g
Bizar is the local name of the Qatari spice blend used in most traditional Qatari dishes. Bizar recipes vary from home to home – each showing how Qatari people care about the taste of their blend, and about their food. When learning to cook authentic Qatari dishes, you must first learn how to prepare the bizar, the foundation!
- 2 dry lemons (see Notes)
- 4 tbsp cardamom pods
- 2 tbsp shell cardamom pods
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup coriander seeds
- 1 turmeric root
- ¼ cup mixture of black and white peppercorns
- 3 tbsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tbsp cumin seeds
- 5 whole star anise
- ½ tsp crushed nutmeg
- 10 bay leaves
1. Combine all ingredients together in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook until aromatic, around 3–4 minutes. Transfer spices to a bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes, or until cooled.
2. Grind the spices in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, until smooth (this may take some time!).
3. Pass the ground spice mixture through a strainer to remove any larger pieces and ensure the spices are evenly combined.
4. Store your bizar in a clean jar in a dry place, and enjoy using it in an array of dishes.
Notes
• Visit any Indian or Middle Eastern grocer to buy the ingredients.
• Dry lemons are whole black lemons that have been boiled in brine and then sun-dried. They have a strong and sour, slightly smoky citrus flavour.
