Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix by hand or in a mixer until it forms a paste. To make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar, mahlab, and yeast. Assil says she added her own spin on the recipe with these California flavors.ġ teaspoon/3g ground mahlab or amaretto extract (optional)ġ cup/200g melted clarified butter or softened gheeġ tablespoon/15g softened clarified butter or ghee You know, hopefully the stories and the anecdotes really show how these recipes are sort of like clues as to how Arabs are able to create a home away from home, how they're able to build community, bring people in and turn hardships into really nourishing meals."Īlanna Hale These orange and espresso date cookie bars are Assil's take on the ma'amoul med her mother made while she was growing up. "I really wanted to tell a story of resilience through the food. and how that informs the food that I cook." I wanted to really put forth a bold narrative of like, this is me and it's called Arabiyya, so it's really about being an Arab woman. And I just I wanted to break all of those. "It's like you either were the terrorist or the refugee or the victim. "I wanted to really challenge people around the narrative of Arabs in this country," she says, while nodding to the increased anti-Muslim sentiment that happened after the Sept. "You're supposed to make anyone who comes into your home, friends and strangers alike, feel like they are at ease and that they're safe and they have a sense of belonging."Īlongside the recipes and community building, Assil continues what has been her life-long work as a social justice advice by telling the history and sharing the varied experiences of Arab Americans. "The biggest tenet of Arab hospitality is that it's a virtue," Assil says. Many of the recipes in the book are massive platters meant for sharing at gatherings, and after two years of pandemic isolation, Assil hopes the book will inspire people to channel their own Arab hospitality and connect with others. Recipes for all of those dishes can be found in her new cookbook.Īrabiyya, which translates to Arab woman in Arabic, is for anybody and everybody, Assil says, whether or not they know Arab cuisine. In addition to the ma'amoul med, Assil is planning on making stuffed grape leaves and a lamb dish with spiced rice, which she says is an essential meal for the table. So you do layers of the semolina cookie, then the filling and then more semolina, and then you finish it off with powdered sugar." "My mom makes a more unique version called ma'amoul med, which the semolina cookie is like a bar. "I'm really excited this year to be able to celebrate Eid with her," Assil said. And then we get to celebrate together after successfully achieving this huge feat."Īlanna Hale Many Eid meals include a main dish for the table like this Djaj Mahshi or chicken stuffed with spiced rice.įor the last five or so years, Assil has spent Eid al-Fitr working on special Ramadan treats in her bakery and restaurant locations, but this year she's getting to spend it with her family in the Los Angeles area, including her mother, who she plans on making ma'amoul with. "The act of abstaining from food and drink for a month with your community and to really get centered in what matters most, which is our own health and well-being and devotion to God for a lot of folks, but also for me to community. "Eid is really I think one of my favorite holidays because it is a coming together and celebrating life after a month of engaging in collective struggle," Assil says.
In her debut cookbook Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora, she recounts seeing the wooden molds into which the cookies are pressed come out each holiday season and working with her sisters to "make these labor-intensive cookies with gusto." "The ma'amoul is kind of the claim to fame for a lot of Arabs celebrating Eid," says Reem Assil.Īssil is a Palestinian-Syrian chef from the San Francisco Bay area. Many Arab Muslims spend the entire last week of Ramadan making these holiday delights. But regardless of what size the gathering is, there's a safe bet that they will all include ma'amoul – the traditional semolina cookies that are often stuffed with dates or a nut mixture. The festival closes out Ramadan and brings entire communities together for feasts and potlucks. As Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, comes to a close, many Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Fitr with their friends and family.