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Posts Tagged ‘Lugma’

Hake with Rice and Date Pickle

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 8 October 2025| Leave a Comment »

Every element of this dish from Lugma by Noor Murad, but it’s the date pickle that truly brings everything together. It lifts the whole plate and we can definitely see it making repeat appearances alongside all sorts of other dishes.

Wine Suggestion: We’ve been exploring the fresher, lighter reds from north-western Spain, a joyful match for spiced or richly flavoured fish like this. A recent gem is the Finca Millara Lagariza, a youthful, fruit forward and light bodied Mencía that we served lightly chilled. A brilliant pairing.

Fish with rice and date pickle – serves 4

FOR THE FISH:

  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • seeds from 15 cardamom pods
  • 600g skinless hake fillet, cut into 6cm pieces
  • 1½ tbsp melted ghee
  • ½ lemon

FOR THE RICE:

  • 2 tbsp melted ghee
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 5 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 150g date molasses
  • ½ tsp loosely packed saffron threads, roughly crushed
  • 300g basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained well

FOR THE DATE PICKLE:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
  • 120g Medjool dates, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 30g red onion, thinly sliced
  • 10g coriander, leaves and soft stems picked

Use a pestle and mortar to finely crush the cumin seeds and cardamom seeds.

Mix all the ground spices for the fish in a large bowl with ½ tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Add the fish and mix well to coat, then put in the fridge until needed.

For the rice, add the ghee, whole spices and bay leaves to a medium, lidded saucepan and place over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until fragrant.

Stir in the molasses then pour in 620ml of hot water, the saffron and ¾ tsp salt. Bring to the boil, then stir in the rice. Bring up to a fast boil for exactly 5 minutes, without stirring, until the grains have started to plump up and have absorbed at least half of the water. Cover with a clean tea towel followed by the lid, securing the ends of the tea towel over the lid. Turn the heat to low and cook, without touching, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pickle. Add the oil and fennel seeds to a small frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant, then stir in the chilli and a small pinch of salt and pour into a medium heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the dates, vinegar and onion. Set aside to pickle.

When the rice is read, remove the lid and tea towel. Allow the rice to cool slightly while you fry the fish.

Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice.

Transfer the rice to a large platter and top with the fish and any fat in the pan. Stir the coriander into the pickle and serve alongside.

(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)

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Lamb Koftas with Peppers and Feta

Posted in Food, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 7 October 2025| 2 Comments »

Some bold and tasty flavours in this dish by Noor Murad — lamb koftas baked with sweet peppers, salty feta, and oregano. This is minimal fuss for maximum payoff. Another standout from Noor’s beautiful new book, Lugma, a collection we’re really enjoying cooking from.

Wine Suggestion: Grenache all the way with this one. Tonight, we opened a rare treat, the Edetaria La Personal made from old-vine Garnacha Peluda. You won’t find this particular clone outside of Terra Alta, and we think it’s one to watch in a warming climate. The fine hairs on the backs of the vine leaves help trap humidity and conserve moisture, a clever natural adaptabion. It’s also delicious with the lamb and feta.

Lamb koftas with peppers and feta – serves 4

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra
  • 1½ tsp sweet paprika
  • 200g Datterini or cherry tomatoes
  • 150g passata
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ tbsp maple syrup
  • 150g feta, broken into large chunks

FOR THE KOFTAS:

  • 500g lamb mince
  • 40g panko breadcrumbs
  • 20g parsley, leaves and soft stems finely chopped, plus a bit extra to serve
  • 10g oregano leaves, finely chopped, plus a bit extra to serve
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 1 large ripe plum tomato

Heat the oven to 200C fan.

Make the koftas first by adding the lamb mince, panko, herbs, garlic, spices, bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper to a large bowl. Grate the onion halves on the coarse side of a grater and squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands (it’s easiest in a clean teatowel). Add this to the bowl, then grate the tomato in the same way, straning off the juice through a sieve. Add this to the bowl too.

Grease your hands with a little olive oil and knead the meat mixture for about 4 minutes, then set aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the sliced onion, peppers, thyme, 2 tbsp of the oil and ½ tsp salt to a large cast-iron frying pan and mix to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or until starting to brown, then remove from the oven and turn the temperature up to 220C fan.

Divide the meat mixture into 12 pieces, about 55-60g each, and form into torpedo-shaped koftas with oiled hands.

Stir the paprika and the tomatoes into the frying pan.

Whisk the passata, vinegar, maple syrup and ¼ tsp of salt together in a jug, then pour this into the pan.

Add the koftas, then drizzle over the final tbsp of oil.

Return to the oven for 8 minutes, then turn each kofta over. Dot with the feta and bake for 12 minutes or until the feta is nicely browned and the dish is bubbling.

Sprinkle over the extra herbs to finish.

(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)

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Middle Eastern Pasta Bake

Posted in Beef, Food, Lamb, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 19 August 2025| 1 Comment »

We’re loving Lugma by Noor Murad and this pasta bake is a definate crowd pleaser.

Wine Suggestion: It was a toss up between a rich white and a warm, ripe red like the Condado de Haza Crianza from Ribera de Duero which we ended up pairing with this dish. Rich and deep from the sunshine in Spain, but with an elegance and freshness plus warm spices that make this a great combo.

Middle Eastern Pasta Bake – serves 4 to 6

FOR THE RAGU:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 green pepper, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 300g beef mince
  • 300g lamb mince
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 black dried lime, pierced a couple of times with a sharp knife
  • 2 red chillies, pierced a couple of times with a sharp knife
  • seeds from 15 cardamom pods, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds, finely crushed with a pestle and mortar
  • 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1½ tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • 400g tin plum tomatoes, puréed
  • 150ml full-fat milk
  • 20g coriander, roughly chopped

FOR THE PASTA BAKE:

  • 300g rigatoni pasta
  • 125g feta, rouglhy crumbled
  • 125g buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn
  • 25g pine nuts, well toasted
  • 10g coriander, leaves and soft stems roughly chopped

Make the sauce first by heating the olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the beef and lamb mince and cook for 10 minutes, breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon so it is finely crumbled. Allow the liquid to cook off and the mince will start to brown. Stir in the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, dried lime, chillies, spices, oregano, tomato purée, stock cube, 1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant, then pour in the puréed tomatoes and 300ml of water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for 2 hours, stirring every 25 minutes. You should end up with a thick and rich sauce.

Pour in the milk, cover and cook for another 25 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit, then pick out and discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Remove the dried lime, squeezing any juice into the sauce. Add the chopped coriander. You can now use the sauce or stick it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.

Heat the oven to 200C fan.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add 2 tsp of salt. Cook the pasta in the water until al dente. Remove 130ml of the pasta water before draining in a colander.

You will need a baking dish about 23 x 33cm. Add the drained pasta, the ragu and the reserved pasta cooking water and mix to combine. Pick out the whole chillies and lay over the top, then sprinkle over the feta and mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Sprinkle over the pine nuts and fresh coriander, then serve.

(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)

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