Batata and zaraa harra

  • Side
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
5.00

Imad Alarnab says this dish of spiced cauliflower and potatoes is very popular in Syria, and extremely easy to make at home. The potatoes and cauliflower are roasted with a gently spiced sauce made with harissa and roasted garlic.

This recipe is adapted from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen by Imad Alarnab (HQ, HarperCollins Publishers, £26)

First published in 2024

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1

Preheat the oven to 200°C

2

Place the potatoes on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. On the same tray, drizzle the bulb of garlic with oil and cover in tin foil. Roast both together for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when the potatoes are crisp and the garlic is steaming and golden, but don't turn off the oven

3

Squish the garlic cloves out of the bulb and mix with the tomato paste, harissa and 100ml olive oil. When this is all combined, spoon two thirds of the mixture over the cauliflower

4

With the oven still at 200°C, roast the cauliflower chunks on a tray for 15 minutes until they have a nice caramelised colour

5

Whilst the cauliflower is roasting, mix the onions and peppers with the remaining tomato and harissa marinade. Sprinkle in the chopped fresh thyme and sumac and mix well

6

Spoon the onion and pepper mix over the cauliflowers and roast for a further 25 minutes until the florets are crisp and the peppers are soft

7

Mix the roast cauliflower with the golden roast potatoes and spoon into a serving dish. Dress with generous spoonfuls of tahini, coriander, Aleppo chilli flakes and pomegranate seeds to serve

A successful restaurateur and chef in Syria, Imad Alarnab left his home country in 2015, after war broke out, to seek refuge in the UK. His kind-hearted nature and excellent cooking meant he quickly built a following here, and he now brings authentic Syrian cooking to London at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen.

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