Arabic recipesMain dishes
Qalayet Bandora: Jordanian & Palestinian Sizzling Tomato Skillet
Qalayet bandora is the iconic everyday skillet dish of Jordan and Palestine: peeled ripe tomatoes cooked down open in generous virgin olive oil with sliced garlic and hot green chili until jammy and rich. Finished with ghee-toasted pine nuts, it is scooped straight from the pan with warm Arabic bread.
Also known as:Jordanian & Palestinian olive-oil tomato skillet (Qalayet Bandora)Levantine garlicky stewed tomatoes with pine nutsRustic Middle Eastern breakfast tomato fry-up
Servings4
Prep time10 min
Cook time15 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 800 g ripe vine tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh green chili, finely sliced (or 1/2 tsp coarse red chili flakes)
- 1 level tsp concentrated tomato paste (helpful for winter tomatoes)
- Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To finish: 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted golden in 1 tsp Arabic ghee + warm Arabic flatbread
Preparation Steps
- 1Score the tomatoes, blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water, slip off the skins and dice so the finished skillet cooks down velvety smooth.
- 2Warm the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and sizzle the garlic slices and chili for 45 seconds just until fragrant without browning.
- 3Tip in the diced tomatoes (plus tomato paste if using), salt and black pepper, bubbling briskly uncovered for 5 minutes.
- 4Lower the heat slightly and simmer 8 to 10 minutes more, pressing half the chunks gently with a wooden spoon until thickened and ruby olive oil pools at the edges.
- 5Toast the pine nuts in ghee until pale gold, spoon sizzling hot over the tomatoes and bring the pan straight to the table with warm pita.
