The food adventure of a life time across Lebanon is a sweet memory now engrained into our hearts here at QuizineTV. This post must of course be dedicated to the living legend Raji Kibi – the man in charge of the family owned Al Soussi restaurant in Beirut. This restaurant with it’s pint-sized kitchen has been serving the people of Beirut for over 50 years!
Passed down generations, this breakfast specialist has been feeding the good people of Lebanon with a well preserved list of family secrets. We were honoured to be welcomed by Raji Kibi himself, the 75 year old genius behind this incredible spread of cuisine. Situated on Zeydanieh street, in Hamra, West Beirut, Raji’s Al Soussi – named after his grandfather who first opened the restaurant – has once been rated by CNN as the world’s best breakfast!
In the small confines of his pint-sized kitchen, Raji expertly put together a traditional Lebanese breakfast for us consisting of eggs awarma, hummous, fatteh and foul! The man is a machine, his years of experience are exemplified through his effortless attempt at putting together an entire breakfast in minutes.
First up, the the eggs awarma. This baby was UNREAL! Awarma is effectively confit, in other words, finely grounded lamb preserved in fat. Usually cooked in the rural areas of Lebanon, this beautiful ingredient is preserved in jars and added to various Lebanese dishes. The grounded lamb is mixed with lamb fat, traditionally extracted from the lamb tail, this is often also used as stuffing for the famed middle-eastern kibbeh.
awarma dropped into a pan of hot ghee 
eggs added to the mixture and scrambled
At Al Soussi’s, Raji drops some of his awarma into a hot pan before adding eggs and scrambling to perfection.
And this is the final product…
Every bite of this bad boy was sensational, the meat was perfect in texture, soft, but not soft to the point of insignificance. It had the right amount of chew allowing the meat to remain distinct on the pallet from the eggs. The natural salt and dense flavour from the fats of the awarma seamlessly rubbed onto the eggs, making the experience exciting with the sprinkle of chilli doing well to kick the taste buds.
And then came the Fatteh. This was just a bowl of celebration. It started with crispy Khubz, a round leavened flat bread forming a staple in the diet of the Arabian peninsula. This base is topped with boiled chickpeas, the freshest of yoghurts, some more crispy Khubz bread, sprinkled with some cumin and chilli and finally topped off with sizzling pine nuts!
I just loved this dish. The mishmash of textures was wonderful, ranging from the creamy feel of the yoghurt, the crunch of the khubz, the heartiness of the chickpeas as well as the nuttiness of the pine nut. The bowl just felt wholesome and comforting with beautifully subtle flavours.
This was an unusual hummus for me. I’m used to the classic hummus paste that is certainly the mainstream in the UK. This was different, the chickpeas was cooked overnight until soft, no tahini was added, drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with some flavouring, the mushing if left to us! I loved it, the same great taste of hummus stood strong with every bite, but the texture was different from the pasty slop we’re all used to.
The Foul…oh my God, this was my favourite dish on the table. A georgious boiled fava bean stew, drenched in olive oil, cumin and topped with a mouth watering garnish of tomatoes, raw onions and mint leaves. This was the kind of dish that left you wanting to clean the bowl before evening taking a bite from anything else. It was encapsulating, the flavours were very Mediterranean/Levantinian and the fresh chillies and secret blend of juice added by Raji added a starkly tangy trajectory to the dish. The prospect of even beginning to remember this dish sends my tongue into a state of salivation.
Here’s a full spread of our traditional Lebanese breakfast. All dishes come served with incredibly fresh and juicy tomatoes, pickles, olives, mint leaves and of course bread.
PRICING
This whole meal cost us a total of 37,000 Lebanese pounds ($25) approx (£21).
HALAL INDEX
Lebanon is a majority Muslim country but there is a substantial Christian population. Like other Arab countries, you cannot assume all food is halal, it’s always best to check with the food provider. Al Soussi restaurant is halal.