Weekend special: Lebanese brunch

While Lebanese food is synonymous with falafel, hummus and shawarma, there is more to the cuisine than that. The great thing about cooking Lebanese is that you won't have to break your bank to have the perfect pantry. With a lot of flavours and spices overlapping with Indian food, you can rustle up a meal with ease. Here’s a handful of some lesser known Lebanese specialties that you’re bound to love.Before you go further, take a look at the pantry list.[caption id="attachment_27262" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Meshi. Image from tasteofbeirut.com"][/caption]On menu:• Lemon mint tea• Lebanese tomato and pita salad• Kafta kebabs• Chicken shish kebab with zerzavat• Meshi• Layali lubnan  Shopping list:

Vegetables, fruits and herbs Cucumber Tomato Radish Red bell peppers Spring Onion Iceberg Lettuce Mint leaves Mixed vegetables (peppers, onions, carrots, brinjal, zucchini)  Bread and carbs Pita bread Semolina

Meats Mutton or beef Boneless chicken breast  Misc Sumac Sundried tomato Rose water Mastika (edible gum)

Lemon mint tea A warm glass of lemon, mint tea sweetened with a little honey and flavoured with a big handful of heady, potent mint is fantastic served with a few slices of floating lime. Skip the frozen concentrate for fresh limes.View the recipe here. Lebanese tomato and pita salad Crispy pita bread tossed together with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, spring onions and radishes is a riot of colours in a blow and comes together beautifully with a generous sprinkling of sumac.View recipe here. Meshi Meshi simply translates to gorgeous seasonal vegetables stuffed with a mixture of rice, more vegetables, herbs and perfumed spices. Since this dish isn't very high on the spice factor, you can take the heat up a notch by adding some chopped green chilies. What you must absolutely not miss out on are the pine nuts. In case you don't have them at hand, copped toasted walnuts taste fantastic too.View recipe here.[caption id="attachment_27264" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Kafta kebabs. Image from saveur.com"][/caption] Kafta kebabs Beef kebabs flavoured with parsley, sundried tomatoes and a gamut of spices. Use ground red chilli powder instead of the listed Allepo pepper, making sure to alter the quantity to taste. View recipe here. Chicken shish kebab with zerzavat (onion salad with sumac and parsley)Tender chicken kebabs skewered with bell peppers, tomatoes and onions had with Zaezavat and pita bread might just be what you fill up on for lunch. Sumac and parsley sprinkled on onions is so easy to make, and is absolutely addictive. If you'd like the tart sumac flavour to meld beautifully with onions, let it sit together for a little longer for the flavours to combine. View recipe here.Here’s a tip: Use the sumac generously, the tartness will grow on you. Also, chop the mint right before you want to use it so that it doesn’t brown too much. Layali Lubnan Creamy, rich pudding that’s made with semolina, topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and finished with chopped pistachios is the perfect sweet end to a Lebanese meal.View recipe here.Shaheen writes about her quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and baking escapades on The Purple Foodie