Hindbeh bi Zeit, Lebanese Greens with Caramelized Onion
Hindbeh bi zeit, greens with oil, is a Lebanese meze built on wild chicory or dandelion, boiled to tame its bitterness and then buried under a heap of onions fried until almost black and sweet. The oil is in the name, but the flavor is really about that contrast between bitter leaf and caramel-sweet onion, and you can build the onion sweetness with water and time instead. Mustard greens stand in well for the traditional bitter greens; dandelion works if you can find it. Cook the onions further than feels comfortable, keep some for the top, and finish with a lot of lemon.
Ingredients
- 8 cups Mustard greens, chopped
- 3 wholes Yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
Method
- Boil the greens in a large pot of water until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then drain and press out the liquid. Boiling first mellows the sharp bite of mustard greens or dandelion, which is the point of the dish, not a flaw to hide.
- Cook the onions slowly in a wide pan with a few tablespoons of water, adding more whenever the pan dries, until they turn deep brown and sweet, about 30 minutes. This slow water-cooking is the oil-free move: patience builds the caramelized sweetness that would otherwise come from frying in oil.
- Set aside a third of the onions for the top. Add the garlic and cumin to the rest and cook 1 minute more.
- Fold the drained greens into the onions in the pan and warm through, letting them soak up the sweetness.
- Squeeze the lemon over hard and pile the reserved onions on top. The sweet onion against the bitter green, sharpened with acid, is what carries the plate in place of salt. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 120 calories, 5 g protein, 6 g fiber, 60 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
