A Culinary Souvenir from Amman
My brother recently returned from a trip to Amman, Jordan. He brought back the best kind of souvenir you can give a cook. It was a local mini cookbook and a bag of spices. The bag was unlabeled. However, the nose knows. The moment I opened it, I was not in my kitchen anymore. I was back in Mrs. Musa’s house.
Growing up, my best friend was Palestinian. I spent countless hours in their home absorbing the culture. I acquired a palate for Middle Eastern flavors long before I ever craved a cheeseburger. Their family traveled to Palestine every year. They always crossed the border via Jordan. That specific spice smell unlocked a core memory. It was earthy, wheaty, and heavy on the cumin and coriander. It felt less like a new discovery and more like a homecoming. My brother’s souvenir unintentionally traced the exact route my childhood best friend took every summer crossing from Jordan Valley into Palestine. This meal is not just a recreation of a recipe. It is an homage to that intersection of stories. It honors the physical journey my brother took and the emotional journey I traveled at Mrs. Musa’s dinner table.
Decoding the Jordanian Spice Blend
The spice blend was likely a variation of Dugga (or Dukkah). This is different from the Egyptian version that uses hazelnuts. The Jordanian style often relies on roasted wheat alongside sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, and sumac. That roasted wheat flour is the secret ingredient. It provides a nutty aroma and acts as a slight thickener for the sauce. It creates a warmth that purely herbal blends like Za’atar cannot achieve on their own. I recreated this blend for the recipe so you can experience that same flavor profile at home. If you have the luxury of sourcing a Dugga spice blend, use that instead.
The Inspiration: Safi Kitchen
The cookbook came from Safi Kitchen, a community tourism project located in Ghor es-Safi, south of the Dead Sea. This initiative supports local women and youth by sharing the region’s heritage through food and farming. The photo of the spice bag and the Safi Kitchen cookbook captures this exact moment of inspiration.
Building the Vegetable Base
The foundation of this stew relies on fresh, vibrant produce. As you can see in the ingredient shots, I use a mix of crisp green beans, firm okra, and ripe tomatoes on the vine. To add a specific kind of heat, I incorporate long hot peppers. These peppers provide a spicy kick that cuts through the richness of the roasted wheat spices. They add a necessary brightness to the deep, stewed flavors of the tomato base.
The Secret to Non-Slimy Okra
Many home cooks avoid okra because of the texture. If you boil raw okra directly in liquid, it can become slimy. This recipe solves that problem with a high heat sear. You cook the okra and green beans separately in a hot skillet before adding them to the stew. The image of the sliced roasted okra rounds illustrates exactly what you are looking for. You want golden brown edges and a blistered skin. This technique seals the vegetable. It adds a smoky char that mimics fire roasted cooking. The result is a stew with distinct textures rather than a mushy consistency.
Why You Should Acid Wash Shrimp
The protein component of this dish is just as important as the vegetable base. I use a technique called an acid wash. You toss peeled shrimp in vinegar and salt for exactly two minutes. This strips away any surface slime or lingering fishy odors. You must rinse them thoroughly immediately after, to stop the denaturing process. The result is a remarkably clean tasting shrimp. A quick brine follows this step to ensure the shrimp stays plump and snappy when seared. The preparation photos show the shrimp lined up and ready, highlighting the importance of starting with a dry surface before searing.
Bringing It All Together
This dish is a bridge between a simple vegetable stew and a restaurant quality seafood dinner. The acidity of the lemon butter pan sauce cuts through the earthy spices of the stew. The fresh herbs and toasted breadcrumbs add the final layer of crunch. It is a meal that honors tradition while using modern chef techniques to elevate every ingredient. The final plated dish is a testament to how these separate components, the charred vegetables, the spiced sauce, and the snappy shrimp, come together into a cohesive and meaningful meal.
Jordanian-Style Green Bean and Tomato Stew with Seared Lemon-Butter Shrimp
4
servings50
minutes40
minutes1
hour30
minutesInspired by the “Safi Kitchen” community in Jordan. This stew relies on a technique of charring the vegetables separately and uses a roasted wheat spice blend known as Dugga for a nutty, earthy depth. The dish is finished with plump, lemon-butter-seared shrimp and a crunchy garnish of toasted breadcrumbs and fresh herbs.
Keeps the screen of your device on while you cook
Ingredients
- For the Stew
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound okra, sliced into rounds
3 long hot peppers, sliced
4-5 ripe tomatoes on the vine, roughly chopped
1 shallot, minced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon avocado oil, divided
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
- For the Jordanian Dugga Spice Mix
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- For the Shrimp
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4 cups water, divided
3 tablespoons salt, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of, ground black pepper
- For Serving
1 teaspoon mint, freshly chopped
1 teaspoon parsley, freshly chopped
1 teaspoon chives, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, toasted
pinch of, red pepper flakes
Directions
- Wash and Brine the Shrimp:
- Place the peeled shrimp in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 cup water, and vinegar. Toss and sit for exactly 2 minutes to strip odors. Remove and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt and sugar in 3 cups of water. Submerge the rinsed shrimp and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Make the Spice Blend:
- Add the sesame seeds to a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan often until golden brown and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl immediately. In the same dry pan, add the whole wheat flour. Lower heat to medium-low. Stir constantly with a spoon to prevent burning. Cook until the flour turns a sandy tan color and smells like toasted nuts, 3 to 4 minutes. Combine the toasted flour and seeds with the coriander, cumin, sumac, and herbs.
- Char the Green Beans and Okra:
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the green beans. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes to blister and char. Add half of the avocado oil, toss, and cook for another 2 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Add the okra to the same skillet or wok. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes to blister and char. Add the remaining avocado oil, toss, and cook for another 2 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Build the Stew:
- Grab a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and place it over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, shallot, and the sliced long hot peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and your Dugga spice blend. Mix and toast them for 30 seconds until the spices become fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot, and season with salt and ground black pepper. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, smashing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon until they break down into a cohesive sauce.
- Finish the Stew:
- Transfer the charred green beans and okra from the plate into the stew pot. Fold them gently into the sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings if needed.
- Sear the Shrimp:
- Remove shrimp from brine and pat very dry. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Season lightly with ground black pepper.
- Heat a large stainless steel skillet over high heat until very hot. Carefully add the avocado oil and place the shrimp in the skillet. Sear for 2 minutes, flip, and sear for 1 minute on the other side. Add butter and lemon juice. Swirl to coat shrimp on both sides.
- Finish and Serve:
- Ladle the stew into bowls. Top with the seared shrimp and pan sauce. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, mint, and parsley. Finish with toasted breadcrumbs and red pepper flakes right before serving for crunch.
Notes
- Why the Acid Wash: It might seem fussy to wash shrimp in vinegar, but it’s a game-changer. It strips the surface slime and neutralizes any lingering “fishy” ammonia smell, leaving you with a remarkably clean-tasting protein. You must rinse the shrimp thoroughly under cold running water after the 1-2 minute wash. If you don’t rinse them well, the acid will continue to “cook” the shrimp (like ceviche) and leave a sour aftertaste.
- When searing the green beans and okra, don’t be afraid of the dark spots. You want that blister. That char provides a smoky counterpoint to the acidity of the tomatoes and mimics the flavor of fire-roasted vegetables often found in Middle Eastern cooking.
- The toasted whole wheat flour in the Dugga recreation might sound unusual for a spice blend, but it acts as a mild thickener and provides a savory, toasted base.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @hecooksco on Instagram
Like this recipe?
Follow @hecooksco on Pinterest
Frequently Asked Questions
While both are Middle Eastern staples, Za’atar is primarily an herb blend based on thyme, sumac, and sesame. Dugga (or Dukkah) is a nut and spice blend. The Jordanian variation used in this recipe is distinct because it uses roasted whole wheat flour and legumes instead of nuts, giving it a deeper, earthier, and toastier flavor profile compared to the herbal brightness of Za’atar.
The key is to cook the okra separately before adding it to the liquid. In this recipe, we sear the sliced okra in a hot skillet with oil until the edges are golden brown. Once you add it to the tomato sauce, fold it in gently and avoid over-stirring to keep the texture intact.
The “acid wash” technique uses vinegar and salt to strip away the slippery surface layer on raw shrimp. This removes any ammonia or “fishy” odors and results in a cleaner tasting protein. It is crucial to rinse the shrimp thoroughly with cold water after two minutes, otherwise, the acid will begin to cure the meat like ceviche.
Yes. The vegetable base of green beans, okra, tomatoes, and spices is entirely vegan. To keep the whole dish vegan, omit the shrimp and the butter finish. You can serve the stew over rice, couscous, or with warm pita bread for a complete plant-based meal.
You can substitute them with Poblano peppers for a mild earthy flavor or Anaheim peppers for a similar heat level. If you prefer a spicier kick, a Jalapeño or Serrano pepper works well, but be sure to taste a small piece first to gauge the heat.
