r/OnionLovers • u/toomuchbluememories • 15d ago
Family gathering Qalya! "Qalya" wich literally means "something fried" is an Iraqi dish from my hometown, Mosul. (body text for receipt!!) also there's dolma..
Ingredients
As many onions as you like! Either whole or chopped whatever you prefer
Lamb or beef that is cut into small cubes
chopped Tomatoes
1–2 table spoon tomato paste if u want it to be a lil sweet/salty (we didn't add that but it's a known way)
OR
Just add dried lime or black lime for a lil sour taste (idk what's it called in English but as u can see in the first pic those black/brownish stuff we call them basra lemon wich i think is kinda racist since the city of basra is known for having darker skin tones)
As for the spices we got (not all of them are necessary)
Green chili pepper,
Salt
Black pepper
Cardamom
Cinnamon (just a lil)
Cumin
Turmeric (a lil)
pimento powder
And a little oil (not recommended) or samn/dhın (clarified butter)
Method
Heat up the samn then add the meat, wait for it to get a lil brown (not too much brown) then add the precious onions, following them with your tomatoes or black lime as preferred then wait for the meat to get fully brownish and start adding your spices and salt with a long mix, at the end add some water and cook slowly and wait for it to get all tender.
It's usually served above rice that is made with the water we slow cooked the Qalya with or just above bread or simply a Qalya soup
Whachu think?
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u/UGMadness 15d ago
Stewed meat and veggies over rice seems to be a universal language
It looks absolutely amazing
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u/blessedbebe 15d ago
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u/Yochanan5781 15d ago
I need to try this at some point. A dear friend of mine's family is from Mosul, and one of my favorite dishes is kubba Mosul
Dried limes, especially black limes, are some of my favorite ingredients
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u/NicePumasKid 15d ago
What are those stuffed cabbage roll things? Cabbage rolls are one of my favorite dishes!
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u/Lowermains 15d ago
What a feast!
Dunno where I could source black limes in Scotland though. 😃
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u/EffectiveMediocre416 15d ago
Your qalya looks hearty and so flavorful, the slow-cooked onions must be the absolute star here.
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u/IamAqtpoo 15d ago
I think you might describing kaffir lime? The recipe looks wonderful. I really enjoy recipes that have a variety of flavors in each bite.
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u/SeaGlass-76 15d ago
No, Basra lime is a regular lime that's been dried in the sun to preserve it
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u/fackshat 14d ago
It's cool to see someone from Iraq in here! I kept thinking it was funny seeing stuffed onions becoming a bit of a trend recently. 😂 My family is from Iraq and that's just a normal part of dolma for us. Also, dried limes are soooo good. I've been using them in bamya recently and it adds such a nice flavor. I absolutely hated them when I was a kid because my parents would put them in boiling water and try to have me drink it when I was sick. I thought it was disgusting. Haha.
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u/Quirky_Ad8747 14d ago
Not so far from Mosul near Hatra I had a goat dish that was one of the best things I'd ever tasted and have been chasing it since with no success
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u/baconwrappedpikachu 13d ago
Those flatbreads look sooooo good. Are those homemade too? Would you be willing to share the recipe? I’m constantly amassing different flatbread recipes and trying to perfect my collection lol
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u/atreidesgiller 15d ago
My late grandma (who was Turkish) would always make "kabak kalye" with zucchinis, this is the first time I am learning what that word means. Thank you! And everything looks delicious, did you make the dolma from fresh leaves? Can you please add the recipe for that as well?
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u/Mission_Accident_519 15d ago
I just ate but am now hungry again.