Vegetable thareed
Vegetable thareed is one of the vegan dishes in Gulf cuisine, cooked during Ramadan for those who fast without meat. The lentils provide protein and the vegetables fill the dish with vitamins.
The dish is much lighter than meat thareed and is prepared in an hour. Many families in Bahrain and Qatar consider it the typical home suhoor for the last 27 days of Ramadan.
Wash the lentils and simmer them in water with a pinch of turmeric for 20 minutes until tender. Drain them.
In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and leave for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, carrot, eggplant, green beans, lentils, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and dried lime. Pour in the stock and leave for 30 minutes.
Add the salt and pepper and stir. Taste and adjust the acidity with lemon juice if needed.
In a deep baking dish, break the bread and scatter it over the bottom. Pour the vegetables and stock over it until it soaks completely. Place it in a 190°C oven for 10 minutes.
Garnish with green onion, cilantro, mint, and drops of olive oil. Serve hot with lemon.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Vegetable Thareed, and how to fix them:
Add a cup of stock before placing it in the oven. The bread absorbs the stock.
Cook them 10 minutes more before laying out the bread.
Double the dried lime and add a pinch of cumin before serving.
Use bread that is less toasted, or place it in a single layer.
Two days. Reheat with stock in the oven.
One month. Freeze the stock and vegetables separately from the bread.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red lentils | Yellow lentils | 1:1 | Faster-cooking version. |
| Dried lime | Lemon + cumin | 1:1 | Different but acceptable flavor. |
| Eggplant | Yellow squash | 1:1 | Sweeter flavor. |
| Ingredient | 4 people | 8 people | 12 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 3 loaves | 6 loaves | 9 loaves |
| Mixed vegetables | 750 g | 1500 g | 2250 g |
| Lentils | 100 g | 200 g | 300 g |
| Stock | 1.8 L | 3.6 L | 5.4 L |
Toast the bread in the oven 5 minutes before laying it out so it does not become soft dough. Red lentils melt into the stock and give a creamy texture. Add the mint right before serving to keep it fresh.
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