Shurbah - The Basic Recipe

submitted by Sister Khadija, Oum Abdul-Aziz

Ingredients

1 cup of finely chopped onion
1 cup of finely chopped tomato
2 Tablespoons of butter
½ cup of regular oatmeal
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon thyme leaves ("zatar" flakes or oregano leaves)
2 Maggi bouillon cubes (chicken, beef or vegetable flavor)


Directions

In a saucepan, sauté the onions in the butter until they are translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes, and sauté until the tomatoes are tender. In a bowl on the side, mix the oatmeal with one cup of cool water. Add this mixture to the saucepan. Add another 4 cups of water and all of the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the oatmeal is well cooked and the onion is soft.