Global People.
Global Recipes.
When Pharaoh expelled the Jewish people from Egypt, they didn’t even have time to let their dough rise. The result? A crunchy, cracker-like substance. Matzoh.
Accidents are the soul of innovation. Thankfully, we have more time than Moses did–time to experiment, try new recipes, make accidents, and invent.
We’re a more global people, too. Whether you’re crushing malida in Mumbai, or adding raisins to your kugel in Minsk, we’re all Jews. Our experiences may differ, but food unites us.
JDC celebrates both this unity and diversity. The purpose of JDC Global Kitchen is to offer you some recipes that show the richness of Jewish cultures from all over the world.
We hope they’re yummy, too.
- All
- Eastern Europe
- Asia
- South America
- Ethiopia
- India
- Israel
- Latin America
- Europe
- All
- Entrée
- Dessert
- Appetizer
- Soup
- Sauce
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Alla’s Shakshuka
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Duff’s Mandelbrot
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Gallina’s Red Cabbage and Pomegranate Salad
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Coral’s Cadurei Shocolad
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Daria’s Draniki
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Timur’s Stewed Chicken with Pomegranate Juice
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Eugenia’s Potato Pies
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Svetlana’s “Fast and Delicious” Fried Cauliflower
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Veronika’s Pelamushi
Asia
|Dessert
Mengty’s Pie Susu
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Sonya’s Olivier Salad
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Ana’s Nut Cake
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Alyona’s Teigelach
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Marcelle’s Sfenj
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Dasha’s Tarte Tatin de Belarus
South America
|Entrée
Nylka’s Empanadas
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Anastasia’s Kabachkovie Aladushki
Ethiopia
|Appetizer
Fegegta’s Shiro
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Tsilya Lvovna’s Fish Cakes
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Saeed’s Stuffed Grape Leaves
Eastern Europe
|Soup
Katia’s Moldovan Zeama
India
|Entrée
Maayan’s Grandmother’s Green Masala Fish Curry
Israel
|Appetizer
Diana’s Khatsilim
Eastern Europe
|Dessert
Matilda’s Mogado
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Kaja’s Challah
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Inna’s Latvian Lentils
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Anna’s Badrijani Nigvzit
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Sofia’s Borscht
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Maria’s Challah
Latin America
|Entrée
Sara’s Congri
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Lana’s Vinigret Salad
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Irina’s Okroshka
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Maxim’s Boikos
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Meri’s Kreplac
Eastern Europe
|Appetizer
Nela’s Bosnian – Style Rugelach
South America
|Appetizer
Nylka’s Arepas
Europe
|Sauce
Gilda’s Apple Jam
Eastern Europe
|Entrée
Forshmak
Alla’s Shakshuka
Ingredients
2 eggs
3 15-oz. cans of tomatoes (or a similar amount of fresh tomatoes)
1 sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 leek (optional)
Black pepper, to taste
Olive oil, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Parsley or cilantro, to taste
Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and garlic, and dice the pepper.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onion and garlic until golden-brown.
- Add the pepper, and sauté a little longer.
- Add tomatoes, spices, and herbs. Lower the heat and simmer while stirring for 5-7 minutes.
- Make two small indentations and add the two eggs to them.
- Season with salt and cook the egg until the egg is white and the yolk is still runny inside.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle with more herbs before serving with fresh bread or pita.
When the harvest season begins, my homecare worker Lenochka and I often cook this Israeli dish. We hope you’ll try it, too!
— Alla Zakharchenko
Holocaust survivor and JDC client
Duff’s Mandelbrot
Ingredients
2 cups/264 grams
all-purpose flour
½ cup/85 grams
potato starch
½ cup/55 grams
almond flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 ¼ cup/250 grams
granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks/170 grams
non-dairy margarine, room temperature
3 eggs
Zest of one navel orange
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup slivered almonds, rough chopped
¾ cup dark chocolate chip
Instructions
- In a bowl, cream the butter, zest, and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. In another bowl whisk together almond flour, potato starch, flour, salt, and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the chopped almonds and the chocolate chips and stir in by hand.
- Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove each half and shape into a log about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the logs for 40 minutes or until they just begin to brown. Let cool for one hour. With a serrated knife, cut each log into ½” segments. Make cinnamon sugar with the remaining cinnamon and sugar and dip the cut sides of each segment into it. Bake, cut side up, for 12 minutes. Flip the pieces and bake another 12 minutes or until they are beginning to turn golden brown.
The only memories I have of my great-grandmother are cooking with her … those memories, they really stick with you. I want that for my daughter — for her to learn our history through the food that we’re going to make.
— Duff Goldman
Food Network Star
Gallina’s Red Cabbage and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
salad
1 medium head of red cabbage
1 tart green apple
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
¼cup sunflower microgreens (optional)
dressing
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. honey
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, until some of the water evaporates and the dressing thickens. Let it cool.
- Meanwhile, peel the apple, and chop it and the cabbage. Add the other ingredients and toss to mix. Add the dressing, and let the salad sit for 30 minutes before serving.
I’d like to share the recipes my family and I have preserved for years. Why not make our lives brighter and tastier?
— Gallina Delyatitskaya
95, JDC client and community volunter in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Coral’s Cadurei Shocolad
(Chocolate Balls)
Ingredients
8 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup butter
1 ¹/3 lb. butter cookies
1 cup and 2 tbsp. milk
Coconut or small candies, as an optional topping
Instructions
- Crush the cookies, and mix together with the other ingredients.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Take spoonfuls of the mixture, and shape them into small balls.
- Serve as is, or sprinkle the balls with coconut or small candies.
I love to prepare this easy dessert for family and friends, especially for Shabbat. I’m happy to share my recipe with the JDC community!
— Coral Zytcer
Madricha (counselor) in the Jewish community of Bucharest, Romania
Daria’s Draniki
(Belarusian Latkes)
Ingredients
About 2 ¼ lb. potatoes (1 kg)
1 egg
1 onion
3 tbsp. flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Oil
Instructions
- Grate the potatoes using a coarse grater, and squeeze out excess liquid. (You can grate with a fine grater, but the coarse side will make your draniki extra crispy).
- Grate onion and garlic with the fine side of the grater.
- Add flour, egg, salt, and pepper to the other ingredients. Mix together.
- Form patties, and fry in the oil. Two minutes on each side.
- Serve with sour cream, fried mushrooms or fried onions, and fresh herbs, like dill or parsley.
Almost every family in Belarus argues that their draniki is ‘the one’ — this one’s mine!
— Daria Gorokh
AJT Coordinator, Belarus
Timur’s Stewed Chicken with Pomegranate Juice
Ingredients
Chicken legs and thighs
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 garlic cloves
1 onion, diced
¼ lemon
2 ½ to 3 cups pomegranate juice
Oil, for frying
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder
Instructions
- Fry your chicken (without oil) in a pre-heated pan for 2 minutes on each side, then set aside.
- Dice zucchini, sauté in oil, then set aside.
- Dice carrot, sauté in oil, and set aside.
- Crush one garlic clove, deep-fry in oil, and then discard. This will flavor the oil. Slice and sauté the remaining three garlic cloves. Mix the garlic with the carrot and zucchini.
- Dice the onion, and sauté until golden. Then add the chicken and vegetables on top, and pour in pomegranate juice.
- Add salt, pepper, chili powder, or other desired spices.
- Keep cooking on medium heat until only half the liquid remains. Squeeze in the ¼ lemon. When the sauce is syrupy and the chicken is cooked through, it’s ready.
This isn’t a five-minute meal; it requires patience, almost like a meditation. But the result is worth every minute.
— Ludmila Katz
Member of the Jewish community of Gomel, Belarus, and mother of Timur, 14, and Amalia, 11
Eugenia’s Potato Pies
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 lbs. potatoes
3 eggs
3 to 4 tbsp. flour
Salt, to taste
Pepper
Oil, for frying,
Sour cream
FILLING
1 onion
3 hardboiled eggs
½ lb. mushrooms
Instructions
- Peel and boil the potatoes, then mash them until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the salt, pepper, eggs, and flour, turning the mixture into a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into egg-size balls.
- Flatten the balls so there’s room to put a teaspoon of filling into the center. Possible fillings can include egg salad (three hardboiled eggs mixed together with one chopped onion) or fried mushrooms (½ lb. of sliced mushrooms fried together with one chopped onion).
- Using your fingers, pleat the edges of the potato dough to seal it, forming a pie.
- Lightly flour the pies, and fry them in hot oil, about 5 to 7 minutes on each side.
- Serve hot with sour cream.
During the pandemic, most elderly find themselves isolated. Not us Jews. I think my grandparents and parents would be proud of and happy for me, since they had to hide their Jewish roots during the Holocaust and Soviet times.
— Eugenia Stoicheva
84, JDC client in Odessa, Ukraine
Svetlana’s “Fast and Delicious” Fried Cauliflower
Ingredients
½ small head of cauliflower
1 ½ tbsp. chickpea flour (don’t even think about replacing it with wheat!)
1 tbsp. curry powder
Chili powder, to taste
A pinch of turmeric, for color
Black cumin seeds (optional)
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
- Divide the cauliflower into small florets. Place them in a pot filled with cold water, bring to a boil, and drain.
- Mix the flour and spices together, then slowly add water, stirring the dough constantly to avoid lumps. The end result should be thicker than pancake batter.
- Mix the cauliflower into the dough.
- Heat oil for deep-frying.
- Scoop up a spoonful of the dough mixture, and fry it in the oil until it’s golden-brown. Repeat. It should only take a few minutes to fry all the cauliflower.
- Let your fried cauliflower drain on a paper towel, and serve warm.
If I close my eyes and smell this dish, I’m right back to childhood, in the kitchen with my mother as we wait for my father to come home from work, feeling his joy as he sees this is what’s on the stove.
— Svetlana Rassvetnaya
Day center and youth club coordinator in Tiraspol, Moldova
Veronika’s Pelamushi
Ingredients
1 liter grape juice
100 grams corn flour
50 grams wheat flour
Sugar, to taste
Walnuts, to taste
Instructions
- Sift the cornmeal, and mix it with grape juice in a pot. While stirring, bring to a boil over low heat.
- Add wheat flour and sugar. Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat.
- Pour into molds or bowls that are lined with a bit of water. Sprinkle with walnuts (optional) and let cool.
Though there aren’t many dessert recipes in my country, pelamushi is found at all Georgian feasts — and at my family’s table, too. I hope you’ll like it as much as we do!
— Veronika Ferdman
AJT leader in Batumi, Georgia
Mengty’s Pie Susu
(Milk Pie)
Ingredients
crust
¾ cup all-purpose flour (100 grams)
3 tbsp. + 1 tsp. margarine (50 grams)
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. cold water
fillin
~¾ cup sweetened full-cream or chocolate condensed milk (185 ml)
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup + 2 tbsp. warm water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and prepare a heat-resistant dish (about 7 inches or 17 cm wide) with aluminum foil on the bottom for easy removal of pie.
- Mix the crust ingredients together, and then pour it directly into the heat-resistant dish.
- Mix the filling ingredients together, then pour the filling into the crust. Sieve to get a smooth mixture.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the surface of the pie hardens.
- After the pie is done, let it cool. For an optional finish, top the pie with cheese, fruit, or chocolate.
Though the recipe looks easy, making milk pie requires patience as well as practice. Something I truly believe is that when you cook with love, the taste will touch every heart.
— Mengty Dese Benu
Program officer at Pusaka Indonesia, a JDC partner
Sonya’s Olivier Salad
with Homemade Mayonnaise
Ingredients
SALAD
5–6 eggs
4–5 potatoes
2–3 carrots
5–6 pickles
1 can of peas
½–1 white onion, diced
Mayonnaise, to taste
Salt, to taste
HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE
1 egg yolk
½ cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil (100 ml)
1 tsp. mustard
Salt, to taste
Sugar, to taste
Vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- Hard-boil the eggs, and boil the potatoes and carrots until soft.
- Meanwhile, make the mayonnaise by beating the yolk and mustard until the mixture turns white. Then, gradually pour the olive oil in, mixing as you do — the more oil you use, the thicker your mayonnaise will be. When the mixture is smooth, add salt, sugar, and vinegar to taste, and combine.
- When the eggs and vegetables have boiled, wait for them to cool and then peel and cut them into small cubes.
- Cut the pickles and onion into small cubes.
- Mix the eggs and chopped vegetables together, then mix in the peas and mayonnaise. Add salt. For a non-vegetarian version of the salad, mix in cubes of boiled chicken or other meat.
I really like to spend time with the elderly. They’re positive, sometimes very funny, and they know a lot. This is a salad I associate with my childhood and my grandmother.
— Sonya Bunina
AJT leader in Poltava, Ukraine
Ana’s Nut Cake
Ingredients
½ cup margarine
¾ cup sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
¾ cup powdered sugar
Apricot jam, to taste
¾ cup ground walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Mix the margarine, flour, egg yolks, and lemon together, and pour the batter into a cake tin or baking tray greased with some extra margarine and flour. Your batter should be as high as a finger.
- Put the mix into the oven at a low temperature until it’s half-baked.
- Meanwhile, make a cream from the egg whites, the powdered sugar, and the ground nuts.
- Take the cake out of the oven, coat with apricot jam, and top with the cream.
- Place the cake back into the oven until it’s fully baked.
Jewish cuisine in Romania’s Banat region had many local influences but was also a common language for all the Jews living here.
— Ana Adrian
Member of the Jewish community of Timișoara, Romania
Alyona’s Teigelach
Ingredients
dough
3 eggs
1 ½—2 tbsp. vodka, cognac, or whiskey
1 pinch of salt
2—2 ½ cups flour
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
syrup
7/8 cup (200 grams) honey
1 cup sugar
Cinnamon, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Instructions
- Mix eggs, vodka or other liquor, and salt.
- Gradually add in flour and knead the dough.
- Wrap the dough in foil and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Make thin ropes of dough, then pinch small pieces from the dough and roll them into balls.
- Pour vegetable oil into a deep saucepan, and heat well. Dip balls of dough into the hot oil and fry, stirring until golden-brown. Take out the fried balls, and put them on a paper towel to drain the oil.
- When the balls are ready, it’s time to make the syrup. In a saucepan, mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then add honey. Put over medium heat, and stir slowly until the sugar melts.
- Dip the fried balls into the syrup, mix well, and remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. Spread on parchment paper greased with butter. Lay the balls out in a pyramid shape, or create any shape you want (It’s easier to do this with wet hands)!
- When the fried dough cools, cut into cookies.
For me, Hesed has never been just a job — it’s my family. I preserve Jewish traditions by keeping my family’s Jewish recipes and sharing them with others.
— Alyona Bunina
Head of the family club at the JDC-supported Hesed Nefesh social welfare center in Poltava, Ukraine
Marcelle’s Sfenj
Ingredients
1 ½ tsp. yeast
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ kg. flour (about 4 cups)
1 cup warm water
Oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt, then add the water. Mix until smooth. Cover your dough, and let it rest for 3-4 hours until it rises.
- Heat enough oil to deep-fry the sfenj. The oil should be very hot. If possible, your frying pan should be placed on a slight incline.
- Dip your hands in water, then pull the dough into a tennis ball-size sphere. Stretch the dough to make a hole in the middle. Repeat process with remaining dough.
- Place each ball in the oil on the tilted side, with less oil. When it begins to darken, push it to the side with more oil and fry until golden-brown.
- Serve sfenj hot, sprinkled with sugar, drizzled with honey, or plain. Consider pairing these tasty treats with a hot cup of mint tea.
It wouldn’t be Chanukah without sfenj. I’m happy to share my family’s recipe with you!
— Marcelle Azoulay
Jewish community member in Casablanca, Morocco
Dasha’s Tarte Tatin de Belarus
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
7 tbsp. butter
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
4 to 6 apples, depending on size
Cinnamon, to taste (optional)
Raisins, to taste (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- To make the crust, take about 2/3 of the butter (chilled) and chop into 1-inch cubes. Add the flour, sugar, egg, and a pinch of salt, then start kneading. The dough should be smooth and silky enough to roll out later.
- Cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- To make the filling, cover a frying pan or pie pan with half the remaining butter (melted) and some sugar. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Place half the apples in the butter, then dust with sugar. Repeat the process with the remaining butter and apples. Dust with more sugar, and add cinnamon and raisins, if using.
- Cook the apple mixture, in the pan, in a 390-degree oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out your dough.
- Further heat your apple mixture pan over a medium-low flame for another 25 minutes.
- Cover your pan with the rolled crust, pierce with a fork to let out the steam, and place back in the oven for another 25 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- When the pie is ready, remove from the oven and let it cool. Then, place a large plate on top of the pan and flip it over. The apples that were on the bottom will form a beautiful topping. Dust them with cinnamon, sprinkle with sugar, or top with whipped cream. Enjoy!
I love to cook and try new recipes, and this is a great way to use your grandmother’s apple harvest.
— Dasha Pukhovich
14, AJT “Cooking Together” coordinator in Gomel, Belarus
Nylka’s Empanadas
Ingredients
1 ½ cups pre-cooked corn flour
1 ½ cups cold water
2 tbsp. wheat or cornstarch flour
¼ tbsp. salt
Filling, like meat or cheese
2–3 tbsp. sugar (optional)
Oil, for frying (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the pre-cooked corn flour, wheat or cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add in sugar (optional). Add water and knead until you get a soft and malleable dough. If dough is too dry, add more water, and if it’s too liquid, add more corn flour. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
- Make a ball from the dough and place on plastic wrap that is slightly wet. Spread the ball out with your hand, place a spoonful of your filling in the center, and fold into a half-moon shape, with the help of the plastic wrap.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
- Fry the empanadas in plenty of hot oil, or bake in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes. If baking, coat each empanada in a bit of oil.
- Place the empanadas on a plate with paper towels to absorb oil. Cool, serve, and enjoy!
I love to cook for Shabbat dinners and Jewish celebrations with my family. My favorite empanadas are with cheese, especially when they’re fried.
— Nylka Cohen
Yachad welfare program coordinator, Caracas, Venezuela
Anastasia’s Kabachkovie Aladushki
(Zucchini Fritters)
Ingredients
1 medium zucchini
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bunch dill
2 tbsp. sour cream
2 eggs
3–4 tbsp. flour
3–4 tbsp. semolina
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini and carrot. Finely chop the onion and dill, and add to the vegetable mixture.
- Add sour cream, eggs, salt, pepper, flour, and semolina. Mix everything together.
- Make small patties, and fry them over medium heat until they’re golden-brown.
My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents taught me that if you have something to share, you should!
— Anastasia Agafonova
Volunteer at the JDC-supported Hesed Menachem social welfare center in Dnipro, Ukraine
Fegegta’s Shiro
Ingredients
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup shiro flour
1 tsp. berbere (optional)
4 cups water
3 tsp. salt (or more)
Instructions
- Drizzle oil in a medium-sized pot. Dice the onion and add it to the pot before turning the flame to medium-high.
- Add the garlic and sauté with onion until the onion is translucent. Be careful not to let the garlic or onion brown.
- Add the shiro flour and berbere (optional). Mix while immediately adding the water and salt.
- Stir the shiro until all the ingredients have been combined and simmer over medium heat until it reaches the desired thickness. For a thinner shiro, 10 minutes will do the trick, but for a thicker shiro, simmer for 20 minutes and add an additional tablespoon of shiro flour.
- Serve over injera and with a side salad.
Shiro is classically Ethiopian, and if you were visiting me in Addis Ababa, it’s one of the first dishes we’d share together.
— Fegegta Lemma
JDC country director for Ethiopia
Tsilya Lvovna’s Fish Cakes
Ingredients
About 1 lb minced hake or other white fish (400 grams)
2 eggs
4 slices of white bread
1/3 cup low-fat cream
1 ¼ cup chopped onions
1 carrot, sliced into rounds
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Remove the skin and bones from the fish and pass it through a meat grinder.
- Cut the crusts off the bread, and soak them in the cream.
- Wash and finely chop the onions. Then fry them in the butter over low heat until they are soft and transparent.
- Add the bread mixture to the minced fish, along with ¼ cup of the onions and eggs, as well as salt and pepper. Mix everything together well. Refrigerate the mixture for 20–30 minutes.
- Form small patties from the fish mixture. Though it’s possible to cover them in breadcrumbs, it’s best to get a natural crust by searing them quickly in a hot pan. Don’t make them too large, since they’re tender and need to be flipped. Large fish cakes fall apart more easily.
- Fry the fish cakes in the oil, about two minutes on each side, until golden brown. Then cover the pan and cook them on low heat for about five minutes.
- Fry the rest of the chopped onions in a stockpot until soft and translucent, then add the sliced carrots and fish cakes. Fill pot with boiled water and add salt. Simmer over very low heat for about an hour.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or a side salad, and enjoy your meal!
This recipe really reminds me of my late mother, and I’m proud that introducing it into our city’s socially-conscious ‘BlinOK’ café has acquired us many grateful customers.
— Zina Sergeeva
Hesed social welfare center director in Rybnitsa, Moldova
Saeed’s Stuffed Grape Leaves
Ingredients
About 60–70 grape leaves (We collect them from our garden!), or one jar from the supermarket
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. bokharat (Arabic seven-spice blend)
1 ½ cups short-grain
white rice
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup lemon juice
Sliced tomatoes or potatoes, enough to cover the bottom of a stock pot
Salt
Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the grape leaves by draining them and soaking them in a large bowl of hot water. Then, separate the leaves and stack them individually on a plate.
- Prepare the hashweh (stuffing) by cooking ground beef in olive oil in a large pan. Season the beef with salt and spices. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked beef and uncooked rice with the cinnamon. (For a vegetarian version, replace the ground beef with more rice, cooked potatoes, quinoa, or any ingredient of your choice.)
- Use a cutting board to lay out each grape leaf and place a teaspoon of the rice mixture in the center. Carefully fold from the sides and the roll, like you’re making a wrap. Repeat for all but a few of the grape leaves — you’ll save these to cover the stuffed leaves during cooking.
- Line the bottom of a large stock pot with a layer of sliced tomatoes or potatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows until they cover the circumference of the pot. Add spices on top and cover with the reserved unstuffed grape leaves.
- Place a small round plate on top of the stuffed grape leaves. This is a very important step, as it will hold them down and keep them from floating during cooking.
- Add water until it covers all the leaves and the plate and fills the pot. Begin cooking on medium-low heat. There’s no exact time for cooking (a large pot takes about 90 minutes). Pay attention to when the water is nearly absorbed, as that’s your signal the stuffed grape leaves are ready. About halfway through cooking, add the lemon juice.
- After cooking, cool the stuffed grape leaves, uncovered, for about 15–20 minutes before serving.
The Turks call it dolma, the Greeks call it dolmades, the Lebanese call it warak enab, the Palestinians call it dawali, and in Hebrew, it’s a’li gefen. You can call it … yummy! Here’s how we do it in the Galilee.
— Saeed Diabat
JDC program manager, “Hebrew as a Second Language”
Katia’s Moldovan Zeama
(Chicken Soup)
Ingredients
1 chicken, about 1 kg or 2.2 lbs., cut into pieces
4 liters water (about 16 cups)
1 bay leaf
1 white onion
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
Sunflower oil
200 ml kvass (7/8 cup)
Salt
A few sprigs of lovage or celery leaves
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
5 oz. homemade egg noodles (fettuccine may be substituted)
Instructions
- Place chicken pieces into a large pot of water and bring to a boil, removing the froth that appears on the surface.
- Add the onion, salt, and bay leaf, and continue boiling until the chicken is cooked.
- Meanwhile, grate the carrot, chop the pepper, and sauté them in sunflower oil over medium heat.
- Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot.
- Pour kvass into the same frying pan used to cook the vegetables, boil it, and add it to the broth. If you can’t find kvass, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Add pasta and greens, and bring the pot to boil again. Serve hot.
Whenever my mom and I are cook lunches, I think of the people who will receive them — isolated elderly Jews who probably feel alone in the world. I want to tell them: Please don’t worry. There will always be people ready to help you.
— Katya Rybak
Volunteer with the JDC-supported Volunteer Center in Chisinau, Moldova
Maayan’s Grandmother’s Green Masala Fish Curry
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE
4 filets of pomfret or any other white fish, like cod
¼ tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ginger-garlic paste
(if you can’t find paste, use 1 garlic clove, minced, and a ½ inch of ginger)
½ lemon
FOR THE GREEN MASALA
1 bunch cilantro
2 green chilies or jalapeños
4 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1 small tomato
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. turmeric
Several fresh mint leaves
FOR THE CURRY
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium bay leaf
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
7–8 fresh curry leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium potato, sliced
½ cup coconut milk
A few pieces of raw mango
or tamarind soaked in water (optional)
Salt
Instructions
- Wash and marinate the fish, letting it sit for about 30 minutes.
- Grind together all the green masala ingredients with some water, making a thick paste.
- Heat the oil in the pan. Once hot, add the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, and curry leaves. Wait until it pops.
- Add the onion, sautéing over a low flame until it turns golden-brown.
- Mix in the green masala paste, frying until the mixture thickens and the oil begins to separate. It may take a few minutes before the masala is cooked well and has lost its raw smell.
- Add the potato slices and salt, to taste. Mix well. Cover the pan and let it cook. You can add a little water to the pan to ensure the potatoes cook in the steam and your masala doesn’t burn.
- Once the potatoes are half-done, add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
- Add the fish, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes.
- Once the fish is almost cooked, you can add some tamarind or raw mango for a slightly sour tinge to your curry. If using, mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
- When fish is ready, garnish the curry with some finely chopped cilantro and enjoy with rice or bread.
Local Indian spices, my grandma’s recipe, and her magic touch is all it takes!
— Maayan Shapurkar
JDC program manager for young adult engagement in Mumbai, India
Diana’s Khatsilim
Ingredients
3 eggplants
2–3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. sugar
2–3 tbsp. olive oil
Juice from one lemon
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Pita bread, for serving
Basil, as garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430 degrees, then put the eggplant on a baking sheet and cook for 20–30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
- Cut the finished eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out the “pulp” with a spoon.
- Chop the mashed eggplant using a knife with a wide blade. Using a food processor or similar appliance will not result in the right texture.
- Pour lemon juice over the eggplant, and season with olive oil. Then, add minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and place in the refrigerator. Cold khatsilim is always tastier!
- Spread the khatsilim on a plate, and sprinkle with more olive oil and chopped basil. Serve with warm pita.
I adore Israel and insanely love its cuisine. This dish is easy to cook and delicious to eat! Add it to your recipe book and enjoy!
— Diana Grabovetskaya
JDC missions and PR coordinator in Kyiv, Ukraine
Matilda’s Mogado
(Marzipan)
Ingredients
1 kg fine ground almonds
4 cups (or ½ cup less than 1 kg) white sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5–6 cups water
Instructions
- In a stock pot, bring water to a boil and mix in the sugar.
- Once the mixture is well-boiled, add the ground almonds and keep mixing. If you place a spoon through the middle of the mixture and it keeps its form, then you’re ready for the next step.
- Add the lemon juice, mix it in for two minutes, and quickly remove from heat, letting it cool down.
- Once it’s lukewarm, mix it up in the blender.
- Shape the mogado while it’s still warm, and let it cool down and firm up.
Called mogado in Izmir, masapan in Istanbul, and marzipan elsewhere, we serve our family and friends this treat when we visit each other to say hag sameah/bonne fête on Passover and Rosh Hashanah, as well as for weddings and britei mila.
— Matilda Levi Habif
Izmir, Turkey
Kaja’s Challah
Ingredients
8 cups flour
4 tbsp. yeast
¼ cup olive oil
About 1 ¾ cup water, warm but not boiling (400 ml)
About 7/8 cup sugar (165 grams)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, divided
Instructions
- To begin, mix warm water and honey. When honey has dissolved, crush the yeast in your hands and add it to the mixture. Don’t mix the yeast and water with a spoon.
- Let your yeast rise. One way to do this is to heat an oven to 120 degrees, and place the covered bowl on top of it. For an eco-friendly option, cover the bowl with a cloth and place it near a constant heat source, whether that’s your cat, your kid, or your partner. After about 10 minutes, the yeast should start to activate and rise.
- While the yeast is rising, sift your flour into a large bowl. Mix in sugar, then salt. Next, crack two eggs into a separate bowl and beat together.
- Using your fist, make a hole in the middle of your dry-ingredients bowl. Mix the eggs in slowly. Once the dough has absorbed the eggs, make another hole in the center and mix in the yeast mixture, slowly. Remember: Yeast doesn’t like drafty weather or sudden decisions.
- Once you’ve mixed all that together, leave the bowl in your warm place for about 10 minutes. Then, add in the olive oil and knead the dough until it’s smooth and flexible. Put the bowl back in your warm place an hour or two to let it rise.
- Braid two challahs and let them rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime, mix the remaining egg with a tbsp. of water.
- Glaze the challahs, top with any desired spices or seasonings, and bake them in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden-brown.
I’ve been working on my recipe for over three years to achieve perfection. My challah is electrifyingly fluffy.
— Kaja Siczek
Teen coordinator at Warsaw JCC
Inna’s Latvian Lentils
Ingredients
1 onion
3 cups lentils
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil
2 slices white bread
1 tomato, diced
½ tsp. paprika
1 bunch parsley
Salt, to taste
Note: If you use red lentils, the dish will more closely resemble a pureed soup, while green lentils will retain their grainy quality.
Instructions
- Divide half of the onion into two equal pieces and finely chop the other half, reserving for later.
- Put lentils in a pot with bay leaf, the two equal pieces of onion, and one clove of garlic, filling to the top with water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 1 hour until the lentils are soft.
- Heat oil in a pan. Place the bread (cut into crouton-size cubes) into the pan. Cook, flipping croutons over occasionally, until they have become golden and crispy. Dry them off on a paper towel and set aside.
- Drain most of the oil, leaving a little bit at the bottom of the pan. Reheat and add the chopped onion. Cook over low heat, stirring for 8 minutes until the onions begin to brown. Add the tomato and cook, stirring for 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, stir in the paprika, and add the resulting mixture to the lentils.
- Peel a clove of garlic and mash it down with salt, parsley, and croutons using a mortar and pestle. Add 2–3 tablespoons of the liquid you used to cook the lentils and add mixture to lentil pot. Add salt and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and garlic clove, and serve immediately in a soup bowl.
This fresh, herbaceous dish is perfect for this verdant time of year. Fragrant spices, crunchy croutons, and tender lentils come together in one dish to please the whole family.
— Inna Lapidus-Kinbere
JCC Riga Director
Anna’s Badrijani Nigvzit
(Eggplant with Nuts)
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants
1 cup walnuts, ground or finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. blue fenugreek
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. saffron
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 tbsp. boiled water, then cooled
½ cup sunflower oil, for frying
Salt, to taste
1 bunch cilantro, chopped and used as garnish
Pomegranate seeds, as garnish
Instructions
- Crush the walnuts and garlic together using a meat grinder or chop them very finely.
- Add saffron, coriander, blue fenugreek, and red pepper flakes to the mixture, then add the salt, water, and vinegar. Mix until it’s smooth.
- Remove the “tail” of the eggplant, and make long slices just shy of a half-inch wide. Place the slices in a bowl and cover fully with about 1 tablespoon of cold water for 20 minutes.
- Wipe eggplant off with a cloth, and fry in oil, flipping to ensure both sides are cooked so they’re crispy on the outside but tender in the middle. Place the cooked slices on a paper towel to drain.
- Spread the garlic and nut mixture on every eggplant slice, and roll them slightly. Add cilantro and pomegranate seeds as garnish.
This dish has been part of Georgian Jewish culture for centuries, and I will proudly continue it in my family for generations to come.
— Anna Miladze
JDC youth program coordinator in Tbilisi, Georgia
Sofia’s Borscht
Ingredients
5 tsp. olive oil
1 ¼lb. slice of bone-in beef shank (or 1 lb. of stew beef), excess fat trimmed
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
8 cups beef broth or beef stock, divided
4 large beets (about 1 ½ lbs.)
4 carrots
1 large russet potato
2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
¾ cup dill, chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large thick-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Add the shank slice or stew beef. Let it brown lightly on one side, and then turn over. Add the chopped onions and cook until they soften, about five minutes.
- Pour four cups of broth over the beef and onions and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone-tender, about 90 minutes.
- While the beef is cooking, peel and chop the beets, carrots, and potato into ½-inch pieces. Toss the beets and carrots in a teaspoon or two of olive oil, then spread them in a single layer on a foil-lined roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
- Toss the potatoes with olive oil and make room for them in the roasting pan, then roast everything an additional 15 minutes.
- Once the beef has cooked through until tender, remove from the pot and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Return the pot to the stove and add the remaining 4 cups of broth, along with the carrots, beets, and potatoes. Add the chopped meat to the pot, along with the sliced cabbage and two-thirds of the dill. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes, until the cabbage is cooked through.
- Serve garnished with the remaining dill.
I love making borscht. Even in Israel, it reminds me of childhood in St. Petersburg
— Sofia Borisov
Coordinator of JDC and the Weinberg Foundation’s “Balcony Party” program to alleviate loneliness in elderly Israelis
Maria’s Challah
Ingredients
¼ cup yeast (if using instant yeast, use 1 tbsp.)
3 eggs, divided
4 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil
About 3 ¼ cup flour
1 cup and 2 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Mix water with yeast, sugar, honey, salt, and a pinch of flour in a mixing bowl. Let the yeast do its work for about 20 minutes.
- Add one cup of flour and two eggs. Mix well, but gently.
- Add another 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix well.
- Add olive oil and mix.
- Keep adding flour until dough is soft but not sticky. When it’s the right consistency, cover it with a washcloth and leave in a warm place and let it rise for an hour.
It might not be modest to say it, but I really believe my challah recipe is the best because it’s perfectly sweet and perfectly savory at the same time.
— Maria Kos
Director of children’s and family programs at JCC Warsaw
Sara’s Congri
(Rice with Red Beans)
Ingredients
1 cup rice
½ cup red beans
2 cups water
½ cup ground beef
½ bell pepper
½ medium white onion
2 tbsp. garlic
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. laurel
1 tbsp. salt
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
¼ cup tomato puree
2 tbsp. white vinegar
Instructions
- Sauté the meat in oil until cooked.
- Add the pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, vinegar, and laurel.
- Add the beans, water, and salt.
- Cover and cook for three minutes on medium heat, then add rice and tomato puree, and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, then five minutes on low heat. Remove from heat when this is done.
- Wait five minutes, uncover, and serve.
I love volunteering in my community, especially teaching cooking classes. I even wrote a Cuban Jewish cookbook with more than 130 recipes!
— Sara Yaech Estrada
Member of the Cuban Jewish community
Lana’s Vinigret Salad
Ingredients
3 medium beets
3–5 potatoes
2 carrots
1 cup peas (either frozen or canned)
4 pickles
1 cup sauerkraut (optional)
2 tbsp. olive or sunflower oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, carrots, and beets.
- Boil the vegetables until soft. Potatoes and carrots cook faster than beets, so take them out first.
- Cool the cooked vegetables and cut them into small cubes.
- Cut pickles into small cubes.
- Add peas. If using frozen peas, pour boiling water over peas until they thaw.
- Add sauerkraut (optional).
- Mix vegetables together. Add salt, pepper, and oil, and serve.
Vinigret is a must in every Russian-speaking home. No birthday, holiday, or celebration is complete without it.
— Lana Alman
Co-chair of JDC Entwine’s first RSJ trip to China and its Inside Israel trip
Irina’s Okroshka
Ingredients
4–5 boiled medium potatoes
5–6 large cucumbers
12–15 radishes
Dill, to taste
Parsley, to taste
10 scallions
1 cup sour cream, or more to taste
4 ¼ cups kefir (1 liter)
½ tsp. salt
Juice from ¼ of a lemon
5–6 hard-boiled eggs, diced (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop vegetables and greens.
- Add salt, sour cream, and lemon juice.
- Add kefir and mix with spoon.
- Add salt and pepper and hard-boiled eggs (optional).
- Serve cold.
I love my community here in Kharkiv, and I love preparing this dish for them. Food binds us together.
— Irina
Maxim’s Boikos
Ingredients
1 cup yogurt (preferably a Bulgarian or Greek yogurt, not sweet yogurt)
Two eggs, separated
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1–2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Sesame seeds, to taste
Feta cheese, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Mix everything together, except the egg yolks and sesame seeds, until you have a fine dough.
- Make small balls of dough, and cover them with the egg yolks and sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.
My grandparents’ home was always open to guests… and so my grandmother mastered this simple dish, always having some boikos in the oven and ready to put on the table in case somebody came over.
— Maxim Delchev
Education Director, Bulgarian Jewish Community
Meri’s Kreplac
(Jewish Dumplings)
Ingredients
DUMPLINGS
1 ½ cups flour
2 eggs
2 ½ tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. water
FILLING
2/3 lb. boiled meat (beef or turkey)
1 onion
2 ½ tbsp. vegetable oil
1 hard-boiled egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
Instructions
- Mix eggs with water, salt, flour, and vegetable oil to form dough.
- Knead dough until it’s smooth, without lumps. Then, form it into a ball and cover with a napkin for 30 minutes.
- Put the boiled meat through a meat grinder twice, then place in a large bowl.
- Fry the onion in vegetable oil and add to the meat.
- Chop the hard-boiled egg and add to the minced meat and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
- Roll the dough into a thin sheet (less than ¼ inch think), then cut into squares.
- Put a dollop of minced meat into the center of each square and form a triangle with the dough to enclose the filling.
- Fry the dumplings in vegetable oil, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. You’ll know you’re done when they’re a golden color.
- Before serving, put the dumplings in vegetable or chicken broth and cook until they rise to the top.
It’s so important to me that Jewish traditions are not forgotten. I am sharing this recipe so that Jews everywhere know the hallmarks of our cuisine.
— Meri
Leader of the JDC-supported “Warm Home” program in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Nela’s Bosnian – Style Rugelach
Ingredients
DOUGH
4 cups flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. yeast
½ cup milk
½ cup water
1 egg
½ cup margarine
1 egg yolk, for glazing
FILLING
1 cup Nutella
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup coconut sugar
TOPPING
7/8 cup water
1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine water and milk, heating until warm. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and the yeast. Leave to ferment for about 10 minutes.
- Combine the other dough ingredients in a food processor, then put them in a bowl and add the yeast mixture. Feel free to add more liquid if needed.
- Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface and divide into four balls. Cover them with a cloth and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Flatten the first ball of dough with a rolling pin, then spread half the Nutella on it and sprinkle with half the cocoa powder and half the coconut sugar. Then, flatten the second ball and place it on top of the first one, spreading to your desired thickness with a rolling pin. Divide the resulting round shape into 16 equal-sized triangles, and roll them into the shape of rugelach.
- Repeat the process with the two remaining dough balls.
- Arrange the rugelach on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and coat with the egg yolk. Bake in a pre-heated 480-degree oven (250 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes.
- While the rugelach are cooking, mix the water and sugar and boil it to create a sugar syrup.
- When the rugelach are golden-brown, take them out and coat them with the sugar syrup.
I love to make rugelach. It makes me think of living in Israel when my children were little and of happy times with my family.”
— Nela Hasic
ThinkPink founder and JDC Tikkun in Action grant recipient
Nylka’s Arepas
(with Reina Pepiada filling)
Ingredients
2 cups pre-cooked cornmeal (masarepa)
4 cups warm water
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
A pinch of sal
Instructions
- Mix the water and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the flour and start mixing the ingredients together with the help of a fork or spoon. Knead from the outside in, so that the flour completely absorbs the water, giving you a uniform dough. The dough is at its best when it doesn’t stick to your hands. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
- Make balls of dough the size of meatballs and then flatten them into a circle about ½–inch thick (1.5 cm).
- To make arepas, either bake or fry them. If frying, fry in oil for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. If baking, first cook the arepas on a griddle for 7 min. on each side; then bake at 350-degrees until the outside is crunchy. If you don’t have a griddle, use a skillet or cast-iron frying pan.
- Fill your arepas with cheese, ground beef, chicken, or whatever you want!
I love to cook for Shabbat dinners and Jewish holiday celebrations with my family.
— Nylka Cohen
Head of Yachad, the Venezuelan Jewish community’s welfare program
Gilda’s Apple Jam
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and grated to yield approximately 3 ½ cups, loosely packed
1 ¹/3 cups water
1 cup sugar
Handful of raw, peeled almonds (optional)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer water and sugar for 10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the grated apple and stir well until it comes to a boil, then reduce to medium heat.
- Add the almonds, if using, and continue to boil gently for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally at first, then frequently, until the mixture becomes jam-like and a spoonful holds its shape on a chilled plate.
- Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and stir over low heat for another few minutes.
- Spoon into a clean jar, seal, and allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
Every Rosh Hashanah, my grandmother, who lived in Athens, made my favorite apple jam and mailed it to us in New York. When my husband and I got married in Greece during September, she lovingly prepared 400 small jars as wedding favors for our guests!
— Sharon Benmayor`
Member of the Jewish community in Athens, Greece
Forshmak
Ingredients
10–14 oz. (300 to 400 grams) of cooked herring
3 hardboiled eggs
1 medium onion, diced
1 apple, diced
1 tbsp. vinegar or 1 tbsp. sunflower oil (depending on herring preparation)
Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together until uniform.
- If herring was cooked in oil, add vinegar; otherwise, add oil and no vinegar.
- Serve as an independent meal, or on toast.
When I was little, my family received parcels of food from JDC on Jewish holidays. Now I feel that working in the Jewish community is my way to give back.
— Ana Omelchuk
JDC Entwine Community Representative and donor relations manager at the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Former Soviet Union (FJC-FSU)
