Lugma : Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East – 9781837832019

THE GUARDIAN’S TOP FOOD BOOK OF 2025. “I adore this book. It’s personal, beautifully written – Noor’s voice draws you in and holds you there – and the recipes are absolutely glorious.” – Diana Henry”There’s an incredible generosity to Noor’s cooking, capturing the spirit of so many cooks across the Middle East: bold gestures, big flavours, whole universes of food around a single table.

Noor is also a unique talent; her cooking reflects the essence of home comfort, plus an unmatched innovative palate.” – Yotam OttolenghiIn Lugma, Noor offers over 100 recipes as an ode to the food she grew up eating – traditional flavours and modern dishes from Bahrain, the surrounding Middle East, and beyond. Lugma in Arabic means a bite. For Noor, as a chef and co-author of two Ottolenghi Test Kitchen cookbooks, her career has been centred around taking bites of food and analysing them to create the perfect dish.

Raised in Bahrain and now based in London, Noor takes you on a culinary journey to celebrate her own food culture. Her recipes are inspired by the foods of her upbringing: the elaborate rice dishes and black limes of the Gulf, an abundance of herbs and sour flavours from Iran, liberal spice and chilli heat from India and the vibrant foods of the Levant – to create a unique collection of traditional and re-imagined dishes from the Middle East. From Spring Time Fattoush and Stuffed Baby Aubergines to Slow-cooked Fenugreek Lamb with Pickled Chillies and Pistachio Cake with Labneh, these beautiful and inspirational recipes are full of love and warmth to be recreated in your own kitchen.