Jordanian · side

Galayet Bandora (Tomatoes Fried in Olive Oil with Chilli)

Galayet Bandora (Tomatoes Fried in Olive Oil with Chilli) reads allium 4.7, sweetness 4.2 and salinity 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Jordanian side, about 24 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Allium 4.7 · Sweetness 4.2 · Salinity 3.6 · Heat 3.1 · Richness 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Warm Spice 2.4 · Earthy 2.2 · Bitterness 2.0 · Sourness 1.7 · Umami 1.7 · Fruity 1.5 · Floral 0.9 · Citrus 0.8 · Nutty 0.7

What's in it (10)

Time & effort: about 24 min (19 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 18.7 kcal, 0.6 g protein, 0.3 g fat, 3.4 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

  1. Use tomatoes at the far end of ripe — the ones that have gone slightly soft. The dish is nothing but tomato, oil and heat, so an underripe supermarket tomato produces a watery, sour pan of nothing.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a wide shallow pan over medium heat and fry the sliced garlic and the split chillies for 90 seconds, until the garlic is just turning gold at the edges. Do not let it brown properly or the whole dish tastes bitter.
  3. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the tomato wedges cut side down in a single layer and leave them undisturbed for 4 minutes so they blister and catch on the bottom of the pan. That contact colour is where the flavour comes from.
  4. Turn them once, season with the salt, black pepper, cumin and sugar, and cook 10 to 12 minutes more, pressing some of the wedges lightly with a spoon and leaving others whole, until the tomatoes have collapsed into a thick jammy sauce with pieces still recognisable and the olive oil has separated and risen to the surface in a red pool.
  5. That separated oil is the sign the dish is done. If it is still watery, keep going.
  6. Take off the heat, scatter with the parsley and let it stand 5 minutes.
  7. Serve straight from the pan, warm rather than hot, with warm bread for scooping. It is breakfast, lunch and a side dish for grilled meat, and it is better after ten minutes standing.
  8. Substitutions: mint can stand in for the flat-leaf parsley; pita breads (400 g) can stand in for the taboon breads.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.