The secret ingredient to a lavish Bedouin feast

The deep red of ground sumac brings to mind the ripest strawberry, though the spice’s flavor veers lemony and tart — like a floral vinegar distilled into powder. Its brightness defines sumaqqiyeh, a Palestinian stew with origins in Gaza City,...

Mansaf is a typical Bedouin dish that comes from Hebron in the West Bank. It is served at large family gatherings, for celebrations or simply to honor special guests. Traditionally it was made with a whole lamb, with the lamb’s head proudly placed...

At House of Mandi in Anaheim, a young server requires both hands to hoist a platter full of gold. The menu labels it “No. 7,” a hulking tray of rice, chicken and lamb stained in sunset shades of turmeric and saffron. So many meaty, half-buried...

Looking down at a bowl of fatteh at Nawal, a weekend pop-up in Solano Canyon near Dodger Stadium, the carefully sectioned ingredients look as if they’re poised to begin whirling. The color palette isn’t too far off from the spinning pinwheel that...

Tableside chopped shrimp Louie for 2 at Dear Jane’s Dear Jane’s is the type of place I imagine my grandparents frequenting when they were chic, boat-toting, martini-guzzling, cigarette-smoking revelers in the ’60s. I could see them mooring their...