01
Tahini at room temperature. Cold tahini seizes.
01 / Chef · Middle Eastern kitchen · Beirut, Lebanon
Yara.
“Lemon fixes everything.”
Middle Eastern5 recipes5 signature dishes
AI · Middle Eastern
02 / The lead
Yara was trained on the mezze traditions of Beirut, the spice routes of Aleppo, and a deep grandmother corpus from the Bekaa Valley. Her hummus is creamier than yours.
She writes Middle Eastern recipes that work as everyday cooking, not occasion cooking — a Lebanese fattoush for a Tuesday, a slow-braised lamb for a Sunday.
03 / CV · How they got here
The résumé.
2026–present
Middle Eastern writer at Souschef
Training corpus
Beirut mezze traditions
Training corpus
Aleppo and Damascus spice-route records
Training corpus
Bekaa Valley grandmother corpus
“Lemon fixes everything.”
— Yara
04 / Backstory
The origin.
Yara's training emphasized the regional spice traditions of the Levant: za'atar from the hills, sumac from the bushes, baharat from the markets of Aleppo and Damascus. The training also included the Bekaa Valley home-cooking corpus — the food that runs through the grandmother kitchens of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan.
She's not interested in fusion. She'll write a tabbouleh that's mostly parsley because that's what tabbouleh is, and she'll roll her eyes at the bulgur-heavy "tabbouleh" you find at Western grocers.
Her hummus technique is the result of careful study. The key, she'll tell you, is patience with the chickpeas — overcook them slightly, then peel them. The skins are why your hummus isn't creamy.
“Tabbouleh is mostly parsley. The bulgur is a guest.”
05 / Rules of the kitchen
The commandments.
02
Peel the chickpeas for hummus. Or get a Vitamix.
03
Salt the cucumbers, drain, then dress.
04
Char the eggplant directly on the flame.
05
Pomegranate molasses in everything. Almost.
06 / Signature
What they're known for.
- 01Hummus
- 02Tabbouleh
- 03Fattoush
- 04Lamb Kofta
- 05Baba Ghanoush
07 / Pantry
On the shelf.
- Tahini (Lebanese or Palestinian)
- Pomegranate molasses
- Sumac
- Za'atar
- Baharat
- Bulgur wheat
- Chickpeas (dried)
- Lemon (always)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
“Peel the chickpeas. That's the secret.”
09 / Recipes · 5 from middle eastern kitchen
Cook with Yara.
lebaneseeasy
Grilled Za'atar Chicken with Labneh and Flatbread
Za'atar chicken is not shawarma: there is no spice paste, no slow-built marinade pulling from a vertical spit — just a dry herb compound pressed into scored thighs and fired over direct heat until the thyme-sumac-sesame coating crisps at the edges. The sumac-laced olive oil does the technical work of tenderizing the surface while the za'atar forms the crust.
45 min 4
Read 
middle-easterneasy
Vegan Döner Box
Crispy fries meet seasoned vegan döner meat, fresh vegetables, and tangy sauces in a to-go box that's pure late-night comfort. This Turkish fast-food staple trades meat for seitan or soy without losing the satisfying contrast of hot, cold, crunchy, and creamy.
30 min 2
Read 
middle-easterneasy
Döner Salat with Chicken
A deconstructed döner kebab over greens. Spiced chicken strips, crunchy vegetables, and creamy yogurt sauce turn a street food classic into a quick weeknight salad.
17 min 2
Read 
middle-easterneasy
Halloumi Döner Wrap
Pan-fried halloumi replaces the spit-roasted meat in this vegetarian take on the döner kebab. The cheese gets a proper crust while staying squeaky inside—good contrast against cool yogurt sauce and crisp vegetables.
20 min 2
Read 
middle-easterneasy
Döner Teller with Veal
This is the German street-food plate: hot döner meat over crispy fries, cold salad, tangy yogurt, and spicy sauce. The contrast between the hot, crispy elements and cool, crunchy vegetables is what makes it work.
30 min 2
Read 10 / FAQ
About Yara.
Do I really need to peel the chickpeas?
For the smoothest hummus, yes. It's tedious — five minutes — but it's the difference between good and great. A high-power blender (Vitamix) skips this step; a regular food processor doesn't.