hey everyone i'm Nima welcome to my youtube channel so today in this video we're going to
be talking about a spice blend which is called zotar or zatak and i think not a lot of people
know what it exactly is where did it come from best way to use it best way to keep and store it
how can we even make it at home and a lot more so if you want to get the
answer to all those questions you're in the right place and keep watching this video
so what is zotar it's basically a very simple but flavorful and fragrant middle
eastern spice blend which can be used in a lot of different ways in a lot of different ways
and dotara is basically a very important and traditional part of arabic cuisine and it has
been used for thousands of years and at first it actually was used as a medicine but over time they
start to use it in food they start to use it in cooking and to this day we still know that data
is a great source of energy it boosts your immune system and it's really good for the brain and
actually in the middle east students before their like exam week or exam month or whatever they tend
to eat a lot of the tar because it's really good for the brain and it might be cool to know that
the name of this seasoning like zatar or zatar is actually the name of a plant herb in the middle
east how is the tar mate so before i answer that question i just wanted to let you know that just
like curry powder zotar does not have a standard recipe and its recipe varies from region to region
based on what the people in that region like you know like for instance if the people in one region
like spiciness they would add like chili flakes to the zatar if a people if the people of the of one
region like i don't know like citrusy flavors they would add lime lemon or orange zest to it
there is a tar you know you know what i mean and yeah so but like what's in a classic zatar
so it's basically thyme oregano margarine sesame seeds salt and the most important ingredient in
zatar sumac and sumac is what gives the tar that like reddish brown dark color you know what i mean
all of these ingredients make sothor a super super special blend because it's full of different
flavors it's full of so many different flavors it's herby because of oregano thyme and marjoram
it's a little nutty because of sesame seeds it's salty because of salt and it's a little tangy and
citrusy because of sumac you see so it has a very very nice balance of like many different flavors
so what is the classic ratio to make the tar it's basically equal parts for all the
herbs and sesame seeds so equal parts for uh thyme oregano marjoram and sesame seeds
let's say you're using one tablespoon for each so one tablespoon oregano mushroom uh thyme
and sesame seeds but for sumac sue might gotta be a little bit more than like everything else
so multiply whatever measurement you're using over there by 1.5 if you're using one tablespoon for
all those ingredients use a tablespoon and a half for sumac if you're using one cup over there use a
cup and a half for sumac and salt you basically can just add a pinch of salt to it you know it
doesn't it doesn't have like an exact measurement of salt and you always can like taste it see if
it needs more salt add a little bit more if not that's totally okay and there are two ways to make
satar or zatar uh these two ways depends on how you use your sesame seeds some people like to
blend their sesame seed until it's like a powdery consistency but some people like to leave it as a
whole but before you do anything with your sesame seed make sure to toast it because when you toast
the sesame seed all the oil basically come out of the sesame seeds and it's much more flavorful
which is super nice you know so and if you want to learn more about sesame seeds like more in depth
i've made a video about it make sure to watch that one on your on my youtube channel thank you
so first of all you would basically pour all of your sesame seed that you're gonna use in a
small saute pan and toast it over medium heat for about two to three minutes until you can smell the
aroma you know and then after that you would basically like let it cool to room temperature
and then depending on what you like you can either blend it or leave it as a whole
and then combine all the ingredients all the herbs sumac sesame seeds salt in a small bowl
mix it and then there you go you have a nice homemade zatar or zata if you think you've learned
something watching this video so far please hit that like button down below so youtube will show
this video to more people who are interested to learn about zatar thank you so throughout this
video i've been saying that there are a lot of different ways to use zatar but what are those
ways so first of all the most traditional way if you want to use the tar the most traditional way
is you need to have two small bowls one filled with good quality olive oil and the other filled
with freshly made zot you would basically cut your pita bread into small triangles
and then you would dip your pita bread first in the olive oil and then in the tar and when you
do that the tar basically like coats your bread and then you can just enjoy it like
that that's the most traditional one but you can basically sprinkle zatar on i would say everything
everything like literally everything you can sprinkle it on hummus on baba ganoush on your rice
on your sandwiches whatever sandwich you have if you want to make roasted vegetables sprinkle some
zatara on top of it you can sprinkle some zatar on your salad in your salad dressing in yogurt
basically whatever you want and eggs eggs yeah eggs is like one of the good ways to use the tart
too if you're making like fried eggs sunny side up over easy whatever just sprinkle some zatara on
top of it it gives a really really nice flavor you can use it as a rub on chicken on salmon on beef
on lamb on basically whatever protein you want and then it's really nice if you use it in meatballs
because it's like herby it's citrusy it's salty it's really really nice if you use it in meatballs
and you can even make little pita chips a little like zaatar pita chips you know
uh cut your pita bread into like small triangles again and then add some olive oil on top of it
sprinkle some zaatar put it in the oven until it's crispy i think now you know what i mean by there
are a lot of different ways to use the top right how to keep and stores at ours so it's basically
just like any other spice any other spice blend you got to keep it in an airtight container
in a cool dark place and you can basically buy zatar in any supermarket i would say nowadays
it's available and like everywhere but in my opinion it's always better if you make it at home
and always make small batches at a time so you will run out quickly and you will make a new
batch so you always have a fresh batch you know what i mean but if you want if it's your first
time you can buy zatar in the supermarket to see like how it what is the flavor of it how it tastes
and stuff and then the next time you can make it for yourself and adjust it adjust the recipe how
you like it you know all right so now that you know everything about zotar you know what it is
you know where it came from you know how to use it you know how to keep and store it all that stuff
i would basically let you know what is the right way to pronounce this word so the right way is
that that and if you don't speak Arabic Persian or Farsi i don't think you're going to be able
to pronounce this like the right way because there is this litter in the middle which comes
from your throat it's like eh it comes from your throat and if you haven't spoken any like Arabic
Persian or Farsi your throat is not used to that letter and yeah so the right way is zaatar but
in English they always call it zaatar alright everyone this is the end of the video thank
you for watching i hope you learned something watching this video and if you think you like
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to my YouTube channel thank you and until the next video i will see you all later thank you
you