Levantine cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Kousa Meqli bi Naanaa

Golden fried zucchini slices, marinated hot with garlic, mint and lemon.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g zucchini
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch mint
• 80 ml olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the zucchini and cut into 1 cm thick slices, salt them and let drain on paper towels for 10 min., then pat dry.
2. Finely grate the garlic and whisk with the vinegar, the juice of the lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt to make a marinade.
3. Pick the mint leaves from the stems, finely chop half of them and stir into the marinade.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan until very hot and fry the zucchini slices in batches for 2–3 min. per side, until golden brown and easily releasing from the pan.
5. Layer the slices straight from the pan into a shallow dish, drizzling each layer with the marinade right away – the zucchini absorbs the flavor best while hot.
6. Let sit for at least 15 min., scatter with the remaining mint leaves and serve lukewarm or cold.