My travels inspired this Chicken with Black Lime post in the Middle East, where exotic dried limes are often used to flavor stews, soups, fish and tea.

I first encountered black limes at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) market years ago.  The aroma-laden air in Old Dubai’s spice souk was intoxicating.

Old Dubai’s Spice Market from Deira Creek

Wandering through the narrow alleyways along Deira Creek, the technicolored displays of barrels of familiar and unfamiliar herbs and spices were mesmerizing.

The assortment varied a little from stall to stall, and I wanted to sample each unusual herb, spice or spice blend.  On this day, I was intrigued by rock hard, black and golden walnut-size dried fruit, loomi amani, according to spice seller, which means Omani lime, commonly called black limes.

As mentioned in previous posts, I routinely visit local food and spice markets when traveling internationally, a practice that reflects an interest in learning more about the native population. Although traditions and cultures differ, we all eat, and I am guided by French epicure and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s 1826 aphorism: Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are, (Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.)  Observing which foodstuffs are available in the market and watching native shoppers choose what to buy, I learn something about what they eat, an initial step to understanding who they are.

I left the Dubai spice souk that day with bags of cardamom, saffron, large cinnamon sticks, turmeric, fenugreek, several curry blends and a handful of loomi amani.  Upon returning home, I readily incorporated the cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, turmeric and curry blends in familiar recipes, but the black limes stayed in a sealed jar for several years until our daughter Sophia returned from Dubai with more black limes.  Now I had to put them to use.   So, a little research was in order.

Black limes are a flavoring staple in cuisines along the Persian Gulf littoral — in Bahrain, Oman, Iran, Iraq UAE as well as northern India. Black Limes are whole sun-dried limes boiled in brine and dried again, ranging n size from 1-1.5 inches (2.5-40 cm) diameter, and in color from tan to black, a function of the length of drying time.  Although often mislabeled as Persian limes, black limes are made from a species of Malaysian lime, Citrus aurantifolia, cultivated in Oman.

A colorful description of black limes’ significant role in Emirati cuisine was published by Arva Ahmed, co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company: Loomi are no substitute for fresh limes, nor should they be confused with Moroccan salt-preserved lemons.  On the scale of sourness, a fresh lime is the lively graduate of the orchard, naive about the heat of life and best spritzed when a dish is off the flame.  A Moroccan lemon is the mature mother of sourness. She has weathered days of harsh saltiness and can gracefully stand her ground through a slow braise.  Loomi is the wise old lady, wrinkled and fermented with age, she now meets the heat hand-in-hand with meats and pulses in stews, braises, grills and layered rice dishes,  Give her time and she will deepen your dishes with flavour.  Treat her carelessly and she will make them bitter.*

 Middle Eastern cooks use dried limes only as seasoning.  When the intimidating dark, leathery skin is broken, the loomi’s earthy interior is revealed – a glossy, dried black pulp and seeds with an intense, musky citrus aroma.   Whole limes, pierced with a knife, are added to stews, soups, sauces or rice dishes that, as the limes are rehydrating in the liquid, impart a salty tang to the dish.  Ground cracked and seeded dried limes are often used as a dry rub or sprinkled on meats, seafood or lentils, in marinades, or steeped as tea.

In my first attempt to cook with black limes, I searched Middle Eastern recipes for a stew or braise with simple ingredients that would highlight the flavor of the black lime.  Most of the recipes I found also included numerous other spices which I thought would mask the black lime flavor.  I eventually settled on this Chicken with Black Lime recipe from Andrew Zimmern that is similar to but incorporates fewer spices than Persian and Bahraini dishes.

Zimmern’s recipe consists of three easy steps and uses black limes in two ways: as a crushed powder integrated into a paste used to marinate the chicken overnight and as whole limes, merely pierced, added to the final braising liquid.   The remainder of the recipe takes minutes to assemble and can be prepared over two days with marinating chicken, cutting vegetables and measuring out spices on day 1 and assembling the dish on day 2.

This Chicken with Black Lime has a citrus fragrance and subtle tanginess.  Surprisingly, it is not sour. The remaining spices – ginger, fennel seeds, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, black cardamom, saffron and garlic – play flavorful supporting roles to the black limes. The sweetness of the onions, dried apricots and tamarind paste adds a mellow fruitiness. A sprinkling of parsley and especially the mint just before serving imparts freshness to the dish.  This Chicken with Black Lime, when served over steamed basmati rice with a squeeze of lemon, captures the flavors and aromas of Middle Eastern cooking.  It is delicious hot or cold.  This recipe will have a repeat spot in my cooking repertoire and its seductive taste encourages me to try other black lime recipes.

Chicken with Black Lime, adapted from Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures — https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-with-black-limes

3 black limes, 1 crushed and seeds discarded, others pierced with knife**
1 tablespoon fresh peeled ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper***
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 black cardamom pods, crushed, shells discarded****
1 pinch saffron
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 ½ pounds (    g) chicken thighs and drumsticks, trimmed of excess fat and loose skin
Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
Steamed basmati rice, for serving

In a mortar, combine the crushed black lime with the ginger, fennel seeds, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, garlic, cardamom seeds and saffron; using the pestle, finely grind the mixture. (I used a blender to grind the dry spices and garlic.)

Spices

Gradually stir in the olive oil. Scrape the paste into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat, then seal and refrigerate overnight.

Marinating overnight

Next day, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the chicken from the marinade and season with salt. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or other heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add half the chicken and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned about 8 minutes. Add stock, apricots, tamarind and whole black limes and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the casserole, cover and braise in the oven for about 50 minutes, until the chicken is tender.

Ready to braise

Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil; discard the black limes. Simmer the sauce over moderately high heat until reduced by one-third, about 7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and mint and season with salt; serve with steamed rice.

Serves 6

*Arva Ahmed, Loomi: Dried limes that should be tossed in, not out, Friday magazine, July 20, 2017 — https://fridaymagazine.ae/life-culture/loomi-dried-limes-that-should-be-tossed-in-not-out-1.2061757

** Whole dried black limes and dried black lime powder are available in Middle Eastern stores and online from www.amazon.com  and  www.kalustyans.com.

***Aleppo pepper, named after the Syrian region where it was cultivated for centuries, is made from a semi-dried, de-seeded, and coarsely ground burgundy chile known as the Halaby pepper.  It is a common Middle Eastern condiment, traditionally used to season meat, beans, salads, half as hot as the crushed red chile flakes.  Currently, this pepper is largely sourced from Turkey due to the challenges of growing and exporting from war-torn Syria. Available online.

**** Black cardamom,  Amomum subulatum, (also known as hill cardamom, Bengal cardamom, greater cardamom, Indian cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged cardamom, big cardamon, or brown cardamom) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Zingiberaceae family  Its seed pods, used as a spice, have a strong, camphor-like smoky flavor derived from the method of drying over open flames.  Green cardamom, used in Indian cooking and Scandinavian pastries, is not a substitute.  Black cardamom is available online from www.thespicehouse.com.

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Two years ago:  http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/chicken-paprikas-2/
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Five years ago:  http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/discovering-perus-foodways-part-2/
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