Zibdiyit Gambari is a traditional recipe from Gaza; a spicy prawn (shrimp) and tomato stew that’s cooked in an unglazed claypot.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
Zibdiyit Gambari
What is zibdiyit gambari? Simply put, it means prawns (or shrimp) in a claypot.
You’ll recall that I talked about the zibdiya in out Dagga Gazawiyah recipe. They are little unglazed claypots that are an integral part of every Gazan kitchen. Much like the pestle and mortar in various other cuisines around the world.
The zibdiya is made from clay, left unglazed and is used for pounding just about anything, with a wooden pestle. It is often used to serve food in.
The bigger versions are used for cooking and serving straight at the table, like our zibdiyit gambari today.
Seafood, Spices and Gaza
If you take a look at the map of Gaza, you’ll see that it is a thin strip of land running along the Mediterranean sea, hence the oft-used term, Gaza strip. Given its coastline, it is not surprising that seafood has always played a big part in both its cuisine and economy.
Unfortunately, this has been drastically reduced over the years with restrictions imposed upon the Palestinian people, affecting their livelihoods.
Did you know that Gaza is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back about 5 000 years? Its location means that it was an important trading port for much of its history, especially for the spice trade going through the Red Sea.
Is Gazan Food Spicy?
The spice trade explains why, unlike much of Levantine and Middle Eastern cuisines, Gazan food enjoys quite a bit of a kick with its love of spices.
Chillies are liberally used as we saw in the above mentioned Dagga Gazawiyah recipe, the hot tomato and dill salsa. So is food from Gaza spicy? It can be, but isn’t always so.
You’ll find mild as well and spicy dishes.
Zibdiyit Gambari Recipe
Zibdiyit Gambari is a very, very easy recipe to cook up. I owe this recipe (and a few others) to Dania, an old Palestinian friend of mine, whose family is from Gaza. Worryingly, it’s coming up to about 3 months since I last heard from her, at the time of writing. But I remain hopeful.
This Gazan dish is best cooked in an unglazed claypot, as it’s done in Gaza. However, if you haven’t got one, don’t fret, you can still enjoy its delicious magic, by using an ordinary saucepan, or wide dish.
This is what we’ll be doing:
- Peel and de vein the prawns if they weren’t bought prepared.
- Chop all the aromatics, as necessary. We’ll be pounding/grinding the chillies, garlic and salt.
- Start cooking by frying the onions, then the chilli mix ans spices.
- Add the tomatoes and dill, cook for 10 – 15 minutes (a claypot will take longer).
- Add prawns, and cook another 5 – 10 minutes (a claypot will take longer).
- Optional finish – place under a hot grill for 3 – 5 minutes to “crust” over.
- Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, parsley, chilli flakes and sesame seeds (or almond flakes or pine nuts).
Easy, right?
The Ingredients
Let’s take a brief look at some of the ingredients, shall we?
The Prawns, aka Shrimp
You want medium-sized prawns, nothing too big or small. Shell off is best for easier eating, but keep the tail on for a prettier presentation, if you like.
And always, always, cook wth raw prawns. Cooked prawns are deader than the dodo, you’re not going to get any flavour from them, they’ll also feel like chewing wet cotton!
Chillies in Zibdiyit Gambari
We use green chillies in this recipe, as is traditional. I’m using 2 chillies. You can double that if you like, and use a hotter variety for a hotter zibdiyit gambari.
Tomatoes
This is where I’ve made some changes to the original recipe shared with me. The traditional recipe calls for fresh tomatoes grown in Gaza. And in the summer, when we have lots of tomatoes growing in the garden, I do that too.
However, more often than not, I prefer using chopped tomatoes from a can, for the simple reason that they give greater depth to a dish, compared to fresh tomatoes.
Along the same lines, I am using sundried tomato paste, instead of regular concentrated tomato paste in our zibdiyit gambari. If you’ve been following me a while, you know how much I love the depth and complexity of sundried tomato paste compared to regular.
But it’s up to you, use fresh tomatoes if you prefer, and regular tomato paste, if that’s your thing.
The Finish/Garnish
We finish off our dish, just before serving, with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, parsley, chilli flakes and sesame seeds. You can use toasted almond flakes or pine nuts, instead of the seeds, if you prefer.
In the video, I mention that I’m only using Aleppo pepper, which are not spicy at all. However, my favourite way is definitely with chilli flakes that have a bit of heat. Again, this is up to you.
Sometimes, I lightly fry the garnish before drizzling all over this Palestinian shrimp stew. Just like do with Sumakiyyah, click for recipe.
Where to Buy Zibdiya?
Genuine Gazan zibdiya is going to be hard to come by these days, as you might imagine. So the alternative is to source out a pottery making source near you or online.
You want an unglazed claypot. A tagine will work perfectly for this, but it has to be unglazed. Why do I keep emphasizing that? Because cooking in a clapot that has been glazed is like cooking in a regular saucepan. You will not be getting any of the depth that unglazed claypots impart into a dish.
Your recipe, whether you are cooking today’s shrimp recipe from Gaza, or any other, will thank you for it.
How to Serve Zibdiyit Gambari?
One of the best ways to enjoy this Palestinian prawn recipe is with bread. In Arabic countries, you’ll find bread being used instead of a spoon or a fork to scoop up sauces and stews. And that’s what we need here.
Whatever bread will work. You know when I share a Middle Eastern recipe with you, I never insist on Middle Eastern bread. Whatever bread you can get or make, is going to be perfect for scooping up all that delicious tomato sauce in your claypot. But flatbread is designed for scooping, so is the perfect option!
Having said that, I’ve also eaten and served zibdiyit gambari with rice, freekeh and couscous. So you can also do that if you prefer.
Want to make this Vegan?
If you want to turn this into a vegan Palestinian dish from Gaza, just swap the prawns for any of the following:
- tofu
- vegan protein pieces
- almost any vegetable – add aubergines (eggplants) and courgettes (zucchini) with the tomatoes, while quick cooking vegetables like peas, capsicum (bell peppers) and green beans will only need 5 minutes or so.
And that’s all there is to it. Shall we get our aprons on?
If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating!😉
If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram and tag me @azlinbloor.
Lin xx
More Palestinian Recipes from Gaza
Zibdiyit Gambari Recipe (Spicy Prawns and Tomato Stew Recipe)
Ingredients
- 500 g raw prawns
- 2 Tbsp EV olive oil
- 200 g chopped tomatoes from a can this is a small tin in the UK
- 2 Tbsp sundried tomato paste or regular concentrated tomato paste
- 125 ml water
- ½ tsp white sugar
Aromatics and Herbs
- 1 medium onion about 150g prepeeled weight
- 2-3 green chillies
- 3 medium cloves garlic
- 1 small handful fresh dill
Spices
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
To Finish
- 2 Tbsp EV olive oil
- 4 stalks parsley
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
Prep Work
- Shell and devein the prawns if they’re not already done so.
- Finely chop the onions, dill and parsley. Set aside, separately.
- Roughly chop the chillies, then grind them and the garlic, with 1 pinch of salt, with a pestle and mortar. No pestle and mortar? Use a food chopper or cut them up real small with a knife.
Let's Get Cooking
- Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil on medium heat and fry the onions for 2 minutes, until soft.If you're using a claypot, don't forget your diffuser. It will also take about 10 minutes for the oil to heat up if you're using a claypot, so be patient.
- Tip in the dried spices and chilli dagga (paste) you prepared earlier and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, dill, sugar and water, and stir. Bring to a simmer, then cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes on low heat.If using a claypot, it will take a good 10 minutes or so for things to come to a simmer. When they do, cook for 15 minutes (only if using claypot).
- Add the prawns and coat them with the tomato sauce. Bring back to a simmer (shouldn’t take long at all), and cook for 5 minutes if using a regular saucepan and 10 minutes if using a claypot.
- OPTIONAL STEP – heat the grill on max and place your pan under the grill for 3 minutes for the surface to crust slightly. If doing this, cut down your claypot cooking time by 3 minutes.
- Take if off the heat, drizzle the olive oil all over and sprinkle the sesame seeds, parsley and chilli flakes. Serve immediately, but be careful, as it will be hot.
This was so good. I made it in an old clay pot I bought in Spain. Wish I’d made twice the amount! Next time I will!
I’m so pleased to hear that!