🥒 Kabees (Levantine pickles)
Kabees is the Arabic word for pickles, and the classic Levantine jar mixes crunchy cucumbers, turnips dyed bright pink by a slice of beetroot, and hot green chillies. They are sour, salty and very crisp. A small plate of kabees sits on almost every table next to falafel, shawarma, grills and rice dishes.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g small cucumbers
- 500 g turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 small beetroot, peeled and sliced
- 4 green chillies
- 4 garlic cloves
- 500 ml water
- 250 ml white vinegar
- 2 tbsp salt
Method
- Pack the vegetables, chillies and garlic into clean jars, tucking beetroot slices between the turnips.
- Bring the water, vinegar and salt to the boil until the salt dissolves; cool slightly.
- Pour the brine over the vegetables to cover them completely and seal.
- Leave at room temperature 5–7 days until sour and pink, then keep in the fridge.
How to make it lighter
- Pickles are very low in calories and add crunch and flavour to a lighter plate.
- They are high in salt, so keep the portion to a small side plate.
- Use them instead of rich sauces with grilled meat or falafel.
History
Preserving vegetables in vinegar and salt is an old practice across the Middle East, keeping summer produce for the winter. Today pink turnips and pickled cucumbers are made at home and sold in jars and from barrels throughout Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and the Gulf.
Count it in one photo
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →