Lugmeh in Arabic means a bite, or a mouthful. For Noor, as a chef and the former head of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, her whole career has been centered around taking bites of food and analyzing them: more acid here, a pinch of salt there, missing sweetness overall. Inevitably it comes down to whether or not there's a second bite, or a third. If it’s a dish you want to keep eating, it’s probably really good; if it’s a dish you can’t wait to make for others, then you know it’s a winner. Noor has offered over 100 recipe winners in Lugmeh, an ode to the food she grew up eating—a mix of food from Bahrain and the surrounding Middle East with a slightly westernized slant, thanks to her English roots (her mother is English).

Bahraini food pulls on many culinary influences—an abundance of herbs, dried limes and sour flavours from Iran, liberal spice and chile heat from India, the elaborate rice dishes from the region, and the flavors of the Levant that are world-renowned—to create a unique and flavor-packed cuisine. From Spring Time Fattoush and Stuffed Baby Aubergines to Slow-cooked Fenugreek Lamb with Pickled Chillies and Pistachio Cake with Labneh, these are beautiful recipes full of love and warmth that you will return to time and again.