Balaleet is a breakfast of the Gulf coast, and an Emirati favorite for Eid mornings: thin vermicelli toasted in ghee, sweetened and perfumed with saffron, cardamom and rose water, and covered with a thin omelet. The pasta came with merchants who sailed between the Gulf, Persia and India, and the combination of sweet noodles and savory egg sounds unlikely right up to the first bite.

In the coastal towns of Abu Dhabi, where trading dhows once came and went, it is the dish of slow mornings with family. It is quick, comforting and ideal for a race day that starts with breakfast and ends long after dark.

Sweet saffron vermicelli

Ingredients

• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rose water
• 8 oz (225 g) fine wheat vermicelli
• 3 tablespoons (40 g) ghee
• 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. Crumble the saffron into the warm rose water and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the ghee in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the dry vermicelli and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Bring a large pan of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a boil, add the toasted vermicelli and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or 1 minute less than the packet says. Drain well.
4. Melt the remaining ghee in the skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar, cardamom, pinch of salt and the saffron rose water and stir for 1 minute until the sugar melts. Add the drained vermicelli and toss for 2 to 3 minutes.

The omelet

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) ghee or butter

Method

1. Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper until smooth.
2. Melt the ghee in the medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs and swirl the pan so they cover the base in a thin layer. Cook without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook 30 seconds more.

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