Oozy is a very popular dish in the Levant area, that is Syria,Jordan and Palestine. It is usually made in wedding celebrations, gatherings, Ramadan and also Eid. Oozy is basically rice, vegetables, and ground meat wrapped in a pastry sheet. Today I am going to make a chicken version wrapped in puff pastry that I’ve learned from a very dear Syrian friend.
You’ll need:
- 3 cups of basmati rice.
- 3 Tbs of olive oil.
- 1 pound of boneless,skinless chicken breast, cubed.
- 1 large onion, diced.
- 1 medium red bell pepper,diced.
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced.
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced.
- 2 carrots, about 1 cup, diced.
- Salt and pepper to your taste.
- 1 Tbs of 7 spices.
- 2 Tbs of unsalted butter.
- 1/2 cup of chopped parsley.
- 1/4 cup of roasted pine nuts or almonds.
- A packet of puff pastry or spring rolls sheets.
In a pan heat the olive oil, add the diced chicken, stir for about 4 minutes or until the meat is completely white. Add the diced onion and keep stirring for another couple of minutes. Add the diced bell peppers and carrots, then add the salt, black pepper and the 7 spices. Lower the heat until the chicken is done.
In a separate pan cook the rice until it is done but firm, try reducing the suggested amount of water a little bit. When it is done, let it cool then add to the previous chicken mixture. Mix well then add the parsley and the pine nuts.
Take a small bowl, line it with a piece of the puff pastry stretching it in all directions , fill with the previously prepared chicken mixture, then fold the sides up and carefully transfer it to an oven safe dish.
Repeat until the whole patch is done. Brush the surface with an egg beaten with a dash of black pepper.
Bake in a preheated oven of 350F until golden brown. Took me about 35 minutes.
Garnish top with chopped parsley/nuts.
Serve hot with green salad and yogurt salad. Enjoy.
what is the 7 spices used in “OOZY”. Some of your recipes are simple & unique which I love to try.
Surely made a folder for your recipes and will give it a try sooon.
Veronica, thank you for your sweet comment, I hope you’ll try some of the recipes and tell me what do you think. Well 7 spices is an Arabic spice blend that I usually buy from the Middle Eastern stores but you can make your own as well. It is so flavorful, here is a recipe that I’ve found but did not try myself. I hope this will help.
This sounds wonderful! I’ve never heard of oozy so I was curious when I clicked onto the post… but the combination of veges, rice and chicken in pastry sounds quite divine! Thanks for the lovely recipe and for the background to the dish! x
Oozy sounds like a dish that is ‘oozing’ with deliciousness! This recipe reminds me a little of the Australian ‘pasty’ that is typically filled with rice and veggies! Well done!
Never heard of the Australian version .. do you have it on your blog?
Hi Amira! Hmm looks delicious! The rice dish itself looks delicious and you wrap with pastry sheet? I’d love to try this!
You should try this … really the rice mixture is very aromatic and delicious. Thanks Nami for dropping by.
Oozy is such a cool name lol. And they look so delicious. I just made dolmas yesterday, very similar but a different wrapper. Great recipe.
Love the sound of oozy. I know I will love this. Chicken, rice, veggies wrapped in puff pastry – what’s not to love?
Very nice to meet you Amira!
What an interesting dish, Amira! Rice, chicken, and veggies stuffed in a puff pastry…Yum! I want to eat oozy!!!
I’ve never heard of this dish, but it sounds really interesting!
I’ve never heard of this dish, but it’s gorgeous…filled with all the yummy vegetables, rice and meat!
This is a new dish to me! I love the looks of it, and it doesn’t look all that complicated. Really great looking recipe — thanks so much.
It is nice to meet you, Amira. Thank you for your visit to my blog…it brought me here. I am of Lebanese descent, my mothers parents came from Lebanon to the US at the turn of the century. I so agree with you that all people are basically the same inside. We all love our families, we all want what is best for them and food always brings people together. You have a lovely blog and I look forward to following you.
Thanks Kathy, do you know any Arabic? I’ve always wanted to visit Lebanon but no luck until now :). Thanks for your sweet comment.
Love your oozy! I really like this dish. My best friend in Texas is married to a Syrian and so she has learnt all the family recipes from her mother in law. This is one of them and its wonderful.
You did an excellent job! I’ve never tried making it myself but you make it look easy.
BTW, where do you live? South or North side?
I’ve always loved Syrian food. I had lots of friends from Syria, Palestine and Jordan when we were in Saudi Arabia looooong ago. Try this dish it is really easy and delicious. I live in Parker city … do you know this area?