Galayet Bandora (قلاية بندورة أو مسقة بندورة)

Galayet Bandora (Jordanian and Palestinian Tomato Skillet). Galayet Bandora is a traditional Palestinian and Jordanian dish that is made in a skillet with beef, peppers, tomatoes, and spices. It literally translates to "tomato skillet". It is one of the most popular and easy to make dinners in Jordan and Palestine.

Galayet Bandora in Arabic: قلاية بندورة أو مسقة بندورة

Galayet Bandora pronunciation: "Gah-lie-et Ban-dor-uh"

What does Galayet Bandora mean in English? Galayet Bandora literally translates to tomato skillet. It is a delicious Palestinian beef dinner that comes together very quickly. I wrote this traditional Galayet Bandora in English below, so it is easy for everyone to follow along!

My Authentic Galayet Bandora Recipe is:

• Easy to make
• Made in under 1 hour
• Flavorful
• Healthy
• Great for smaller families
• Communal style recipe

Jordanian Palestinian Galayet Bandora is one of my all time favorite Arabic recipes! Unlike other traditional dishes (makluba, mansaf, etc.), it can be ready in under an hour!

We have been experimenting with different cooking methods, times, and varying spices for the past 2 years and have finally come up with the best Galayet Bandora recipe! Read on to learn how to make this delicious Jordanian Palestinian dish.

WHAT IS GALAYET BANDORA?

Galayet Bandora is a Palestinian and Jordanian dish of meat, fried tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, olive oil, and spices. This is a popular Jordanian dish that is shared among family as a communal meal.

To make this Palestinian fried tomatoes, oil is heated in a large skillet, added by vegetables that are fried until soft, followed by the spices and meat. Galayet Bandora is served in the center of the table alongside bread (shrak), labne, and raw vegetables. It is traditionally eaten straight from the serving dish by picking with a piece of torn bread.

GALAYET BANDORA INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½ pounds Fresh Halal beef
• 3-4 tablespoons Ghee or grass fed butter
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions
• 4+ cups bone broth
• 9 whole tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 hot pepper
• Spices: sea salt, black pepper, Arabic 7 spice blend, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, 1 tablespoon whole cardamom pods, 4 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Galayet bandora is traditionally served on a large platter along with plates of Labne topped with olive oil, plates of flat bread (shrak is used most commonly), and fresh vegetables. Some people also like to serve olives and pickles with their galayet bandora.

What to serve your Galayet Bandora with:

• Pine nuts
• Labne
• Shrak (markouk)
• Fresh radishes
• Fresh green onions

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST GALAYET BANDORA RECIPE

SEASON MEAT FIRST. Season your beef for galayet bandora with salt, pepper, and fresh Arabic 7 spices. Let galayet beef sit for about 30 minutes before cooking if you have time.

COOK YOUR MEAT SEPARATELY. Get the best meat texture by cooking it first before adding it to your tomato skillet. We pressure cook our meat for the most buttery texture.

USE FRESH 7 SPICES. Make sure you are not using old spice or you will not get an authentic galayet bandora flavor.

STORE 7 SPICES IN THE FREEZER. We store our Arabic spices in the freezer in an airtight bag to help them last longer and preserve the flavor.

ADD CAYENNE PEPPER OR A DRIED CHILI PEPPER FOR EXTRA SPICY GALAYET BANDORA. If your fresh hot pepper didn't make your galayet bandora spicy enough, simply add some extra dried cayenne pepper to taste.

MAKE SURE TO PICK UP SHRAK BREAD AND LABNE. Shrak bread is super thin and is the best way to eat traditional galayet bandora!

DON'T FORGET THE TOASTED PINE NUTS!! Galayet bandora is not the same without fresh toasted pine nuts on top.

HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC GALAYET BANDORA

I learned to make my authentic Palestinian Jordanian Galayet Bandora from my mother in law, who is from Jordan. While she makes her meat over the stove, I added a touch of the quickness of making it my way by pressure cooking the meat.

STEP 1: COOK GALAYET BANDORA MEAT

The first thing I get started when cooking Galayet Bandora is my meat. I like to season my cubed beef with salt, pepper, and 7 spices. Simply sprinkle these 3 across the top and massage it into your beef. This will give you incredible flavor compared with just seasoning the meat broth!

Make sure to get the highest quality beef you can afford for Galayet Bandora. When you buy the meat, ask the butcher to chop into very small pieces. If its a good Arabic market, you can just ask for meat for Galayet Bandora and they will know what you want.

There are 3 ways to cook your meat for Galayet Bandora:

1. Saute right in the frying pan with the vegetables. However, if you cook your galayet beef this way, it might take forever to get to the perfect buttery texture. I don't recommend it unless you have a bit of time to wait.
2. Boil in a pot of broth over the stove. This is the way my MIL makes her beef a lot of times. It works, but it takes up to 1 ½ hours to get the right beef texture.. and sometimes the pieces of beef lose their integrity.
3. Pressure cook! I use an instant pot, but a regular old pressure cooker works just as well. Pressure cooking your beef will give you the most perfect buttery texture in minimal time. That's what I call galayet bandora easy!

To pressure cook your beef: sauté the beef in butter or ghee till golden brown along with 1 diced yellow onion. Add your spices (½ tablespoon whole cloves, ½ tablespoon whole cardamom, 2 bay leaves) and cover with broth. Cover and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes and then it is ready to add straight to your frying pan!

STEP 2: REMOVE SKIN FROM TOMATOES (BANDORA)

One of the first words I ever learned in Arabic was bandora, meaning tomato because of this meal! Now I know a lot more Arabic but this word will always be special to me!

While the beef pressure cooks, I like to get my tomatoes started. Most people like their galayet bandora with the tomato skins removed. The tomato skins don't bother me personally, because as a registered dietitian I love keeping all the nutrients possible. So if you don't mind tomato skins, then just skip this part and simply dice your tomatoes and add them straight after the peppers.

Bring a large stock pot to a boil with water and 9 tomatoes. Once you see the skin on the tomatoes crack, transfer them to an ice bath to help cool them off quicker.

Once cool enough to handle, peel the tomato skins off and finely chop the tomato flesh. Drain off excess tomato water into the sink.

STEP 3: SAUTE ONIONS, PEPPERS, AND SPICES

In a large wok or frying pan, heat 1-2 tablespoons grass fed butter or ghee.

Add 1 diced yellow onion. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté until onion is beginning to turn golden. Next, add 1 hot pepper, cut in half and de-seeded. You can also add a diced bell pepper. Sometimes I leave them out depending on what season it is.

Add the chopped tomatoes to your peppers and onions and toss to combine.

Finally, remove the meat from the broth and add it to the pan along with the spices:

• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices
• ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger
• 1-2 tablespoon whole cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 whole bay leaves

Stir to combine the meat with the spices and vegetables. Reduce heat to low and cover your pan. cook for about 30 minutes so that all the galayet bandora flavors meld together perfectly.

HOW TO SERVE TRADITIONAL GALAYET BANDORA

Galayet bandora is a traditional Jordanian and Palestinian dish that is served family style, like most Arabic dinners are served.

Dump all of the galayet bandora from your skillet onto a large serving platter.

Top with toasted pine nuts.

Next to galayet bandora, serve plates of labne with olive oil and plates of fresh vegetables like whole green onions and whole radishes. Galayet bandora is traditionally eaten with a small piece of flat bread, called shrak, and no utensils are used. It's so fun to eat!

HOW TO EAT GALAYET BANDORA

The traditional way to eat galayet bandora is straight from the serving platter with bread. You won't find forks and knives alongside a traditional Jordanian dish. Simply rip a piece of bread, and pick up a piece of meat from the skillet. Eat it with or without dipping in labne.

It is so easy, flavorful, and delicious!

Below is one of the first pictures I ever took of Galayet Bandora that we made at home!

Eat some bites of fresh green onion or radish between bites of the meat.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we did!

Do you love Arabic food and want to learn how to make delicious authentic Arabic recipes at home? Make sure to read my complete guide on Cooking Arabic Food at Home!

FAQ'S

Frequently asked questions about my gallayah recipe.

WHAT KIND OF MEAT SHOULD I USE IN GALAYET BANDORA?

My galayet bandora with meat recipe is made with beef. Ask for beef to be cut into small pieces. In Arabic, you would ask for pieces to be cut into "head of the bird" size.

WHAT IS GALLAYAH SAUCE?

The gallayah sauce recipe is made with sautéed onions, red pepper, jalapeno pepper (or other hot pepper), tomatoes, and spices. Depending on the season, you can leave out the peppers. I typically don't add peppers in the winter when they're not in season.

WHAT KIND OF TOMATOES SHOULD I USE?

The best tomatoes you can use for flavor are fresh in season vine tomatoes. If you can't find them, roma or beefsteak tomatoes can be substituted.

WHAT ARE ARABIC 7 SPICES?

7 spices mix also called baharat, is a blend of paprika, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, cumin, and cardamom. Every person makes their special blend of 7 spices differently!

More Authentic Arabic & Middle Eastern Recipes:

1. Jordanian Maqluba
2. Jordanian Ouzi with Roast Chicken
3. Ouzi Lamb
4. Palestinian Musakhan
5. Chicken Kabsa
6. Shorbat Adas
7. Arabic Chopped Salad
8. Dwali (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
9. Sfiha
10. Fasolia with Lebanese Rice
11. Saniya Jaj
12. Persian Pomegranate Chicken

No Arabic meal is complete without Arabic tea, make sure to try out my Authentic Jordanian Bedouin Tea Recipe!

If you try my Authentic Arabic Galayet Bandora Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!