Galayet Bandora is a traditional Jordanian recipe that is so simple but absolutely delicious! It’s as simple as fried tomatoes that are fried in olive oil with a spicy serrano pepper. Serve with freshly baked pita bread for the ultimate Jordanian experience!
Jordanian Recipe
Here’s a simple traditional dish that I made yesterday. Galayet Bandora is basically sauteed tomatoes stewed with garlic and onion (both are optional), high-quality olive oil, salt, and pepper! It can be either cooked plain, using only tomatoes, or can be cooked with minced meat or with eggs. Either way, it is very delicious! And very healthy too!
Yesterday I went to our farm in Madaba (Jordan) and enjoyed the beautiful weather we are having these days! I walked in the tomato fields and had fun picking some fresh tomatoes and serrano peppers. Galayet Bandora is one of my all-time favourite dishes. So I decided to cook it once I was back home and this is why I’m sharing this recipe with you today.
If you’ve ever been to Jordan, then you must have tried Galayet Bandora in a restaurant here. It is very common to see it on the menus in Arabic restaurants under “Sides/Starters”. Galayet Bandora is usually eaten with fresh (from the oven) pita bread and can be sprinkled with pine nuts!
How to Make Fried Tomatoes (Galayet Bandora)
You can cook the tomatoes without peeling the skin off, but in my family we prefer eating it without the skin. And to easily peel the skin off, cut tomatoes as shown in the picture below, keep them in hot water for a couple of minutes, and the skin should come off nicely when you try peeling them!
Cut the peeled tomatoes into medium sized cubes. Heat olive oil in a saucepan to medium high and cook tomatoes for several minutes, then reduce heat to simmer. Add serrano pepper and salt to taste. Make sure that you stir the tomatoes once in a while so it does not burn or stick to the pan at the bottom.
My favorite way to eat Galayet Bandora is with fresh from the oven pita bread (you literally eat it with the bread, no forks or spoons needed!!). But it can also be served with rice on the side especially when it’s cooked with minced meat!
In Jordan, the most important meal of the day is Lunch. And it is not just about the food. It’s more like a celebration when all the family gets together for a meal! And these gatherings are my favorite, because this is when we share all those different simple dishes on the table which we enjoy with the people that we love the most.
I hope that you love this recipe as much as I do, and don’t forget to check out more of my Middle Eastern Recipes.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Galayet Bandora (Jordanian Fried Tomatoes)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced – optional
- 5 tomatoes
- 1 serrano pepper optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add the diced onion, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, and the pepper if using. Lower the heat to simmer and cook until tomatoes are soft. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with warm or toasted pita bread.
Notes:
- The onion is optional in this recipe. Galayet bandora is done a bit differently from one area to another in Jordan, some add the onion and others don’t.
- I personally like to add some ground black pepper with the salt, but most people don’t.
- You can add an optional clove of minced garlic to the stew.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Lorie says
I had this dish in Jordan and absolutely loved it. In your comments above the recipe, you mention garlic but it is not noted in the recipe itself. Do you add garlic and if so how much? Also do you leave the seeds in the tomatoes?
Diana says
You add 1 clove of garlic which is completely optional but delicious. No need to remove the seeds in the tomatoes.