Unlikely Concoctions Hot Off the Desert : Regional cuisine: Exotic spice combinations distinguish Saudi Arabian fare from that of its neighbors.

The one thing everybody knows about Saudi cuisine is the moment in “Lawrence of Arabia” where Peter O’Toole’s Bedouin guide handed him some nondescript mush with the ominous words, “Bedu food.” O’Toole’s expression spoke volumes.

Of course, what he was being given was merely a sort of trail mix. In the towns and villages, Saudis cook much like their neighbors in the Fertile Crescent countries, Egypt and the Persian Gulf. They make familiar dishes such hummus, tabbouleh, falafel (under its Egyptian name, ta’miya) and baklava.

But the Saudis place their own mark on things. For instance, in the Persian Gulf the side dish Daggous is tomatoes stewed in butter with hot pepper; the Saudis prefer to roast the tomatoes over a fire and flavor them with cilantro as well as chiles. They stuff the same vegetables as everybody else in the region, but also some rather unlikely ones: carrots, for instance, and turnips and cucumbers.

Arabia’s remotness has left it relatively uninfluenced by Turkish cooking, and the local cuisine preserves some of the exotic spice combinations favored by the caliphs of Baghdad in the Middle Ages, which have died out nearly everywhere else in the Near East. Kabsat Dajaj, with its combination of cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and saffron, is an example.

The Saudis also have a taste for hot pepper, and they use a lot of rosemary, basil and dill, as well as unusual desert ingredients such as the sweet lichen shaiba. They put the sesame paste tahineh to surprisingly wide use, as in Mnazzalah.

At the free Saudi Arabian exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center (which runs until June 30), you can hear Saudi music and see Saudi dancing and walk through a re-created desert camp or village souk. Unfortunately, you can’t make the illusion complete by eating Saudi food there, but at least you can try some Saudi dishes at home. The following recipes are adapted from “Ashkhain’s Saudi Cooking of Today,” by Saudi resident Ashkhain Skipwith.

DAGGOUS

(Spicy Tomato Salad)

4 medium tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

2 serrano chiles, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Rotate tomatoes 1 at time over open flame until skins split. Let cool, then core and remove peels. Mash tomato pulp with fork.

Combine cilantro, chiles and garlic in blender or food processor. Puree, then season to taste with salt. Add to tomatoes and season to taste with lemon juice. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Serve as salad or side dish to grilled meat or fish.

KABSAT DAJAJ

(Chicken and Spicy Rice)

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut up

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

6 whole cardamom seeds

1 cinnamon stick

Salt

Dash saffron or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups rice

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

Pepper

Boil chicken with cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt in water to cover 20 minutes. Remove chicken, reserving broth, and allow chicken to cool.

Measure 2 1/4 cups broth into clean saucepot. Infuse saffron in broth 20 minutes. Bring liquid to boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

While rice is cooking, heat butter in deep pan and saute onion until tender. Add chicken pieces and tomatoes to pan and saute until chicken is cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

MNAZZALAH

(Lamb With Tahini)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons oil

2 pounds lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt, pepper

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup tahini

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed

Cooked rice

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add lamb and cook with onion until meat browns, stirring often.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cinnamon, cloves and tomato paste. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Stir in 2 cups hot water, then tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

While lamb is cooking, place tahini in bowl and slowly add vinegar, mixing with fork. Mix in garlic.

Pour tahini mixture over meat and bring to boil, adding more water if necessary. Simmer 20 more minutes. Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings.

HILOU GAMAR ID-DIN

(Apricot Leather Pudding)

1/2 pound amardeen (apricot leather)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

4 whole cardamom seeds

1 cup mixed nuts: crushed walnuts, crushed almonds, pine nuts and/or peeled pistachios, optional

Dash ground cinnamon, optional

Soak amardeen with sugar in 2 cups boiling water 2 hours. Dilute cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water.

When fully soaked, blend amardeen and liquid until smooth. Place in saucepan, add cardamom seeds and bring rapidly to boil. As soon as mixture boils, reduce heat and slowly stir in diluted cornstarch. Increase heat again and let mixture boil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken.

Pour into deep serving dish and chill. Serve with topping of nuts and sprinkling of cinnamon. Makes 4 servings.