Oil-Free Lebanese Home Cooking · Fanar, Metn, Beirut, Jounieh
Oil-Free Lebanese Food, Cooked to Order and Delivered in Metn & Beirut
Chef Mirna Saad cooks Lebanese stews, rice dishes and stuffed vegetables with no oil at all, or with a little measured olive oil if you prefer. Kibbeh and sambousek are baked, not fried. You choose per order. Delivered to Fanar, Metn, Beirut and Jounieh. A tanjara serves 4 to 5 people from $20. Order on WhatsApp the day before.
- Price
- Tanjara from $20, serves 4–5
- Weekly plan
- From $60 a week (3 deliveries)
- What changes
- No oil, or a little olive oil; nothing fried
- Order
- The day before, on WhatsApp
- Delivery
- Fanar, Metn, Beirut, Jounieh; fee by area
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 5 pm
Two Ways to Order: No Oil, or a Little Olive Oil
Tell us which one you want when you order. One person's portion can be oil-free while the rest of the order is cooked the regular way.
No oil at all
بدون زيت أبداًThe onion is softened in water or in its own juice. Tomato, lemon, garlic and spices carry the flavour. Nothing is fried, and the baked items go into the oven on parchment, brushed with nothing.
A little olive oil
شوية زيت زيتونOne measured spoon of olive oil per pot, added at the end for taste rather than cooked in from the start. Everything else is prepared exactly as in the no-oil version.
Who Orders Oil-Free Lebanese Food
This is home cooking, not a medical diet. We cook the way you ask and describe exactly what went in.
Asked by your doctor to cut fat
Your doctor or dietitian gave you a list that says less fat, or no added fat. Send us the list on WhatsApp and we cook the week to it, with no oil or with the small amount they allow.
You find Lebanese food too oily
You love the dishes but not the layer of oil on top of the stew. We cook the same tabkha without it, and it arrives lighter, not drier.
Fasting (siyami) and want oil-free
Many fasting families keep an oil-free fast on certain days. Fasoulia, loubieh and the other bi-zeit dishes can be cooked without oil on request. See our Lent and siyami page for the full fasting list.
Lent and siyami food →A parent recovering at home
After a hospital stay, light home cooking matters. Oil-free stews, plain rice and soft stuffed vegetables, delivered to their door in Metn or Beirut with a photo to you.
How We Cook Without Oil
- Onion is softened in water or in its own juice, never fried in oil.
- Stews are built on tomato, lemon, garlic and spices; that is where the flavour comes from.
- Rice is cooked plain, with no oil or butter stirred in.
- Stuffed vegetables are simmered in tomato broth or in plain yoghurt, with a filling cooked dry.
- Kibbeh, pumpkin kibbeh (lakteen) and sambousek are baked on parchment without oil.
- No ghee, no butter, no frying, anywhere in the order.
- Fattoush is dressed with lemon and sumac only; the bread is toasted dry.
- We tell you on WhatsApp exactly what went into the dish, including any olive oil and how much.
Dishes We Cook With No Oil, or a Little Olive Oil
These vegetable, legume and fish dishes from our menu are the usual starting point. Each line says what changes when you ask for it oil-free.
Rolled and simmered in tomato and lemon; no oil in the pot or the filling.
Simmered in tomato broth; the filling is made without any oil.
Onions softened in water instead of fried; fish baked, not seared in oil.
Garlic and coriander simmered in the broth instead of fried in butter.
Cabbage rolls simmered with garlic, tomato and lemon, no oil.
Chard rolls simmered in tomato and lemon; the filling is cooked dry.
Lentils and rice cooked plain; onions softened in water, not caramelised in oil.
Baked on parchment without the usual olive-oil brushing.
Dressed with lemon and sumac only; bread toasted dry, not fried.
Baked on parchment; spinach filling made with lemon and sumac, no oil.
On request we also cook fasoulia, loubieh, bamieh and shorbet adas (lentil soup) without oil. The "bi zeit" dishes, literally "in oil", can be made without oil, which is what fasting customers often ask for. Ask us what is available for your date.
Prices are "from" and before delivery. Kibbeh, sambousek and the baked trays are baked on parchment instead of fried. Full menu with prices →
Cooked to your needs
The same tabkha, cooked the way you need it
Every dish on the menu can be cooked differently for you or for one person in the family. Tell us on WhatsApp when you order, the day before, and we cook it that way:
- No added salt (seasoned with lemon, garlic, sumac and herbs)
- Cooked with no oil at all
- A little olive oil only, measured
- Baked, not fried (kibbeh, sambousek, pumpkin kibbeh)
- Less rice or bread, more vegetables
- No added sugar
- Extra chicken breast or lean meat, less rice
- Soft texture, easy to chew
- No hot spice
We tell you exactly what went into your order when you ask on WhatsApp. If you follow a plan from your doctor or dietitian, send us their list and we cook to it. This is home cooking, not medical advice.
Weekly Family Plan
Oil-Free Meals on a Weekly Plan, From $60 a Week
The Weekly Family Plan is a fixed weekly schedule of Lebanese home-cooked meals, cooked each morning in our Fanar kitchen and delivered to your door in Fanar, Metn, Beirut or Jounieh. Every delivery on the plan can be cooked with no oil or with a little olive oil. Each delivery is one tanjara that serves 4 to 5 people.
| Plan | Deliveries | Serves | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Day Plan | 3 tanjaras a week (for example Mon, Wed, Fri) | 4–5 people per delivery | from $60 / week |
| 5-Day Plan | 5 tanjaras a week (Mon to Fri) | 4–5 people per delivery | from $100 / week |
| 6-Day Plan | 6 tanjaras a week (Mon to Sat) | 4–5 people per delivery | from $120 / week |
| One-time gift | 1 tanjara or tray on a date you choose | 4–5 people | from $20 |
"From" prices are per week before delivery, which depends on the area. You receive an itemised total on WhatsApp before the first delivery.
Single portions are possible. For one person we usually suggest a tanjara that keeps two or three days in the fridge, or a weekly plan, and we confirm the best option with you on WhatsApp.
Ordering Oil-Free Meals for a Parent in Lebanon From Abroad
Many of these orders come from sons and daughters in Dubai, Paris, Montreal or Sydney whose mother or father in Metn or Beirut has been told to cut fat. You send us the doctor's list on WhatsApp, choose the days, and we deliver a tanjara cooked without oil, with a photo to you after every delivery. Payment is arranged with you individually on WhatsApp.
A Note on Olive Oil
Lebanese home cooking relies on olive oil, and the Lebanese Mediterranean eating pattern is usually counted as a healthy one (Nutrients 2024, PMC11313688). Some people are nonetheless asked by their doctor to cut fat altogether, or simply prefer their food without it; we cook either way and describe exactly what went in.
Ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you. This page describes how we cook, not what you should eat.
أكل لبناني بدون زيت، توصيل للمتن وبيروت
الشيف ميرنا سعد بتطبخ اليخنات والرز والمحاشي بدون زيت أبداً، أو بشوية زيت زيتون محسوبة إذا بتفضّلوا. الكبة والسمبوسك بالفرن مش مقليين. بتختاروا مع كل طلبية. توصيل للفنار والمتن وبيروت وجونيه. الطنجرة بتكفي ٤ إلى ٥ أشخاص من ٢٠ دولار. اطلبوا على الواتساب قبل بيوم. اقرأوا الصفحة بالعربي ←
Plats libanais sans huile, livrés au Metn et à Beyrouth
La Chef Mirna Saad prépare les ragoûts, les plats de riz et les légumes farcis sans aucune huile, ou avec un peu d'huile d'olive mesurée si vous préférez. Kebbé et sambousek au four, pas frits. Vous choisissez à chaque commande. Livraison à Fanar, au Metn, à Beyrouth et à Jounieh. Tanjara pour 4 à 5 personnes dès 20 $. Commande la veille sur WhatsApp. Lire cette page en français →
Oil-Free Lebanese Food: FAQs
Can you really cook Lebanese food with no oil at all?
Yes. Most Lebanese stews, rice dishes and stuffed vegetables are built on onion, tomato, lemon, garlic and spices, and the oil is a habit rather than a necessity. We soften the onion in water or in its own juice, build the stew on tomato and lemon, cook the rice plain, and bake kibbeh and sambousek on parchment instead of frying them. Nothing in the pot is oil.
Does it taste good without oil?
It tastes like the dish, with less heaviness. The flavour of a Lebanese tabkha comes from the slow cooking, the tomato, the lemon, the garlic, the seven-spice and the cinnamon, not from the oil. Mujaddara and siyadieh change the most, because their onions are normally caramelised in oil; we tell you that honestly before you order.
Can I have a little olive oil instead of none?
Yes. Say "a little olive oil" when you order and we add one measured spoon per pot, at the end, for taste. Many customers prefer this to fully oil-free. You choose per order, and you can switch from one to the other any time.
Is the food fried?
No. On this page nothing is fried. Kibbeh, pumpkin kibbeh, sambousek and spinach fatayer are baked on parchment, the fattoush bread is toasted dry, and the garlic for the molokhia is simmered in the broth rather than fried in butter.
Can you make bi-zeit dishes without oil for fasting (siyami)?
Yes. Fasoulia, loubieh, bamieh and vegetarian warak arish are "bi zeit" dishes, literally "in oil", and this is what fasting customers most often ask us to make without oil. We cook them in tomato, lemon and garlic instead. See our Lent and siyami page for the full fasting list and tell us on WhatsApp if you want them oil-free.
Can one portion be oil-free and the rest of the order regular?
Yes. Tell us who needs the oil-free portion and we cook that part of the order separately, in its own pot. A common request is an oil-free portion for a parent and the regular version for everyone else.
Can I order oil-free meals for my mother in Lebanon from abroad?
Yes. Many of these orders come from sons and daughters abroad whose parent in Metn or Beirut has been told to cut fat. You message us on WhatsApp, choose the days, and we deliver a tanjara cooked without oil with a photo to you after every delivery. The Weekly Family Plan starts at $60 a week for three deliveries. Payment is arranged with you individually on WhatsApp.
Where do you deliver and what does it cost?
We cook in Fanar and deliver to Fanar, Metn, Beirut and Jounieh, Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 5 pm. A tanjara that serves 4 to 5 people starts from $20. The delivery fee depends on your area and is in the itemised WhatsApp quote. Order the day before.
Can you tell me exactly what went into the dish?
Yes. Ask on WhatsApp and we tell you what went into your order, ingredient by ingredient, including whether any oil was added and how much. If you have an allergy or a food you must avoid, say so when you order.
Is this a medical diet?
No. We are a home kitchen, not a clinic. We cook with no oil or with a little olive oil because you ask us to, and we describe exactly how each dish was made. Ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you.
Order for Tomorrow
Tell Us: No Oil, or a Little Olive Oil
One WhatsApp message with your area, the dish or the days, and whether you want no oil at all or a little olive oil. We reply with what is cooking and an itemised total, usually within the hour, Monday to Saturday.