Kofta Biryani

A special occasion tradition that we like to have once a while even when there is nothing in particular to celebrate. Whilst the recipe is the same whether I cook it with lamb or chicken, this smoke kofta version is my favourite. Smoked anything is a favourite of mine really.  
 
Then there is the kofta. Everyone's family has a delicious biryani recipe.  But that doesn't mean I can't start that tradition with my own little family. This recipe is definitely a keeper and one I hope will evolve into an heirloom recipe. It is requested often and I have a feeling it will be one of the first recipes I lovingly hand down to my own children when they head off to greener pastures. 

Ingredients (serves 4)
oil, for deep frying
1kg (2lb) onions, finely sliced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cardamom pods
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2·5cm (1in) piece ginger, grated
250ml (8fl oz) tomato paste
75ml (3fl oz) yoghurt, whipped
1 tbsp brown sugar, plus 1 tsp extra
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
4 tbsp fresh coriander, leaves picked and chopped
pickled onions, to serve
raita, to serve
For the koftas
300g (10oz) beef mince
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2·5cm (1in) piece ginger, grated
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
For the rice
350g (12oz) basmati rice, rinsed and soaked
1 cardamom pod
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp saffron
20 minutes preparation time and 2 hours cooking time
1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Deep-fry the onions, in batches, over a medium heat, until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper, using a fork to separate any clumps (this will help keep them crispy). Repeat with the remaining onions and set aside, until needed. Using the same oil, deep-fry the potatoes over a medium heat until cooked through and golden. Drain on paper towel and set aside, until needed.
2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, make the koftas by mixing the mince, garlic, ginger, chilli powder and 2 tbsp water, until combined. Season well. Roll the mixture into small balls around 2.5cm (1in) in diameter and drop into the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. For the rice, bring another pan of salted water to the boil and drop in a cardamom pod. Cook the rice following the packet instructions, then drain. Leave for around 20 minutes, until dry.
3. Put the 2 tbsp milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Crush the saffron in a pestle and mortar and add it to the milk. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds, then pour it over the dry rice; fluff with a fork. Set aside.
4. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the 3 tbsp sunflower oil over a medium heat and add the cloves, cinnamon stick, turmeric and cardamom pods. When the cardamom pods have puffed up, add the garlic, ginger and tomato paste. Add three quarters of the fried onions to the pan (reserving the rest to garnish), crushing them a little with a spoon, until they melt into the mixture.
5. Add 300ml (½pt) water and cook, partially covered, over a low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Add the yogurt and sugar; stir until combined. Add another 300ml (½pt) of water and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 30 minutes more (adding more water, if needed). Add the fried potatoes and koftas for the last 10 minutes of cooking, making sure not to stir it too much otherwise the koftas will break up.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C. Layer up the kofta mixture and rice in a deep, ovenproof dish. Start with a thin layer of gravy and koftas, followed by the rice, a handful of the reserved crispy onions, mint and coriander. Repeat, until everything has been used up, making sure the top layer is rice. Scatter over the remaining crispy onion, then cover with a lid or foil and smoke it with charcoal before sealing, cook bake for 20 minutes. Serve the biryani with pickled onions and raita.

Pancakes with honey and mascarpone cheese

Our summer has finally come to an end. It's been long and eventful. Filled with lots of travel, family visits, and reunions. And work too amongst all the play. We are celebrating Ramadhan. A few birthdays were dotted along the way. We ate a lot.

We visited the beautiful city of Sydney. One of the most amazing places I've been to. That's when I realised how much I missed raw nature, the countryside, seafood, the mountains and rain. Yes, rain. And fog. And that light! Sydney has amazing light. And beautiful sky. Always a beautiful shade of blue.. When its not rainiing (pun intended).  Haa haa

And the best part of the summer holidays- long and leisurely breakfasts. We had eggs every way possible- baked, fried. Ofcourse scrambled ones always made it on the top of the list. They're just the way I like it.  

But what we all did agree on and always have is, pancakes. They're usually the Saturday pancake kind. Standard batter but different toppings. Hershey's Chocolate syrup kids, Honey for me, Nutella for everyone. They loved it with peanut butter, cream, banana, walnuts you name it. Oh, and additional sprinkles for the kids. 

These are a slight variation though, semolina pancakes. I first had these in dubai at Al-barsha . I was smitten, still am actually.

They smothered theirs in honey butter. I decided to fill mine with honey sweetened instead. We were just leisuring actually so its seemed only appropriate. They went down well, really well actually. Although the kids would have preferred to have their topped with sprinkles. 

Pancakes with Honey

Ingredients:

250g (8oz) fine semolina

2 tsp flour

1 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

480ml (16fl oz) warm milk

500g (16oz) mascarpone cheese

4 tbsp honey, plus extra to serve

butter, for greasing

pistachio nuts, to serve

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the semolina, flour, yeast, baking powder and sugar. Put the milk in a blender and add the dry ingredients. Whizz until the pancake mixture is combined and no lumps remain. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave in a warm, dry place for 45 minutes, until slightly risen and bubbles have formed on the surface.

Meanwhile, whisk the mascarpone with the honey and set aside. When you are ready to cook, whisk the pancake mixture – it should be the consistency of double cream. If it is too thick, add a little water.

Put a large nonstick pan over medium heat and grease with butter. Ladle some batter into the pan, tilting and swirling it around for an even layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is set and many bubbles have formed on top. Using a fish slice, remove the pancake from the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

To serve, drizzle with a little more honey and scatter over the raisins, almond flakes.

Makes about 40 pancakes.

Easy sugar cookies.

I feel like the sugar cookie is something that, for the most part, everyone loves.  Some people have different aversions when it comes to things like oatmeal raisin (raisins?  ew!) or chocolate chip (some like thick and fluffy, others like thin and "greasy"), but no one can really complain when it comes to good 'ole plain sugar cookies.

I like my sugar cookies thick, fluffy, chewy and soft. I played around with the proportions and ingredients  and settled on the recipe below.

I love mine with some almond flavoring, but you could definitely flavor these to your liking.  I love the twist that almond extract gives these cookies, but using another extract won't affect the texture of the cookie.

Dahl Or Lentil Soup.

Lentil soup as it is popularly known here.. Arabs love it. My neighbor whose an Arab loves it, she learn't the recipe from me and makes it often..  Like many of you, I currently don't live where I spent my childhood. Dubai is what I currently call home. My family and friends are all back home..
But still I have managed to make unbreakable bonds and loving relationships in just 3 years...

This is where I have made my home, my family. We moved to this apartment when three years ago when it was just a shell. With time, we have filled it up with furniture, love, memories and a growing family. And wonderful aromas of baking, play kitchen and a little bundle of joy cooing and crawling along....

Learning and sharing new and old treasured recipes is what i like the most... collecting and sharing.

Delicious savoury oats.

On a cold winter morning... what would you like to eat? For people like me we crave salty breakfast over sweet any day... with a hot cuppa coffee to go with.

My kids usually like their old style the most trusty taste of porridge... Hubby dear is also not that fond of savoury stuff, but i keep trying ways to feed them... and you wont believe how much they loved it... At times it makes me think that am the crazy one.. (rolls eyes).

But what can i say... girl kinda has her own taste buds!!.. hee hee..

So here it is my friends enjoy... and lemme know what you all think about it... :)

Ingredients
Oats  2 cup
Onion 1 large chopped
Salt
Green chilli 1 no.
Oil 2 tbsp
Cumin pwd 1/4 tsp
Coriander pwd 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves to sprinkle
Garlic 3 big cloves crushed.
water 1 cup or less...

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pot and onions and saute till light translucent.
2.  Add garlic, green chilli chopped, cumin pwd and coriander pwd, salt.  
3. Saute for 2 min. then add water and then add oats... cook  till the oats are done... sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot. Enjoy!!

Lactation Cookies, or Galactagogues, mothers milk makers, milkin cookies.

I know what you're probably thinking: lactation cookies?! Really,?

Hey, I'm willing to give anything a try at this point if it might help us, even if it's an old wives' tale I read about on the internet. I've done it before and I'll do it again . It's not like this is going to turn you into a milk cow if you're not in a position in life where you'd like to increase your milk supply. But for those of us looking to promote healthy lactation, why not, right? Even though the recipe calls for some slightly unusual ingredients, these actually taste really good. Like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a slightly nutty extra kick
These are super yummy and help boost your milk supply! The recommended "dose" is 4 cookies per day (good luck limiting yourself to that many). This recipe makes a lot - about 60-70 cookies - so it can be halved if necessary.

I N G R E D I E N T S

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal (no substitutions)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups thick cut oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons Brewer's Yeast (no substitutions)


I N S T R U C T I O N S

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips. Add butter mix to dry ingredients. Stir in the oats and then the choc chips. Drop on baking sheet and bake for 8 - 12 minutes

Tandoori chicken, Butter naans, and Mint chutney

Tandoori Chicken and Butter Naan... the chicken pieces turned out to be so soft and juicy after grilling and the naan was so soft and yummy... Its a very simple recipe can make it with the big chicken pieces or whole chicken, i kinda like it more in small pieces so this is my version of it... Lemme know if you guys like it i will post the recipe soon.

One powerful yet simple ingredient

One simple ingredient can often make all the difference when you’re cooking. And now that’s more true than ever. The ingredient in this case is black pepper—freshly ground, of course, instead of pre-ground and packed in a tin. Freshly ground peppercorns pop with flavor and fragrance, becoming a true flavor, not just background noise, and you can control the grind, from fine to coarsely cracked.

Which got me thinking about when I was getting into cooking. I remember always being nervous when I came to the bit in a recipe when it said ‘season to taste’. I knew that meant adding salt and pepper. But how could I possibly know how much? For years I’d just add a few grinds of pepper and a pinch of salt and hope for the best. That was until I had a bit of a seasoning revelation. 

It was a very long ago... when i was a little girl and use to bug mamma in the kitchen when i learnt this small but very powerful trick from her... I was assisting my dad in kitchen trying out a simple tomato soup (ohhh its was wonderful i can still remember the TASTE)

After tasting, she inquired as to whether we’d seasoned it and got us to taste as well. I thought it was pretty good, but at her insistence we added a more salt and freshly crushed pepper. A second taste and the difference was staggering. With her encouragement we continued to salt and taste. Each time the soup tasted more alive and vibrant, not salty but fresh and good.

It was then that I realised that this is what seasoning is about – tasting and tweaking – or fine tuning to bring out the best in the food. After that, I felt more confident with the whole seasoning thing and began to experiment with my own cooking. I like to think of seasoning as an art that I’m continuing to practice and improve.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut up into pieces.
2 tomatoes (blended)
2 onions chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
15 cashew nuts (made into a paste using water)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp thick cream
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oil
Cilantro for garnishing

Marinade:
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1/2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin powder
5 tbsp yogurt
Salt to taste
Mix all the above ingredients well in a bowl

Method:
1. Marinate the chicken in the marinade for one hour
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep aside.
3. In the remaining oil, fry the chopped onions till golden, then add the ginger-garlic paste and fry sprinkling some water now and then till oil separates.
4. Add the cashew nut paste, chili powder, tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the butter, cream and chicken. Mix well and cook until it is done.
6. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve with hot naan or paratha, or garlic bread.

Tasty Yogurt Dumplings Dahi Vadas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Urad Dal • 5 Green Chillies (chopped) • 4'' Ginger (chopped) • 4 cups Curd • 1 cup Milk • 1/2 tsp Roasted Jeera • 1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder • Oil for deep-frying • Salt to taste

Instructions:

How to make Dahi Vada:

• Soak two cups urad dal for about 6 hours. • Grind the soaked dal. Add salt, ginger, green chillies and little water to make smooth batter. • Beat this batter well, so that there are no lumps. • Heat oil in a pan. With the help of the slotted spoon, leave the batter in form of vadas in the oil. • Deep fry the vadas and keep them on a blotting paper to remove excess oil. • Now dip the vadas in cold salted water to extract their oil for few minutes. • Now squeeze out the water from vadas and keep them aside. • Add milk with the curd to whip the curd well. • Now add roasted jeera, red chilli powder and salt to the curd. • Put seasoned curd in a dish. Dip vadas in the curd. • Keep it in the freezer for half an hour. • Dahi Vada is ready to serve.

Yummy Mutton Dry

 I love how tender the mutton meat cooked this way turns out. It literally gets to an almost 'falling off the bone' tenderness, very enjoyable with pita bread or parathas or even baked potatoes.

 Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

 500gm mutton/lamb pieces with bone

 2 onions, sliced thin

 2-3 green chillies

 4 tbsp oil

 black pepper to taste

 salt to taste

 2 tbsp yogurt

 1 tsp ginger paste

 1 tsp garlic paste

 pinch of turmeric

 chopped coriander

1 tsp cumin+ coriander seed powder

 half tsp all spice pwd

 juice of half a lemon

grated cheese for decoration.

Instructions:

 Boil the mutton / meat with 1 grated tomato and 1 grated onion, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, half tsp garlic paste and half tsp ginger paste....until almost completely tender. Make sure you use just enough water such that it is not in excess. If a little water remains after boiling, it's ok, drain it from the meat and set it aside to be used later.

 In a separate pan, add the oil, followed by the sliced onions. Fry until golden, then add the garlic and ginger paste. Stir-fry for a minute, then add the boiled mutton pieces and fry them in the oil. Add the green chillies, yoghurt, the cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and black pepper. Keep the heat on low and keep stirring everything together until the yogurt is no longer visible. Now add the extra water if you want it to have a bit of gravy/moisture (you can add just a bit of regular water if none remained after boiling the meat). Let this simmer for a few minutes until the masala is thick, then squeeze the lemon and sprinkle the garam masala and chopped coriander and sprinkle the grated cheese over it. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Cover and keep on low heat for about 5 minutes then switch off and serve.

 You can garnish with sliced onions and chopped coriander or mint. You can even garnish with veggies or french fries.

Butter Chicken Yummylicious

Butter Chicken

If there was a chicken dish that was fit for Royalty, I truly believe Butter Chicken would be it! Perfect grilled boneless chicken served in a creamy, buttery, silky smooth sauce....this dish is not for those that would shy away from extra calories!! It's the kind of dish that would have you literally licking your plate and scooping up second helpings!

The dish is famous the world over, and is probably one of the most loved of Indian meals. It goes oh-so-well with steamed rice and naans, and each bite of the tender and juicy chicken morsels covered in creamy sauce is a delightful experience.

Because of all the extra calories in this dish, it should be one of those meals that you save for super-special occasions, that way you can look forward to and enjoy the meal the way it is supposed to be enjoyed! :D

You will need:

Ingredients:
500gm boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes

Marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight in:

quarter cup yoghurt
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
half tsp salt
2 tsp red chilli powder
pinch of turmeric powder
quarter tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1 tsp tomato paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp oil

For gravy:
Ingredients :

1 big onion, grated
1 tsp fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi
2-3 green chillis
4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon
half cup fresh cream (you can use up to three-quarters of a cup if you want it creamier)
4 tbsp butter plus 4 tbsp oil
half tsp ginger paste
half tsp garlic paste
1 tbsp sugar
quarter tsp garam masala
salt to taste


Put the chicken on skewers (discard the marinade) and either grill on a bbq grill or in the oven directly under the grill for about 8 minutes on each side (at 200 C) or until the chicken pieces are slightly charred. (Remember that the chicken will be cooked further in the sauce, so don't over-cook them at this stage). Remove the cubes from the skewers and put them in a bowl, cover to keep them moist and set aside.

Heat the butter and oil in a pot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon. When the cumin starts to splutter, add the fenugreek leaves followed by the onions and fry until they are transluscent and starting to brown. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and the green chillis, fry them for a minute then add the cubed tomatoes and the tomato paste.

Cook on high heat for a few minutes, then lower to a simmer and and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and well cooked and some oil begins to get released from the sides. Turn off the heat, and remove the cinnamon stick and the cardamom pods from the mixture. Let it cool slightly, then put the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture into your pot, season with a bit of salt and the sugar. Add the grilled chicken cubes. Simmer together for about 5 minutes until the gravy coats the chicken cubes well, you can add a bit of warm water at this stage if you want extra gravy. The gravy will thicken when you add cream. Sprinkle the garam masala.

Lastly add the cream, stir well and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Switch off and serve over rice or with naan. You can add a blob of butter or drizzle some cream for a lovely appearance if you want when you serve the dish.

McArabia Sandwich

A While ago i had my first McArabia Sandwich.. and its really yummy.... One fine afternoon my cook bug kicked in and wanted to try this Delicious sandwich at home.. with all my home ingredient.. Seriously guys its worth a try.

McArabia Recipe

Pita Bread:
Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 1 and 1/2 cup
Instant yeast: 1/2tsp
Onion seeds/Kalonji: 1/2tsp
Oil: 1tbsp
Milk: 1/2 cup (Luke warm)
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Instructions:
Knead the dough and rest it for 30mins.
Knead it again to make it air free then divide into 4 balls and roll each one out like how we make rotis/chapatis but a bit thicker. Cook over your tava or pan on medium heat until done on both sides.

Secondly the chicken patties:

Ingredients:

Chicken minced: 1/2kg or chicken boneless cut in 1"cubes
Soya sauce: 1tbsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Onion: 1 medium finely chopped
Salt: to taste
Pepper: 1tsp
I added 1 green chilli chopped

Instructions:
Make 8 patties out of your mixture and to thin them just grease the bottom of a plate and squeeze down on each patty with it or just press with your hands to shape it. You will need 2 patties for each sandwich. Shallow fry them..

For the sauce:
mayo: 1tbsp
cream: 1/2cup
milk: 2tbsp
mix them together

Filling:
ice berg salad, sliced finely
1 onion cut into rings
1 no.sliced capsicum
tomato roundels
carrot jullienes
these you will use according to your preference..

Now take the pita bread..place the chicken patties top with the veggies and then the sauce..close it and serve with whatever you like fries or salad.