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Enjoy …

Balah il Sham

This isnt the healthiest of desserts but its one of my favorite .. its fired dough which is flavored with anise seed… it doesnt take that long to make the most time taken is in frying it … to make it you need:

- 2 cup semolina

- 1 cup flour .. all purpose

- 1 ts instant yeast

- 1/2 cup butter .. melted

- 1 3/4 cup milk

- 1 ts anise extract … or you can you grinded anise seed

- 3 cups of sugar syrup … actually as much as you need to coat it

- vegetable oil …. for frying

In a bowl .. add the semolina and flour …. and mix them well together …

To it add the anise powder … if you are using the liquid extract… then mix the extract with the milk …

Add the melted butter … and mix it all well until all the semolina mixture has absorbed the butter ….

Add the yeast … and mix ..

Then add the milk …..

Mix everything together to form a soft dough … not firm at all .. it sticks a little to the spoon ….

Then let the dough rest for 15 to 20 mins …

After the dough has rested …

Heat the oil …

Using a cookie press or a piping bag (to be honest the piping bag is easier) with a star shaped attachment …  pipe the dough into the hot oil … be careful while doing that …

Fry the dough until golden in color …

Then set it aside in a sieve to drain all the oil out ..

After the oil is well drained … place the fried dough in a bowl and add the sugar syrup … add enough to coat it all well …

And serve it warm ….

Enjoy …

Samosa …The Arabic Way

Before i start about the recipe … i need to apologize for not posting anything for a while .. and to thank everyone for the emails and comments asking about my absence … there are a couple of reasons for this .. one of which you all will find out soon … so thanx again for everyones concern …

So i know everyone is used to eating samosa and if not then at least have tried it once … this is a little different than the regular one .. living in the UAE i know that the cuisine here is influenced a lot by the Indian cuisine … so here the traditional recipes are biryani, samosa and others .. most of it is taken form the Indian cuisine .. but a little different … the spices, and the method of cooking is a little different .. In this recipe the stuffing used is simple minced meat … but you can fill it with anything .. from veg’s to cheese … all up to your choice … but the best part about this recipe is the fact that once done it can be frozen and used as needed …. to make it you will need:

- 3 cups flour

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 1 ts salt

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 lb ground meat, (beef or lamb .. which ever you prefer)

- 1 ts cumin

- 1 tb ghee

- salt and pepper .. to taste

In a bowl … mix the flour and the salt … then to it add the oil …

Mix everything well until the mixture resembles corn meal …

Now in a stand up mixer (or just by hand if u want) … add enough water to form a dough … i think around 1 cup .. just add little at a time .. what you are looking for is a dough that doesnt stick to the mixer … and easy to handle …

Shape the dough into  1.5 to 2 inch balls .. and place it on a lightly floured tray … Then let it rest for one hour … i know this dough doesnt have any yeast ..so dont expect it to rise … the resting part is to make it easier to roll out later..

While waiting for the dough to rest … prepare the filling … so for meat filling … start by melting the ghee or butter … then add the chopped onion .. and cook until translucent ..

Then add the minced meat and cook until nicely browned …

Once the meat is browned .. add the cumin, salt and pepper …

Mix everything well and set it aside to cool down before stuffing …

After one hour of resting .. the dough is now ready …. take one ball and roll it out into a circle …

Here im using a little equipment that makes life alot easier with filling stuff …

Fill the dough with meat …

Then if using this equipment then simply press to seal .. if not then also simply seal it with a fork …

Place them all on a tray …

At this stage you can freeze the samosa … and once u need to use it .. you simply take it out of the freezer straight into the deep fryer .. and fry it until golden …

So in a deep fryer … fry it until golden

And thats it … serve it with your choice of dip …

Enjoy …

Coffee Marble Cake

I got this cake from some website … but to be honest i dont really remember which one.. i have this habit of just saving the recipes i like on a word document … so i usually loose the source … Anyway i apologize for not being able to give the original source …

This cake is actually one of my favorites .. its very moist and perfect for breakfast … its very easy to make .. all you need is a hand mixer … to make it you need:

- 2 cups flour

- 1/2 ts salt

- 1/4 ts baking powder

- 1/4 ts baking soda

- 1/2 cup butter.. which is around 4 ounces

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 ts vanilla

- 3 eggs

- 1 cup yogurt

- 1/4 cup instant coffee

Preheat oven to 180°C…. Prepare a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan by either greasing it or using parchement paper …

In a bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda … set it aside

In another bowl … Using a hand mixer … mix together the butter and sugar..

Add the vanilla and keep mixing until fluffy ..

Start adding the eggs one at a time …

After the third egg … this is how the batter will look …

Now start alternating the flour mixture and the yogurt … start and finish with the flour mixture …

So first around 2 tb flour …

Then around 1 tb yogurt …

Mix them all well into a smooth batter …

Remove around 1 cup of the cake batter and place it in a seperate bowl … and add the instant coffee to it .. mix it all well …

In the prepared loaf pan … add half of the cake batter …

Then add the coffee cake batter …

Then the rest of the cake batter … and smooth the top …

Bake for 1 hour and 15 mins … until tester inserted comes out clean .. Cool it completly

And serve …. delicious moist cake …

Enjoy …

Kashkuleh (Meat balls with vegetables)

This is something my mom used to make for us since we were small .. i think its a traditional dish… its healthy, light and tastes good … basically its meatballs with different vegetables .. u can use what ever vegetables available not necessarily the ones i mention … its simple to make and doesnt take that long … to make it you will need:

- 1 lb minced meat (lamb or beef).. whichever u prefer

- 1 small onion, chopped finely

- 1/2 ts all spice

- 2 tb bread crumbs

- salt and pepper

- 1 big zucchini, chopped

- 1 big potato, chopped

- 1 medium eggplant, chopped

- 1 big carrot, chopped

- 2 to 3 big tomatoes, quartered

- 2 red onions, sliced in half .. then sliced thin

- 4 garlic clove, cut in half

- 1 to 2 celery sticks, chopped

- 2 cups beef stock.. or chicken stock … whichever u have on hand

- salt and pepper

In a bowl … add the meat, onion, bread crumbs, all-spice, salt and pepper… And mix it all well ..

Shape the meat mixture into either oval shape like in the photo or simply into balls … and place it in a baking sheet which is brushed or sprayed with a little oil …

Bake the meat balls until slightly browned and cooked through … around 15 to 20 mins …

Meanwhile cut all the vegetables …

Place all the vegetables in a bowl and mix them all together …

Now you have two choices … either season the vegetables with salt and pepper .. or simply season the stock … i chose to season the stock this time…

Add all the mixed vegetables to the cooked meat balls .. and stir it all together ..

Add the stock (seasoned with salt and pepper) to the vegetables and meat ball mixture … and cover it with aluminum foil ..

Bake covered at medium heat for 30 to 40 mins … until the potatoes and carrots(they take the longest to cook) are fork tender..

Uncover the baking pan and bake for around 15 mins more .. just to give it a nice color ..

Serve with pitta bread…

Enjoy …

Zahra Bi Laban (Cauliflower In Yogurt Sauce)

It couldnt get any more home cooking than this … this is something that you cant find in restaurants .. its traditional dish from the levant countries  (palestine, lebanon, syria, jordan).. this is one of my favorite dishes.. it might sound a little complicating to make but its not … its accually simple and reaally tasty .. its mainly lamb meat with cauliflower in yogurt sauce … to make it you will need:

- 500 gms. lamb meat.. about 1 lb… cut into about 2 inch pieces

- 1 kg cauliflower.. about 2 lb.. cut into florets

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 1 liter yogurt

- 2tb cornstarch, heaped

- 4 big garlic cloves, minced

- 1tb ghee or butter

- 1/4 ts white pepper

- 1/2 ts cardamom

- salt, to taste

In a big pot bring some water to a boil .. then add the cauliflower and boil .. let boil for about 15 mins..

Then strain the cauliflower … and set a side

In a deep fryer … fry the boiled cauliflower until golden in color …

Using a pressure cooker … place the onion, meat, white pepper, cardamom, and salt … DON’T add any oil .. cook over low heat uncovered for 15 mins.. until it releases its liquids and then its liquids reduces … keep an eye on it .. if it drys out fast then add a little water to it …

After 15 mins … add about 1.5 liters of water …Cover it and let it boil for 30 mins …until well cooked .. this will make enough stock for the recipe and more to cook the rice with ..

If you dont have pressure cooker .. then simply double the cooking time ..

In another pot … strain the yogurt .. this is done so that the yogurt doesnt split while cooking .. by splitting i mean that it will separate releasing its water …

Add a little water to the cornstarch … then add it to the yogurt … Also add to that about 1 1/2 cup water … if the yogurt is too thick .. you might need to add more water …

Put the yogurt mixture on low heat .. season with a little salt .. keep mixing it until slightly thickened … dont boil it alot or it might burn … keep an eye on it … u will simply see slight bubble on the side of the pot …

When the yogurt is slightly thickened … add the meat pieces to it …

Strain the stock …. about 4 cups to 1 liter

Keeping the heat on low .. add the stock to the yogurt mixture and stir well ..

Then add the cauliflower to it too … be careful when u stir it or the cauliflower will break ..

In a small frying pan .. melt the 1 tb ghee or butter .. then add the minced garlic and fry until golden … then add it to the yogurt ..  gently stir it .. then bring the whole mixture to a boil for about 15 mins over low heat …

And thats it … Serve it with a side of white rice thats cooked with the lamb stock …

Enjoy …

Roasted Chicken With Vegs

This is a very simple recipe .. and very healthy too … to make it you will need:

- 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

- two medium potatoes, chopped into big pieces

- a piece of pumpkin(same amount like the potatoes), chopped into big pieces

- 1 big onion, chopped into thick rings

- 2 big cloves garlic, minced

- juice of one lemon

- 3 tb olive oil

- 2 tb chopped herb, i used thyme.. (if using dired make it into 1ts)

- salt and pepper

Start by marinating the chicken: in a bowl place the minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and herb .. and mix it all well … then add the chicken pieces.. add salt and pepper ..  and mix well until all the chicken is well coated … set aside for at least half an hour to marinate …

In a baking sheet … add the potatoes and pumpkins .. season with salt and pepper…then drizzle with olive oil to coat .. then place it in the oven over high heat for 30 to 40 mins .. until the potatoes are done .. dont try moving the pumpkins or they will be squashed ..

When the potatoes are done .. place the onion rings on top of it .. then the marinated chicken … Place it back in the oven over medium heat this time .. for around 45 to 1 hour .. until the chicken are cooked through …

At this point you can add any other vegetables you like (asparagus, baby corn, lemon slices, zucchini, or anything else u like ) .. or u can keep it as it is …

If u decide on adding other vegetables .. simply layer it on top .. and place it back in the oven until done …

And thats it …. Serve with a side of bread and any dip u like … i would suggest hummus

Enjoy …