arabic desserts: April 2010

The Spring Kibbee

Kibbee is a Syrian dish made with meat and bulgur wheat stuffed with cheese and walnuts. This recipe is from Walima Cooking Challenge ,April 2010. I missed many of their challenges with all the delicious middleeastern recipes.
Syrian food mostly consists of southern mediterranean,greek,asian,turkish and also french. To read more about Syrian history and cuisine click here.
When i first read this recipe i thought what a brilliant, you get all your carbohydrates,protein,calcium and vitamins in one dish. When we tasted this dish it took us back to Edgware road,London,where we use to have middleeastern food in some nice restaraunts. I can't wait to try the on coming challenges, i even want to try all the previous challenges if time permits.

Ingredients:
Bulgur wheat-500 g
Lean lamb-500 g
1 onion
1 tsp of middle eastern spice mix(black pepper,white pepper,nutmeg,cinnamon,all spice,cloves)
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 tsp of ginger garlic paste( this was not in the actual recipe)
Salt to taste
Ghee or melted butter to brush on top
For the stuffing:
Ricotta cheese-100g
Mozzarella cheese-100g
Toasted walnut,almonds chopped or pine nuts- about 10 pieces
1 tsp of chilli powder
Method:
Soak the bulgur wheat in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. Blend the bulgur wheat and onion in a food processor,then add the meat and spices blend it well. It should be like a nice dough. Take it out of the blender and knead together the dough.
For the stuffing mix together the cheese ,chilli powder and walnuts.
Prepare the kibbee by greasing a ramekin dish and line it with cling film. Divide the dough into egg size balls ,place the balls inside the dish,flatten it and make it like a well in the center,place a tbsp of stuffing inside ;close the balls and make it like a dome shape at the top.Repeat it with the remaining dough.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius.Place the kibbee on the baking sheet and brush it on top with melted butter. Bake it for about 20 minutes on each side and brown on top.
Serve it with fresh salad and garlic and mint yogurt.

Barazik Al Sham

Barazik Al Sham is a syrian cookie.This cookie is made for the Walima Cooking Challenge ,April 2010
.

Ingredients:
Plain flour-3 cups
Butter-200g
Powdered Sugar-1/4 cup
Eggs-2
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Baking powder-1 tsp
White vinegar-1 tsp
To sprinkle
Sesame seeds and shelled pistachios
Method:
Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs,vanilla extract and mix well. Sift the flour,sugar and baking powder,add the vinegar and knead it to make it into a dough. Wrap the dough in a cling film and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius. Take the dough out, make it into small balls, flatten it, coat it on the top side with sesame seeds and bottom with pistachios. Bake it in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

Pineapple And Coconutmilk Pancake

Ingredients:
Plain Flour-125g
Coconutmilk-300 ml
Pineapple puree-75 ml
Egg-1
Baking Powder-1 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda-1/4 tsp
2 cardamom pods crushed
15 g of melted butter
Brown Sugar-1 tbsp
For the syrup
Pineapple juice without any pulp-2 tbsp
Coconutmilk-1 tbsp
Icing sugar-3 tsp
Cornflour-1 tsp
Method:
Mix the egg with coconutmilk,pineapple puree,sugar and cardamom pods. Sift the flour,baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and make it into a smooth batter. Heat a nonstick pan grease it slightly with oil or butter.Pour a laddle full of batter into the pan and swirl it around. Cook for 2 minutes ,turn it to the other side and cook for further 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Prepare the syrup by heating all the syrup ingredients in a pan until they reach a sauce consistency not too thick.Drizzle the syrup over the pancake and serve.

Semolina Briyani

It's a spicy dish made with semolina, you can also use bulgur wheat.In our place this is served as a special occasion dish.

Ingredients:
Semolina-2 cups
Minced meat or boneless chicken-1 cup
Carrot chopped-1/2 cup
Peas-1/2 cup
Potato chopped-1/2 cup
Onion chopped-1
Tomato chopped-1
Green chilli sliced in half-2
Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon,cloves and cardamom- each one
Oil-1 tbsp
Coriander and mint chopped- 1 tbsp
Water-4 cups
Salt as required
Method:
First make the gravy, heat oil in a pan, add the whole spices, ginger garlic paste and onion saute till the onion turns golden brown. Now add the tomato and cook till the tomato gets mashed up.Add all the masala powders and fry it for 1 minute ,then add the meat ,stir well , cover the pan and cook till the meat is almost done.
Now add the vegetables,green chilli,coriander and mint,cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water and salt, when the water starts boiling add the semolina ,stir well until it absorbs all the water and cooked completely. Serve warm with yogurt and salad.

Russian Salad

Ingredients:
Boiled and finely chopped carrots-1 cup
Boiled and finely chopped potatoes-1 cup
Boiled Peas-3/4 cup
Spring onion-2
Pickled chillies-3
Mayonaise-1 tbsp
Olive oil-1/2 tbsp
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
Chop the spring onion and pickled chillies.Mix together olive oil,lemon juice,mayonaise,salt and pepper. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl, pour the dressing on top of it and toss it well to get coated.

Avocado Hummus

Ingredients:
Chickpeas 1 can
Avocado-1
Garlic pods-3
Olive oil-2 to 3 tbsp
Tahini-2 tsp
Salt as required
a few coriander leaves to sprinkle
Method:
Drain the chickpeas from the can saving a few chickpeas to serve. Scoop out the flesh from the avocado.Blend together the chickpeas,avocado,garlic,olive oil,tahini and salt to form a coarse paste.
Pour the paste into a bowl,make a well in the center add the remaining chickpeas and olive oil. Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves on top.
Serve with bread.

Tomato And Basil Bread

A lovely bread from Italy using traditional flavourings of basil and tomato.Basil, though a native of India and Persia,is now particularly associated with Italian cooking. The herb works well with any tomato dish hot or cold.
Recipe adapted from the book" Recipes From Around The World".

Ingredients:
White bread flour-275 g
Dried yeast-1 tsp
Olive oil-2 tbsp
Parmesan cheese-25 g
Sugar-1 tsp
Salt-1 tsp
Tomato puree-2 tbsp
Warm water-175 ml
Basil leaves-1 tbsp
Method:
Combine the water,tomato puree and olive oil. In a large bowl combine flour,yeast,sugar and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with basil,knead it to form a smooth dough.Cover the bowl and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
When the dough is risen knock the air back,sprinkle the cheese on top,knead the dough on the surface until the cheese is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic.Shape the dough into a large round and put on the baking sheet,cover with a clean towl and allow it to rise for about 35 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 230 degree celsius.
Using a sharp knife,cut a large cross on top of the loaf. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and base sounds hollow when tapped. Turn it onto a wire rack to cool.
Serve the bread with Italian salad and cheese.

Beet and Squash Bread

Recently i have been trying vegetable bread using different vegetables. We can even substitute the normal bread with these vegetable bread especially for the kids who are fuzzy about vegetables.In this bread i have used beetroot and butternut squash. Beet roots are best when you have it raw.To read more about beets click here.

Ingredients
Wholemeal flour-150 g
White bread flour-150 g
Dried Yeast-11/2 tsp
Raw Beetroot puree-1 tbsp
Cooked and pureed butternut squash-1 tbsp
Salt-1 tsp
Warm water-150 ml
Method:
Divide the first 3 ingredients into half in two separate bowls.In one bowl add 1/2 tsp of salt and beetroot puree, in the another bowl mix 1/2 tsp of salt and squash puree. Add enough water and knead it into two separate dough. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave it in a warm place to rise.
When the dough has risen knock the air back and knead it briefly. Preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius.Now roll out the beet dough into long log shape.Then roll the squash dough into a rectangle. Place the beet dough into the squash dough,seal the edges.Join the ends to form a ring shape.Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.Serve warm with hummus or gravies. This bread can also be used for mini sandwich.

Cashew and Cardamom Cookies

COOKING WITH SEEDS
This recipe is for the event Priya's Cooking With Seeds. Cashew and cardamom goes very well with each other. We easy cardamom for both sweets and savoury for it's nice aroma, also cardamom has it's own health benefits. To read more click here.

Ingredients:
Plain Flour-200 g
Caster Sugar-110 g
Egg-1
Butter-50 g
Cashew Butter-150 g
Baking powder-1/2 tsp
Cardamom pods-3
Dessicated coconut-1 tbsp
Milk-2 to 3 tbsp
To Prepare Cashew butter
Cashewnuts-150 g
Oil-1 tbsp
Method
First prepare the cashew butter ,dry roast the cashew nuts and blend them in a food processor with enough oil.Don't make it too smooth,it should be a bit crunchy.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.Take the seeds from the cardamom pod and crush them into powder.Cream the butter and sugar,add the cashew butter to it .Now add the egg and cardamom powder and mix it well.Sift the flour and baking powder into this mixture and make it into a smooth dough, if the dough is too crumbly add a splash of milk.
Grease and line two baking sheets, make small lemon size balls out of the flatten it slightly and sprinkle some dessicated coconut on top. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you like to have a soft centered cookies take out the cookies when they are pale in colour, if you like to have a crunchy cookies leave them to brown on top for 5 more minutes.

Chicken Pickle

This is my second Tried and Tested event. Tried and tested is something special for me because this is the first ever event i participated after starting my blog . Tried and Tested is originally started by Zlamushka of Spicy Kitchen. This month host is Kitchen Chronicles and the blog to try the recipes is Sailu's food with excellent recipe ideas. What a nice concept created by Zlamushka. Thank you for Zlamushka for starting this interesting event and thank you for the kitchen chronicles for hosting this month's event.
Sailu's food has nice Andhra recipes. When i think about andhra the first thing which comes to my mind is the pickles. Our ancestors have found some brilliant way of preserving the pickles in a natural way.The lemon in the pickles stops the bacterial formation and the oil acts as natural preservative.
Although my picture may not look as good as Sailu's original picture but the taste and smell was so mouthwatering.To see the original recipe click here.

Ingredients:
Chicken-1 kg with bones
Ginger Garlic Paste-11/2 tbsp
Chilli Powder-1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp
Oil-4 tbsp
Salt as required
Lemon-3
For the spice mix
Coriander seeds-3 tbsp
Cumin seeds-11/2 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp( not the black one used for bread,this is a different one available in asian groceries)
Fenugreek seeds-1 1/2 tbsp
Cloves-6
Cardamom-1
Cinnamon-2 inch
Star anise-1
For the seasoning
a pinch of fenugreek seeds
curry leaves-a few stalk
dried red chilli-3
15 cloves of crushed garlic
oil-3/4 cup
Method:
Dry roast the spice mix ingredients separately and make them into a fine powder.Take the juice of 3 lemon, heat them for 3 minutes and leave it to cool.
Heat 4 tbsp of oil add the chicken,ginger garlic paste,chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt and cook them in high heat for 5 minutes,then reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken until all the water dries out,stir the chicken in the middle so that it doesn't gets burnt.
Heat the 3/4 cup of oil in a separate pan , add the seasoning ingredients and then add this to the chicken and then add the spice mix to the chicken ,cook for further 15 minutes. Finally add the cooled lemon juice, combine well. Let it cool down,fill them in a air tight container and refrigerate.

Melon Surprise

Melon Surprise is made with two types of melon like honeydew and water melon. When i talk about watermelon,it remainds me of summer in India. In a hot summer when you feel so thirsty you can see lots of water melon on the road side shop.One slice of melon cools you immediately.
There is a interesting information which i read about water melon today, most of us avoid the inner white part of the melon, which is edible,it also contains many hidden nutrients.To read more click here.

Ingredients:
Honey dew melon-1 cup( without any seeds or rind)
Water melon-1 cup(sliced without any seeds)
Milk-1 cup
Honey-1 tbsp
Method:
Blend the honeydew melon separately with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tbsp honey.
Blend the water melon separately with remaining milk and honey.
To Serve:
Take a long glass, pour the honeydew melon juice first,then pour the water melon juice and serve.

Pasta Salad

One good thing about pasta salad it tastes good even when it is cold,it's really good for packed lunches and a very light meal.This can be served as starter with bread.
Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked Pasta(any shape)
Olive Oil-1 tbsp
Mayonaise-1/2 tbsp
Red pepper-1/2( finely sliced)
Green Pepper -1/2 (finely sliced)
Yellow pepper-1/2(finely sliced)
Canned sweet corn-2 tbsp
Black Olives-1 tbsp
Ground Black Pepper-1 tsp
Mixed Italian Herbs-1 tsp( Mixed Italian Herbs is a mixture of dried herbs like garlic,basil,red pepper,oregano)
Hot water-1 tbsp
Salt as required
Method
Add the mixed herbs to the hot water and salt and leave it for 5 minutes. Now add oil,mayonaise and black pepper mix it well.Mix the cooked pasta,the herb mixture and the remaining ingredients together,toss it up well so that the pasta gets coated well.Serve it with nice warm garlic bread.

Apple and Cinnamon Scones

These soft and light scones can be made easily, with all the goodness of wholemeal and apple.

Ingredients:
Wholemeal flour-110g
Plain flour-110g
Eating apples peeled,cored and grated-225 g
Butter-50 g
Brown Sugar-50 g
Egg-1 beaten lightly or 1 tbsp of milk
Ground cinnamon-2 tsp
Baking powder-2 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda-1/4 tsp
2 tbsp golden granulated sugar for sprinkling on top
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius.Combine flour,baking powder,bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a large bowl.Add the butter and grated apple and mix with tour hands until you get a soft dough.
Turn the dough on a floured work surface and with floury hands press it out until it is 2.5 cm thick.Use floured 5 cm round cutter and cut out the scones out and place them on a baking sheet with baking parchment paper.
Brush the top of the scones with egg or milk, sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and well risen.Transfer at once to a wire cooling rack to cool.Serve with butter,cream and jam.
Tips:
To make really soft and airy scones is to handle the dough very lightly for a minimum of time.

Chicken Kurma

Kurma is a well known dish ,it doesn't need any introduction,but still i'll explain it briefly. Kurma is a mildely spiced coconut based gravy, it can made with only vegetables or with lamb or chicken. In this recipe i have used chicken, you can replace the chicken with lamb or vegetables.This curry can be served with rice,roti's or naan.

Ingredients:
Chicken-1/2 kg
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Grated coconut-2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Stick-1 small stick
Cardamom-2
Cloves-1
Cuminseeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
Whole black peppercorns1/4 tsp
Curry leaves-a few stalk
Salt as required
Oil-1/2 tbsp
Method:
Wash the chicken well and cut them into bite size pieces.Dry roast the coconut and the whole spices until the coconut is slightly browned. Grind the mixture into a smooth paste by adding some water.
Heat oil in a pan, season it with curry leaves,add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste , cover the pan and cook till the onion is soft and light brown in colour, stir in between when you are cooking the onion,do not burn it.Now add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are mashed up.
Then add the turmeric,coriander and chilli powder and saute it for a while,now add the chicken stir well with the gravy and add enough water and cook the chicken.
When the chicken is nearly done add the ground mixture and leave it to boil until oil separates on top.
This recipe goes to Cooking With Seeds- Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.

Mango Surprise

Mango Surprise is a drink made with fresh mango and orange juice,the surprise here is the melon.Melon in the middle of mango and orange is a real delight.
Ingredients:
Mango-1
Orange Juice-1 cup
Melon-1/2 a melon
Method:
Peel and chop the mango into slices. Blend the mango and orange juice separately to a nice smooth consistency.
Juice the melon separately without any seeds or skin.
To Serve: Take a long glass, pour the melon juice first, then pour the mango juice ,they don't mix together,leave it like that and serve.

Kola Urundai Kulambu

Kola Urundai is nothing but meatballs cooked in a spicy coconut based gravy.This gravy can be served with rice or bread.
Ingredients:
Mincemeat-300 g
Onion-1
tomato-1
Coconut-2 tbsp
Oil-1 tbsp
Cardamom-1
Cinnamon-1 small stick
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
Whole Black Pepper corns-1/2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Green chilli-2
Curry leaves-a few stalk
Split channa dhal-1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste-2 tsp
Salt as required
Method:
Dry fry the coconut, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, black pepper and channa dhal.Grind them along with the green chilli. Mix the ground ingredients, 1/2 chopped onion,1 tsp of ginger garlic paste to the meat and make them into small balls,set aside 1/2 a tbsp of the meat mixture to prepare the gravy.
Shallow fry the meat balls in oil, you can skip this step if you want to avoid frying and directly add the raw meat balls to the gravy.
To prepare the gravy, heat oil in a pan,add ginger garlic paste, remaining chopped onion and fry it until light golden brown in colour. Now add the tomato and cook till the tomato gets mashed up, then add the remaining meat mixture, turmeric and chilli powder and fry it well, add about 1/2 or 1 cup or 1 cup of water, add salt to taste and let the gravy boil. Add the meatballs to gravy and cook till the oil separates and floats on top.
Serve it hot with rice or roti's.
This recipe goes to Cooking With Seeds- Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.

Cardamom Cookies

This recipe is adapted from Yasmeen's HealthNut which is actually made for Walima Cooking Challenge.These cookies are a real treat with a nice cup of tea.

Ingredients:
Wholemeal flour-3/4 cup
Plain flour-1/2 cup
Butter-3 tbsp
Brown Sugar-3 tbsp
Egg yolk-1
Cardamom powder-1 tsp
A few cashewnuts or almonds to decorate
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.Cream the butter and sugar well,add the egg yolk and cardamom powder and mix it well,add the flour and knead it into a smooth dough.Take walnut size ball, flatten it and press a cashewnut or almond in the middle.Bake it in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sunflower Bread

This bread can be served for breakfast with hummus or for dinner with soup or even as a snack. It's good for any time meal of the day with goodness of sunflower seeds.
Makes 2 medium sized bread
Ingredients:
Dough
Wholemeal flour-350 g
White bread flour-150 g
Dried yeast-7 g
Warm Water -300 ml
Sunflower seeds-170 g
Sunflower oil-6 tbsp
Salt-2 tsp
Ground caraway-1 tsp
Ground coriander-1 tsp
1 egg yolk for glazing
Method
Dry roast the sunflower seeds and keep it aside.Mix the flour,yeast,oil,salt and spices to form a smooth dough.Knead in the sunflower seeds, saving 2 tbsp later for the topping.Allow the dough to rise in a warm place.
Take the dough ,punch the air back, divide it into two balls. Make it flat like a circle, cover the dough and allow it to rise for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius. Take a pie cutting ring ,make it wet and press it in the middle of the loaf.Make 7 to 8 long cuts towards the middle of the loaf from the outer edge using a sharp knife.
Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tsp of water and brush it on top of the loaf,sprinkle the rest of the sunflower seeds in the middle of the bread.
Place a fire proof cup with cold water onto the floor of the oven.Bake the bread in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Orange Marmalade Pancake

Ingredients:
Plain Flour-125 g
Milk-300 ml
Egg-1
Baking Powder-1 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda-1/4 tsp
Orange marmalade-1 tbsp
Orange Syrup:
Orange marmalade-2 tbsp
To serve
Chocolate Hazelnut spread and few crushed nuts
Method
Mix all the ingredients together to make a smooth batter, heat a pan pour a laddle full of batter in the pan and swirl it around to form a circle. Cook it on both sides.
To make the orange syrup gently heat the orange marmalade with 2 tbsp of water until it's runny.
To serve drizzle over the pancake with syrup , sprinkle the nuts on top and finally add some chocolate hazelnut spread on top of it.

Hazelnut pinwheels

Source:The Australian "Women's Weekly"
Makes 30
Ingredients:
Plain Flour-185g
Butter-100g chopped
Caster Sugar-110 g
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk approximately
Chocolate hazelnut spread-110g
Hazelnut meal-2 tbsp
Method:
Process flour,sugar and butter intil mixture becomes crumbly,add the egg yolk; process with enough milk until the mixture forms a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll th dough between two sheets of baking paper to form 20cm by 30 cm rectangle.
Spread the dough evenly with chocolate hazelnut spread leaving the sides and sprinkle hazelnut meal on top of it. Roll the dough tightly to enclose the filling. Enclose roll in a plastic wrap;refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to180 degree celsius.Grease and line two baking trays.
Remove plastic from dough ;cut roll into 1 cm slices. Place slices about 2 cm apart on trays.Bake biscuits for about 20 minutes, leave it in the tray for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Calzone

Calzone is a famous Italian dish made with pizza dough in a different method.Here the cheese and toppings are stuffed inside the bread.

For the base and the sauce recipe click here.
Stuffing:
Green Pepper-1
Red Pepper-1
Cooked chicken in small pieces-2 tbsp
Black Olives-5 to 6
Mozzarello cheese-100 g
Cheddar cheese -100g
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius.
Divide the leavened dough into 2 balls. Roll them into two 15 cm diameter circles. On one half of the circle,apply the sauce,place the stuffing ingredients and close the circle and seal the edges to form a semicircle shape. Brush it on top with oliveoil and bake it in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve it warm with side salad.

Chicken and Kale Pizza

Ingredients:
For the base:
White Bread Flour-150 g
Wholemeal Flour-150 g
Dried yeast-1 tsp
Olive oil-2 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Salt-1 tsp
Warm Water-120 ml
For the sauce:
Red Pepper-1
Tomato-1
Sugar-1 tsp
Tomato ketchup-2 tsp( optional)
Oregano-1 tsp
Black pepper powder-1 tsp
Garlic-2 cloves
Salt as required
Toppings:
Kale finely chopped-1 tbsp
Cooked tandoori chicken or normal cooked chicken-few pieces for topping
Mixed Mozaralleo and cheddar cheese- 200 g
Method:
Dough:
Mix all the dough ingredients together to form a smooth dough and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
For the Sauce:
Preheat the oven to maximum, smoke the red pepper and tomato until the skin is blackened. Allow it to cool. Remove the blackened skin and liquidise it in a blender. Heat olive oil in a pan,add finely chopped garlic pods,then add the blended liquid, if the liquid is too thick add some more water.
Then add sugar,ketchup,salt and pepper and allow it to boil for a while. When the sauce is nice and thick sprinkle the oregano and take it off from the stove.
Now prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius. Take the risen dough and punch the air back.
Make two 15 cm diameter round,spread the sauce on top of it, sprinkle the cheese,kale and chicken.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Emperor's Rolls

Makes 15 rolls

Ingredients:
Plain flour-500 g
Butter-75g
Dried yeast-7g
Sugar-1 tsp
Salt-1 tsp
Lukewarm milk-300 ml
1 egg and 1 egg yolk for glazing
Method:
Combine all the ingredients leaving the egg to form a smooth dough. Keep the dough in a warm place and let it rise double in size.
When the dough is risen knock the dough back and roll the leavened dough into a thick length and cut into 15 equal portions. Roll each piece into 30 cm length.
Fold the rolled length in the middle to make two equal halves,but do not join them, twist the strand around each other a few times and then thread the ends through the resulting loop at the bottom.
Place the twisted rolls onto a greased baking tray and leave it to rise for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 225 degree celsius. Whisk the egg and eggyolk and brush it on top of the rolls.Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden colour on top.
Serve the bread warm with butter and jam or for savoury option cut the bread into two equal halves and make it like a mini pizza.

Banana pancake

Ingredients:

Plain Flour-125 g

Milk-300 ml

Egg-1

Baking powder-1 tsp

Bicarb of soda-1/4 tsp

1 mashed banana

1 tbsp of honey

15 g of melted butter

few walnut kernels and honey to serve

Method:

Sift the flour,baking powder,bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Mix the mashed banana with this, add milk,honey and egg to this mixture to make it into a lump free batter. Finally add the melted butter and mix well.

Heat a pan, pour a laddle full of batter into the pan and swirl it around,cook it on both sides.

Serve warm with walnuts and drizzled honey.

Pide

A traditional turkish ridged flat bread,this is often baked plain,you can also sprinkle with sesame,nigella or poppy seeds. This bread can be served with soups,curries or for doner recipes.

Makes 3

Ingredients:

Unbleached white bread flour-450 g

Warm water-240 ml

Olive oil-2 tbsp

Dried yeast-1 tsp

Sugar-1 tsp

Salt-1 tsp

1 egg yolk mixed with water for glazing

Nigella or sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method:

Mix all the ingredients other than egg yolk and seeds.Make it into a smooth dough using a electric mixer or by hands.Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl for and cover it with a cling film.

Leave it in a warm place until it's doubled in size. Take the dough, punch it down gently and divide it into three equal rounds.

Shape each piece into a ball and roll it into a round of about 6in in diameter.Cover with a oiled cling film and leave for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 230 degree celsius.Just before baking the bread make ridges all over the surface of the bread using your fingers,place the bread on a floured baking sheet brush it on top with egg glaze and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake it in the hot oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until puffed and golden in colour. Serve immediately.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a spicy mexican dish made with avocados. It can be served with tortilla chips or inside a mexican wrap.

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1/2 a onion

1/2 a tomato

1 dried red chilli

1/2 tbsp of coriander leaves

1 garlic clove

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt as required

Method:

Put all the ingredients together in a blender and blend it to a coarse paste, season it with salt and pepper, top it up with some more chopped onion, tomato and coriander leaves. Cover it and keep it in the fridge until you serve.

Freshly made taste better.

Black Eye Bean Kulambu

Kulambu is nothing but Gravy. This gravy style which i have adapted is traditionally made with vatral and called as vatral kulambu.In this recipe i have used blackeye beans alternatively you can also use butter beans are any mix of vegetable. This spicy gravy can be served with rice.

Ingredients:

Toor dhal-2 tsp

Urad dhal-2 tsp

Coriander seeds-2 tsp

Channa dhal-2 tsp

Rice-1 tsp

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Pepper corn-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1 tsp

Vendium seeds-1/2 tsp

Tamarind- one lemon size

Curry leaves-a few stalk

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Small onions-5 to 6 sliced lengthwise

Salt-as requied

1 can of black eye bean

Oil-1 tbsp

Method:

Dry fry the dhal,seeds and rice other than mustard seeds.Grind the fried ingredients along with red chilli powder.

Add oil in a pan season with mustard seeds and curry leaves, then add onions and saute it for a while. Now add the ground ingredients and fry it for a while. Now add the tamarind extract,turmeric powder ,black eye bean and salt.

Boil it for about 5 t0 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Pine Nut Cookies

Source:BBC Good Food Magazine

Makes about 18 biscuits

Plain flour-250 g

Butter-175 g softened

Golden Granulated Sugar-140 g

Egg-1

Pine nuts-50 g, plus a few extra

Baking powder-1 tsp

Grated nutmeg-1/2 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.Grease and line a baking sheet.

Toast the pinenuts in a dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes,set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar well, add the grated nutmeg, stir the egg into it.

Sift the flour and baking powder into it, make it into a dough, mix the nuts with this dough,saving some for later.Wrap the dough in a cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Take walnut size piece of the dough,press it lightly to 5 cm round and press 2 pinenuts on top of it.

Bake for 15 minutes until pale and golden,transfer to a wire rack to cool.Sprinkle with sugar and serve.

Anzac Biscuits

Source:The Australian "Women's Weekly"

This recipe is for the event"Show Me Your Whole Grains"

Makes about 25 biscuits.

Ingredients:

Rolled Oats-90 g

Plain flour-150 g

Caster Sugar-220 g

Desiccated coconut-60 g

Butter-125 g chopped

Golden Syrup-1 tbsp

Bicarbonate of soda-11/2 tsp

Boiling water-2 tbsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150 degree celsius. Grease and line a baking tray. Combine oats,flour,sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Stir butter and syrup in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth.

Combine soda and the boiling water,add to the butter mixture; stir into the dry ingredients while still warm.Place level tablespoon of mixture onto trays about 5 cm apart;press lightly.Bake biscuits for about 25 minutes . Loosen biscuits while still warm,cool on tray.

Mango and Cardamom Gateau.

A delicate sponge cake filled with rich doublecream and juicy mangoes.This recipe is for the event Mango Moods By Food-n-More, Anupama.

Recipe adapted from the book Good House Keeping "Great Cakes".

Ingredients:

For the Sponge:

Plain Flour-100 gm

Caster Sugar-125 gm

Eggs-4

Green Cardamom Pods-4

Unsalted Butter-50 gm

a good pinch of saffron

To Complete:

Double cream-100ml

Greek Yogurt-100 gm

2 large ripe mangoes

3 tbsp of icing sugar

4 tbsp of orange juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.Grease and line 2 18 cm sandwich tins. Split the cardamom pods, remove the cardamom seeds, powder it with saffron.Melt the butter and leave it to cool.

Put the eggs and sugar in a heat proof bowl and whisk until evenly blended using an electric whisk.Put the bowl over a pan of hot water and whisk until pale and thick enough to leave a trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted.Remove the bowl from the pan and whisk until cool and thick.

Sift the spices and flour together,fold half into the whisked mixture,pour the cooled butter around the edge of the bowl leaving the sediment behind.Carefully fold in the remaining flour as lightly as possible.Pour it into the prepared tins and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and the cake spring back when lightly Pressed.Loosen the edge and leave it in the tin for 5 minutes.

For the filling whisk the cream until it hold it's shape, stir in the yogurt and icing sugar.Sandwich the cake with cream and 1 sliced mango.Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Liquidise the remaininig mango with the icing sugar and orange juice,pass it through a sieve to remove the fibres. Serve with gateau.

Garlic and Kale Naan

Naan is a Indian bread cooked in hot tandoori oven,even people in the west love these bread with curries.This recipe is for the event Yasmeen's Healthnut Challenge 5, Crucial Cruciferious.

Ingredients:

Unbleached White Bread Flour-280 gm(You can make it wholemeal by adding half wholemeal and half white flour)

Dried Yeast-1 tsp

Warm water-100 ml

Clear Honey-2 tsp

Plain Yogurt-60 ml

Melted ghee or butter-1 tbsp

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 tbsp of finely chopped kale leaves

Method:

Mix all the ingredients other than the kale leaves to make it into a smooth dough, knead well in a floured surface. Keep it in a clean and oiled bowl, cover it with a cling film, leave it in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

When dough is doubled, take the dough and punch the air back, add the finely chopped kale leaves to the dough and mix it well.

Divide the dough into four equal balls , cover and leave in the room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to the maximum.Take the balls and flatten it with a rolling pin and stretch along one side to make it look like a naan, Cover with cling film and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the naan in the hot baking sheet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until puffed up.Turn it on the other side and leave it for 1 minute.Remove the baking sheet and place it under the hort grill for few seconds to brown on top.

Brush the naan with melted ghee or butter.

Cauliflower Adai and Kale Green Chutney

Adai is a SouthIndian version of pancakes made with a variety of lentils. Adai by itself is a wholesome healthy dish, in this recipe i have added cauliflower to make it a littlebit more healthier.This recipe is for the event Yasmeen's Healthnut Challenge 5,Crucial Cruciferious.

Cauliflower Adai

Ingredients:

Brown rice or idli rice-11/2 cups

Urad dhal-1/2 cup

Toor dhal-1/4 cup

Channa dhal-1/4 cup

Moong dhal-1/4 cup

Sago-1 tbsp

Grated Cauliflower-3/4 cup

Dried red chillies-2

1/2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves

1/2 a onion

Salt as required.

Method:

Soak all the dhal and rice in water for 6 to 7 hours.Grind it in a blender well, don't make it too smooth, it should be little bit coarse. Finally add the dried red chilli and grind it once again until it's finely chopped. The batter should be of pouring consistency.

Prepare the cauliflower by separating the florets and boil them in the water for few minutes. Don't let them boil for too long and cook them. Remove the Cauliflower from water and grate them finely or chop it up finely.

Now add the cauliflower,coriander leaves and chopped onion to the adai batter and mix it well, it'll be a bit thick after adding the cauliflower, add some water and make the batter a little bit thin.

Heat a tawa or a pan,slightly oil it,pour a laddlefull of batter in the pan and spread it with a laddle in a circural motion to form a round shape. Apply oil along the sides. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turn it over other side,leave it for about 2 minutes and take it out. Repeat the same with rest of the batter.Serve it hot with chutneys or sambar.

Kale Green Chutney:

Kale-1/2 cup

Coriander leaves-1/2 cup

Grated fresh coconut-1/2 cup

Green chilli-1

Garlic cloves-2

Ginger- 1 small piece

small onion-3

Lemon-1/2

Salt as required

Method:

Grind all the ingredients with juice of 1/2 a lemon, make it into a paste. Serve it with adai.

Mamoul Cookie

Mamoul cookie is a arabic cookie, i have used here fig jam as filling you can also use dates as filling.This recipe is adapted from Rosa' Yummy Yum.

Ingredients:

Dough

Fine Semolina-500 gm

Butter-250 gm

Powdered sugar-30 gm

Milk-60 ml

Orange Blossom water-60ml

Filling

Dried figs-250 gm

Sugar-1 tbsp

Method:

First prepare the filling by heating the figs,sugar and just enough water to cover it, cook it in low flame until the fig is softened and mushed, allow the water to dry completely and remove it from flame.Let it cool.

Prepare the dough by mixing the semolina and sugar together, then rub in the butter, add the milk and orange blossom water to make it into a dough.

Make small rounds of the dough, make a well in the center, place the filling inside, close it and flatten it slightly. Repeat with remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius and bake it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Badusha

Badusha is a Indian sweet made with plain flour and yogurt, fried in oil and soaked in syrup.

Ingredients:

Plain flour-2 cups

Yogurt-1 cup

Ghee-3/4 cup

Bicarb of soda-1 tsp

Ghee or ghee and oil mixed for frying

Syrup:

Sugar-3 cups

Water-11/2 cups

Rose water- a few drops

Lemon juice- 1/2 a lemon

For Garnishing:

Mixed crushed nuts to garnish.

Method:

Sift the plain flour and bicarb of soda.

Beat together ghee,yogurt and little bit of sugar.Mix the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and make it into smooth. Roll it out into lemon size balls, flatten it with your palms and make a depression in the middle. Repeat with remaining dough, place it in a plate, cover it with a damp cloth or cling film and keep it in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar and water together to form two string consistency,add the essence and lemon juice ,keep it warm.

Now fry the badusha's in ghee or oil in low flame until they turn golden brown.Soak it in the syrup for 10 to 15 minutes, take it out and garnish with crushed nuts and saffron strands.

Date Bites

Date Bites is nothing but small sweet bread filled with date and walnut filling. You can also use other fillings like fig jam, orange marmalade and top it with chocolate.

This recipe is adapted from Arabic Bites.

Ingredients:

Dough

Plain Flour-11/2 cup

Oil- 2 tbsp

Sugar-1/4 cup

Cardamon-1/2 tsp

Baking Powder-1 tsp

Milk-1/2 cup

Water- 1 tbsp

Filling

Medjool dates-6 to 8

Walnut- 5 to 6

Cardamon- a pinch

Method:

Mix all the dough ingredients by adding milk little by little, make it into a smooth. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the filling by mixing all the filling ingredients together and make it like a dough.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts, make it into a ball, flatten it slightly, place some filling inside the dough, cover and make it into a ball. Flatten slightly with your palms.

Repeat it with the remaining dough.Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly brown on top.

Badam Kalakand

Badam Kalakand is a Indian sweet made with almonds,milk and sugar. This is a simplified version of it which can be made in minutes in microwave.

Ingredients:

Ricotta cheese- 1 cup

Sweetened condensed milk-1 cup

Ground almonds-1 tbsp

Saffron- a few strands soaked in warm milk

Ghee or butter to grease the bowl

Mixed Crushed nuts to garnish

Method:

Grease a large microwave safe bowl with butter.Combine all the ingredients and stir well. Microwave it in high for 5 minutes. Open it and stir well again. Microwave again for 5 minutes.Take it out and stir well. Microwave for 5 minutes again, this time check in the middle of every 1 minute. If it's not looking like a liquid ,pour it in a plate, garnish with nuts and cut it into squares.

Tips:

You can also make other kalakand by adding ground pistachios or cashews instead of almonds. You can also use other flavouring like cardamon or rosewater.

Chocolate kalakand can also be made by using cocoa powder.

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken-1/2 kg

Ginger Garlic paste-2 tsp

Chilli powder- 2 tsp

Pepper powder-1 tsp

Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala-1/4 tsp

Egg-1

Lemon juice-1/2 a lemon

Onion-1

Green chilli-2

Curry leaves- few spring

Oil for frying

Flour-1 tbsp

Salt-as required

Method:

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.Marinate the chicken with spices and lemon juice for 1 hour.Just before frying mix the egg with chicken and dust each piece of chicken with flour. Fry it in hot oil until the chicken is cooked.

Now heat another pan with little bit of oil add the curry leaves, green chilli and onion fry it for a while, add the cooked chicken to this and coat it well. Serve hot with rice,bread or rotis.

Tip:

For extra kick you can add some chilli sauce when frying the onion.

Focaccia Bread sandwhich

Serves 2
1 Focaccia Bread
1 Chicken Breast
Red Pepper-1
Green Pepper-1
2 pieces of sundried tomato soaked in warm water and sliced finely
2 slices of cheese
Chillipowder-1/2 tsp
Pepper-1 tsp
Salt as required
Breadcrumbs- 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp(optional)
Mayonaise-3tsp
Method:
First prepare the chicken by marinating the chicken in chilli powder, pepper,ginger garlic paste and salt. Leave it for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to maximum,coat the chicken strips in breadcrumbs and place it in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.
Prepare the peppers by washing them well, drizzle with oil and leave it in the oven till the skin becomes black.Allow them to cool.
Assemble the sandwhich by cutting the bread into four equal parts , apply the mayonaise on one slice arrange the slices of pepper,sundried tomato,chicken and cheese, place the other slice of bread on top of it, leave it inside the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot with salad.
Tips:
To give some extra kick to the sandwhich add some dried italian herb to the mayonaise.

Olive and sundried tomato Focaccia bread

Focaccia is a type of italian bread, great with salad and sandwich. It's almost like a pizza base with less toppings and no cheese.
Ingredients:
Strong White Bread Flour-300 gm
Warm water-225 ml
Active dried yeast-2 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Pitted Olives-25 gm
Sundried tomato-25( Soaked in warm water and sliced finely)
Olive oil-1 tbsp

Method:
Combine the flour,sugar,yeast, 1 tsp of olive oil and water to make it into smooth dough using a electric mixer or by hand. Cover the dough and leave it in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or doubled in size.When the dough has rien punch the air back and spread it in 23 cm shallow baking tin.
Cover it and leave it to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place.Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius. Take the risen dough , make dimples all over the dough, sprinkle with olives and sun-dried tomato and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve it with salad or sandwhich.
Variations:
You can also use other toppings like fried onion or herbs like thyme or rosemary.

Tandoori Chicken

You can make this using 1 whole chicken or cut the whole chicken into four or chicken drumsticks.

Ingredients:

1 whole baby chicken

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Chilli powder- 3 tsp

Pepper powder- 2 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon

Dried Mint- 1 tsp

Salt as required

Method:

Wash the chicken well, cut it into half, and slash it with a knife all over the chicken. Mix all the ingredients together and rub the paste over the chicken. Leave it to marinate for one whole night or 4 to 5 hours. Set the oven temperature to maximum. Grill the chicken on each sides for 20 minutes. To check the chicken is cooked or not prick it with a skewer or fork if the juice runs out clear it's done, take it out. If it's pink in colour leave it for some more time.

When the chicken is cooking serve the juices which is oozing out. Before serving heat a oil in a pan, cut slices of onion and saute it in oil, pour the juices from the chicken, add the chicken and turn it over, sprinkle some dried mint and squeeze some lemon juice on top of it.

Serve it hot.

ShortBread Tower

This is a traditional scottish desert. If you want to make it really quick, you can even use shopbought shortbread. The cream with the biscuits and fruit balances the dish really well.

Makes about 25 biscuits.

Butter-175 gm

Caster sugar-75 gm

vanilla extract-2 drops

grated zest of 1 lemon

Caster sugar for dusting

strawberries-200 gm

Whipped cream-200 ml

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius. Grease and line two large baking sheet.

Cream the butter,sugar,vanilla extract and lemon zest. Sift the flour and make it into a smooth dough.Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into 5 mm thickness ,cut the biscuits using a pastry cutter. Bake it for about 10 to 12 minute or until pale in colour.

To make the shortbread tower arrange the biscuits in a plate top it with cream and strawberries. Dust it with icing sugar.