Caramel and Apricot Jam Bakes

I am super proud!! Though visually it looks quite regal, very less effort is put for it. It can be made very easily with the least of ingredients. It can be a tasty breakfast recipe, a teatime snack and can be even considered as a sweet dessert.

Ingredients

3½ cups plain flour
¾ cup butter chopped
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup Cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup caramel sauce
Caramel or chocolate syrup for garnishing

Directions

Add flour, butter, icing sugar, cream, egg and baking powder in a bowl of electric beater. Beat for 3-4 minutes or until mixture is smooth.
Divide dough into half, carefully roll out 1 portion of pastry on baking paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Press the remaining portion into a 28cm round baking tin. Then spread apricot jam evenly over pastry. Now pour some caramel sauce on top.
Cut rolled chilled pastry with sharp knife then arrange on top of fruit jam and caramel sauce in a diagonal lattice pattern. Bake in a 180°C preheated oven for 30–35 minutes or until golden.
Cool in tin then cut into squares or fingers. Garnish with carsmel or chocolate syrup and serve.

Umm Ali

Umm Ali is a traditional dessert dish of Egypt. It is very popular in arab countries during the Ramadan season. It is a mixture of toast bread, puff pastry or croissant , milk, cream and mixed nuts. It is delicious and easy to be prepared.

Ingredients

White or brown toast bread
Mixed nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1 Cup light cream
1 Liter milk
1 cup thick cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

In a large saucepan heat the milk then add the light cream. Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Remove from heat.

Grease the oven dish with part of the thick cream. Trim the crusts off  of the toast bread then place it over the thick cream. Add the mixture of milk and light cream

Spread remaining thick cream on top. Make sure not to cover all the upper layer.

Garnish with raisins, coconut, and mixed nuts.

Place the baking dish in a preheated oven at 200°C until golden brown. Serve immediately.(I garnished it with a few apple slices for its visual appeal)

Halawat El Jibn (Sweet Cheese and Semolina Rolls)

Halawat el Jibn, meaning the sweetness of cheese, is a very popular arabic sweet dish. A finger-licking dish, halawat el jibn is a cheese dessert. It is often garnished with nuts, especially pistachios. Here I have drizzed some caramel on top.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup semolina
2 cups Sugar Syrup
1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Vanilla Custard
A handful Pista
Caramel Syrup for garnishing

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, cook butter, semolina, and milk for 3 minutes.
Add 1 cup sugar syrup to the pot, stir, and cook for 3 minutes.

Add mozzarella to the pot, and cook, stirring vigorously, for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pour 1/2 cup Sugar Syrup onto a baking sheet and spread out to coat all sides. Pour cheese mixture onto the baking sheet, and using the back of a wooden spoon, spread out to the size of the baking sheet. Cool for 15 minutes.

Cut into desired shapes and fold or roll it after placing enough of custard(as you prefer) in the centre of each roll. I've folded it vertically and knived it into small pieces.

To serve, sprinkle each piece with ground pistachios and a drizzle of Caramel Syrup.

Layali Lubnan

This is a Lebanese recipe, but it's enjoyed through out the middle east. It is a nice mix between a semolina pudding and a creamy topping. It can be topped with nuts or toasted coconut.

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

4 cups milk
3⁄4 cup farina or the finer semolina
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon sugar

Cream Layer

8 ounces whipped cream (extra creamy)
5 ounces cream

Attar

1 1⁄2 cups water
1 1⁄2 cups sugar

Garnish

Toasted coconut with ghee and sugar
Pista

Directions

Make the attar ahead of time.
Combine the water and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil, let boil for about 3 minutes and set aside.
Combine the whip cream with the cream, gentle folding in, then once well combined put it back into the refrigerator.
Pour 4 cups of milk into a medium pot, add vanilla and sugar.
Bring to a boil, and add farina or semolina very slowly while stirring, so to avoid clumps.
Stir while milk and farina cooks, which will take about 5 minutes.
Place into small bowls, and let cool.
Once cooled, pour about 2 -3 tablespoons of syrup on top of pudding.
Then spoon about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of whip cream mix onto pudding evenly.
Then top with toasted coconut and pista.
You can enjoy it then or place in the fridge for later.

Qatayef

Qatayef is an Arab dessert commonly eaten during Ramadan.  It is a sweet dumpling often filled with nuts or cheese. Here, I have filled it with a walnut and cashew mixture with cinnamon. It is commonly fried, yet in some cultures it is baked. Qatayef is drizzled with honey, sweet sugar syrup or powdered sugar.

Ingredients

Dough

3 tbsp. corn starch
2 3/4 cup cold water
2 cups flour
1/2 cup semolina
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
Filling
White Cheese, unsalted
Walnuts, Cashews with a little sugar and  cinnamon

Syrup

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp. orange blossom water
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

Dough
Mix the flour, semolina, sugar and baking powder.
Dissolve corn starch in cold water.
Gradually add the starch/water mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Set aside for 30 minutes.

Make the syrup
In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, water, orange blossom and lemon juice and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the syrup thickens.

Heat a frying pan or griddle, Using a ladle or scoop, pour enough batter to make 3 - 5" pancakes.
Cook until the pancake starts bubbling on top then remove from the pan and set aside. (cook on one side only).
Fill each pancake with cashew walnut mixture , fold it in half and press to seal the edges.
Fry the Qatayef.
Dip into the syrup for a minute or so and serve immediately.

Al Luqaimat (Zainab Fingers)

This is a very tasty arabic sweet which is very commonly found in any arabic bakery. It is said that Zainab fingers dates back to more than100 years when a woman called Zainab made this beautiful dish. It is literally believed as the food of the Judges, and is sometimes called Loukoumades.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon yeast
Pinch of sugar
2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons corn flour
3 tablespoons Full Cream Milk Powder
Pinch of salt
1½ cups water
2 cups oil for deep frying
2 cups sugar syrup

Directions

In a small bowl, combine yeast with pinch of sugar and ½ cup of water.
In another bowl, combine flour, corn flour, milk powder and a pinch of salt. Add the yeast mixture and rub the ingredients using fingertips until they resemble breadcrumbs.
Add water in batches and mix well until a soft dough forms. Cover and set aside for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
Divide the dough into small walnut size balls. Deep fry the dough in 180°C preheated oil for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
Dip the ready fried balls in the ready syrup for 2 minutes. Remove and serve.

Avocado Hummus

Hummus is a  recipe that is very popular in the middle east. It can be made with many ingredients but the common factor would usually be chick peas. This gives it an addictive taste and the other ingredients add to its distinctive flavours. Try this very tasty avocado hummus recipe and enjoy it with chappathi or nan or any other middle eastern wraps.

Ingredients

1 can garbanzo beans or chick peas, drained, rinsed
1 1⁄2 teaspoons tahini
1⁄2 lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, stoned
salt
black pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until well mixed and smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more lemon juice if necessary.
Transfer to a storage container, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Riz Wa Haleeb

This is a delicious oriental rice pudding recipe which is said to have originated in Lebanon. I was never fond of Rice pudding until I tasted this exclusive recipe. It is a perfect dessert recipe to create a perfection to any meal. Enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 cup of Egyptian rice ( this rice is super tiny and is full of starch.
1 cup water
1/2 cup of rose water and 2 tablespoon of Orange blossom water (Adjust both depending on your taste)

1 cup sugar

Method

Rinse rice quickly just to make sure it is clean but don't over wash because the natural starch of the rice is needed to thicken the dish up.
Add water and rice to a pot on high heat. Cook until  the rice doubles in size but does NOT become overcooked and the water will dry a bit and what remains is rice and starch. once this happens you may remove from heat.
Heat up the 8 cups of milk. Pour over the rice stir very well return to a med-high heat.
Be sure to constantly stir to prevent sticking, once it comes to a boil you may rest and stir every 3 mins.
Once the rice appears to have floated to the top of the pot and the milk has thickened, remove from the heat for a few mins so you may add the flavorings.
Add sugar, orange blossom and rose water.Mix well.Allow it to simmer  for 3mins and remove from heat completely.
Pour into bowls. Allow it to cool.Garnish with dried nuts and raisins. Enjoy.

Mushabak

This is a middle eastern funnel cake which is too yummy for words. It is a common sweet dish prepared for ramadan. I first tasted it from an arabic bakery and immediately decided to make it at home. The recipe proved to be an easy one. A must try recipe to satiate your sudden sugar cravings.

Ingredients

5 Cups Semolina flour
2 Cups plain yogurt
2 Cups Water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Method

Once you mix the batter, spoon it into a piping bag and use a tip with deep grooves. This will help in the frying process, and making sure you get nice crunchy texture with the insides cooking properly.
For frying, use a very wide pan, that isnt too shallow. Ideally 2-3 inches. You need a wide surface area so that the mushabak wont stick to one another!
You need to pipe the batter into the hot oil, creating the swirl shapes. Once the bottom gets nice and browned, flip to make sure both sides are well browned.
Once they are fried to a golden brown, remove onto a plate with paper towel for just a few minutes to drain excess oil.
Before they cool down too much, dunk them in the syrup and let them cool on a wire rack or a sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once they are cool, it can be served.

Balouza Muhallabia

This is a creamy milk dessert, which is basically a fragrant milk pudding, from the Middle East. It is very easy to prepare and very very tasty too. One of my personal favourites!

Ingredients

1⁄2 cup cornflour
4 cups milk
1⁄2-1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup rose water
2 drops of Vanilla Essence
1⁄4-1⁄2 cup pistachio nut/Almonds/ Cashews

Directions

Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk, to make a smooth paste, then (in a large heavy-bottomed pan) mix the paste with the rest of the milk and the sugar.
Stirring constantly and vigorously, bring the mixture to the boil slowly.
Lower the heat to as low as it will go, then simmer until the mixture thickens. Make sure you keep stirring thoroughly the whole time, or else the mixture will go lumpy and will stick and burn!
Test the thickness of the mixture. Drop a small blob onto a cold plate - if it holds its shape instead of spreading, then it is ready. Until then, keep heating and stirring for a while longer, then test again.
When thick, add the orange blossom water or rose water, stir throughly and cook for another couple of minutes.
Pour into a dish, allow to cool slightly, then decorate with chopped nuts, making pretty patterns.
Chill until serving (about two hours). Enjoy!

Basbousa

Basbousa is a semolina cake popular in the middle east. This is one of the tastiest desserts I've ever tasted. The cake by itself is not very sweet but it is drenched in a sugar syrup which accounts for its yummy sweet and soft texture. We get it in any bakery around here. It is very easy to make and we can make it ahead and serve it as a no-fuss dessert.Enjoy!

Ingredients

2½ cups coarse semolina
90 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
75 g (½ cup) self-raising flour
200 g thick yoghurt
200 g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
25–30 g blanched almonds
milk, if needed
Syrup

330 g (1½ cups) sugar
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp rosewater

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Mix the semolina, coconut, sugar, flour, yoghurt, melted butter and vanilla in a bowl. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little milk, but it should still be fairly stiff. Spread the mixture with your hands into a buttered 30 cm x 25 cm x 5 cm baking tray. Cut it into diamond shapes, pressing hard. Place an almond in the centre of each diamond. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater and remove from the heat. Leave to cool.

Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still hot. Cool to serve.

Chicken Shawarma

This is the favourite of almost everyone who preserve a passion for junk food. This was rarely eaten in my family because in my opinion , a shawarma stands on the pedestal of this genre called junk food. But I still have to admit that it tastes awesome. So why dont we make it at home and thus get rid of all the uncertainity issues of cleanliness behind it. Now that is a good option. So try this out in the comfort of your kitchen using neat and clean ingredients. Enjoy. 

Ingredients

10 cloves garlic, chopped

2 lemons, juiced

1 cucumber sliced.
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 pieces Roti or patotta or nan
1 tomato, chopped
Shawarma Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

To make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, and oil. Add curry powder, salt, pepper and whisk to combine. Add chicken and coat with marinade. Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked through. Serve chicken on roti or roll it in roti with tomatoes, cucumber and Shawarma Sauce.

Shawarma Sauce:
3 cloves garlic

1 cup store-bought tahini

3 cups water

1/2 cup lemon juice

Salt

Add garlic to the bowl of a food processor and process until chopped. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add cold water until frothy. Add lemon juice and mix until creamy. Season with salt, to taste.

Steamed Chicken Momos

I was a little surprised to read somewhere that a momos is a tibetan dish. I always thought that it originated in the middle east,  it was always in the menu of any arabic restaurant, be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a tea tine snack. Anyway, this one is a super easy dish and very very tasty too. And ti those calorie counters out there,, good news.. this one is not fried.. but steamed. So try this out and eat without regrets. The filling can be made according to your discretion. The same can be done with tina, sausages and even with simple vegetables.

Ingredients

For Momos
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ cup boiled minced Chicken
2 finely chopped onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
3 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 finely chopped spring onions
3 – 4  chopped green chillies
Salt & pepper

Method
1. Mix the flour with some salt, oil and water and knead into a stiff dough. Make sure that the dough doesn’t stick to your hand.

2. Mix the chicken with onions, garlic, spring onions and chillies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Break a small piece of dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Use a rolling pin to make medium-sized chappatis which are 2.5 inches in diameter. Ensure that the edges are   slightly thinner than the centre. This makes it easier to hold the filling.

4. Use a tablespoon of chicken mix and fold the chappati into half, like a neat half moon. Twist the edges to seal and make sure that there is no opening.

5. Put a steamer to boil and grease the steaming tray with some cooking oil. Place the momos on the steamer and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken Empanada

This has become our family favourite. I made it on a trial base and it  became my best ever cooking experiment. I made only two and regretted it because everyone wanted another helping. The blend of chicken and cheese gives the dish a regal touch and the fact that it is fried in oil gives it a unique taste.  It can be made as a perfect starter for any meal. But please make sure that you keep aside a bit incase anyone wishes to fill their stomach entirely on the starter item.. !! Im sure that you are going to love me for this recipe 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water, or as needed 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
Shredded  chicken as needed

Cheese-3 tbs
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon cumin 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup raisins 

1/2tablespoon white vinegar
1 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt and water until the mixture forms a ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Crumble in the chicken, and season with salt, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is browned. Drain excess grease, and stir in the raisins and vinegar. Refrigerate until chilled, then stir in the hard-cooked eggs and cheese.
Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin circle. Spoon some of the chicen and cheese mixture onto the center, then fold into half-moon shapes. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer. Place one or two pies into the fryer at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

Arabic Rice Pudding

An easy and very tasty arabic pudding. This is just one of the many reasons why these people have a sweet tooth and we cant blame them for that. If this is their idea of an everyday simple pudding, I long to be in their shoes during their festive seasons when hundreds of such sweet dishes would be served.

Ingredients

1 cup of uncooked rice
3 cups whole milk, plus 3 tablespoons
2 cups water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 drops of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rosewater
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dried and roasted nuts

Method

In a large saucepan, combine rice and water and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Add milk and sugar, turn the heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Simmer until creamy, approx. 45 minutes. Add remaining three tablespoons of milk, vanilla extract and cornstarch to rice and stir thoroughly. Add rosewater and bring to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with dried and roasted nuts.