Special rice (Arabic)

When we lived in Yanbu (Saudi) for a few years, Bukhari restaurant was our weekly cheap yet tasty grilled chicken and a very tasty fragrant rice. This is my own kinda version...here goes.

3 cups sella basmati rice

2medium onions

tablespoon jeero seeds

fresh garlic 

5 cardamom pods

5 stick cinnamon 

1-2 teaspoon ground jeero

teaspoon  teaspoon sumac (local spice shop)

1 teaspoon onion powder ..makes a difference :)

fresh dunya

Method:

Boil your rice till soft , strain and put aside. Boil with 2 teaspoon olive oil, cardamom and cinnamon sticks as well as 5 pimento and 5 all spice .

next.. braise your onions with some oil, fresh garlic, jeero seeds ,cardamom pods and stick cinnamon.

when it gets brown add about half cup water, let the water absorb and add the ground jeero powder and paprika ., braise until nice and brown, add fresh danya.

Add this mixture to the rice and steam on medium , add a few blobs of butter (real) …you will love this rice especially with roasted or grilled chicken and veggies. We have this with tomato salsa , adds a unique flavor too.

Salsa:

5 tomato

1 clove garlic 

sum danya (fresh)

half onion 

1 teaspoon sugar

half teaspoon salt

Wizz the above together in a food blender..walah!

Enjoy it!!

A mixture of 3 Dhal curry..A friday Jumah food

 My daughter Rabiah loves dhal food and its kinda Friday after Jumah food. Still reminiscing from the Newcastle days when we stayed there. My neighbor Aunty Zainab Shah used to make the most delicious Dhal food .So here goes a mixture of mine and hers shared in this recipe...:)

1 cup gram dhal

1 cup pea dhal

1 cup red lentil 

2 large onions

handful jeero seeds

2 star aniseed

3 cardamom

2 stick cinnamon

4 allspice 

Salt to taste

1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder

1tsp jeero

1 tsp koljana

1tsp barishap

1tsp garam masala

2 tsp Roasted masala (Packo)

2 green chilies

Fresh Dayna (coriander)

whole chicken cut up ( pure poultry )

2 fresh tomatoes blended with fresh garlic and ginger 

tablespoon tomato paste 

method: 

Dhal must be rinsed and soaked overnight, boil for about 1 and half hours , drain and set aside.

Braise onions with dry ingredients until brown and onions are soft, add the spices and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes blend, chilies and tomato paste, add water and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the boiled dhal mixture and add about cups water or more. After about 40 minutes add the chicken and medium to slow cook for about 1 hour, add the fresh Dayna .You may taste if there extra salt or spices , depends how spicy or hot you like it, you can add extra. I add sum crushed chilies as I'm a spice girl!!

Enjoy ..

Bil aafiya!

Aunty Waiya's Apple moist and spongy apple cake.

Auntie Waiya is married to my father's youngest brother. She is well known in the family for her delicious cakes and desserts . I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from her about 20 years ago , although my mother has'nt made this cake yet, I tried this recipe about ten years ago. This recipe is virtually flop proof and it is always a hit. Iam not really a big fan of cakes made with fruit, but this cake I love making as well as eating, and Iam sure you will enjoy doing both too........enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1/4 butter/margarine
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
3 cups selfrising flour
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large tin pie apples
1/2 cup sugar to be spread over apple and cake mixture
Sauce:
Boil large freshcream and one cup of sugar and add some caramel essence. Once sugar dissolves, the sauce is done and you may pour the hot sauce over the cake when it comes out of the oven when done.

Method:
Cream the butter and sugar till creamy and light. Add one egg at a time, add oil and beat it well. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and add about a cup of milk to make a smooth consistancy. Spread apples evenly over the cake mixture and add 1/2 cup of sugar over it.
Bake for 1/2 hour on 180 0/celsius .
When cake is done and comes out of the oven spoon the warm cream over the mixture.
Simply delicious and moist!!

Auntie Farhana Kalla's sweet sojee .

I meet Auntie Farhana every wednesday night at madrassa and she is just one of the luveliest ladies I know, mashallah! We always speaking about cooking and baking and she is always eager to share her great cullinery skills with me . Hence me being a sweet tooth , she brought me on a very cold Wednesday evening, a tupperware with mouthwatering tasty and smooth sojee . Honestly I coilnt wait to get home and indulge in one of my favourite desserts. This is the second sojee recipe on my blog, yes , that is variety is the spice of life..............
Ingredients :
1 cup of ghee
2 cups of semolina or taystee wheat
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup water
10 pieces of elachi
a handfulof sultanas
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 stick cinnamon
a handful of coconut
4 egg yolks
50g chopped almonds or blanched
nestle cream

Method:
melt the ghee with the cinnamon and elachi , add the semolina/taystee wheat and stir all the time.after about 15 min and when pink in colour over medium heat, add the sultanas, coconut and almonds. Add the milk, water, egg yolks and some egg yellow together in a seperate bowl, then add to the sojee mixture. Stir well and lastly add the sugar and close the lid after about ten minutes. Simmer on low heat for more or less 15 minutes. You may serve with the nestle cream.........vey smooth and delicious , naturally!!


Enjoy .............!

Tasneem's sweet sojee!

A few weeks ago , I was invited to my friend Maryam's place for a ladies little " get together " .When I stepped inside her home , I was pleasantly surprised to see so many familiar faces of friends that I havent seen in a couple of months and some even over a year or two . Even more surprising was to see the table laid with quite a spread (luckily it was a big table ). It had so many mouth watering delicasies. It ranged from everything savoury , sweet and colourful fruit , juices and coffee , donuts , cakes with fresh cream and one of my very sweet tooth favourites.........SOJEE with nestle cream!!! This delicious recipe was shared with me by my friend Tasneem Girie Khan . I have tried this a couple of days ago , and believe me it is really worth making , soft and sweet........yummy,yummy!

Ingredients :
250 grams butter
3-4 cardamon pods slightly crushed
3 stick cinnamon
250 gram semolina
1 cup full cream milk
1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoos condensed milk
pinch of safron
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons nestle cream
a handeful of almonds (optional)
a handful sultanas (optional)
Method;
Melt the butter /ghee with the cardamon and stick cinnamon . Then add the semolina and braise lightly with a fork till pinkish in colour, this may take afew minutes , but dont leave the pot .Once done add your milk and condensmilk/water mixture saffron powder as well as the sugar , put on medium heat .Give a good stir , the heat will absorb the moisture ,you may now add the almonds and sultanas . Lastly you may add the nestle cream and dash of egg yellow, this give it a nice yellowish colour ! let it steam gently , until done..........mmm so truly lekker , enjoy and indulge !!

Moist and rich chocolate cake

This decadent ,very moist chocolate cake is really a rich treat.This is definetelly a 'beginning of the month " cake. Iam a moist,rich choclate cake lover and am sure those who follow my sweet tooth tendencies will agree that this is a winner . I got this recipe from Aneesa Hussan (my new step sister) ,this young lady is also a pro in baking and desserts . My thirteen year old daughter (Sukaynah) tried this recipe a few days ago and with a little guidance it turned out "PERFECT" ,you will find it perfect too.............

Ingredients :
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
250 g butter
1/2 cup sugar
200g dark chocolate
5 eggs
2 tablespoons water
Chocolate cream:
250g chocolate
250ml fresh cream
Syrup :
2 cups of water
2 cups sugar
Method:
Make the syrup mixture first and allow to cool, as follows .Disslove the sugar in water and let it
cool off.
Next step- melt the butter for about 1 minute add dark chocolate and melt for 50 / 60 seconds and then add the sugar ,mix together with a whisk. Add egg one at a time and beat well after each addition, now add the water and beat well. Sift the dry ingredients and add to the rest of the mixture, mix through very well.

Place into a pyrex dish and bake for 180 c for 40-45 minutes. Pour the cooled off syrup over and allow to cool.
For the chocolate cream:Bring cream to boil ,remove from heat and add the chocolate, leave it to stand for few minutes ,allowing chocolate to melt.Gently whisk until the cream and chocolate is well blended together.Pour over the choclate cake and cut into squares.Sprinkle with white grated chocolate . It is now ready to indulge and enjoy!!

Smooth and tasty potatoe and leek soup.

I heard about potatoe and leek soup (or something like that?) from my friend Hakeemah Soeker a few years ago.She was a former airhostess (now living in Bahrain), and I thought this must be something they served on the airlines or Bahraini soup !!??Anyway , it so happened I have a copy of Shanaaz parker's indulgence and there I came across this recipe.The only change a made or rather addition was adding a bunch of spring onions to the recipe,I love the oniony taste ,it certainly adds to the flavour of the soup.The soup is really quick to make and it is creamy and smooth.Here goes ,give it a try it's really not airlines food (my apologies for thinking that,Hakeemah), and if it was , it is simply good.......

Ingredients:
A bunch of leeks -trimmed and sliced
A bunch of spring onion-trimmed and sliced
about 6 medium potatoes-peeled and diced
1 large onion
700ml milk
500ml water
20ml olive oil
5ml nutmeg
10ml salt
5ml crushed black pepper

Method:
Warm oil in a pot,over moderate heat .Add the onion and cook for about 7 minutes till slightly transparent.Add the potatoes, leeks and spring onion.Cover with about 200ml water and the and let it cook for about 10 minutes, now add the rest of the water and milk as well,cook for a further 10 minutes , until veggies tender.Allow to cool off a bit.Liquidise the ingredients in a blender and return to the pot , reheat slowly, add the cream and the rest of the ingredients. Use parsley to garnish .You may serve this with delicious home baked bread or rolls.It's so right for the winter months we are now in..........Enjoy and keep warm!!