BASBOUSA ( A MIDDLE EASTERN DESSERT)

Hello everyone 

Today I am here with one more scrumptious middle eastern dessert, Basbousa. It's more like a semolina cake but with a distinct flavour. So tempting and delicious one for all sweet tooth to taste at least once. I bet you can't stop yourself from taking more and more. The most interesting thing is that it's so easy to prepare too. Recipe is given below, just try and relish on these heavenly beauties.

BASBOUSA 

Yield : 25-30 pcs

Time: 50 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup semolina ( sooji)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup thick curd ( yogurt)

1/3 cup ghee or refined oil 

For syrup:

1 cup sugar ( I took 3/4 cup , as kept mild sweet)

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp orange essence or rose water

Method:

Mix all ingredients except for syrup ones, together to a smooth mixture. It will be neither crumbly nor liquid, just like nice wet dough.

Now evenly spread it in a greased baking tray . Let it rest for 5 mins then with the help of wet knife make cuts of your choice and decorate with almonds or pistachio. 

Now bake it in a preheated oven at 180degree C for 20- 25 mins till nice golden top appears. If you don't get golden top after 25 mins then either shift your tray to top most rack in oven or increase its temp to max and bake for another 5-10 mins or till nice golden top appears. Mine took exact 35 mins, 25 mins at 180C and 10 mins at 230C.

In meanwhile prepare sugar syrup. Add sugar and water and let it boil till sugar get dissolved. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice, let it cool. Once cool then add rose water or orange essence. Keep it aside.

Once baking is done, keep out the tray and pour cool syrup all over the hot cake ,evenly. Let it cool properly then cut though pre made cuts and serve.

Your simplest and yummiest dessert it ready to make it way to your plate. Just enjoy these palatable beauties first with eyes then gobble them one after other.

You can add more sugar in syrup if like more sweetness, I kept it mild.

Hope you all will like these easy peasy middle Eastern delicacy, please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

BAKED FALAFEL

Hello everyone

Middle East is not only known for its oil reserves but also for its richness in cuisines. In middle eastern cuisine not only non vegetarians but vegetarian section also attains a wide range of delicacies. From chatpata starters to tempting mains, from delicious snacks to sinful desserts  you have countless varieties to choose from .And one of them is falafel , you can either have it with sauce and dips as snack or pair it with pita bread , hummus and salads to have as mains. It's equally delicious in either ways and can be prepared in little time. Recipe is given below , do try and let me know too how's it turned out for you.

BAKED FALAFEL

Serves: 2-3

Time : 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cups boiled chickpeas

2 tbsp besan(chickpea flour)

1 big onion finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 green chilies finely chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chat masala

2tbsp chopped green coriander leaves

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp baking powder

Salt to taste

Method

First of all coarsly grind boiled chickpeas. 

Mix all the ingredients together and make tikki shapes .

 Arrange them on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Brush some oil on each falafel .

 Bake at 230 degree C in a preheated oven or grill them in oven till golden on both sides. It may take 10 - 15 mins each sides depending on oven. 

If you are not comfortable with baking option then can deep fry it at medium heat and enjoy hot. In both ways it tastes delicious, choose whatever suits you. I served it with mint dip and tomato sauce, you can have it as per your preference.

Make these easy peasy healthy yet tasty snacks and enjoy with any chutney or sauce. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MANAKISH ZATAAR BREAD

Hello everyone

Breads are loved by nearly everyone in the world and when it comes to Arabic breads then it's just like icing on cake. I like almost all type of breads, one of them is freshly baked manakish bread. It's light tanginess and unique flavour of Zataar spice mix will leave you speechless. I love this bread and can have at any meal of the day, nothing more is needed to accompany it. It's perfect in itself, full of flavour. It's so yummy and kids friendly too that my fussy eater gobbled a couple of it without nakhrey 😊😊. Recipe is given below , hope will come up to your expectations. Do try and let me know how's it turned out for you.

MANAKISH ZATAAR BREAD

Serves: 3-4

Time: 1 hr ( leaving resting time)

Ingredients 

3 cup chapatti flour or all purpose flour
1 tsp active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup luke warm water
1 tbsp oil
Water to knead ( if needed)

1/2 cup Zataar spice mix store bought or you can make at home( 2 tbsp of each dry basil leaves, oregano, sumac, roasted sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp coarse salt, mixed together)

1/4 cup olive oil, I used less

Method:

First of all mix zataar mix and olive oil and keep aside.

Add sugar in warm water and then mix yeast in it and let it rest for 10-15 mins or till it become frothy.

Add salt and oil in flour and knead with yeast and warm water till it become soft, shiny and nonsticky dough. It will take 8 to 10 mins. apply some oil on it and cover with damp cloth, let it rest for 2 hrs in a warm place like in closed microwave/oven or till it doubles it volume. 

Now punch the dough and cut in eight equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll into thick chapatti using dry flour. 

Make indents on it using your fingers.

spread 1 tbsp of zataar mix all over it , leaving little border space. 

Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover it and place at a warm place for another 15 mins. Till then preheat oven at 200 degreeC. Now bake it for 10 mins or till you see little golden colour on its borders. 

Similarly bake all the eight breads and serve warm.

You will definitely love this spiced bread, do try and enjoy a new range of flavours. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MUHALLABIA ( A MIDDLE EASTERN DESSERT)

Hello everyone

On the occasion of sharad purnima generally we used to prepare kheer but this time I thought to give it a new twist and made muhallabia, which is much similar to kheer and taste is really amazing. This can be prepared on any occasion like Diwali, holi, Eid or even during Ramadan fasting too. You can prepare it very easily and please your guests in a different way. It's perfect for those kids who don't likes bits of dry fruits or rice in their kheer, like my younger one. And luckily he loved it too much and finished in no time. So you can also serve this yummy cum healthy dessert to your fussy eaters.

Recipe is given below, hope you all will definitely give it a try.

MUHALLABIA 

Serves: 7-8

Time: 45 mins 

Ingredients 

4 cup milk

1/3 cup rice powder

2 leveled tsp corn flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup almond powder

Few drops Rose or kewda essence 

Pista and rose petals to garnish

Method:

First of all Boil 3 cup milk in a pan. 

Now dilute rice powder and corn flour in 1 cup milk.

 Add slowly in boiling milk stirring constantly to avoid lump. 

Let it get thick then add almond powder in batches and mix well to avoid lumps. 

Then add sugar. Cook for 4-5 mins. 

Now off the flame , let it cool for 5 mins then add essence. 

Now pour in serving bowls and garnish. Chill before serving.

Your yummy dessert is ready to serve.

You can use any dry fruit or cherry to garnish the dish.

You can also make it with different flavours by adding strawberry syrup and crush,rose syrup , dates, cocoa powder etc. 

Add sugar as per your taste.

If you don't get almond powder then soak nearly 3/4 +cup of whole almonds in hot water for 2-3 mins then peel it and let it dry and grind to fine powder. 

 Use your creativity and give this dish the flavour of your choice.

Enjoy this middle eastern dessert in your way and please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here ,they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

VEG HALEEM

Hello everyone

Haleem.... This one word brings a single thing in mind, that is non veg. But wait , here it's veg one. Yes , you heard right this is for veg fellows who ever wondered of it to taste but couldn't due to non veg . So here come easy but flavourful haleem recipe for all haleem lovers to try this for a change of taste.

Stepwise recipe is given below ,hope you all will give it a try, even non vegetarians too can try for a change 😊.

VEG HALEEM

Serves: 5-6

Time 40 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup soya nuggets , soaked and ground

3 tbsp Dalia ( broken wheat) , soaked

1/2 cup barley or red lentil( masoor dal), soaked

2 onions, finely chopped

3-4 green chilies, broken in half

1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cumin powder

20 almonds + 4 cloves, powdered together

3/4 cup thick curd ( yogurt), beaten

1/4 cup mint and coriander leaves( equal ) , finely chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp oil

1 tsp ghee or butter

Method:

Heat oil and ghee in a wok, add chopped onions and green chilies. Fry till transparent then add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 mins. Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chili powder and cinnamon powder, add some water to avoid burning spices. Fry till it starts leaving edges of the wok and nice aroma comes. 

Now add ground soya nuggets and sauté for 3-4 mins then add soaked Dalia and lentil. Add sufficient water and salt, cover it and let it cook till nice soft and cooked.

 Now add almond clove powder and beaten curd. Adjust water and Let it boil . 

Add chopped mint and coriander leaves and lemon juice, adjust salt .Simmer for 5 mins and done.

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves or fried onions and serve with roti, naan or rice.

I used red lentil in it but if you have barley then go for it otherwise lentil too give a delicious flavour and texture to the dish.

It's a protein packed healthy veg substitute to traditional non veg haleem..hope you all will definitely give it a try and pour your valuable comments and suggestions here , they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

LOW FAT KUNFAH

Hello everyone 

Once again I am here with a low fat but delicious, mouthwatering dessert very popular in Middle East. Though I can't say it is a completely healthy recipe but of course I tried to cut nearly half the calories than traditional one. As this recipe calls for too much butter and sugar, so clearly it's a rich dessert. But I used minimal butter and less sugar to avoid extra calories, without compromising its taste. This is one of the best dessert I had ever. I made it my way with some twists in ingredients, but the end product is total worth to my effort. It's not only tempting but also a treat to eyes too.

Recipe is given below, hope you will definitely love it.

LOW FAT KUNFAH

Serves:5-6

Time: 1 hr 

Ingredients 

300 gms  very thin vermicelli (it requires kataifi dough but I took vermicelli)

2 tsp butter or ghee

1/2 cup milk 

1 cup sugar

1cup water

2tsp lemon juice

1cup grated cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup unsweetened rabdi 

1 tbsp Roasted dry fruits as per ur choice

1/4 tsp orange red food color

1/4 tsp rose or orange essence

Method:

First of all take a baking dish and grease it with some butter and food color. 

Mix 2/3 part of vermicelli with 2 tbsp of milk and 1 tsp butter or ghee, just to make it little moist. Don't add more milk otherwise it will become soggy so adjust milk quantity accordingly.

Now spread this in the baking dish and press with spatula to get a firm base.

Add all the cheese , rabdi and dry fruits together and spread it on the vermicelli base.

Now take the rest 1/3 part of vermicelli and moisten it with milk and cover the cheese layer completely. And again press it firmly.

Bake it in microwave convection mode at 200degree for 25 mins. U can also bake it in regular oven for the same temp and time.

Time also depend on the vermicelli you took. Mine was roasted one , but if you are taking unroasted white vermicelli then bake for long and keep watching till it become nice golden color.

I used this vermicelli 👇🏻👇🏻

In the meanwhile make sugar syrup adding sugar and water and boil for 10 mins and add lemon juice . let it cool and then add rose essence or orange essence.

When the kunfah is baked let it rest for 15 mins then pour the sugar syrup all over it and again let it rest for 1/2 hr. Then invert it and decorate .

If you like more crunch then can pour syrup on individual servings also.

To make instant rabdi, boil 1/2 lt milk in a thick bottom pan till it become 3/4 then add 2 bread slices churned with little milk to it. Continue cooking till it become nice thick like rabdi.

If you don't want to use rabdi then can use condensed milk too.

Now enjoy this palatable delicious dessert . This can be served in any dinner party too. Just bake it and get appreciated by all. 

Hope you will definitely give it a try and please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

UMM ALI WITH TWIST

Hello everyone 

Today I have a very popular dessert recipe of Egypt with my twist. Though I am too fond of sweets and can have anytime but also love to try different flavours, so always try to experiment something new in traditional recipes.  Recently I tasted umm Ali and from that day I was dying to try it at home but I didn't have puff pastry sheets and cream at home , so here came a chance to experiment. And luckily the final result was equally sinful and tempting, though the texture was slightly changed but the taste was really ummmmmm......just like its name.

Step wise recipe is given below and hope you all will definitely like it.

UMM ALI WITH A TWIST

Serves: 7-8

Time: 1 hr 

Ingredients 

250 gms puff pastry sheets ( I used readymade samosa leaves)

300 ml condensed milk

2 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

2 cup mixed dry fruits, chopped ( cashew, almonds, walnuts, raisins, pistachio)

1 handful raisins

1 1/2 cup rabdi * or 1/2 cup cream

*for instant rabdi

1/2 lt milk 

2 slices bread

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

First of all arrange pastry sheets in a greased baking dish and bake at 210 degree C for 15-20 mins or till it become nice golden and crisp. If using samosa leaves then It may needs to be flipped once or twice to get evenly baked.

In meanwhile boil milk in a wok till it remain 3/4th. Now grind bread pieces with some milk in smooth paste. Add paste to boiling milk stirring constantly to avoid sticking to bottom. Now add sugar and Vanilla essence. Cook for 5 more mins and switch off the flame.

Now in a separate vessel add condensed milk, 2 cup water ( 3 cups if using samosa leaves), I used beetroot stock but you can use plain water, and let it boil then add vanilla essence and switch off the flame.

When puff pastry sheets are baked then break them in 1 inch pieces. Now add 3/4 part of dry fruits in it and mix well. 

Arrange it evenly in the baking tray then pour condensed milk mixture all over it and sprinkle rest 1/4 part of dry fruits all over it. 

Now pour prepared rabdi all over it and sprinkle handful of raisins on it.

Now bake it at 210 C for 15 mins and done. 

Your sinful dessert is ready to serve.

If you want to make it quite traditional way then skip rabdi and add cream all over it and bake for same time.

But in my view , it tastes best in both ways. So try this simple yet flavourful dessert at least once. If you don't have either of puff pastry sheets or samosa leaves then just toast some bread slices and use. But then it will be called bread pudding . Believe me it will also taste heavenly, naam me kya rakha hai, taste matters.

Somewhere I read that it tastes best when served warm but I think desserts always tastes best to a sweet tooth☺️☺️.

Hope you will like this sinful dessert which can be served at any occasion and will be center of attraction for sure. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....