Lamb Pilau

Pilau is yet another aromatic and delicious meal of its own kind. Pilau is cooked together with any kind of meat be it lamb, mutton or beef and it can also be prepared with fish ,shrimps or vegetables etc.

Growing up , Sunday was not complete if we did not have Pilau, it is also served on special occasions, holidays, birthdays , and also for wedding lunch, this is usually on the night after the wedding reception and I must mention that I had the best Pilau ever in Zanzibar for my sister's lunch (wedding) this was done by a professional local caterer I believe her name is Tausi and the meaning of her name is "Peacock" well she does know what she's doing  and ever since I have been trying to make that Pilau...Its been over 20 yrs and am still craving for it..;(

Pilau gets it flavour from the broth, as well as the spices however many people prepare it with stock or water. I prefer to make mine with broth and I make sure that the broth is well seasoned. Another way to make the broth is to use whole spices, I use whole spice but I wrapped it in a " Boquet Garni" , some like their Pilau  lighter and some dark, it depends on how concentrated your broth is as well as the spices.

On reserching the roots and how Pilau reached Zanzibar, I would like to believe that it was brought by the Indians due to the vast and prominent  Indian influence especially from Gujrat.

Pilau is also prepared and consumed in many countries and due to the vast spread of the dish, there are alot of variations of the name in many languages such as polou, palov,polu,polaao,pulao/pulav etc. The English spelling Pilaf is influenced by the Modern Greek Pilafi.

I also managed to find that   the  ancient Indian text Mahabharata mentions rice and meat cooked together, and the word "pulao" or "pallao" is used to refer to the dish in ancient Sanskrit and Kannada works.

And it is also believed that the proper preparation of pilaf was first documented by a tenth-century by a Persian scholar named Abu Ali Ibn Sina who in his book on medical science dedicated a whole section to preparing various meals including several types of Pilaf. 

Persian neighboring languages: polow (rice cooked in broth while the grains remain separate, straining the half cooked rice before adding the broth and then "brewing"),

Serves 4-6 

For the broth

2 pounds beef/lamb or mutton

1 Tbls Cumin seeds

2 Cinnamon stick

3 cloves

1 tspn whole cardamons

1-2 bay leaf

1/2 tspn peppercorns

Fresh garlic and ginger root

Use a cheese cloth and wrap and tie all the dry whole spices and make a "Bouquet Garni" and immerse it into the a large pot of water with your choice of meat. Mash the garlic and ginger and add. Cover and slow cook for an hour or so ( or until the meat is tender) you can use pressure cooker if you wish.

For the rice:

3 Tbls vegetable oil

2/3 large potatoes (optional) peeled and cut into half or quarters

1/2 onion diced

1 Tbls cumin seeds

1 Tbl pilau seasoning ( Masala) * check out the video on how to prepare this.

1 Tbls fresh ginger/garlic paste.

2 cups long grain

3 cups broth

Cooked meat

Salt to taste

* Wash and soak the rice for atleast 20 mins before cooking

Method:

In a large sauce pan , heat the oil and add the the potatoes and brown them

Remove the potatoes from the heat

Add onions and sautee  till translucent, add cumin seeds stir for few minutes

Add Pilau seasoning and sautee, add the meat , stir and mix to combine

Add the ginger/garlic paste combine well and sautee for few minutes (do not burn)

Add the broth and potatoes and bring to a boil

Add the rice, bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 2 mins

Reduce the heat , cover and simmer for about 15-20 mins or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Reduce to lowest heat and cover tight for 15-20 mins ( or place in the oven at 350F for 20 mins)

Serve with kachumbari, raita , salsa etc.

Persian Rice ( Beghali Polo)

Rice has always been a staple food in my home particularly for lunch, back home we always had rice for lunch and other types of food for supper/dinner. Rice is served with varieties of curries be it chicken, fish, lamb etc and vegetables or grains.

Being a rice eater it is no surprise why am attracted to rice dishes from every cuisine and Persian is definitely among the few of my favorite that I have come across. Persian cuisine is very wide and extensive in it own unique way so I am only going to focus on the rice at the moment.

Long grains rices are widely consumed they are  and graded based  on where they are grown and the aromatic fragrance they produced. The closest I can get is Basmati rice which is equaly fragrant. Most rices are prepared with one or two additional ingredients varying from herbs, vegetables, meats, legumes, grains, nuts, dried fruits etc. and Safron

Theres a specific and unique approach to cooking Persian rice as far as I am concerned. The Basmati rice is socked in cold water for about an hour to remove the starch ; in some recipes its soaked with a lot of salt (up to 8 Tablespoons!!!) then par boil it in very salty water, its then drained and shocked cold water. Next you heat a pan with any kind of cooking oil preferably one the has no strong smell such as sunflower, canola add the rice to and pile it up in a shape of  a pyramid and make holes and insert the butter cubes or sometimes without it. The rice is then well covered tightly and cooked on medium high heat for about 10 mins and then totally low heat for another 15 mins or so. This process creates a very a delicious golden crispy and crunch rice at the bottom ( Tahdig) and fluffy rice on the top.

I loved Persian food but  discovered the passion sometimes in the 90's  in Dubai, there was a restaurant nearby where I worked and we used to go on every chance and excuse we could come up with. The food was not only delicious; the buffet had such a spread and was ridiculously cheap. And you know whats next...I went out hunting for Persian cuisine cook book, I must say that I was disappointing not to find any !!

I could not understand why considering the obvious and large Persian population in UAE. Nevertheless, I managed to find one after many months of searching every Bookshop I could see. The book 'Persian Cooking A Table of Exotic Delights by Nesta Ramazani' is not one of those attractive with colorful pictures but I bought it anyways. It took me a while to figure out what I really wanted to learn since I was not familiar with the names and no pictures to guide me through... Now I can say that it is an excellent book and I am so glad that I picked it up

Today I am sharing with you two types of rice dishes which are my favorite especially Beghali Polo ( Dill rice) my other favorite is Javaher Polo (Jeweled Rice) it is very decadent both in the ingredients and the time and love to prepare it....I will definitely show you when get chance to make it.

The ingredients here they are just approximate due to the nature of the dish.

Serves 4 - 6 

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Fresh Dill or dried - 1/2 cup

Baby Lima Beans 1/2 - 1 cup 

Cumin powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tspn

Salt - 3 tspn ( as per yr taste)

Butter - 3 Tbls

Oil  - 1 - 1 1/2 Tbls

Safron - a pinch

Potato - 1 large

Dried Barberries or cranberries   

Water to boil the rice - 6-8 cups

Method:

Wash , rinse and soak the rice for minimum 20 mins.

On medium high heat , bring to boil water with salt 

Peel the potatoes and slice into round disks

Grind the saffron into a fine powder

Drain the rice and add to the boiling water

Let it cook for about 7 mins

Remove from the heat and drain, run some cold water for a minute

In a medium pan, add the cooking oil ( Medium high heat)

Layer the potatoes, sprinkle some cumin powder

Layer the rice , add the Lima beans, sprinkle some  dill 

Add another layer of rice, white or yellow ( however you prefer)

To color the rice with saffron; add 2 Tbls of hot water to the saffron powder , pour it into the rice and mix to combine till all rice is yellow.

Once you have finished layering the rice with the herbs and beans ( in shape of pyramid like so) make holes all the way till you touch the potatoes at the bottom . Insert the butter cubes.

Cover it very well so the steam does not come out, use kitchen paper underneath the lid. Let it cook on slow heat for about 30-45mins.

Plate it anyway you like it, garnish some dried berries before serving . Enjoy your meal with anytime of grill or veggies. 

Pita / Flat Bread ( Whole wheat)

I confess...I am bread lover!! I think my passion and love for baking began with breads than desserts. I have always love bread of any kind or style and a home made one is even better so its not surprising that I love to make these pitas at home just because they are so tasty and so easy to bake...what more can I say!

So lets learn a little bit about Pita bread...as far as I know Pitta Bread is consumed in many Arab and countries and most countries that have the Arab influence such as Algeria, Morocco as well and the Balkan countries although they may differ a bit in preparations. It is also widely consume in Turkey as welll and as per Wikipedia the following are their findings  ;

The word has been borrowed by Turkish as pide,^[9] and appears in the Balkan languages as Serbo-Croatian pita, Romanian pită, Albanian pite, Bulgarian pitka. InArabic, the phrase "خبز البيتا" (pita bread) is sometimes used; other names are simply "خبز" 'bread', "الخبز العربي" 'Arab bread' and "خبز لبناني" 'Lebanese bread

Well there's nothing much to be stressed about this simple yet delicious bread I have it in my home almost every day its perfect for sandwiches, pita pockets , you can toast and make pita chips etc.

Recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tspn yeast

1 1/2 tspn salt

2 tspn sugar

1/1/4 cup warm water

2 Tbls olive oil

Method:

In a mixing bowl , place all the dry ingredients then add the water and olive oil and knead (dough attachment)  for about 5 mins. ( If you are not using a you can the same result, after the mixture is well combined, you will knead for about 5 mins)

After kneading place the dough in a bowl that has been rubbed with olive oil or any oil to allow the dough to rise without sticking in the bowl. Cover it and let it rise for about an hour or double the size

Once it has risen. punch it down and divide and cut into 6 to 8 portions depending on the size you like.

Shape into small balls and keep it in a tray cover it and let it rise for the second time

Heat the oven to 450F

Sprinke some flour on the flat surface and place one ball (dough) and roll into a medium size cirlce , with about 1/8cm thickness

Place the bread into a baking tray and bake it for about 5/6 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

If you have any left overs , put it in freezer bag tightly closed. 

Garlic Sauce /Thom ( Condiment)

What can I tell you about this unsung hero called Toum ( Arabic) means Garlic. Garlic sauce is one condiment that one cannot go without in any Lebanese meal. And YES you can eat it and kiss your partner !!. I have not found much information on how this beautiful sauce came about so I will just relay on my memories which sometimes fail me especially in desperate moments.

I was introduced to this sauce obviously during my stay in United Arab Emirates my then home away from home. Its practically served in almost everything and I had with Falafel ( Chick Peas & Fava Bean patty) I fell in love instantly. I never really bothered to learn how to make it because it was easily available in large super markets. 

I became crazy about this sauce when I had it with grilled fish from a small restaurant in Sharjah near the beach and ever since I would order the grilled fish on every chance I had. When I was pregnant with my first child, I think all I ate was the grilled fish, I would order from work on my way home almost everyday, am not sure it was the fish or the sauce that I was after.

As soon as I knew that I would be migrating to US , I started looking for the recipe, at one time I saw it was featured in one of the weekly magazines but I was put off as soon as I saw there was an egg white in the list of ingredients. I really had no idea who to ask except of this young man who was a colleague of mine whose father owned a restaurant, but everytime asked for recipe he would bring me a big container of the ready garlic sauce...:( 

During the first few months of my stay here in Texas I started to explore the market but it was all in vain so I turned to MR YOUTUBE and there I found few recipes but there was only one that really convinced me to give it a try ; this recipe is by Dedemed and the credit goes to her. She is very clear and explains so well. Having said that, this recipes is an adaption not a replica because I have changed the quantities to what works best for me and you can do the same.

Words cannot express how incredible and tasty this sauce is when used as dip and even more great when used for marinating any kind of meat, fish, chicken for a grill! 

This is a very simple recipe it requires PATIENCE that all!!

You can do a lesser amount, I make alot coz I use alot its as simple as that!

Lets get moving to make this garlic sauce did I mention that its very addictive especially with fries or potato wedges.

Ingredients:

Fresh Garlic - 2 cups

Conola Oil - 4 1/2 cups or ( more/less) depends how strong or light you want

Lemon Juice 3/4 Cup

Salt 1 1/2 tspn

Method:

Place the the fresh garlic in a food processor ( you could use a blender, if you have strong one) start with a table spoon of lemon juice alternating with the lemon juice slowy. Once you have finished with the 1st cup of oil you can increase the oil to about 2 tbls or so but keep the lemon juice same.

P.S - if you rush into this you will end up with a very thin runny sauce, what I normally do is add some more garlic to it and start all over again...hope you will not have to do that.

Umm Ali/Oum Ali ( Dessert)

Umm Ali ( Mother of Ali) is a heavenly Egyptian dessert made of pastries , particularly croissants, puff pastry or philo pastry and layered with varieties of nuts, soaked in milk and baked. Umm Ali is very much compared to the bread pudding , it has some similarities but to me the taste so much different. After I did the video I decided to research the story behind this beautiful dessert , I found a few versions and frankly very interesting and now I am not sure which one is better the story behind it or the dessert.

I have selected the most common which goes as follows:

"As the legend goes, Umm Ali was the first wife the sultan Ezz El Din Aybek, whose rule began in 1250.  When the sultan died it was expected that the throne would pass onto the first wife’s first son – Ali.  However, the second wife also wanted her son to be the sultan. So Umm Ali arranged to pave the way to the throne for her son, Ali in a rather unique way.  She bribed wife number two’s handmaids and got them to beat her to death with slippers while she was having a bath!

It is said that Umm Ali then made this dessert to celebrate her victory and her son, Ali’s ascension to the throne".

Now you may be wondering why the mother of Ali is not known by her actual name, in many Arab and African countries the women with children are addressed as UMM in Arabic and Mama in Kiswahili which means "Mother" along with the name of their first child irrespective of the gender. This is a form of respect and its also convenient for women (mothers) to be addressed in public even amongst their own family and friends. It's also easy when you are not sure how to address an acquaintance without offending them in any way. It is very very common in many families ; my father addresses me as "mama Alisha" and some of my friends prefer "Umm Alisha" which means the the same in two different languages.

During my stay in UAE and around the Middle East I had never tried Umm Ali, although it was served as dessert in each and every restaurant and almost every Arab home....you may wonder why!!! Because , when I was served Umm Ali the first time I asked what it was and the answer was "its just a bread pudding" and so I never bothered and I did not see why it was such a big deal!!! . Its not that I did not like bread pudding, its just that I preferred to try something more exotic , fancy or something totally new , unique etc.

My perception of Umm Ali changed when I visited Egypt. Being a guest , my host took the liberty of ordering everything on the menu for me to try the Egyptian fine cuisine and of course it goes without saying" Umm Ali" was very much there. I tried every dish and when I got to the dessert I almost hesitated because there was only one choice so I went ahead and tried it....Boy I was glad I did it!!

And you know I had to ask for recipe!!,( No..not from the restaurant)  For years I tried to prepare Umm Ali with various nuts and dried fruits and I have come up with my own combination that I enjoy and love. Do not be afraid to experiment and you can start with mine ;)

For this dessert, make sure the croissants are crunchy , it is advisable to use stale or a day old croissants which is very difficult for me ( every time I buy or bake they disappear the same day!) make sure they are toasted as well as the nuts to prevent them becoming too soft, you want them crunchy.

Make sure the heavy whipping cream is cold and the bowl and whisk are cold as well.If you are using vanilla extract, you can combine it with the hot milk 

Ingredients:

4 large Croissants ( preferably a day old)
2 1/4 Cups Milk
3 Tbls granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Heavy whipping cream ( 2/3 Tbl sugar optional)
2 Cups mixed chopped nuts
1/2 Cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes
1 tspn rose water, 1 tspn orange blossom water or vanilla
2/3 Tbls Powdered sugar


Method: 

Preheat oven to 350F

Toasted the Croissants for about 10 min ( if you are using fresh)

Bring the milk to a boil, add sugar and ( Vanilla ) . Stir to ensure sugar is completely dissolved.

Whip the heavy whipping cream to thick and fluffy ( like clouds) , do not over whip 


Layering

Cut 2 croissants into medium size pieces and place them in  a medium size baking dish or 9" round cake pan. Layer 1/2 the quantity of the mixed chopped nuts and coconut shreds if you are using them.

Add another layer of the croissants pieces and layer the rest of the nuts. Sprinkle some rose/orange blossom water .

Pour the milk over the croissants , make sure they are well soaked ( add more if you need to) 

Spread a thick layer of whipped cream, dust some powdered sugar

Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

Serve hot/warm add some chopped nuts if you wish or even better with Ice cream!

Pate a Choux - Profite Rolls, Eclairs

Today, am gonna try and take you to the streets of Paris where you can imagine and taste one of the famous French treats such as Elclairs , Paris Brest , Croquembouche, Profit Rolls. Now these may appear to be just a few but the verities of 

filling that go into it is endless ; with that they tend to carry different names but the base of the pastry is Pate a Choux  , Choux (Shu)  Pastry also known as Cream Puffs.

Pate a choux is somewhat versatile and as forgiving and uncomplicated as can be, it also does require attention and willingness to whisk quickly , the quicker the better and you will have the cream puffs , eclairs and all other french pastries  holding up within your grasp. And by the way , you can use pate choux for savory treats too.

I should have written this blog may be 10 years ago after I visited France, I was so amused and excited that I bought every French cooking magazine that I came across even if it was just pictures but I had some idea! Thanks to the technology now I can just google and voila! I still buy cooking and baking books they are my assets, the oldest book is my baking book given to me when I was 13 yrs old and it has so many techniques that I never thought existed.

Now for the Pate a Choux, it took me sometime to get them perfect, The first time I worked on these were like 6 years ago and I must have made them at least 4 to 5 times until I got them right. When I say RIGHT; is to get them hard outside and hollow and soft inside, and to get that ...its all on the temperature . I have tried recipes that call for water only , and some milk only and also a combination of milk and water. The temperature varies between 400/350 , 400/375 , 400 all the way and I opted for  425/375 this works perfect for me although now using my new oven I noticed the tray which went on the lower rack of the oven were burnt..that's not good :(

So , hopefully I keep my fingers crossed that it works for you on your first attempt, but if it does not, please do not give up ..you just cant live peacefully knowing that you are missing such great pastries in life and am sure you will do much better once you have become familiar.  All the best!!!

Ingredient :

1/2 cup whole Milk

1/2 cup Water

1 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 tspn Salt

1/2 cup Butter ( 8 Tbl )

1 cup All purpose Flour

Method:

Pre heat oven 425F

In a heavy sauce pan, combine the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add the flour and stir until smooth with a heavy wooden spoon, stir for few minutes.

Turn the heat low and cook the flour mixture stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, let it cook for about 5 mins. The flour will be cooked when a thin film forms on on the bottom and separates from the pan

Transfer the dough to the bowl of a mixer (I used a stand mixer) if you are not using a mixer, let the dough rest a minute or two. 

Slightly beat the eggs and mix into the dough on medium speed little at a time ,until the dough is thick yet silky and smooth. you can also add one egg at a time if you prefer to do so.   

Transfer the dough into pastry bag or just a Ziploc freezer bag. Pipe into any shapes that you like, it is not necessary to use a fancy tip if you dont have one ( I used wilton 1M)

Bake at 425 for 15 mins and then turn the oven down to 375 and continue to bake for 10 more mins.

Let the pastries cool, before you slice or fill them with either pastry cream, whipped cream etc. 

Cream puffs

Mini Croquembouche

. 

Garlic Spinach Potatoes

These are my favorite potatoes especially when I am entertaining a large crowd , they bust with so much flavour  and guess what?? they are so very easy to prepare and very economical. I stumbled on this recipe in a spice magazine about 6 years ago and ever since it has become on of my family's favorite and not to mention when I am running out of time and ideas..besides spinach has found a permanent residence in my refrigerator!!! and you will see why. 

These potatoes original name was actually 'Spicy Herb Potatoes' and the recipe had called for arugula and alot of paprika. I adjusted it with spinach and alot of garlic thats another favorite of mine. I would usually pair them with fish, plenty of salad  and vegetables . Its very difficult to pen down precise measurements for a dish like this, most of the time I just throw in ingredient, so dont be so uptight take it easy and be generous with spinach and garlic ...and did I mention Cilanto!!!...no harm ;)

  

Without any delay lets start ;

Ingredients:

Red potatoes 2 lb

Bag of baby spinach (9oz) or more

Cilantro 1 bunch

Garlic cloves - 10 to 15

Olive Oil 4 Tbls

Salt 1 tspn

Paprika 1 tspn

Black pepper 1 tpsn

Cumin Powder 1 Tbls

Wash and cut the potatoes into quarters or equal sizes, if you are using smaller ones , its not necessary to cut them

Boil the potatoes just enough to get them cooked...DO NOT OVER COOK!!!

Wash cilantro and peel the garlic cloves

Place the spinach, cilanto, garlic,cumin powder,paprika,salt and black pepper in a food processor with 2 Tbls olive oil

 

Pulse once or twice

In a large sauce pan use the remaining 2 Tbls olive oil and saute the mixture for abou 5 mins on medium low without burning the garlic

Drain the potatoes and add them to the spinach 

Toss to coat well, cook for about 3 mins

Serve with your favorite protein and veggies.....Bon appetite!!!