Egyptian Red Lentil Soup (Shurbet el-Ads)

This month in Mena's Cooking Club our host Amira  choose two savory dishes an Egyptian Musaqaa and Egyptian Lentil Soup. We could choose any one but I decided to make both.

The key to making an authentic Egyptian lentil soup is in the spices – the cumin is a staple in most Middle Eastern soups.

Ingredients
½  Cup Red lentils
1 Onion - diced
1 Potato - peeled and diced
1 Carrot - diced
1 Celery Stock - chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic - minced
1 Teaspoon Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
½ Teaspoon Cumin  powder or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)
A teaspoon of freshly squeezed lime
A small Vegetable Stock Cube 
3 Cups of Water
Bread croutons

Method
Wash and soak lentils for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion and garlic. Then add lentils, potatoes, carrots, bay leaf and chopped celery. Add the water, vegetable soup and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook till done. Then add the cumin, pepper and salt to taste. Stir well and taste to see if the spices need to be adjusted.  

Remove whole bay leaves and discard. Blend the soup to a smooth paste. Add water to adjust the consistency of the soup and transfer it back into the pan. Bring it to a boil.
Serve soup warm. Add freshly squeezed lime juice and Bread croutons.  

This soup is so comforting, smooth and creamy, with just a hint of heat.  

Labels: Soup, Healthy, Vegan, International Cuisine,  Shurbet el-Ads, Egypt, Red Lentils, Masoor Dal, Middle Eastern

Egyptian Chicken Musaqaa

This month in Mena's Cooking Club our host Amira  choose three dishes a savory, an Egyptian Musaqaa,Egyptian Lentil Soup.  For the sweet Omm Ali. 

Moussaka is an eggplant or potato-based dish in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, with many local and regional variations. The English name for moussaka comes from modern Greek mousakás (μουσακάς), which entered Greek from the Turkish musakka,which itself came from Arabic musaqqa‘ah (مسقعة), meaning "chilled". Most versions are based primarily on sautéed eggplant and tomato, usually with minced meat.

Moussaka is a casserole made by layering eggplant and potaotes with a spiced meat filling then topping it off with a creamy bechamel sauce that is baked to golden perfection.It's rich and filling so you won't need many side dishes.  I prepared two musaqaa's , this one with chicken and a meatless musaqaa for hubby dear a vegetarian.

It can be time consuming to prepare, I think you will find that once complete it is a very worthwhile effort.

Ingredients
2 Eggplants (Brinjals)

2 Large Potatoes 

250 Grams Chicken mince
2 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Onions -  diced
6 Flakes Garlic  -  minced

4 Large Tomatoes - skinned and pureed
2 Tomatoes - skinned & chopped finely

1/2 Cup Red Wine- do not skip this
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Parsely - I used dried

1 Teaspoon Chilly flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

100 Grams Feta Cheese - crumbled
3/4 Cup Parmesan/ Cheezza cheese - grated

3 Cheese Slices

1 Cup Breadcrumbs - seasoned

2 Cups Bechamel Sauce

3 Eggs -  separated (reserve yolks for Bechamel)

For the Seasoned breadcrumbs

Remove the sides of the bread with a kitchen scissor, cut into small pieces and powder them in a mixer.  To this powder add a teaspoon pepper powder and a pinch of salt. Mix well and keep aside.

To prepare Bechamel Egg Sauce

In the bechamel sauce add a pinch of ground nutmeg and the 3 egg yolks and beat well.  Keep aside.

Slice the eggplant into  1/4 inch long slices and place them in a colander, salt them liberally. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out for at least 10 minutes.

Peel the potatoes, slice them in 1/4 inch round slices and immerse them in salt water for about 10 minutes.

In a non-stick griddle heat a little olive oil and place eggplants and fry them on both sides on high heat till brown spots appear. Remove and keep aside in a plate. Like-wise fry the potatoes in same way till brown on both sides. Remove and keep aside in a plate.

Prepare the Chicken layer

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add chicken mince with chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, cinnamon, oregano, parsely, cumin,chilly flakes salt and pepper.   Add wine and allow the sauce to simmer uncovered so that there is no liquid.  When completely dry add the crumbled feta cheese and switch off the flame.  The wine gives an awesome taste to the chicken with giving a alcohol smell ( so do not skip using it).

Assemble the Moussaka
Lightly grease a baking pan. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with seasoned breadcrumbs. 

Then place  layer of potatoes. Top with a layer of eggplant slices. 

 Add the chicken mix sprinkle once again bechamel egg sauce with bread crumbs, grated cheese. Sprinkle a little oregano, parsely and cinnamon powder on top. Continue with the next layer process...   On top sprinkle  a little bread crumbs, feta cheese liberally, a litttle oregano, parsely and cinnamon powder and it's ready to bake. 

Cover with aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.  After it is baked remove the foil and keep on broil for 2 minutes to get a even browning.

Serve it warm or chilled. We had this for your lunch and sent some for my friend. They simply loved this too.

   

My daughter's comments for both the veg and the non-veg - this is the best Musaqaa in the world, Mom you are the best cook. Yes this is really an awesome dish and the wine in the chicken enhances its flavor even more. 

Check to see what the other members are doing here.

Notes: 
Use this as a base and experiment with your own flavor/spice combinations.

Do not omit using wine in this dish.  Its the wine that enhances the flavor of the musaqaa.

Labels: Continental Cuisine, Vegetables, Healthy, Mena Cooking Club

For the vegetarian version see here

Potato Cheesy Buns

The buns are easy and tasty. I made these buns for a tea party with my friends they enjoyed these buns.  My hubby too loved them.  These are like the batata vada, but they are baked and healthy.

Ingredients

2.1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
21/4 Teaspoon Instant Yeast
3 Teaspoon Sugar
3 Teaspoon Butter
1.1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 to 1 Cup Luke Warm Water
A Teaspoon of black sesame seeds (optional)

For the Filling

200 Grams Potato - boiled, peeled and mashed
2 Onions
1 Green Chilly
2 Tablespoon Coriander - finely chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Chilly powder
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Tablespoon Oil
50 Grams Cheese - grated

Method

For the filling 
Heat a oil in a pan, fry the onions till translucent, add the chilly and fry again then add the potato, chilly and turmeric powder, salt to taste and fry for 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in the coriander and the cheese and mix well. Keep aside to cool.

For the Dough:

In a bowl add flour, salt, sugar, butter, yeast and mix well. Add water to knead a soft and slightly sticky dough. On a counter, knead the dough for 10 minutes to make it soft, silky and smooth.

Place the dough in a clean and oiled bowl, keep it covered until double. 

When the dough is double in volume, transfer it to counter and punch it down. Divide the dough into 10 equal parts.

Roll each ball  with your plam  and make it into a small puri add a tablespoon of filling and bring the egdes together and make into a ball . Seal the edges properly and by cupping it inside the palm and rolling it in circles until you get a smooth finish. Place the balls on a greased tray with enough place for rising.

Keep it covered with a towel until it has doubled. Preheat oven to 200C.

When the balls are ready, brush the top with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds.


Place the tray in the centre rack and bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden.

Rotate the tray in between to avoid burning of the corner buns and even browning. Remove the tray from oven and brush the buns with melted butter. Remove and cool  on a wire rack.

These can be given for kids tiffins and also had a breakfast.  These went to friend's house and her kids loved it.  You too try and give your comments.

Labels: Breads, Healthy, Breakfast, Kids delight, 

Paneer Burger with Eggless Burger Buns and Strawberry Jam with Eggless Butterless Wholewheat Flaxmeal Dinner Rolls - A Combo Post

This is a combo post for the Blogging Marathon - Taming the yeast challenge. Our host Srivalli suggested that two days we make the bread and on the third day we do a combo post for the breads prepared.


Homemade Strawberry Jam with Eggless Butterless Wholewheat Flaxmeal Dinner Rolls.

 We had the Butterless Wholewheat Flaxmeal Dinner Rolls with Homemade Strawberry Jam . Slice the bread spread lots of jam and have it with a mug of coffe or tea.  Thats great na!!

Paneer Burger with Eggless Burger Buns

To Make the Paneer Tikki.

Ingredients

400 Grams Paneer

2 Large Onions - pureed

7 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Mixed herbs

2 -3 Drops of Capsico sauce

Salt to taste

For Coating

Fine Bread Crumbs

1/2 Teaspoon Mixed herbs + a pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Method

Cut the paneer into a square and thick slice ( see pic). I got only four thick slices after trimming the sides.

Mix the  ingredients for the coating and keep aside.

Keep oil for heating while the preparation process is on.  The oil should be very hot for frying the paneer slices.  I shallow fried the paneer in a small cast iron kadai so, used very little oil.

 Mix the onion puree, all purpoise flour, salt, capsico sauce  and mixed herbs well.  Take each slice of paneer and coat it with this marination. 

Then coat with bread crumbs.

Fry on high flame till the brown on one side then turn and brown the other side.  Be careful while turning the paneer or it will crumble. Let is cool a little so that handling is easy.  

Butter the burger bun on both sides and toast it lightly.

Then add  the paneer tikki, ketchup or mayonnaise ( I added ketchup) and then top it with lots of finely chopped salad leaves and  few drops of capsico sauce .

Serve.  We enjoyed this burger for our dinner. The coating of onion on the paneer gives a awesome and crispy taste.

Preparing burgers at home is really cheap and healthy, since the oil is never recycled.  When I prepared the paneer buns we had one each and were full.   Do try it.

I made  milk mayonnaise but somehow the texture and taste that is required for mayonnaise was not there so I did not use it.  But will try again with some additions and subtractions.  This mayonnaise  I will use, not let it go waste.  Will post a recipe soon.

Thanks Srivalli for organising the Blogging Marathon every month.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#45.

Labels: Breads, Sandwiches, Breakfast, Healthy, Blogging Marathon, Kids delight, Paneer, Burgers

Strawberry Jam

When strawberries were in season, we friends went to the APMC market and bought boxes and boxes of these.  So I stored some, in the deep freezer. 
To store them, wash and dry them, then place a silicon sheet in the deep freezer and place them on this sheet overnight so that they are frozen and hard.  Then keep them in an airthight container and place it in the deep freezer for further use.

This is a tasty homemade strawberry jam without any preservatives and color. Spreads smoothly on your toast, this jam is worth the effort.

This jam has no preservatives hence store it in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
1.1/2 Cup Strawberries - pureed
3/4 Cup Sugar- powdered
1 Lemon juice
2 Drops Strawberry essence (optional)

Method

In a saucepan place the strawberries puree and sprinkle the sugar on it. Keep this on low flame for 10 minutes stirring off and on till the sugar melts.  After 10 minutes increase the flame to medium , keep stirring.  Remove the scum that surfaces.

When the jam bubbles add the lime juice and start timing, begin with 10 minutes and then remove from the heat.

Spoon a little jam on a plate, let cool, then push with your finger, if you get a crinkly skin it is set. If not, boil it up again for another 3-5 minutes and do the test again, if necessary do more repeats.  This got ready from start to finish in 20 minutes.

When ready remove from the heat add the essence. (see pic) You will see a shine and it is set. Pour the jam in dry clean jar and seal with lid. Store in the refrigerator when cool.

To see details and method of Jam making see here. 

This jam is very easy to make not much stirring or spluttering around the kitchen tiles. No mess at all and it taste any day better than the store one.  Try it and see the difference the seeds in this jam taste good and gives a crunchy effect to the it.  We enjoyed this jam with bread.  I had made this bread and taken for my friends  with this jam they too enjoyed it.  You too try and give your comments.   My daughter not fan of strawberry jam, she too loved it.

Labels: Jams & Sauces, Strawberry, Healthy, Kids delight, Vegan. 

You Might also like Tomato Apple Jam.