YELLOW RICE

This month in Mena's Cooking Club I, am travelling to Iraq.   Our host Maryam  for this month choose an Iraqi Meal.  This yellow rice is served  with Broiled Fish in Pomegranate Raisin Sauce.

This Rice served with fish is traditionally made yellow in Iraq so that the eater can easily pick out the thorny, fine bones typical of the native fish.

Recipe Source here

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cups rice
3 1/2 cups hot water
1 teaspoons salt
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick

Method:
In a medium nonstick pot over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the turmeric and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Stir in the rice, hot water, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. Raise the heat to high and boil the rice until visible moisture is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to low, and simmer rice, covered, for 20 minutes. Turn the rice gently with a wooden spoon 2 to 3 times while simmering to allow it to fluff. Serve with cardamom and cinnamon still in the rice, for garnish.

This yellow rice is served with this

Labels: Continental Cuisine, Rice, Mena Cooking Club,

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Halawat Sha’riyya (Sweet ‘n Golden Vermicelli Noodles)

This month in Mena's Cooking Club I am travelling to Iraq. Our host Maryam has chosen Iraq for this month's challenge.  This the sweet dish.

This recipe is taken from the book 'Delights from The Garden of Eden'.
Recipe source here

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon oil
175 Grams Vermicelli noodles
2 ¼ cups Hot water
A pinch of salt
1 cup  granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon rose water
½ cup broken walnut pieces, optional

For garnish
2 tablespoons coarsely ground nuts

Method

Melt butter with oil in a medium heavy pot add the noodles stirring constantly until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour in hot water, and add salt. Stir, and bring to a quick boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, until the noodles start to soften,  5 minutes.

Add sugar, cardamom, rose water, and walnut, if used. Stir until sugar crystals dissolve. Let the pot simmer, covered, on medium-low, stirring 2 or 3 times, until moisture is absorbed, noodles look glossy, and sugar starts to stick to the bottom of the pot (12 to 15 minutes).

Immediately, spread it on a platter, and give it a generous sprinkle of ground nuts. Serve it warm. 

Labels: Continental Cuisine, Vegan, Mena Cooking Club

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Apple Pie

Let me tell you about my tryst with pie crust. The first attempt the apple pie tasted good but crust was soggy and filling wet. We ate the day it was made, the next day remaining went into the bin as it was wet, soggy,looking at it none of us wanted to eat. Then for Christmas I, made a quiche. The quiche filling was good but the crust was thick and hard. There was no joy in eating this, but since this time I made a very small quiche it got over in tasting. But I decided not to give up, there is a saying " Keep trying till you succeed".
So, right enough I applied this quote, made a another apple pie, but this attempt too was flop, the crust soggy and filling wet.
Then I went digging into my recipe books, found a recipe which I had written down from a television show. I tried this recipe, let me tell you that this recipe is so good that It's a keeper. The crust and the filling perfect. 
Since I, did not have brown sugar, the filling is looking cream, never mind the color what's important that, this apple pie was purr.....fect.  Do try this recipe and give me your feedback.  So here is the recipe.

Pie Filling
Ingredients
2 Medium size apples, cored, peeled & diced into 8 thick pieces
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1 Tablespoons flour
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoons whole milk
1 Tablespoons butter

Pie Crust
Ingredients
20 Grams Powdered Sugar
240 Grams All purpose flour
100 Grams Butter ( I used amul butter so I did not add the salt)
A pinch of Salt
20 grams Shortening ( I used vanaspati ghee)
Cold water required for binding the dough ( about 2 - 4 tablespoons)

Method to make the Pie crust
 Measure out the cold water (you could even put it in the freezer for a few minutes). Sift together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, grate the butter and ghee and mix it with your finger tips to form bread crumbs. When the flour begins to look like bread crumbs add cold water spoon by spoon and form into a dough. Moisten all of the flour with the water, using your hand to break up large clumps of flour. The dough will be rather shaggy, but you can add another teaspoon of water, if you see that all your flour isn’t moistened. Form the dough into two disks. The disks will be rough, and hard to shape together, but once they rest in the fridge for an hour, the moisture will redistribute and they’ll be easier to roll out. Chill the dough for at least an hour in the refrigerator. At this point, the dough will keep in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three weeks. For freezing, roll the dough out into disks and wrap them in plastic film. This dough will be sufficient for 7 inch pie tin.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll. Take the dough between two cling film ,roll the bottom crust 1/8 inch thick or less and little more in diameter of the pie crust pan. Transfer it to a pie pan. Trim the edges almost even with the edge of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Prick the pie crust with a fork all over, and bake it for 10 mins till you see the top slightly brown. Remove and cool.

Lets start with the filling. Combine apples, sugar, flour, and spices in a large bowl. Arrange the apple mixture in the pie dish. Dot the top with the butter and drizzle with milk. Top with the second pie crust, roll the crust 1/8 inch thick or less and little more in diameter of the pan. Transfer it to a pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan. Take a fork/toothpick and prick the top crust. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator and brush it with milk, bake for 50-60 minutes,  Just 15 minutes before removing from the oven sprinkle little sugar on the top to get a caramel crusty color. 

As you can see in the pics I used every bit of dough to make a design on the top. Cool and cut.     HAPPY EATING  !!!!!

This goes to the Bake a thon December 2014 event.


Labels: Pie, Apple, Vegan, Bake a thon.

Bake-a-thon 2014

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Drumstick Soup / Moringa Oleifera

Drumstick soup is beneficial in asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, diabetes, and low blood pressure. It shows positive effects in amenorrhea and reduction of weight. Being warm in potency, it is very effective against digestive disorders such as anorexia and flatulence. The rejuvenating effect of drumstick on the nervous system makes this a useful recipe in nervous debility and paralysis. They are also packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and iron.

Ingredients

1/4 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon Butter / ghee
2 Fresh Red Chillies / Green chillies
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger - chopped
2 Drumsticks - Skinned removed , cut into pieces
4 Medium Tomatoes - chopped
1 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Pepper powder to taste
Cream for garnishing

Method

In a pressure pan add the chillies, ginger, drumsticks, tomatoes, add water and close the pressure pan take 2 whistles on high flame.

When it cools run the hand blender and blend for 2 minutes. Then strain this mixture with a strainer. Add a little water to strainer and again press the juices out the drumstick.

In a another heat butter / ghee add the cumin seeds when the splutter add the drumstick soup , sugar, pepper powder and let it boil for 2 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the soup according to your taste.

Serve hot garnish with cream. As the temperatures chill, warm your senses and nurture your body with this hot Soup! Enjoy. 

Labels: Soup, Drumstick, Healthy.

Dinner Rolls

After my  successful attempts of making bread.   I, tried these rolls, these too turned out beautifully soft better than the ones that you get in the bakery. After making these I assure you that you will never buy the bakery ones but bake them at home. 

Ingredients

3 Cups All purpose Flour 

21/4 Teaspoon Instant yeast 

4 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Warm water (adjust accordingly) 

2 Teaspoons Butter ( I used salted butter)
3 Tablespoons Milk  - for brushing
1 Teaspoon Sesame seeds

Method

In bowl add all the ingredients except butter .

Knead them for 10-15 mins  then add the softened butter and for a soft dough.  It will be a bit sticky, but continue kneading for another 10 minutes, it will become soft and smooth dough,  grease a bowl with oil place the dough in it. Cover with cling wrap , let it rest it till it doubles in size, its takes about 45 minutes. Punch the dough and divide the dough to equal parts. 
Take ball of dough divide it into 3 parts and roll them into a rope and then plait them. As you can see in the pic. 

Cover them and let them rise for 45 mins. Brush these rolls with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Bake at 200 degree C for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown.

Cool them on a wire rack before storing them.  I made around 18 rolls and these went to my beta's house and our morning tea party at Yeor hills with my walking friends.

These are going to the Bake a thon event.

Labels: Breads, Healthy, Bake a thon

Note: 
To make various shapes, watch videos on youtube.

Bake-a-thon 2014

An InLinkz Link-up