Lebanese Shish Tawook / Chicken Kabob

This month in Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Lebanon our host Sarah choose this recipe. Have you been there! I have not, but that's the advantage of blogging, you still get to enjoy world's cuisine in your home kitchen.

In Lebanon, Shish Tawook can be found in most fast food restaurants.  It is usually ordered as a sandwich of grilled chicken rolled in a “pita” bread with some Lebanese Garlic Sauce called Toum and some salty pickles, fries. It can also be served in a plate with a side of rice and grilled veggies. As I was surfing found that there are different recipes, some using yogurt or tomato paste. Though is popular all over Lebanon and each family has their own recipe. Does any one know what the word tawook mean?. Well, let me tell you. Tawook is a variant on the Turkish word tavuk, meaning chicken. So shish tawook means chicken skewers, Shish tawook is typically eaten with garlic paste toum. When I was going to many recipes, found that hardly any spices are used. Was very curious to know how it would taste. But let me tell you this is has an awesome taste. My daughter enjoyed this. But you must make the Toum cause it enhances the taste of tawook.

My today's post I dedicate to Noor who  initiate's  the monthly challenges.  In spite if not being well and dealing with injury pain, she still continues to organize this challenge for us.  Noor, thank you and you are always in my prayer, get well soon.

Ingredients

500 Grams boneless chicken breast - cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon rind
5 cloves of Garlic -  crushed
3 Tablespoons Yogurt
3 Tablespoons  Olive oil
1 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Pepper powder
1/4 Teaspoon Ginger paste
1/4 Teaspoon Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
3/4 Teaspoon Salt or to taste

1 Long Black Brinjal - cut into thick roundels 

1  Green Capsicum - cut into big cubes
Lebanese Garlic Paste / Toum (see recipe below) to be served with Shish Tawook

Method

Marinating the Chicken

Marinate the chicken breast chunks for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight in the fridge. The longer they marinate, the juicier and more flavorful they are. Right before grilling, skewer the chicken. Mix all ingredients well together while rubbing the chicken. Place in a container, cover, and let it marinate in the fridge (I left it overnight). An hour before grilling I marinated the veggies along with the chicken and kept aside.

Grilling the Shish Tawook

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for half an hour at least. 

The longer you marinate the chicken the quicker it grills. Grill on medium heat between 18 - 20 minutes max. Heat a grill pan on medium heat.

Skewer the chicken and veggies right before grilling.   

As soon as you remove them from the grill, place them in a big warm pot, place the lid tightly, and let rest for 8-10 minutes - this helps the chicken become more moist (this step is optional)

Lebanese Garlic Sauce called Toum
Garlic sauce is made like mayonnaise and a lot of fresh garlic is added in the process. A simpler way of doing this is to use ordinary mayonnaise and add lots of fresh crushed garlic.

Ingredients
1 Clove Garlic - peeled and chopped
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Vegetable oil / I use olive oil

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon juice

1/2 Teaspoon  White Vinegar

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon Mustard paste ( Optional)  - I used it.

Method
Place all the ingredients in a bowl except the oil and blend well, then as you are blending  pour the oil gentle in a thin stream  (like a trickle) till the thick.  The Garlic Toum is ready. 

Serve and enjoy with Shish Tawook.

Labels:  International Cuisine, Mena Cooking Club, Starters, Kebabs, Lebanese, Chicken, Garlic, Sauce 

An InLinkz Link-up

Lebanese Rishta - A Lentil Soup

This month in Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Lebanon our host Sarah choose this recipe.

Well, its raining here in Mumbai and the weather is cold,  this soup is so healthy, comforting and a hearty soup.  It doesn’t take much time or effort to make.


Ingredients

1/2 Cup Dried brown lentils / Masoor dal
5 cloves Garlic - peeled

1 Onion - finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves and stems - finely chopped
2 Vegetarian Soup cubes
1 Litre  Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1 Cup Spinach leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Vermicelli

Method

Wash the lentils and soak them in water for a hour at least.  in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. 

Rinse the lentils. Put them in a medium saucepan and pour over 1 litre of cold water. Bring this to the boil, lower the heat, cover and leave to simmer. In the meantime, add the chopped onion and garlic fry in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, Once the onions turn light brown in colour, pour them over the lentils, add the soup cubes, cover saucepan again and leave to simmer for 40 minutes.

 Season the broth and add the coriander, spinach and vermicelli . Bring back to the boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for a further 1o minutes, or until the vermicelli  is tender. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls to serve. We had this with Masala Bread.  It’s that easy……

Enjoy……

Labels: Soup, Continental Cuisine, Mena Cooking Club, 

An InLinkz Link-up

Kaak bi Haleeb or Soft Milky Buns

This month in Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Lebanon our host Sarah choose this recipe.

The Lebanese, take kaak for granted, it belongs to daily life. Kaak is not a supermarket type of bread; it is street food,.

There is early morning kaak - crunchy sticks sprinkled with sesame - served with coffee and there is afternoon kaak - a round pouch-like puff with a handle - generally sold by peddlers on motorbikes . There are also the feast days kaak or dainty little cakes filled with dates, walnuts or pistachios also known as Maamoul.

Ingredients

2.1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Milk - Warm
1/2 Cup Water - Warm
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoon Instant Yeast

1 Egg - beaten for brushing

2 Tablespoons Sesame seeds

Method

Warm the milk in saucepan and leave the butter to melt in it. Stir the sugar in and dilute it.  Let is cool slightly.  Add the yeast and stir until combined.
Place the flour in bowl, add the milk mixture.  Combine all the ingredients together. Transfer the dough onto a work surface and fold and stretch it with your hands to get lots of air in. As it starts to come together it will come clearly off the work surface. This should take you about 10 minutes. Alternatively you can knead it in a machine for about the same amount of time.  

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a oiled bowl, cover with a cling film.

Leave to rest for an hour or two in draft-free place. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 20 pieces of equal size. Roll each of the pieces into a sausage-like shape and bring both ends together and pinch to achieve a ring

.
Place each of these rings, on an well oiled oven tray lined.

Leave the rings to prove for about 30 minutes. They should again puff and double in size. Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and place the baking tray in the middle shelf. 

Depending on your oven kaak should bake in about 15 minutes. 

The tops are then a golden brown colour and the dough firm and spring-like to the touch.

Turn out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool.

Labels: Breads, Continental Cuisine, Mena Cooking Club

An InLinkz Link-up

Tigella Bread of Modena ( Italy)

Modena is located in Emilia Romagna, known as the culinary bread basket of Italy. Tigelle are the quintessential food of Modena, a symbol of pride. 

In Modena, many people own a cast iron tigelliera (see photo) to make their tigelle stovetop. It is also common there to have an electric tigelliera cooking device. You can also use your griddle on the stove top.. Since I do not own a cast iron tigelliera, made this on a stove top sandwich toaster .  Don't worry, the result will still be satisfying.

   

This week for BM I choose International Flat Breads.  When I was looking up wiki I found this name.  Looked up google to find more about it.  I was easy to make since it uses the normal bread dough.  But as you read above it requires a special mold. One look at it and I decided to use the stove top sandwich toaster and let me tell you got amazing results.. Once baked, tigelle have a soft center, and a crisp crust. To be eaten, they are split open with a knife, then filled in a variety of ways.

You  must try this recipe its keeper and can be had with any filling as a brunch too

Ingredients

1.1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1.1/4 Teaspoon Instant yeast
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water and more to knead into a soft dough

Method

Mix the yeast into the warm water and stir.
Add the salt to the flour and then the oil. Mix the oil into the flour first,  till it looks like bread crumbs.  Add the yeast, sugar, water and mix to make a soft dough. Knead the dough until smooth. Cover and let rise for an hour. I kneaded the dough in the previous morning and kept it in the refrigerator.  The next day it had risen perfectly.

Roll out the dough to about 3/4 ” high. Use the top of a water glass / katori or bottle cover to cut disks. ( make sure it fits in the gas sandwich toaster mold).

Cover and let rise again for about 10 to 15 minutes.  I made half of the dough and  then started cooking them.  By the time I finished this lot the remaining had risen perfectly.  

Lightly grease the mold and lay in the tigelle. Cover with top and cook on low flame until brown spot appears and it puffs up. Flip the mold so both sides cook. If using a griddle, just flip them. When cooked, cut open and fill.

Traditional filling is Italian prosciutto minced with garlic and fresh rosemary. or cheese or nutella. We had it nutella. It is amazingly delicious, we enjoyed this for our breakfast.

This is my entry for the BM #50 week 2 day 1, theme International Flat Breads

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#50.

Labels : Breads, Blogging Marathon, Continental Cuisine, Italy

Salsa Sauce - How to make Salsa Sauce

A super easy salsa in a delicious taste and this salsa is  bursting with fresh flavors.  You just dump everything into a blender and then you pulse it to your desired consistency.


Ingredients

2 Large Ripe and Firm Tomatoes - diced
1 Small Onion  - chopped
2 Cloves Garlic  - minced
1 Tablespoons Jalapeño pepper  - roughly chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black pepper powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons  Coriander - roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon Oil

Method

Blend tomato in blender then add all the other ingredients except the coriander and blend again. Now add the coriander and blend again until get desired consistency. Add / adjust salt and pepper according to your taste.

In  pan add the oil and the this mixture and cook for 5 minutes till thick.  Store in a air tight container in  for 2-3 days in refrigerator  or for 15 days in the freezer.

I used this to make spaghetti and it tasted even more awesome. Click here for the recipe

An Update on the recipe with pics :

To serve with Nacho Chips I added 1/4 Cup of Tomato Ketchup or according to sweetness you would like and mix it well. Serve with it Nacho chips. 

Labels : Chutneys & Dips, Continental Cuisine, Mexican