Egg Curry

Egg Curry

Ingredients

6 hard boiled eggs peeled and halved

1 large red onion, roughly sliced
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

4 flakes garlic

2” piece ginger

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp mild curry powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 green chilies sliced at an angle

8-10 cashews

½ glass of water

5-6 tbsp oil

Salt to taste
4 tbsp cooking cream

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions

In a deep pan heat some cooking oil and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Next add ginger and garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. Then add the cashews and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for a bit. Transfer this to a blender and grind it to a fine paste. You can add some water if needed. In a pot heat some oil and add the green chilies and fry for a few minutes. Remove and transfer to a small bowl.  Add the ground mixture to the remaining oil and fry this for a few minutes or until the mixture changes to a darker colour. Add the curry powder and fry for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and half a cup of water. Simmer for a few minutes. The gravy should be thick. Now add the halved boiled eggs and cream. Stir gently. and check seasoning. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the fried green chilies and chopped fresh coriander. Service with hot white rice or naan. 

Gyros

Gyros

“Gyros is a popular Greek street food and is available almost everywhere in Athens. I tasted my first Gyros during my trip to Greece in Athens and simply loved it. The flat bread is crispy and soft in every bite. It can be made with a pork or chicken filling. In this recipe I used a roast pork filling which you can make a day before”.

Makes 10 Gyros (to make a smaller quantity, simply halve the ingredients)

Ingredients

For the flatbread:

6 levelled cups for the dough, plus more for bailing the dough later

2 teaspoons salt

2 cup water, lukewarm

2 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup milk, lukewarm

1 cup plain yogurt

6 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil

Some butter for basting the breads

For the filling:

1 full rotisserie or grilled chicken shredded in big pieces or roast pork slices.

2 tomatoes sliced in rounds

1 large onion sliced in rings

Some chopped parsley

Tzatziki sauce (please see here how to make Tzatziki)

Directions:

To make the dough: In a small bowl heat ½ cup of water in the microwave for 35 seconds, remove, add sugar and mx. Add the dry instant yeast, mix and leave to foam up. You will know the yeast is activated when it’s all bubbly and frothy on top. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the flour and salt and mix. Add the yeast mixture, yoghurt and with the dough attachment of your mixer start mixing. As the dough is mixing, add the lukewarm milk gradually as required till the dough is smooth but not sticky. Remove the dough onto your cleaned counter and knead into a ball using some oil. Place dough in the bowl of your mixer and cover with a cling wrap. Keep in a warm place for the dough to rise. If it’s cold where you live, pre-heat your oven for few minutes and then turn it off. Then place your dough inside the oven (remember the oven should be off!). After around 90 minutes, the dough will be more than double in size. Punch the dough lightly to release the air.

Divide the dough into 10 equal parts using a pastry cutter or knife (do not pull the dough as it will break the gluten strands). If the dough is sticky, oil your hands while dividing the dough. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel. Take a ball and roll it a bit, using some dry flour, bail the dough into a large flatbread, about 9-10 inches. Repeat the process until you’ve bailed all the flatbread.

In a flat non-stick pan, place one flatbread, on low heat. When you see small bubbles, turn the flatbread and brush with some butter on top. Turn the flatbread again and brush with butter. They should be golden brown on both sides. Repeat until all the flat breads are done. In a plate arrange one Gyro flatbread. Top it with shredded chicken or pork slices. Place a couple of tomato roundels, some onion rings, drizzle with some Tzatziki and some chopped parsley. You can cover each Gyro with butter paper, however here I used a toothpick to hold it together.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 medium cucumber

250 grams Greek yogurt*

2 cloves garlic

¼ tsp oregano

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

Some chopped dill (optional)

Directions

Whisk the Greek yogurt and set aside. *If you don’t have Greek yoghurt, put full fat yoghurt in a strainer for an hour and discard the whey that collects below. Slice the cucumber in half and scrape out the seeds and discard. Chop cucumber very finely. Add it to the whisked yoghurt along with the other ingredients. Garnish with some olive oil on top. Use this as a dip with pita bread or as a sauce in Gyros.

Date and Walnut Cake

Date and Walnut Cake

Ingredients

150 gms all-purpose flour

150 gms unsalted butter, softened

150 gms granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp baking powder

50 gms medium dried dates, de-seeded and chopped

50 gms walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Grease a bundt pan with butter. In a bowl, with the help of an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until white and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix with the butter and sugar. Add the dates and walnuts and fold into the cake mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and smooth over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry.

Allow to cool and then invert the cake. Serve with tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Mujadara: Lentils and Rice with Crispy Onions

Mujadara

"Mujadara (mujaddara) is a signature Middle Eastern dish of lentils and rice garnished with crispy onions. I have tweaked the original recipe a bit and added a few ingredients for extra flavour."

Serves 4-5 persons

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain white rice, washed and then drained

1 cup black lentils (I used flat brown lentils known as masoor), sorted and rinsed (use the same cup for exact measurements).

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used ghee) more for later

3 large onions sliced and fried till golden brown and crispy

1 tsp salt, more to taste

1 bouillon cube

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 ½ cups water, divided (use the same cup that was used to measure rice for exact measurements).

Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

Place the lentils in a small saucepan with some water. Add a pinch of salt, bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, cover until the lentils are par-boiled (10-12 minutes). Remove from the heat, drain the lentils and set them aside. Reserve the liquid. Measure to see how many cups you have.

In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat the oil/ghee over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until the onions are dark golden brown, darker than typical caramelized onions (about 40 minutes), sprinkle the onions with a teaspoon of salt as they cook. Drain from oil and keep aside.

In the remaining oil, add the powdered spices and stir. Add the washed rice and fry for a few minutes. Carefully pour 3 cups of water, salt to taste, bouillon cube, bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. When the rice is just done, add the cooked lentils and the reserved water (in total it should be 4 ½ cups of water). Cover and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are both cooked through (about 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in half the crispy onions. Serve the Mujadara hot or at room temperature with the remaining crispy onions on top, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and parsley garnish, if you like.

Add a side of salad like fattoush, if you like. Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

"Traditionally these spiced buns are made during Lent on Good Friday, but they can also be enjoyed throughout the year. This recipe is taken from Dusty's Food Adventures."

Ingredients:

3 heaped cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

200 ml milk + 50 ml water

¼  cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon salt

¼  cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon mixed spice (see mixed spice recipe below)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼  teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

1/2 cup candied ginger, mixed dry fruit and peel

2 - 3 tablespoon all purpose flour (for the cross)

2 - 3 tablespoon honey (for the glaze)

Directions:

1. Prep your ingredients before you begin to save time while cooking.

2. Combine the milk and water, and warm it in a pan or microwave until it is just warmer than room temperature. Add the yeast to the mix and stir it in. Set aside.

3. Warm up the butter until it melts and beat the egg in a separate bowl. Set aside.

4. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

5. Add the butter, yeast mixture and egg to the bowl.

6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together.

7. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and pliable.

8. Cover and place in a warm place to proof for around an hour or until doubled in size. I place the mixing bowl in my oven with just the oven light on.

9. After an hour, add the mixed dry fruit and peel to the dough mix.

10. Knead for 1 - 2 minutes.

11. Divide the dough into 10 - 12 equal parts (use a knife or pastry cutter; do not tear the dough as it will break the gluten strands) and roll them into balls. Place the balls on a greased and lined baking tray. Place the tray back into the oven for a further 30 minutes. Here's a quick video that will show you how to go about shaping the dough: How to shape dough - King Arthur Flour.

12. In a small bowl combine the flour for the cross with equal parts of water. The mix should be thick enough to pipe. It's better to be a bit on the dry side, because if too runny, the crosses will disappear when baked.

13. Once the 30 minutes are up, add the flour mixture into a piping bag, or into a zip lock bag with the corner cut off, and pipe a cross across the top of the dough balls.

14. Turn on your oven and pre-heat it to 375F (190C). Place the tray into the oven and bake the buns for 20 minutes or until they brown.

15. Once done, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

16. Add a tablespoon or two of water to the honey, and mix it to form a thin mix.

17. Brush the honey mix over the tops of the bun, and repeat again if necessary.

18. Serve warm with salted butter and/or your favourite jam.

Mixed Spice Recipe:

1 Tablespoon ground allspice

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

Mix all the spices together, and store in a sealed jar away from light. You can use this spice powder to make other types of sweet bread rolls/buns. 

Beignets

Beignets

"The word Beignet in French is "fritter" or "doughnut". The country of origin is France but they are very popular in New Orleans, Beignets are doughnut-like fried dough that are dusted with powdered sugar. 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups lukewarm water

½ cup granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 cup evaporated milk

7 cups bread flour

¼ cup shortening

Vegetable oil

3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and evaporated milk together.

Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix.

Stir in 3 cups of bread flour. (A wooden spoon is good for stirring.)

Add shortening and stir it in. Stir in remaining flour.

Note: The video above shows melted shortening being used, but there is no need to melt the shortening. It will mix in just fine in solid form.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Coat a large bowl with oil, place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise at least 2 hours or place in refrigerator overnight.

Pour about 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven and heat to 350 degrees.

Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut 2-inch squares. (This is easy to do with a pizza cutter.)

Working about 4 at a time, place in oil and fry, flipping continuously until they are golden brown.

Test one to make sure it is cooked through. Drain on paper towels and coat with powdered sugar.

Serradura (Sawdust Pudding)

Serradurra

"Serradura (Sawdust Pudding) is a Portuguese dessert which consists of a combination of sweetened whipped cream and powdered tea biscuits. Serradura in Portuguese means sawdust, and the sawdust in this dessert is powdered tea biscuits. The biscuits are powdered to super fine and resemble sawdust."

Makes: 5 dessert bowls (depends on size of bowl)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

15-20 Marie biscuits or any tea butter biscuits

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 cup whipping cream or thick cream

Directions:

Powder or crush the biscuits using a food processor.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add condensed milk and vanilla essence and whip again till stiff peaks are formed. Do not over whip else you will end up with butter. I recommend using a blender here.

In a bowl, first put a layer of Marie biscuits powder.

Add a layer of cream. Repeat with further layers of Marie biscuits and cream.  (make sure that  the Marie biscuits layer is very thin as you want it to be softened by the whipped cream)

The last layer should be a very thin layer of biscuits.

Place in freezer for 2-3 hours. Take it out 15 minutes before serving.

Chocoflan

Chocoflan

Ingredients

3 eggs

 1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

175g Lurpak Baking butter

1 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

 ½ cup milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven on 180°C /350°F.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter.

3. Add flour baking soda, baking powder and milk. Beat well.

4. Divide mixture in 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa powder into one of the mixtures. Pour batter in a pre-greased baking pan.

5. Alternately spoon the mixtures into the pan.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack

Ingredients

Softened butter, to coat pan

¼ cup cajeta or caramel sauce or dulce de leche

For the cake:

10 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

For the flan:

One 12-ounce can evaporated milk

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

¼ cup cajeta or caramel sauce

¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions

1.       Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

2.       Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

3.       For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.

4.       For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.

5.       Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

6.       Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

7.       Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Cook's Note:

The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it's inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving. Flan is a rich, creamy, cooked egg custard. It is often flavoured with vanilla and baked in a water bath to retain its delicacy. Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as a desert on its own or as a topping. Also known as "dolce de leche," it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce.

Marble Cake

Marble Cake

Ingredients

3 eggs

 1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

175g butter

1 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

 ½ cup milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven on 180°C /350°F.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter.

3. Add flour baking soda, baking powder and milk. Beat well.

4. Divide mixture in 2 bowls. Stir the cocoa powder into one of the mixtures. Pour batter in a pre-greased baking pan.

5. Alternately spoon the mixtures into the pan.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack