Chicken and Mushroom pie

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

With Autumn fast approaching, nothing beats a hearty midweek supper. Chicken and mushroom pie is a classic dish. There really is no one set recipe for this, everyone has their own version and preference with ingredients. This version of mine is made with Shittake mushrooms which give this pie a really meaty flavour. So give this a try and see for yourself, add or omit as please, you can add carrots and spinach also, great way of getting vegetables into your meals.

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken ( I used Chicken Thigh as it is more tender and flavourful )

1 bunch of spring onion

3 x 125g tub Shittake Mushrooms

2 cups of frozen peas

50g of butter 

1 tbsn of sunflower oil

5 tbsn of cornflour

1 tub of mascarpone cheese

Knor vegetable stock pots 

2 packets of Just Roll puff pastry

1 egg

1 egg white

2 tbsn garam masala 

Salt to taste (Be careful as stock cubes already have salt so add little to begin with)

2 tspn black pepper

Ceramic blind baking beans or you can use lentils or rice.

Method

1. Heat pan and melt butter and oil together. Add chicken and brown well. Add 1 tspn salt and garam masala. When it has browned add 2 tbsns of cornflour and cook well together this chicken is well coated. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. In same pan add your chopped spring onions and cook till soft, then add the sliced mushrooms and cook well till they soften also ( If need be add a touch more oil ) next add the chicken back into pan and mix well. Followed by the peas. Cook together for about 3-4 mins.

3. Now add the remaining cornflour and combine, followed by the vegetable stock pots or stock cubes.

4. When mixed well add your mascarpone cheese, black pepper and mix.

5. Now add two cups of hot water mix together and cook till it reaches a loose creamy consistency. Check seasoning especailly salt and add if needed. Then set aside and allow to cool.

5. Next take you puff pastry and roll out to size of dish. Then place parchment paper over it and add in your ceramic blind baking beans or if you don't have them add lentils or rice, this is to weight the pastry and make sure sure it does not shrink during cooking process. This is called blind baking. Please note the rice or lentils being used will not be ok to cook, but you can store and put away for blind baking next time.

6. Bake at gas mark 4 for about 20-25 mins, then take out and coat with egg white, this will seal the bottom pastry, put back in oven and cook for another five minutes.

7. When pastry is done, pour the chicken and mushroom mixture over pastry.

8. Now roll out other puff pastry and place on top of the pie. Push or crimp sides and coat with egg wash. Place into oven at same temperature and cook till golden brown.

9. Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Bil-hana wa ash shif'a!

Enjoy!

Zarda ( Sweet Rice )

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

So I was at my mothers house when she decided she wanted to make Zarda for dessert

so I took this as a great opportunity to blog my mothers Zarda recipe from her home. :)

A simple yummy dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati Rice
1 and 3/4 cups of sugar
2 tbsn coconut shavings
2tbsn almonds
2tbsm pistachios
Tbsn raisins
5 cups water (for par boiling rice)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tspn Cardamom powder
125g Butter
Half cup of water

Half teaspoon food colouring

Method

1.Soak rice for half hour.
2. Boil almonds and pistachios then peel almond skin and leave to soak in cool water with pistachios and raisins. 

3. Heat water in another pot and when boiled Add food colouring then when comes to boil add the rice. Add pinch of salt and Cook on high.

4. After five minutes rice should be slightly undercooked, al dente, then drain. Set aside.

5. Now in same pan melt butter on low heat. When melted add sugar and half cup of water. Cook till sugar has dissolved. If you don't add some water the sugar will clump and not dissolve. Keep sitting to avoid burning. When frothing add the raisins almonds and pistachios, cook further.

6. When it reached sticky stringy consistently add rice and very gently combine in folding motion. Do not be too rough as it will break rice. Make sure the rice is evenly coated in sugar syrup.

7. Add few drops of Kewrah water, if you don't have this you can use rose water. Cook on medium heat for 2 mins then give stir folding with a fork ever so gently. 

8. Turn heat down low and cover and leave till until it dries up. 

9. Pop into pre heated oven at gas mark 4 or leave on top of cooker with diffuser underneath the pan, leave for another 5-8 mins so rice fluffs up. 

10. Serve and enjoy!

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a.

Apple and Blackberry Turnovers

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I love baking when it does spare of the moment, when you look in the fridge to find some puff pastry and blackberries and plenty of apple my wonderful father had bought for me. There was only one thing to do! Turnovers. Now I don't know about you but i love these delicious pastries! yummmmmy especially with a cup of tea. What I also love about this is that the filling can be used with french toast or to pour over porridge. My children loved these! Delicious I tell you! Hey but don't take my word for it, try it out yourself. :)

Ingredients

6 medium apples of your choice, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 punnet of Blackberries
Zest of Half of an Orange
Half a cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 Tbsp of plain flour
1 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
2 packets of puff pastry

1 egg for egg wash.

1 tbsn milk
Brown or white sugar, for topping

Chocolate chip to melt and drizzle on top ( Optional )

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4. Melt butter and add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Cook for 10 minutes till apples soften.

2. Then add the Blackberries and cook together. Blackberries will release their juices. Then ad flour and combine. Sauce will thicken. Set aside and allow to cool.

3. Next roll out pastry into square and cut four smaller squares, place some of the filling in each one as shown in pic below.

4. Then fold over into triangles. In bowl mix egg and milk and wash the pastries with this egg wash. Sprinkle some brown or white sugar on top. Place in oven and cook for about 20 mins or until pastries are golden brown.

5. This part is totally optional, however a most delicious touch! For chocolate drizzle simply melt place in pan and place over pan of hot water and allow to melt. The drizzle over pastries using a piping bag or with a spoon.

6. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with a lovely cup of tea. 

Enjoy!!

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a

Chicken Palak (Chicken & Spinach)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Chicken Palak

Chicken Palak (chicken spinach) has always been a favourite dish in my mothers household and now also in my own. The combination of greens such as spinach, dill and dried fenugreek give this curry a strong earthy flavour. The aromas waft all through the house leaving hungry mouth salivating!

Be sure to give this yummy recipe a try.

Ingredients

3lbs of boneless chicken
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 inch piece of ginger
3-4 medium onions
Half can of chopped tomatoes
3 cans of spinach leaves (You can use fresh if you prefer, cans just save time)
1 whole cup of chopped dill
Half cup of dried fenugreek leaves ( You can use fresh if you prefer)
3-4 green chilies
2-3 tspn salt
2 tspn chili powder
2 tspn of garam masala
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn turmeric powder
5 tbspn Oil or ghee 

Method

 1. Grind the onions to a paste (to make easier add a few tablespoons of water to help it grind better)
when water dries up add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking until all water has evaporated.

2. Add the chicken and cook till browning, then add the chopped tomatoes, spices and salt.

3. Stir till well mixed, cover and leave till chicken releases its own juices.

Chicken releases its own water when cooking

4. Now turn heat up and cook on high till water evaporates. When water has dried up add your spinach and combine well.

5. Cook for a about 5 minutes then add your dill mix together well. When adding the dried fenugreek leaves make sure you remove any stalks as they do not cook through.

Dried fenugreek leaves, remove stalks as can be seen in this picture above.

Fresh Dill added to the chicken give a delightful flavour and aroma!

6. Now cook for a good ten minutes for about 10 minutes until all water has evaporated. Then chop up green chilies and mix in.

7. If you wish the curry to be more saucy add about 2 cups of warm water and cook till it reaches you desired consistency.

Serve with freshly made chapatis or plain Basmati rice. Enjoy!!

Bil-hana wa al shifa'a!

Sooji ka Halwa

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 Dedicated to my Beloved Master, Sultan ul Awliya Sheikh Muhammad Nazim Al Haqqani (Q.S) of the most Distinguished Naqshbandi Sufi Order. 

(1922-2014)

Sultan Ul Awliya Maulana Sheikh Nazim Q.S 

I remember back in 2010 I visited my beloved Sufi Master Maulana Sheikh Nazim Q.S in Lefke, Cyprus and he mentioned to me and a few other ladies how much he liked Pakistani Halva. I remember His beautiful face smiling as he was telling us. He is the one who made and still makes everything in my life look, feel and taste beautiful, He is the epitome of beauty itself. I live my life in eternal gratitude that I was granted the gift of Love through him, my passion, my morning sun and evening moon, the coolness of my eyes and the light of my heart, the tranquillity of my soul and the wealth of a thousand generations, I dedicate this to You my beloved Murshid.

There are many different types of Halva's, but the one that is most common in Pakistani cuisine is Sooji ka Halwa, which is halva made from semolina. The recipe I shall share with you was taught to me by my mother, I tweaked it here and there slightly. However I must warn you, this recipe is not for the calorie counters out there!

I do hope you will give this a try.

Sooji ka Halva

Ingredients

250g Butter
2 Cups of Semolina (I used fine grain)
2 Cups of sugar
8 Cups of water
Handful of blanched Almonds
Half cup of dried fruit of choice ( I used Whitworths sultana and cinnamon apple)


Method

1. In a saucepan heat a cup of water and add almonds, bring to boil until, drain and cool with cold water, then carefully remove the skin of the almonds and slice, set aside.

2. In another pan add 8 cups of water along with sugar. and bring to boil till sugar dissolves, in meantime melt the butter in a cooking pan, when melted ad the semolina and cook on high, be careful here not to burn the semolina so continuously stir until golden beige in colour. This should take between 15-20 minutes.

3. On one side on hob you should have water and sugar simmering away on low and sugar should have dissolved. Now add the dried fruit of your choice to the halva and stir well for a few minutes
( Usually raisins are used but use any that tickles your fancy :) )

4. Now take the pan of water with dissolved sugar and very very carefully pour into semolina, please be careful at this point as semolina splatters a lot, maybe better to ask someone to pour water while you stir.

5. Stir for a few more minutes till it thickens.

6. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and decorate as desired. Serve warm with a lovely cup of tea.

Bil-hana wa ash shifa! :)