Aubergines with green lentils

بســــــــم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 Patlicanli mercimekli mualla, Aubergines with green lentils is a traditional dish from southern Turkey, cooked in Olive oil with dried mint. This is a beautiful recipe that is full of goodness, and amazing flavours.

 

(This will serve roughly between 8-12 people)

Ingredients

2 cup green lentils
4 medium eggplants (aubergine)
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 red bell pepper and 2 green pepper, cut in half and thinly sliced. (Or you can just keep it to red pepper)
2 cans of chopped tomatoes in juice
1-2 cups of olive oil and some extra olive oil for sauteing eggplants
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried mint
2 cup water

Method

1. Wash lentils and cook for about 15 minutes till tender, drain and set aside.

2. Slice aubergines in half ans cut into half moon shapes, lay out on a tray and sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 mins till water releases from them. Then squeeze and dry with paper towel.
3. In a pan heat about 3 tbsns of olive oil and saute the aubergines, do this in batches rather than squeezing them all in one pot. Once sauteed remove and set aside.

4. In a bowl add you partially cooked lentils, peppers, onions, garlic, mint and seasoning. Mix well, check seasoning, add more if needed.

5. Now in a wide pan add 3 tbsns of olive oil and place a layer of aubergines ( just half of them) then add half a layer of the mixed vegetables evenly, then place rest of the aubergines on top and remaining vegetables, ensuring even layers.

6. Add 2-4 cups of water and cover, cook for 45-50 minutes on medium to low heat.
7. Check from time to time and stir gently.

8. Once cooked leave to cool down and serve with either warm crusty bread or even grilled chicken!

Serving suggestion.

For rice and vermicelli pilaf recipe click the link below.
http://roosfoodfusion.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/vermicelli-rice.html


Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a.
Enjoy!

Vermicelli Rice

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This is a popular side rice dish served often in the Mediterranean regions, from Cyprus going across to the Middle East. It is a tasty simple recipe that compliments any main course.

Ingredients.

(This recipe is for one cup of rice only so adjust to however many cups you usually make)

1 cups basmati rice

2 tablespoons of Vermicelli (I use the fatter ones)

2 cups of water

2 tbsp salt or to taste

2-3 tbsn of ghee or if you prefer sunflower oil

Method

1. Wash rice till water runs clear and then leave to soak for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Melt ghee in pan and add the vermicelli and brown. Be careful not to burn, stay close and keep stirring. 

 

3. Now add the rice and stir well till rice is coated and mixed well with noodles.

4. Add the water and salt to taste, mix and leave to cook until water is soaked up. 

5. When water has be mostly soaked up either put into oven at 5 degrees Celsius or soak a clean dish cloth in water, ring out and place on top of pot as not to touch the rice. Put lids on and fold the parts of cloth hanging over on top of lid, turn heat low and allow rice to cook. If you have a diffuser or a tava place this at bottom of pot.

6. After 5 mins turn off heat and allow to sit for another five mins. Then remove lid and carefully with a fork fluff up rice. 

7. Serve as side dish with meal.

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a! :)

Double Choc Chip Cookies

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, well what more can I say! Highly indulgent for those days when you want a serious chocolate fix. What I love about home baked cookies is the rustic look to them, the rough and uneven edges and no perfect circles, not to mention the divine aroma the wafts around your home whilst baking!

So go ahead and indulge yourself, bake and then sit back with a cup of tea and forget your cares, while you savour every bite of this decadent piece of chocolate heaven! :)

Ingredients

125g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
150g Plain flour
1 tspn Bicarbonate of soda
125g soft butter
75g light brown sugar
50g white sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
200g dark choc chips or chunks
100g white choc chips
1 egg

Method

1. Pre heat oven to gas mark 4.
2. Melt chocolate over a pan of simmering hot water, make sure glass bowl is not touching water. When chocolate has melted remove and allow to cool.

3. In a bowl sieve all the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda. set aside.

4. In another bowl cream together the sugars and softened butter till light and fluffy. Then slowly add the melted chocolate. Continue to beat till well combined.

4. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat together.

5. Now begin to add dry ingredients bit by bit.

6. Next add choc chips and mix well with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.

7. Now using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, scoop up and place on a baking tray with a lined baking sheet. Spread them out, make them in batches if need be, do not cram them all onto one tray, give them room to spread.

8. Bake for 15-18 mins. No more, do not worry if they look under baked, they need to be gooey from inside.
9. Leave to cool for at least 1o mins before transferring to a cooling rack.

10. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk of cup of tea!

Bil-hana wa ash shifa'a! :)

Garlic, mint and cucumber Raita

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Raita is a refreshing fragrant yoghurt sauce that is used to accompany rice and meat dishes. Simple ingredients that pack so much flavour! You can even use as a dip with carrots and peppers. Yum!!

Here is what you will need

Ingredients

( This is recipe for one 500g pot of yoghurt, if you would like more raita then double ingredients)

1 pot of Greek yoghurt 500g

1 cucumber

2 cloves of garlic

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tspn salt

2 tbsn crushed dried mint leaves.

Method

1. Put yoghurt, salt, cumins and garlic all into a bowl and mix well. 

 2. Now take cucumber and cut into half then quater, and remove the seeds from inside as this makes raita too watery.

 3. Then grate into the yoghurt.

4. Crush dry Mint between hands and add and mix well. Serve and sprinkle with pinch of ground cumin and some more crushed dry mint.

Enjoy!

Keema Kitchri

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This recipe was given to me by my wonderful Sister in Law. I love this dish, it's so much fun to make and you can experiment with so many different ingredients, every time I have made it I have used different spices. It is a versatile dish, you can serve on its own accompanied with cooling Cucumber Raita, or have as a side dish. Personally I prefer it as a meal on its own, as it is full of so many flavours and includes meat. But as with any rice dish choice is always yours!

Give it a try and see for yourself! :)

Keema Kitchri with Cucumber Raita

Ingredients

2 lbs mince meat (500g)

4 cups of rice (soaked for at least half hour)

1 cup of Toor daal (soaked for at least an hour)

Half cup of Ghee ( can be found at Asian grocery stores)

10 cups of water

2 medium onions

3 Black cardamoms

1 cinnamon stick

6 cloves

6 black  peppercorns

5 garlic cloves

2 Inch piece of ginger

Salt (to taste) but maybe around 2
1 tbsn cumin seeds

1 tbsn ground cumin

1 tbsn ground coriander seeds

1 tbsn fennel seeds

1 tbsn Ras el hanout ( Moroccan spice mix, you can omit if you do not have)

1 tsn Five spice

3 Tbsn salt or to taste

5 spring onions

2-3 limes

Method

1. Wash and soak rice in bowl for at least half hour, do the same with the daal, set aside. Next cook onions in ghee on high heat till nicely browned. Add cumin seeds. Keep stirring to avoid burning.

2. Have the lid of pan ready for this part as onions will splatter! Add half cup of water to pan and immediately cover, it will steam a lot and sizzle, this is normal, give pan a little swirl. It should look like the picture below.

3. Now add the garlic and ginger and all the spices except for the Ras el hanout. Cook for a few minutes until the spices release their aroma, if spices begin to stick to pan add about 2 tbsn of water. Cook till mixture begins to dry.

4.  Once mixture has dried add the daal and cook well for about 10 mins.

5.When daal is tender add mince meat and the ras el hanout, cook well till browned through.

7. Now drain the rice carefully and add to the meat mixture, mix gently to ensure the rice is evenly coated.

8. Now pour in the water and gently mix through

9. bring to boil and then turn down low and cover, after about 5 mins or so check and gently stir.

Rice will begin absorbing the water.

10. Cover and leave until water has almost all absorbed, then take a dish cloth and wet it, cover the top of rice and place lid on top, underneath place a heat diffuser, or alternativley you can put into oven. This is called the 'dum' process whereby the rice cooks and fluffs up.

Heat diffuser, can be bought from Lakelands

Covered with wet clean cloth

11. Leave for another 5 minutes, them turn off heat and remove the cloth and diffuser. Leave for another 5 mins before opening lid.

12. After lid has been removed take a fork and gently fluff rice. Do not be too hard as rice will break.
13. Serve Keema Kitchari with Garlic, mint and cucumber Raita, and some lemon or lime wedges, and sprinkle with spring onions.

For Raita recipe, click link below.

http://roosfoodfusion.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/garlic-mint-and-cucumber-raita.html

 

 

Enjoy!

Bil hana wa as-shifa!! :)