Hummus

Hummus is a very well known middle eastern appetizer that tastes great and is very simple to make. This my own recipe. Hummus is usually served drizzled with olive oil and with arabic bread on the side to scoop.

To begin , let's measure out all the ingredients...

Put the chickpeas and garlic clove in the food processor and proccess for a minute or two...

Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt and cumin... 

Add the water and process again till smooth..

Hummus
Serves : 6
Source : My own recipe

Ingredients:

4     cups   chickpeas, dry
1     tbsp    bicarbonate of soda
1/2  cup     tahini
1/2  cup     lemon juice
1     pc      garlic, clove
1     tsp     salt
1     tsp     cumin
2     tbsp   water
olive oil, to serve


Directions:

1.Rinse the chickpeas and soak in water overnight, add half of the bicarbonate of soda.
2. The next day, rinse the chick peas again and put them in a pot and cover with cold water. Add the rest of the bicarbonate of soda and set on high heat to boil till tender.
3. Drain the chickpeas, reserve some for garnish.
4. When the chickpeas cool down, put them in the food processor with the garlic clove and process for 1 minute.
5. Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt and cumin and process again for another minute or two.
6. Using a spatula scrape the food processor bowl then add the water and process again till smooth.
7. Spoon the hummus into a serving plate , garnish with reserved chick peas and drizzle with olive oil.
8. Serve the hummus with khobiz.

Iced Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Iced lemon poppy seed muffins
yields: 12 muffins/ 24 mini muffins
Ingredients:

For the muffins:
2/3  cup    sugar
1              lemon, grated zest and juice of
2     cup   all purpose flour
2     tsp    baking powder
1/4  tsp    baking soda
1/4  tsp    salt
3/4  cup   sour cream
2     lg      eggs
1    tsp     pure vanilla extract
1   stick   unsalted butter
2   tbsp   poppy seeds

For the icing:
1   cup   confectioners sugar
2   tbsp  lemon juice


Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular size muffin pan or fit with paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your finger tips until the sugar is moist and frangrance of lemon strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In another bowl, whisk the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend.Don't over mix, a few lumps are better than overmixing.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the mold..
9. Cool the muffins completely before icing them.

 

Chocolate Malted Whopper Cookies

 

Since i spotted this cookie recipe on 'Brown Eyed Baker' i knew i had to try it as i love malted milk powder and the chocolate coated malt balls. I loved the way these cookies tasted, they're very chewy and soft and have a great malted-choclatey flavor.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Cookies

Yield: 18 large cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 10 to 12 minutes

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup whole milk
2 cups (6 ounces) chocolate-covered malted milk balls (Maltesers), coarsely chopped, or in my case crushed using a rolling pin
1 cup chocolate chips (or 6 ounces chopped chocolate)

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until it disappears into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. With the mixer still on low, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the malted milk balls and chocolate chips.

4. Drop about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls worth of dough  onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and set but still slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Djaj Bi Filfil

Djaj bi filfil is a spicy baked chicken dish with potatoes. The amount of spiciness of this dish can be adjusted according to your liking. This dish is served with khobiz.



To start preparing, boil the chicken...

Deep fry the potatoes...

In a baking dish sautee the onions, add the cilli paste and spices...

Add the liquids to the dish and simmer...

Add the chicken to the dish and top with the potatoes...

Here's the recipe:

Djaj Bi Filfil
Source: Family Recipe
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1              chicken , skinned and cut into 8pcs
4     med  potatoes, peeled and sliced
2-3  pcs   white onions, chopped
4     cups  tomato puree
2     cups  chicken broth
3     tbsps chilli paste ( can be adjusted to taste)
3     tsps   salt
1     tbsp   cumin
1/4  cup    olive oil
6-8  cup    vegetable oil ( for frying the potatoes)


Directions:
1. Boil the chicken , drain it reserving the broth and set aside.
2. In a pot on medium fire deep fry the potaoes till golden then, place on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven at 180C.
4. Place a baking dish on the stove on medium heat, pour the olive oil and add the onions.
5. Fry the onions till translucent then add the chilli paste , cumin and salt. Stir well.
6. Pour the tomato puree and broth over the onions in the baking dish and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat on the stove and add the chicken to the baking dish and cover with the potatoes.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Lahme Mahyouse (Sauteed Meat)

This is a very quick dish that you can serve up in no time. I like to make this dish on work days when i don't have so much time on my hands to cook. I serve this dish with a green salad, hummus and some fries.

The ingredients...

The first step will be sauteeing the onions in olive oil, then adding the meat and spices...

Sautee until the meat is no longer pink...

Then put a lid on and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the parsley and cook for 2 mins and serve...





Lahme Mahyouse
Recipe Source: Family Recipe
Serves : 2

Ingredients:

250  gms  lamb, cubes
1      md   onion, chopped
1/2   cup  parsley, chopoped
3/4   tsp   salt
1/4   tsp   black pepper
1/4   tsp   ground cardamom
1/4   tsp   cinnamon
2     tbsp  olive oil


Directions:

1. In a skillet on low-med heat pour the olive oil.
2. Add the onions and sautee till translucent.
3. Spice and salt the lamb cubes and add them to the skillet.
4. When the meat is no longer pink, lower the heat and cover the skillet, cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is brown and tender.
5. Uncover the skillet and add the parsley, sautee for about 2 minutes.
6. Serve the meat with lemon wedges and khobiz(arabic bread).