Cheesy Soft Naan

These Naans are my Fam’s favorite, I don’t make them too often due to so much cheese in it (figure and health conscious : )
They are so soft and can be kept in the fridge 2-3 days wrapped in a cling. Just warm them up in a toaster NOT MICRO!!! It is as fresh as the first day!!
I don’t use ghee while frying as I add it in the dough..

You need:
Soft Yeast Dough
250 gram grated cheese (I used Gouda)
Oil to spray

Dough:
150 gram plain flour
5 gram dry yeast (around ¾ tsp)
¾ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp sugar
3-4 tbs ghee (clarified butter)
 1 cup luke warm milk ( can be less or a bit more so pour slowly not all at a time!)

Prepare the dough before hand and let it rest at least 1 ¼ hour!

*mix the ghee, sugar and yeast in the luke warm milk and let froth for 15 minutes
*add the flour and make soft dough, not too sticky, add more flour if you feel it’s sticky
*make balls (peeray), keep covered another 15 minutes then roll out

A step by step demo to make it easy for you all:)

1) Roll out the dough
2) Fill with 3-4 tsp grated cheese
3) Close and make a ball (peera) again
4) You will see the whole is spread over all, just roll gently
5) Fr yin a non stick frying pan. This is important so the cheese doesn’t stick as it melts!
6) As the naan starts to cook spray some oil and sprinkle more cheese on the top
7) You will see it fluffs up, means one side is being cooked so tune over
8) Just let it fry for few seconds then pat with a flat spoon very gently so the cheese sticks well on the top and gets the lovely gold color
9) There you have your extreme delicious and soft Cheesy Naans ready!! : )

Serve with Achaarr (lemon or chili pickle) I had Raita, and green chutney with it.
Tastes very good simply without anything too as it is very soft and cheezzzy : )

The Love of my Life..... :)

I thought before my beloved Organic chilli pepper plant bids farewell, i'll save it here for ever and ever :) My dearest Friend Susanne bought two of them, one for each... and we planned to take care of them and see who's plant grows the most.. Fortunately we both had such rich fruits on it :) The main attraction in my room and a daily delight for my eyes I love love love Chillies since i have learnt to eat  lol... In fact i think i inherited it from my Mom sweet Mom :)

Now as they have given me more than enough chillies, i have dried the last of them and use them for my Daal (lentil) tempering, and Susanne the Gem she is gathered her's too and i have a tin full of them for the rest of the months till we buy one again ...

Is'nt it Gorgeous :)

Scrumptious Spicy Chicken Karahi :)

Karahi is made in many different ways, but one thing is common its the „Karahi“ : ) Some things taste good only if made in the karahi or Wok : )

I have found this easiest yet the yummiest way to make mines, its cooked very fast with the best results ever!!!

This is how i make this karahi :

 1 kg chicken
4-5 large tomatoes (cubed)
½ tsp kalonji (Nigella Sativa)
½ tsp mustard seeds (Raaii danay)
5-6 tbs fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup oil
3-4 pods of garlic (fresh grated)
1” fresh ginger (julienne cut)
Fresh coriander chopped

                                                                                                                             

 Heat oil in a heavy non stick karahi/Wok
•Sprinkle the mustard seeds and immediately the kalonji
•Don’t let it burn just for seconds and add the chicken
•Sprinkle the lemon juice and stir chicken
•Lemon juice protects the meat to stick and break!
•Fry the chicken till light brown and add the grated garlic
•This kills any rest smell in the meat and gives a nice aroma
•Now add the tomatoes and mix all well
•The tomatoes leave water so stir all without the lid
•Now pour the spices mixed oil and mix all thoroughly
•Don’t add any water, the spice and tomato will make the gravy
•This whole process takes around 20 minutes
•The chicken is done very quickly in fact in the steam : )
•As you see nice thick gravy, remove from the stove

•Sprinkle with chopped coriander and ginger*
•Sprinkle garam masala/cumin powder as you dish out*

Prepare the spices:
2-3 tbs oil in a small bowl
Mix all spices in it!
1 tsp salt or to taste
¾ tsp red chili flakes
½ fennels (saunf)
¾ tsp level turmeric (haldi)
¼ tsp Garam masala and cumin powder to sprinkle in the end

*I don’t add these two spices(Garam masala/Cumin powder) in the preps as they make the gravy turn dark and the beautiful fresh color is faded : )

Enjoy the karahai with naan or home made Chapatti!

Ultra delicious Crumbly Apple Sheet Cake

Apple being healthy can be used in many ways, I love them only if they dint give me a hard time during the peak season of hay fever : / well I also don’t leave them so easily and cook them on high temp to make them be friendly with me lolzzzz

Sheet Cakes are very favorite here, easy to make and more easy to eat, as being small and thin in size you really don’t have a bad conscious, if eating much of it : )

This here was baked so quick and equally yummy, I made it in a small baking sheet tray, and you can double the amount to make it in the big baking tray its perfect!

So here’s what I did:
600gram Apple (around 5 L size)
50 gram butter (room Temp. soft)
100 gram sugar
2 small size eggs
170 gram plain flour
¾ tsp baking powder
50ml milk
50ml liquid cream
Castor sugar for the top and the apple pieces

*wash and peel the apples
*cut them in4 big slices and then cut those slices in small triangles
*sprinkle some castor sugar so they don’t turn brown quickly

*beat the butter and sugar till creamy
*all the egg and beat all until smooth creamy
*sieve the flour with the baking powder and fold in
*pour the milk and the cream and now beat on a hug speed for 2-3 minutes
*now add in the apple pieces and just mix with a spatula

*lay a baking paper on the sheet and pour the batter onto it, pat all even with the help of a spatula
*lay some fine unpeeled slices of apple for deco on the top

Bake in a preheated oven on 180°C for around 25 minutes
As the surface turns light brown, insert a tooth pick to test.
It may looks wet, this is because of the cream and its normal and ok
Take out and let it cool just 10 minutes then sprinkle the castor sugar on the top. Serve hot with a scope of fresh cream and if you like straw berries. It’s divine I tell you , my tray was all finished in no time and I plan to make it again in a day or two : )

  

Tuna-Vegetable Cheeeeezy Pizzzzza :)

 Made Pizza after a long pause, was just trying not to add more to the gaining kilos : ( but the weather was like so gloomy and the best way to keep one engaged is: of course cooking :D This here is a joint Family production, we all got together and the end result was really delicious : )

I have many different recipes of making pizza in my Album too, to be honest, I just do it by heart now, because at one stage you really just mix max all without counting and measuring… BUT as soon as I added one thing I wrote it down for my lovely friends , so I could share what I did : ) So here it is:

300 gram plain flour
2 tsp dry yeast
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano
½ cup and just a little more luke warm milk
4-5 tbs oil
2tbs yoghurt

-put all in the food processor and knead till silky soft dough is ready
-spray palms with olive oil and just knead it softly and turnover in a bowl
-keep it in a warm place for like just 15-20 minutes

-mean while prepare the sauce and the topping:

Sauce:
3 fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped
3tbs tomato paste
Salt to taste
1 garlic bulb
3-4stripes of ginger
1tsp oregano
½ tsp Kräuter der provence
2 tsp olive oil
3-4 pinches of red chili
-put all in a mixer and blend till thick and smooth
-don’t add water, the tomatoes leave enough water so it gets blended easily
  

Now prepare the Vegetable:
1 green bell pepper(stripes)
1 red onion(sliced)
4-5 pieces of salami(rounds)
1 tin of tuna fish(drained)
6-8 olives
½ can of maize
4-5 pepperoni
½ cup of chopped broccoli
250gram of a mix of sheep cheese and Gouda cheese

-Now spread the ready dough quite thin on a baking sheet
-prick with a fork and spread the sauce well
-top with the above prepared Veg
-sprinkle the cheese and bake around 20-25 minutes
On a heat of 200°c
-the cheese should not turn too dark, that's not healthy eating!

Smooth Frothy Mango Smoothie

This Smoothie is made in a jiffy.. Tastes really good and foamy and very kool and filling. Ideal to have it in Iftaar. A whole meal in one glass : )

You need

2-3 slices of peeled mango
½ cup of Shezan mango juice
3 tbs of plain yogurt
2tbs sugar

**Just blend with 2-3 cubes of ice and there you have it ready!!
-If you don’t have Shezan Mango juice at hand, never mind, mix in some orange juice that tastes good too. It’s just to give it a bit gooey texture!
-I did not add more sugar as the mangoes are quite sweet

-This made two glasses. So you can double, or triple the ingredients for more of course : )

Gulaab Jamun

A delicious, delectable, luscious, flavorous, flavoursome, flavourful, appetizing, mouth-watering, ambrosial, yummy, scrumptious Sweetmeat ever : ) Phewwwww this was a small introduction : )

  It’s the most made sweetmeat in nearly 80% Asian Households and yet many say it doesn’t turn out good, so its only a matter of practice and patience. There are only few points to keep in mind:

1. The sugar syrup should not be boiling
2. The balls should be friend on a low heat from the very START!
3. The balls should be allowed to soak themselves and not be turned and twisted up and down
If you follow this I bet you will have the best gulaab Jaamuns compared to the sweetmeat shop Insha’Allah: )
So this is what you need:

2 ½ cups Nido milk powder
2 ½ tsp. Baking powder (level)
2 ½ tbs soft margarine
( I use the organic plant margarine

¼ cup flour
¼ cup sooji
(together it should make a half cup!!)
2-3 eggs
(if L then 2, if M then 3)
1 kilo sugar(makes around 5 cups)
3 glass water
2 pinch zarda rang(yellow food color in powder form)

-Boil the water with sugar and zarda rang and cook till it’s a bit thick we say
” do taar ki chaasni” when its ready take it off and let it cool

-Now make the dough, measure milk, sprinkle baking powder through a sieve so that there are no lumps, add in the flour and sooji, mix all with hands add in the margarine and mix all well till the powder seems to have absorbed all of it.
-Now fold in the egg as they and mix well into a bit of sticky dough. If you feel that it’s a bit dry DON’T add any more egg, instead put in 2 tablespoons of normal carnation milk(evaporated milk) to make it smooth.
-Make small balls (as they will enlarge anyway) with greased palms
-Don’t keep the balls too long after oyu have formed them as they will get dry and have cracks which lead to scatter as put in oil!
-Heat the oil from the start on a low heat electric stove at no:2 and fry them on the same number as the flour has to cook too, otherwise they will get dents!
Fry and put in the sugar syrup and allow them to sink in the syrup slowly and don’t use any spook to turn them around, that is really important or else they get dents because whne we pour syrup on a dry ball it will automatically soften soon and make a small dent!!
It takes around 4-6 minutes till they absorb the syrup and are ready they to eat.

I use no Iilaichi( Cardamom) in it coz that over takes the aroma and the actual taste of it is divine without it !

Good Luck and Happy Gulaboos : )

I was wanting to mention but just slipped out of mind. Now as a Sister asked me i thought to give a note here for all those who have this same question :)

Last week i made Gulaab Jamuns with the same thougt that what if any one has no margarine??? So i used cooking oil in it and they were so very good exactly the same shape,look and taste! I used 4 table spoons of oil instead of 2 1/2 tbs margarine. Just mix in the oil well in the powder till all crumbly and then carry on with the next steps. Insha'Allah you will have perfect results:) I loved them even more :)

Creamy Hummus with Home made Pita Bread

Hummus is a very famous and loved cold snack/dip/ appetizer in the Middle East Cuisine! The main ingredient used in it is the Tahini sauce, which is made of roasted sesame.

Usually I never make it at home as I get is here much more easily at the Turkish shops, but well homemade is homemade and it was my Family’s wish so the whole work was worth the smiling faces in the end : )

This can be refrigerated up to one week, it is ideal as a bread spread, and as a side dish to any fried meat dish. We eat is very often with the onion baguette, it’s the best dip for a late night snack in front of the TV : ) What can be more tastier with Hummus than the pita bread and that too fresh from the oven..
So here we go:

**Tahini (sesame paste)

2 tbs sesame
2tbs olive oil ( I used organic extra virgin)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tbs water
*roast the sesame in a preheated oven or in a frying pan on a low heat till roasted brown color
*grind in a coffee mill till powder
*mix in the oil, salt and water to make a thick paste

**Hummus:

2 cups boiled chick peas (I soaked 1 cup over night and it made 2 ¼ cups)
1tsp baking soda (If you soak, just add this in the water and let stay overnight)
2tbs tahini sauce
½ tsp salt (more or less to taste)
3 crushed garlic pods
3 tbs olive oil
4-5 tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Paprika powder for the top  

*drain the water from the chick peas rub and wash them so the soda is washed out and boil in a generous amount if water till they are soft
*wash out and let cool down
*put them in a blender and blend till thick creamy
*pour few drops of water if too thick
*add the oil, lemon salt, garlic, cayenne pepper and blend again
*add the tahini sauce and grind once more, last time

***Pour in any flat plate or a flat serving bowl, as its beauty is in the flat dish!
Arabs have their lovely lively plates with those typical oriental designs which give the Hummus a richer look!!***

Make a well in the middle, or any style you like to, with a fork, or a spoon and fill the depths with olive oil, decorate with the rest chick peas, I like black olives so I tuck them on the hummus; sprinkle the red Paprika powder.

                                                                           

**Pita Bread:

300gram plain flour
50 gram wheat flour (simple attaa)
1tsp salt (more to taste)
1 cup luke warm water
*Mix these three together:
7gram dry yeast (1 sachet of it)
1 ½ tsp sugar
2 tbs olive oil

*sieve the flour, mix with wheat flour and salt in a broad bowl
*make a hollow in the middle and pour the mixture of yeast in it
*let the yeast froth takes around 5-8 minutes
*now pour the luke warm water slowly and mix all including the yeast mixture
*the dough will seem sticky and too soft, it’s normal, knead into sticky dough
*grease your hands with olive oil and pat the dough all around and place in the middle of the bowl, cover with cling, cover with a kitchen cloth and keep it in a warm place to raise
*check after 2 hours, it is very fluffy, turn over to the working board, dust flour and knead the dough again, keep dusting flour in small portions and knead the dough very well.
*You will feel that the dough is very airy and spongy, that’s very good!!
*return in the bowl, cover again and let it rise again in a warm place.
*It is a bit of work but kneading the dough twice enables it to become more airy and light, which is important for the pita so it forms like a pocket after being baked so that we can open it for any filling!
*after 30 minutes, knead the dough once more, make small balls and place in a tray and let rest another 15 minutes
*Now preheat your oven on 230°C and at the same time start rolling the balls into a bit lengthy form chapatti type bread
Spray the oven tray with oil and place 4 at a time, depending on the width of your tray of course..
*bake in the oven, as they start to rise, open oven and spray some water fast on the bread and close the oven !!!
*The water prevents the bread to become hard!
*turn them over after 2 minutes and spray once again
*take them out on a plate or Chabba and tuck it into a big nylon bag
* this will keep the pita soft and very eatable : )

The Pita’s are usually not round they are more lengthy in shape, we don’t brush oil on it as they have a dry surface, more like a Khubuz: )


The best combination with Hummus is of course Shawarma, and as I had no time and no steak to make one, so I found a short solution. I had the Turkish Sausage “Sucuk” at home, so I chipped off that, fried and had it as the side dish : ) It tasted so very good.

Ultra yummy Garlic Naan

                                                      (click on the pic for a larger image)

200gram plain flour (around 2 full cups)
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp cumin (crushed)
3-4 tbs yoghurt
½ tsp salt (more to taste)
3tbs oil
½ - ¾ cup luke warm milk
3 pods of garlic (grated fresh)

For the top:
3-4 tbs butter
3 grated fresh garlic
I used no ghee , I made it with melted butter with garlic in it
Heat the butter on a low heat and add in the grated garlic and let it rest for at least 20 minutes

-sieve the flour in a bowl
-add both baking soda and powder and mix well
-add the crush cumin, sugar, salt, oil and yoghurt
-mix all with hands so that the yoghurt is well absorbed in the flour
-now grate the garlic fresh on this mixture as this will give it THE garlic aroma
-now pour the milk and knead the dough, be careful you may need a bit less or a bit more milk, as there is no 100% quantity of any liquid….
-the dough should be silky yet firm and not lose or gooey!!
-now with oily hands just make a round bun and keep it in a warm place

I switched on my oven on 50°C before I started all the preparations and switched it off after 10 minutes, and then put the bowl on a wooden cutting board and placed it in the oven

It will take around 1 and a ½ hour and the dough will rise, you won’t see it fluffed up like the pizza dough but it will be very soft airy!!!

I made 5 naans with these measurements!

-heat a heavy non stick fry pan or if you have a tawa
-roll out the prepared bun around 26cm
-prick with a fork and brush the garlic butter on the top
-fry it on a low heat Electrical no: 3
-while it is frying spry some water directly on the naan just once
This keeps the naan soft; the water evaporates while frying but gives the naan a moist effect!!

(you will see in the pic the naan gets some fluffed up bubbles, that’s due to water and its normal and good)
-turn over and brush garlic butter on this side too and fry till nice gold brown or even a bit dark brown
-keep checking the other side to prevent from burning

**Serve warm, they have such a hearty garlic aroma, it’s inexpressible!!!
They are soft and really very tasty, my husband had his share in the night and it was still soft, I just warmed it up in the mini toaster and it was perfect!!!

                                                           Have fun making them : )

Strawberry Crème de la Crème

I had bought lots of strawberries, made smoothies, mixed in yogurts, and simply ate them too..
The hot weather today made me make this : ) All were wanting something cool and creamy so this was the best I could make
I did not let it chill 3 hours as one should usually do in all cream cakes, but still it came out really A1!!

                                                              

                                            

             

                                                                

*400 gram Fresh Strawberries

Wash only before use, or they will absorb water and become soft and soggy
Cut some in halves, and some in small cubes
 
*Make the base:
8 Digestives
5 Ginger nuts
125 gram soft butter
75 gram brown sugar
(Nearly a bit more than ½ cup as brown sugar is coarse)

I used Ginger Nuts as they give a very gingerly taste, digestive are more neutral and the mixture of these both is simply awesome

-crush the biscuits, the easiest way, put them in a nylon bag and roll over with a rolling pin!
-add the sugar and mix well, add the butter and knead with both palms into a smooth mixture
-cover your baking casserole with it, by pressing it evenly on the bottom
-keep in fridge so the base turns hard

*Make the Cream:
200 ml double cream (whipped cream)
100 ml condensed milk
200 gram Cheese curd (Quark)
50 gram sugar (if you want it sweeter)

 -I keep all my utensils for 15 minutes in the freezer before I beat the cream

  That is: the beater, the bowl, and the cream
-beat your cream on one speed number II, add in some fine sugar to give it a taste
-I add the stabilizer so the cream is really firm and peaky
-beat the cheese curd and condensed milk separately and then just fold these two in   the whipped cream gently DON’T beat just fold!

**By this time you have a nice firm base, so now first put in a layer of cream, lay the cubed strawberries all over and cover with another layer of cream

Decorate with the halves of the rest strawberries, cover with a cling and keep in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours so it’s chilled!

**I must say, as I took it out after only 1 ½ hour it was really okay, the cream was firm that i cud make good pieces, keep in mind it’s NOT a cake so you have to take it out like any dessert with a big spoon or any flat one as I used
 
It was really heavenly, so cool and so creamy and so yummy. The base is till now so crunchy; the ginger nuts are firmer so they make it too crunchy and then mixed with cream ummmm its divine!!!
 
Do try and make it , you’ll love it don’t think of the Cals as there ARE thousands of it in it  lol…. Well sooooo…what ….