Samosa

Oh Samosa, how I love you samosa!
There you lie on the plate, I just want you closer,
How crispy and delicate your smooth pastry shell,Pass the sauce, pass the dip, pass the chutney as well.

Oh Samosa not for me are those funny 'pakoras',
Weird looking and jagged those savoury hor'rors,
with my appetite daily, I wrestle and wrangle,
For you... my beloved, pastry tri'angle.

Oh Samosa! to the "healthies" pay no heed,
So what if you're fried, you're just what I need.
A long day's fasting is no better broken,
Than a delicious samosa just cooked and smokin'!

Author Unknown

Sorry I know this is not a recipe, but it was just too funny not to share!

Haleem

#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews

Recipe Type: Main

Author: Shama

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 250 gms Mutton.
• 1 cup Wheat soaked overnight, drained, pounded & husked.
• A handful of channa dal(split gram), soaked for 1/2 hour.
• A handful of moong dal(green gram), soaked for 1/2 hour.
• A handful of masoor dal(red lentils), soaked for 1/2 hour.
• 1 tsp coriander powder.2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste.
• 4 tbsp Ghee(clarified milk)
• 1 tsp Chili powder.1/2 tsp turmeric.
• 2 Onions, sliced and fried crisp.
• Salt to taste.

Instructions

1. Heat 6-8 cups of water in a wide-mouthed heavy bottomed vessel.
2. Put in the drained gram, wheat and mutton along with the ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and salt when the water starts to boil.
3. Cook over medium fire till the mutton is tender.
4. Then mash the mutton and add the crushed fried onion to this mixture. Heat the clarified milk and pour it over the Haleem.
5. Sprinkle lemon-juice before serving it hot.

Source: EidRecipes.com

Crêpes

Ingredients:

100g (3 ½ oz) plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
sunflower oil or groundnut oil
pinch of salt
250ml(8fl oz)milk
butter, for frying
60g (2oz) unsalted butter
100g ( ½ oz) maple syrup
juice and grated zest of 2 oranges

Prepare Ahead:

Make the crêpes in advance, layering greaseproof paper between each one, then cover with cling film and refrigerate.

Preparation:

1 - To make the crêpe batter, put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, with oil and salt to taste, and gradually whisk in the milk to make a smooth, thin batter.
2 - Heat a 23cm (9in) crêpe pan over a medium heat until hot. Add a knob of butter to coat the base evenly. Ladle in the crêpe batter to cover the base thinly, tilting the pan to spread the batter. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the base is golden. Flip the crêpe over and cook for a further minute, or until golden. Fold the crêpe into quarters in the pan, then remove it, set aside, and repeat to make the rest of the crêpes.
3 - To prepare the flambé sauce, melt the butter in a separate pan over a medium heat. Add the maple syrup, orange juice, and zest and leave to bubble for 5 minutes, stirring, until the syrup dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly.
4 - Add the crêpes one by one into the sauce.

Cheese Briouats

Serves 6 to 8 as a side or appetizer.

Prep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg (about 1 lb). cream cheese, chilled
• 1/2 kg (about 1 1lb.) warqa, fillo dough or large spring roll wrappers
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• vegetable oil (for frying)

Preparation:

Fold the Briouats

With scissors, cut the pastry dough into strips about two inches wide. Place a single strip of warqa or spring roll wrapper – or two layered strips of phyllo dough – on your work surface.

Lightly brush butter on the bottom two-thirds of the dough. Place a tablespoon of cream cheese towards the bottom of the strip, and fold the bottom up to enclose the filling.

Fold the bottom left corner of the enclosed dough upwards to the right, aligning it with the right edge of the strip. Then flip the bottom right corner upwards to the left, aligning it with the left edge of the dough. You should see a triangle take shape. Continue folding the triangle, flipping right and then left in this manner, until you reach the end of the dough.

Trim any excess length off the edge of the dough, dab it with a little egg yolk, and tuck the end of the dough into the "pocket" formed by the open edge of dough on the briouat. You can use the tip of a butter knife or your scissors to help tuck in the flap of dough.

Fry the Briouats

Heat one inch of oil in a deep skillet or sauce pan. Deep fry the cheese briouats in batches until light golden brown. Drain and serve.
Briouats stay warm for a long time, but if frying them well in advance of serving, you can reheat them in a 350° F (180° C) oven for five to 10 minutes.
Uncooked briouats can be covered and refrigerated for one day, or frozen for up to two months in a freezer bag or plastic storage container. They can be fried directly from the freezer, or allowed to thaw for 30 minutes to one hour before frying.

Moroccan Chickpea & Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 fennel bulb, peeled, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes (with juice)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried lentils, picked through and rinsed
• 3 cups canned chick-peas, drained and rinsed
• 4 sprigs cilantro
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 2 dried bay leaves
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot heat the olive oil at medium heat and add fennel, gently cooking for a couple of minutes while the fennel releases its natural juices.
2. Add the red and white onions, cook until soft and translucent, but without turning brown, stirring mixture from time to time, about 12 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and increase heat to high until the mixture comes to a simmer (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic and saffron if using, letting them infuse the mixture with their flavors for a few more minutes.
5. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, sprigs of cilantro and parsley and bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Season with salt, pepper and sugar, stirring the mixture a couple of times. Cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
7. Add the cooked chickpeas and cook uncovered for another 5 to 7 minutes until heated through.
8. Mix well, season again with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Remove bay leafs and sprigs of cilantro and parsley.

Source: food.com

Fricassees

Ingredients (for 20 fricassees)
For the dough, you will need:
- 500g flour
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon of yeast
- salt
- warm water

For the stuffing, you will need:
- a potato boiled or steamed and then mashed
- 140g of canned tuna
- 50g of pitted black olives
- 2 boiled eggs
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise (optional)
- harissa diluted in water (optional)
- salt and pepper
- oil for frying

Preparation:

For the dough, start by diluting the yeast in some warm water. Then put the flour in a container, form a well and add salt, egg, oil and yeast. Mix everything slowly while adding some warm water. Knead well until you get soft and pliable dough.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Make small balls of dough, the stretch them slightly on both tips and flatten them into an oblong shape. Arrange them on a plate dusted with flour and let them rise another 30 minutes. Finally, fry fricassees in a hot oil bath, brown them well and then place them on absorbent paper.

For the stuffing:
In a container, mix the mashed potatoes, tuna, hard-boiled eggs (crumbled), olives (broken into pieces), salt, pepper and mayonnaise.

Cut open the fricassee on one side, put some harissa if you prefer it spicy and then stuff it with the mixture.

Your appetizing fricassees are ready to be served!