samosa

Samosa is a traditional Indian/Pakistani snack. It is basically a potato filled snack, although it can be filled with other vegetables or meat. However, if you are going traditional, it is the spicy potato filling. The hero is the pastry here, has to be beautifully crispy.

It is dee-lee-cious

They are made into triangular shapes and deep fried to a gorgeous golden color.

resting :)

Samosa

carom seeds - 1/2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
butter melted - 1/2 c
plain flour - 3 c

- mix all the ingredients well
- add enough lukewarm water to make a dough-not too soft
- cover and let sit for 15-20 min

potato filling

Potato filling

boiled potatoes - 3 med
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
carom seeds - 1/2 tsp
coriander seeds crushed - 1 tsp
pomegranate powder - 1 tsp
chili flakes - 1 tsp
salt - 1 tsp

- mash potatoes- leave some chunks and don't over mash
- mix in all the spices
- make ping pong ball size rounds

roll out into oval shape and cut from the middle

bring the two corners together into a cone shape and secure with water

fill in with the potato filling and close in the ends

heat up enough oil and deep fry till golden

They go very well with chat, which I will hopefully share the recipe in the near future :):)

Milk powder halwa

Yes the name doesn't sound too fancy (I'm not good with names at all), I have done a direct translation of it and originally it's called khushk dhood ka halwa. Anyway it doesn't need any fancy name because it is a hit on its own.

And I gotta admit I'm in love with middle eastern food a lot, probably because they use a lot of different spices and this beautiful sweet is no exception. Even though its categorized as a sweet, it is not overly sweet like some out there. And that's a good thing because then you can eat heaps of them right ;)

This recipe was given to me by a family friend who is also equally passionate about baking and cooking. Shes much older than me but we do get along quite well, probably because we share the same interest and that becomes sort of our connection point.

I have tried and eaten a lot of different sweets and this is easily in my top 5 (I have got a long list). It is very easy to make, very quick and very yummy. I always make this when I'm running out of time or when I don't feel like going through a lot of hassle.

Milk powder halwa

Butter - 1/2 cup
Milk powder - 2 c
Condensed milk - 1 375g can
Almond - 1/2 c slithered
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 4

- In a pan over medium heat, add butter and milk powder and stir 3-4 min until browned evenly. make sure not to burn
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add to the milk mixture, add condensed milk, cardamom powder and keep cooking till it comes together and it's doughy.
- stir in the almonds and transfer the mixture in a square or rectangular baking pan and smooth it out.
- decorate with some almonds and let cool- cut into square or diamonds.

Almond and honey nougat

This was my third time making nougat. The first one was inedible, hard as rock. The second didn't set, so it was basically a sweet stiff egg white. This attempt was a third time lucky.


Nougat is a bit tricky to make... the process of whipping the egg whites and boiling sugar, the glucose (a bonus in this recipe! No glucose syrup needed) the honey seems (practically is) a lot of work. The boiling of sugar to the right temperature requires a lot of skills. And so achieving the best result comes not only from a good recipe but also from a lot of practice I think.

A good nougat should be flavorful and fluffy without being too chewy. I have looked through many recipes but non of them have quite met my criteria of a flavorful and not too chewy nougat except for this one.

It has the right amount of honey and nuts and is full of flavor. Finally a keeper!!

its a good idea to wipe your utensils with vinegar to whip up a stiff egg white

Almond and honey nougat (Women's weekly)

honey - 180g
caster sugar - 290g
water - 1tbs
egg white - 1
blanched almonds - 2 c

- Grease a deep square cake tin and line with rice paper.
- combine honey, sugar, water and stir without boiling until sugar dissolves.
- bring to boil for 10min without stirring until reaches 160c and remove from heat
- beat egg white to soft peaks
- pour the syrup in thin stream to the egg white while beating
- continue beating til the mixture is very stiff and the mixer sounds like its about to die :)
- stir in the nuts (work quickly) and press firmly into the pan.
- cool and cut into squares.

Not a big fan of nougat? you will like this one because it doesn't taste all sugar, its the real deal. :)

Authentic chicken biryani

As you probably know by now, I am not really into cooking that much. I eat whatever my mum cooks and don't really pay much attention as to what she cooks and how she cooks it.

In saying that, it doesn't mean that I am totally ignorant about anything to do with cooking. Its just that I really don't like it as much because I don't get to play around with it and have as much fun as to when I bake. However, I do thoroughly enjoy trying out new recipes from different countries all over the world. This type of cooking I love and can cook tirelessly for hours and still enjoy every bit of it.

This authentic chicken biryani recipe was given to me by my good friend at work. She is from Pakistan and this biryani as the name says it is an authentic Pakistani biryani. It is packed full of flavors with different spices. And speaking of spices, this dish has plenty of spice. So feel free to adjust the spices (in particular the chili powder and garam masala) according to your taste.



Chicken Biryani

For the Masala
Basmati rice - 2 1/2
Chicken - 1 medium size cut into pieces
oil - 1/3 c
onion - 3 medium
garlic - 1 tbs paste
ginger - 1tbs paste
yogurt - 1 1/2 c
Kewra water - 2tbs (can be found in Indian stores)
cloves - 10
black cardamoms - 2
cinnamon - 2 small sticks
whole black pepper - 1tsp
cumin seeds - 1tsp
green cardamoms - 10
mint - handful
green chillies - 6
prunes - 5-6
salt - to taste
red chili powder - to taste
coriander powder - 1tsp
lemon - 1

For the Rice
cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
cloves - 10
salt - 1 1/2 tbs

- Boil the rice along with the cloves and salt in enough water until they are done 3/4 way through and drain the water
- meanwhile, slice the onions and fry in the oil till they are brown, take half of it out onto a paper towel to dry the excess oil
- on the other hand while the onions are browning up, process the green cardamoms into powder and set aside.
- process the black cardamoms, cinnamon, black pepper and cumin into powder (garam masala).
- in the remaining onion, add the chicken, ginger garlic paste, salt, red chili powder, coriander and the garam masala
- cover and cook till the chicken is cooked
- while the chicken is cooking, cut the lemon into slices, chop the mint and the green chillies
- crush the remaining fried onions with your hand and add it to the yogurt and mix well
- when the chicken is cooked, add the yogurt mix and cook till the oil is separated and turn off the heat, add kewra water and the prunes
- in a rice cooker (a pot will do equally fine) add half the rice, top it with the chicken mix and then the green chillies, mint, lemon and powdered green cardamom
- top with the remaining rice and add a few drops of orange color to make it even more vibrant
- cover and cook on very low heat for 10-15 min


This dish is an absolute treat. Yes, it is a lot to take in and it takes a lot of planning and a heck of a lot of time, but hey, you can not ignore the end result. It is spicy and it is delicious.

I can have this even for breakfast!! No kidding, its yummy.

WARNING!! it is quite spicy, if you can't take the heat you might want to cut down on the chili powder and the garam masala. :)

Instant Jalebi (sweet)

NUM NUM


CRUNCH!!


This is a very yummy and easy version of Jalebis out there.

The thing with Jalebis is that the batter takes a lot of time preparing, and i,m really not the patient type. So i found a recipe that is quick and has the same delicious outcome.

These Jalebis are best eaten hot, and they also go well cold with black tea.

Jalebi is a Pakistani/Indian sweet. They are very popular and are sold everywhere (mostly on the side of the roads).
Jalebi making in Pakistan. photo by from fistpost.com


I got this recipe from my cousin from Sydney. Thanks to her now i am able to make this sweet instantly whenever i feel like it. I have tried various recipes but with disappointing outcomes.



Here is the recipe -

Ingredients -

Plain Flour - 1c
Oil - 2tbs
Yogurt - 2tbs
Cornflour - 2tbs
orange food color - optional
water - enough to make a ribbon like batter

For the Syrup -

Sugar - 1c
Water - 1/2c
Cardamom pods cracked - 6-7
Rose water - 2tsp


Method -

- Make the batter by adding everything together and add enough water to make the right consistency batter
- For the syrup, add all the ingredient in a pan and bring to boil so that the sugar is dissolved and turn off the heat..
- In a pan heat up enough oil. Pour the batter in a tomato sauce bottle and squeeze making circles. Fry on each side till crisp, make sure not to burn it and transfer it to the sugar syrup.



* you can play around with the flavors. cardamom can be swapped with cinnamon or any other flavors that you like.