Split Mung Bean Samosas

Ingredients
Pastry
Samosa pastry is available at Indian / Asian stores, Chinese eggroll pastry or Greek filo pastry can also be used.
2 tablespoon flour for sticking paste
Filling
½ cup Split Moong Dal
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 Green Chilli chopped fine
2 inch Ginger paste; grated
2 garlic cloves; minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Fennel seeds;  ground
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
1 medium onion; finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
½  lime juiced
 Salt to taste

Oil for brushing or frying

Method

1. Wash the dal three times and soak for at least 1 hour.
2. Drain the water, and grind the dal coarsely.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, as soon as they splutter, add the dal. 
4. Keep stirring for 5 minutes, lower the heat and cover and cook for 10 minutes. 
5. Add green chilli, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, turmeric and garam masala, mix. 
6. Cook for a further five minutes or until soft.
7. Add salt and the lime juice and mix. 
8. Remove from heat, add the onions and chopped coriander and keep aside to cool.
9. Heat the oven at 220C, if baking.
10. Mix the flour with a little water to make a thick paste
11. Fold left side of the pastry diagonally, see photo, smear with flour paste, and fold the right side of pastry.  
12. Fill the cone with the filling and seal on the top with the paste.
13. Deep fry or Place on a greased tray, brush tops with oil and bake for 20 minutes.

Gujarati Khandvi - Microwave Method

Ingredients

Batter

1 cup Chickpea / gram flour

1 cup yogurt

2 cups water

3 garlic cloves; minced

1 inch piece of ginger; grated

2 green chilies; minced

½ teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon asafetida / hing

Salt to taste

For Vaghar / Tempering

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

6 curry leaves

For garnish

1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons coriander; finely chopped

Method

1.    Place all the batter ingredients in a microwave bowl, mix well to make a smooth fairly thin batter. Beat well; I used a hand blender to make sure there were no lumps.

2.    Cook uncovered in microwave for 3 minutes, mix well and cook for another two 3 minutes mixing well between cooking. I cooked the batter for a total of 9 minutes. (Microwave times differ according to different makes).  The batter should be quite thick now

3.    Test if it is done by place a drop on a flat surface, if it sets, it is ready.

4.    Spread the batter as fast as possible with a palate knife on ungreased foil sheet.   Make sure is spread quite thinly.

5.    When cool and set, (a couple of minutes), cut the sheet of khandvi into 2 inches thick pieces.  Roll each piece into khandvis (like Swiss roll), and place on a flat serving dish.

Vaghar/tempering

6.    Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the sesame, mustard and cumin seeds with the curry leaves cook for a 2-3 minutes and pour over the khandvi.

7.    Garnish with the desiccated coconut and the chopped coriander.

Mung jo soup; Mung Bean Soup

Mung beans are nutritious and easy to digest they are a good source of protein, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and a very good source of dietary Fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, folate, copper and manganese.  

Ingredients
1/2 cup mung beans; soaked overnight.
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion; chopped fine
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 400gm can of plum tomatoes; liquidised

Method

1. Boil the beans in 3 cups of water or stock foe 20 minutes
2. While the beans are cooking, heat the oil in a pan large enough for the soup.
3. Add the chopped onion and fry until slightly brown, add the flour and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
5. Add the beans and the stock / water
6. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
7. Serve with garlic bread

Hara Bhara Kebab / Peas and Spinach Burger

Another pea dish. I first had this at Sakoni in Wembley, it is a North Indian recipe. Talking to my friends and searching the net I managed to find this recipe. Delicious. We had this today for a light lunch with Beetroot Soup (also in season). I baked these, so very healthy.




Ingredients
1 cup peas; boiled
230g spinach; steamed / 1 cup / you can use frozen spinach
3 medium potatoes; boiled
2 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillies minced
1/2 lime; juiced
salt to taste
oil for greasing the tray and brushing the kebabs / burgers


Method

1. Heat the oven at 220 degree centigrade
2. Combine the peas, spinach and potatoes, mix
3. Add the ginger, chillies, lime juice, garam masala and lime juice mix
4. Let it cool for a while.
5. Make lemon sized balls, flatten and place on a greased tray
6. Brush with oil, and bake for 20 mins

Serve with a green salad. Or in a burger roll with salad.

Mitha Thepla - Ismaili style

2 cups whole wheat flour (chapatti flour)
½ cup gur / gor / jaggery
1/2 cup milk
2 table spoon oil
1 tspn fennel seeds
½ ground Cardamom
½ tspn ground Nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 table spoon sliced almonds
1 table spoon poppy seeds

Flour Paste
1 tablespoon flour
enough water to make a thick paste (3/4 of tablespoon)


1. Mix the flour, fennel seeds, cardamom and nutmeg.
2. Rub in the oil, so that the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs
3. Melt the gur in the microwave (2 minutes or so) and mix with the milk
5. Add it to the flour and make a soft dough
6. Roll into ¾ inch and cut into circles using a biscuit cutter.
7. Sprinke the poppy seeds, and stick the almond slice in the centre using the flour paste
7. Fry

Reshmi Bhajia / Spicy chickpea flour pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup chickflour
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
1 tablespoon chopped methi /fenugrek leaves
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
1 green chilli; chopped fine or minced with the garlic
1/4 tspn ajma or 1 tspn chopped thyme
salt to taste
1 cup warm water
oil spray

makes 10 (31/2 inch diameter); enough for 2 people. If you want to make 2 plates for khana triple the recipe.




1. Mix the onions, coriander, fenugrek garlic, ginger chilli and flour.
2. Add salt and ajma, mix
3. Add water slowly to get a runny mixture, leave for 1/2 hour.
4. Heat a frying pan, spray with oil and put a small ladle of batter
5. Turn over when bubbles appear on the surface. Cook for a minute or so and place on kitchen paper to drain, repeat until all the batter is used up.

Serve with coconut chutney. I served with carrot pickle.

Crispy Potato Bhajias

Ingredients
3 spring onions; chopped fine
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tablespoon methi / Fenugreek leaves
1 cups chickpea flour
1/2 tea spoon ajma / bishop weed seeds
(1 tspn chopped thyme is a good substitute)
2-3 cloves of garlic; crushed
1 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillis; chopped fine
salt to taste
1/2 cup water;
1/2 tea spoon Sodium Bicarbonate
2 potatoes; sliced thinly into rounds
Oil for frying

Method
1. Placed the chopped spring onions, coriander leaves and methi / fenugreek in a bowl.
2. Add the flour, ajma, garlic, ginger, chillies and salt. Mix well.
3. Add the water and mix to form a thick paste, aside for half an hour
4 . The flour paste should be smooth not too thick / or too runny; if neccessary add 1 to 2 tablespoon of water/ or flour.
5. Heat the oil in a karai / wok / frying pan
5. Add 1 table spoon of hot oil to the batter and mix, add the sodium bicarbornate and mix.
6. Add the potatoes and mix
7. Using your fingers or small tongs and a spoon add the single slice of potato coated with flour paste into the hot oil, until the pan is full.
8. Fry for 2/3 minutes until cooked. Flip over when brown. Place on kitchen paper to drain repeat until all the batter is finished.
9. Serve with coconut chutney.

Mung ji kadhi / Mung Bean Yogurt Soup

Ingredients
1 cup mung beans; soaked for at least 2 hours
1 cup yogurt
3 cups water
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn cumin seeds
6/7 curry leaves (limra /limda pan)
1 onion; finely chopped
2/3 green chillies; lengthways into two
1 large tomato; blanched and finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch ginger; grated

1/2 tspn tumeric
1/2 lemon ; juiced
coriander for garnish

1. Boil the mung beans in 1 cup water for 25 minutes or cooked, and set aside.
2. Place the yogurt, 2 cups water and the chickpea flour in a bowl and whisk until smooth and set aside
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the mustards seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
4. As soon as they start spluttering, add the onions, fry until transparent.
6. Add the green chillies, fry for a couple of minutes, and add the tomatoes, ginger and garlic, stir and fry until the mixture looks fairly homogenous. Add the tumeric powder, mix.
7. Add the mung beans, bring to boil.
8. Add the yogurt mixture and lemon juice, bring to boil, simmers for about 15 minutes, and serve in a deep bowl garnished with coriander.

I love this kadhi by itself, with crusty bread or rice. I also served it with chore ja bhajia / blackeye beans falafel.

Batata Wara / Wada / Vada

Ingredients
2 lb / 4 large potatoes
6 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger
4 green chillies
1 lime; juiced
2 tbl spn chopped coriander
salt to taste

Batter
1 cup chickpea flour; besan
3/4 cup water
1/3 tspn baking soda
salt to taste

Oil for frying

1. Wash and peel the potatoes , boil and roughly mash.
2. Puree the garlic, ginger and chillies with the lime juice
3. Add to the potatoes with the coriander and salt, mix
4. Make lime sized balls.
5. To make the batter add the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl, add the water in slowly mixing it well. The batter should be like a pancake mix.
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan / kerai / small wok, dip the potato balls in the batter and deep fry.
7. Serve with coconut chutney (recipe to come)

Baked / Roasted Chevro / Chevdo

Ingredients

4 cups thin pawa /poha , (dried cooked flattened rice)

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup whole cashew nuts

1/2 small red peanuts

1/2 melon seeds

1/2 golden raisins

1/2 cup daria / dalia (roasted split chickpeas - available in Indian shops)

2 tspn tumeric

2 tspn sugar

salt to taste

powdered red chillis to taste

1 tablespoon oil

1 tspn fennel

2 tspn sesame seeds

1/2 tspn mustard seeds

12-14 curry leaves

3-4 cloves

Method

1. Warm the oven to 150 degrees centigrade or 300 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Mix the Tumeric, salt, sugar and red chili powder in a small bowl

3. Place the pawa / poha in 2 large trays and bake for 10 minutes

4. Place in a large container and Stir in the tumeric mix. Don't worry if the mix does not look yellow, the colour will develop.

5. Place the raisins on a baking tray, spray with a little oil, bake for about 5 minutes or until the raisins swell up into tiny balls.

5. Turn up the temperature 175 degrees centigrade / 350 degrees Fahrenheit

6. Bake the Almonds, Cashews nut for 15 minutes

7. Melon seeds, peanuts and daria / dalia for 10 minutes

8 Mix the raisins and nuts with the pawa / poha

9. Heat the oil in a small frying pan, fry the fennel, sesame seeds mustard seeds, curry leaves and cloves and add to the chevro mix.

ENJOY

Tips

you can also add crisps

Use cornflakes instead of pawa / poha

Use mumbra or rice crispies instead.

Rice crispies or cornflakes don't need to be baked.

To make the colour richer add 1tspn of paprika (I did not have any)

Ismaili Mitha Thepla (Sweet)

2 cups whole wheat flour (chapatti flour)

½ cup gur / gor / jaggery

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 table spoon oil

1 tspn fennel seeds

½ ground Cardamom

½ tspn ground Nutmeg

Vegetable oil for frying

Jaggery or gur is supposed to be good for you, and certainly much better for you than refined sugar. It contains minerals and vitamins lost during refining of sugar. Likewise whole wheat flour is more nutritious than white flour.

1. Mix the flour, fennel seeds, cardamom and nutmeg.

2. Rub in the oil, so that the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs

3. Melt the gur in the microwave (2 minutes or so) and mix with the milk

4. Beat the egg

5. Add above liquid to the flour and make a soft dough

6. Roll into ¾ inch and cut into diamond shapes, or use a biscuit cutter.

7. Fry

These should keep in an airtight container for at least a month.

Cheese and Spinach Samosa

These samosas are adapted from Greek Spanakopita or Turkish Borek

Ingredients
1 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach
1 cup finely chopped spring onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
2 cloves garlic; crushed
1 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillies; crushed
1/4 tspn garam masala
200 gm /8 oz Feta cheese; crumbled (mash using a fork)
NO SALT (feta cheese is very salty)
20 samosa pastries (or filo pastry)




Method
1. Drain the spinach in a colander
2. Mix the spinach, spring onions, coriander and cheese
3. Add the garlic, ginger and crushed chilies, mix
4. Add the garam masala and mix. There is no need to cook the filling as it gets cooked during frying or baking
5. Fold the samosa as shown here
6. Fry the samosa in hot oil, or brush with oil and bake in the oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 25 minutes.
ENJOY

Hummus Bi Tahini - Syrian Chickpea Dip

Hummus was also part of all the meals we had in Syria. I loved it, since I have come back it is my lunch on Saturdays. Hummus and pitta bread....... yummmmmm! This recipe is part of the Golden Jubilee Series.


2 tins (500g / 16 oz) of chickpeas; drained and washed in cold water

1/2 cup Tahini
1 tsp cumin powder
1 lemon; juiced
6-8 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp Salt

1 cup Water
2 sprigs of coriander; chopped fine
1 tbspn extra virgin olive oil



Method

1. Place the lemon juice and the garlic in a food processor and liquidise
2. add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, cumin, salt and water, liquidlise

3. At this stage you can add more water / oil  or tahini to make it to the desired creaminess if you want.
3. Place in a serving dish, garnish with coriander and the extra virgin olive oil
Serve with warm pitta bread. Should keep in the fridge for 7 days (or in my case, in 3 days it is gone!)

Dhebra with Courgette / zuchini

Recently one of my readers asked me for a recipe for dhebra.  We usually make these with dudhi, but I had to improvise and use courgette!

Ingredients

1 cup bajra / millet flour

1 cup whole wheat flour 

2 tablespoon oil

1/4 tspn sodium bicarbonate

1 cup chopped methi / fenugrek 

1/2 cup chopped coriander

1 courgette; finely grated

3 cloves garlic; grated

1 -2 inch stem ginger; grated

2-3 green chillies; finely chopped

1 cup sour yoghurt (if not include 1 tblspn lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

oil for frying

1. mix the two flours and sodium bicarbonate, add the oil, mix.

2. add the herbs, courgette garlic, ginger, chillies and youghurt.

3. mix, add the water carefully so that you have a stiff dough, leave for at least half an hour

4. make about 16-20 patties and place on wax or grease proof paper

5. heat the oil, meanwhile take some cling film / saran wrap and place some sesame seeds on it, place a patty on this, sprinkle some sesame seeds on this, and using another piece of film / wrap, flatten the dhebra.

6. fry slowly at low heat or the centre will not cook

7. Serve warm with yogurt.

Aleppo Muhammara / Roasted Pepper and Walnut dip

Chachi and I went to Aleppo in August this year, here is a picture of Aleppo Citadel. It was here that we saw MHI twice! And it was also here, in a restaurant across the road from the Citadel where I had the best muhammara ever! No wonder, muhammarra originates in Aleppo, who knew that! I thought it was Turkish!! ;)

If you look at the pictureof the citadel carefully at the top of the arches, you can see the dancers / performers practicing prior to Mowlana Hazar Imam's visit. It was an amazing sight.

This recipe is part of my Golden Jubilee Series.

4 red peppers
2/3 cups breadcrumbs (I used the Japenese panko)
1 cup walnuts
6 cloves garlic
1/2 tspn salt
2 tspn cumin, 1 tspn Aleppo chilli powder (available in Middle Eastern Shops, you can use ordinary Chili powder to taste.
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoons pomegranate syrup or molasses; you can get it in Turkish or Middle Eastern Shops
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Grill or broil the pepper until they are black, peel the burnt skin, should come of easily if placed in a polythene bag while still hot. Or else you can buy roasted pepper in olive oil (NOT vinager)

2. Place the peppers, breadcrumbs, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, cumin and salt in a food processor. Grind until you get a fairly smooth paste, add oilive oil and mix.

3. Garnish with parsley, mint or corianderServe with warm pitta bread.

Baba Ganoush: Aubergine Dip

We had a lot of this in Syria, in fact with every single meal, it was delcious. This roasted aubergine dish is part of my Golden Jubilee Series


Ingredients

2 Aubergines
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons yogurt
salt
black pepper
olive oil to drizzle
Parsley for garnish

1. Wash the aubergines, make some slits on them and put them in a moderate hot oven (180 C) for 45 minutes.
2. Peel the aubergines, and liqudise with the rest of the ingredients
3. Garnish with parsley
4. Serve with warm pitta bread

Seekh Kebab

1 lb lean lamb mince
1 medium onion,
4 cloves garlic;
2 inches fresh ginger;
3 - 4 green chillies;
1/2 cup fresh chopped coriander
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint leaves
2 slices of bread
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 tspn garam masala
Salt to taste
red pepper / onions / coriander for garnish


Method
1. Place the mince lamb in a bowl
2. Place the bread in a food processors to make fresh bread crumbs; add to the mince
3. Place the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, coriander and mint leaves; lime juice in the food processor;
4. Grind and add to the the mince with the salt and garam masala. Mix
5. Place in the fridge for about an hour.
6. Divide the mixture into 20 lumps
7. wet hands and shape into long sausgages on the skewers; should be 4-5 inches long, place in bbq or grill
8. Grill or broil about 4 minutes on each side.
serve with finely chopped salad, mint raita and pitta bread

Dal / Dar Ismaili Style / Toor Dal Soup

This is my entry for Jhiva for Toor Dal hosted by Linda of Out of the Garden We call toor; tuvar, this dal is split pigeon peas or bharazi or mbaazi as we called them in East Africa.

Ingredients
1 cup tuvar / toor dal
1/3 cup masoor dal, channa dal and mung dal
4 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
4 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick (flat)
2 Cardamoms
8 peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 large onions (chopped fine)
3-4 medium tomatoes (blanched, and chopped finely)
6 cloves garlic minced
1 inch ginger grated
4 green chillies chopped finely
2 heaped tspn Coriander/cumin powder
½ teaspn turmeric
1 lemon; juiced
salt to taste
3 cups water

Method

Boil the lentils with 3 cups of water. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pan; add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns for a 1 minute or so.
Add the onions, turn down the heat, fry until brown, that should take at least 10 minutes, Keep stir or the onion will be burnt.
Add tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillies cook until tender the oil floats out; add coriander/cumin powder and turmeric.
Add the boiled lentils and the water, lemon juice and salt.
Bring to boil; add more water if necessary; consistency should be like a thick soup.
In this recipe you can add lamb and potatoes as well, and then it becomes ghosh wari dar.

Spicy Beetroot Soup

I could not resist a bunch of beetroots in Sainsburys on Saturday. They ended up being a light supper for us on Saturday Evening (......a starter for Sunday Lunch time, on Monday I had to say no!) . This soup is delicious with some crusty bread, and can be a light lunch / supper or a starter.

Ingredients
4-5 fresh beetroots; peeled, washed and diced
1 onion; diced
1 leek; chopped roughly in 1 cm rings
2 potatoes; peeled, washed and diced
6 cloves garlic; chopped fine
1-2 red chillies (I got mine from the garden, 1 inch long, but super hot!); choped roughly
1 tblspn olive oil
salt to taste


Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the onions until golden brown,
2. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes
3. Add all the vegetables and the chilli and saute for about 10 minutes
4. Add 3-4 cups of water or stock (vegetable or chicken), I didn't have any.
5. Simmer until the vegetable are cooked, using a liquidised wand to homogenise until smooth.
6. Serve with crusty bread. I tried to swirl a little creme fraiche on the top, but it sank!!

Prawn and Leek Gyoza

I made these for Zayn's birthday party, because I know he loves them.

Ingredients

1 packet of gyoza / dumpling pastry (from Chinese / Japanese Store)
1 lb peeled prawns (little ones)
1 leek; chopped fine
1 inch ginger; grated
3 clove garlic; mince
1 tbspn light soya sauce
1 tbspn sesame oil
1 tbspn oyster sauce
1 egg

dipping sauce
1/2 cup light soya sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbspn mirin
1 tblspn sesame oil
1 tspn chili flakes

Method
1. Mix together all the filling ingredients.

2. Place a tspn of this mixture on the dumpling pastry, brush the edges of the pastry with water, fold in half, press together, making some pleats in the front of the gyoza. I was able to make about 40.

3. Place the gyoza in a hot, previously sprayed frying pan, cover and cook for about 1 minute, turn and cook for a further minute. Repeat until all the gyoza are fried.
4. Put one layer of gyoza back in the hot pan, add a little water so that it is half way up the gyoza. Cover and cook until the water has evaporated. Repeat until all the gyoza are done.



For the the dipping sauce: mix everything, microwave for about 30 secs so that the sauce is warm.
Serve the dumpling hot with the sauce.
These turned out delcious and were eaten by my family (of 12) with minutes!