Bissara

Bissara is an Egyptian Vegetarian/Vegan Fava bean dip. Some people love it. some people hate it. Me I love it.. I like it served at room temperature or cold, with caramalized onion on top.. mmmm and some crispy pita chips.. I have no idea why people dont get excited about it.. my husband is like meh whenever I say im going to make Bissara.. honestly its delicious, you just have to give it a try to decide for yourself.

Ingredients
1 cup Split fava beans
1/2 teaspoon dry mint
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 cup of cilantro/corriander chopped
1/2 cup of dill finely chopped
1/4 cup of parsley finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
salt, and cumin

What to do:
Soak fava beans in water overnight. Next morning drain the liquid and set aside. In a medium sized pot, saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil.. when onions are soft, yellow and fragrant, add fava beans. and herbs then stir for a further 2 minutes. Cover with water and let boil for 45 minutes. at salt to your liking and a generous pinch of cumin. Take of the heat and let cool. Once cooled place in blender and food processor and blend until smooth. Pour in serving dishes and Decorate with caramalized onions.

Caramalized Onions:
Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and when hot, add chopped onion. Keep stiring until onions are dark and slightly crispy. Take of heat and drain the oil.

Taameya

Taameya is Egyptian for Falafel. In Egypt its typically made with a combination of foul, onion, garlic and herbs. After its formed into a patty its dipped in sesame seeds then deep or shallow fried until nice and crispy  on the outside. Its a favourite snack for breakfast lunch but rarely a dinner time meal. Put into a sandwich with tahini, pickled eggplants, and salad.. its sure to make you satisfied. Heres My recipe as close to the taameya you buy from the streets in Cairo.

2 cups of Dry split fava beans (they are white in colour)
4 cups of water for soaking
1 white onion diced
3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1/4 cup corriander (cilantro) chopped
2 tablespoons of Dill chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of Cumin
pinch of baking soda.
oil for frying.
Optional: Sesame seeds

What to do:
1.Soak fava beans overnight in 4 cups of water.
2. In the morning drain water and place in food processor along with onion, garlic, and herbs. Process on medium speed, gradually increasing as mixture forms together.
3. Once mixture is smooth and holds together, transfer to a bowl and add salt and cumin and mix.
4. Once ready to fry, heat up oil on medium (not too hot) and just before you fry, add baking soda and mix, then  form taameya mixture into patties with your hands dipping them water to help. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and pat with your hand. Drop into hot oil and fry and they are deep golden colour and nice and crispy on the outside. Some people prefer a deep brown colour, its up to you.

Serve with any salad you like such as salad, eggplant, tahini, pickles. etc etc..

Bamya. Vegetarian Okra Stew

I love Okra. Its not everyone's favourite but when this vegetable is cooked correctly, its really delicious. It is said that cleopatra used to adore Okra. Well I adore it for sure and heres how i love it. Vegetarian, because that way I can enjoy the okra on its own.

Ingredients.
1 packet of frozen Okra
2 onions finely diced
3 garlic gloves minced.
3 tomatoes
3 cups of water
3 large tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of cinamon
salt and pepper for seasoning.

In a large pot saute onions and garlic until golden. In a blender, blend tomatoes with water, and tomato paste. Add to onions and garlic then leave to cook until tomato turns red and cooked through. Add Seasoning, okra and cook for 30 minutes or until okra is cooked through. Serve with rice and tomatoes.

Potato Salad سلطة بطاطس

Potato Salad. So many recipes, so many different ingredients, but heres mine.

Ingredients:
some diced potatoes, steamed or boiled
baby carrots and peas steamed
some mayonaise (around half a cup)
some yogurt (also around half a cup)
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (for tangyness)
2 eggs boiled and diced.
and whatever canned veges i have in the pantry that i think will go good.
Paprika for dusting at the end.

I mix everything together then I just sprinkle with paprika in the end. Serve it with something like grilled fish or even chicken in the oven would be great.

Stuffed Vegetables

Ingredients
Stuffing
2 cups of short grain Rice
2 large tomatoes pureed in a blender
Chopped Dill, Parsley, Cilantro (add as much as you like)
2 Finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of oil
teaspoon each of salt, pepper, cumin, chilli, 7 spices and cinnamon.
Vegetables of your choice to stuff. Here i used zuchini, peppers, and white eggplant, however i had to hollow these using a kusa pick which means you have to spend alot of time taking the insides out. So i suggest you use sweet red, yellow and green peppers. They taste fantastic and dont require alot of work. 


Mix all of stuffing ingredients together and stuff in hollow vegetables then cover with chicken stock or maggi cube disolved in water and cook on medium then low heat for 1 hour or until vegetables and rice are cooked.

koshary updated

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
2 cups pasta
1 cup short grain rice

Sauce:
6 minced cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 cup of water
Salt and chilli powder.

topping
Onions fried to a crispy golden
optional: Fried boiled egg or more traditional which is chickpeas boiled then dunked in some vinegar, chilli and cumin.

Boil the pasta, lentils and cook plain white rice as you normally would. (just plain boiled white rice). Once boiled mix together and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin. Set aside while you make the sauce. In a sauce pain fry the garlic gloves, when almost golden add the cumin and fry for further 1 minute. Add the vinegar then reduce slightly then add the tomato paste and water and cool for 15 - 20 minutes. If  needed add more water. Season with salt and ground chilli.

Serve koshari buy topping pasta lentils and macaroni with crispy fried onions, and chickpeas. ( I added the egg as a one off, but usually i make this with chickpeas so just boil some chickpeas then put them with 2 tablespoons of vinegar, chilli and cumin for more flavour.)

Enjoy.

Mezze Dish: Batta Harra (Spicy Potatoes) Dedemed Recipe

 I made a Dedemed Recipe which you can find Here >> BATTATA HARRA RECIPE

If you dont know who dedemed is, well let me just say that she cooks amazing food and you can find here recipe on Youtube. Let me just say that this healthy but very delicious at the same time. People think Potatoes mean unhealthy but thats not true at all. Only fried potatoes are unhealthy and really, anything fried is unhealthy even if its a carrot! next time you want to make some fries next to your burger (which can be done healthy), make this as a side instead of your traditional deep fried fries.

Crispyyy, crunchy, flavourful spicy potatoes (and not that much spice either).

Lentil Soup with pita bread croutons شوربة العدس مع الخبز المحمص

Ingredients:
2 cups of orange lentils
1 small potato peeled and diced
1-2 carrots grated
1 onion finely diced
1 chicken bulion
Salt pepper and pinch of cumin.
3 garlic cloves finely minced
Fried pita bread for croutons

Heres what you do:
Combine washed lentils, potato and carrot with enough water to boil. add bullion. Boil until tender. In seperate sauce pan fry onion and garlic together until golden. Add to lentil soup mixture then add spices. Add salt to your taste. Blend on high in food processor or hand processor until soup is smooth consistency. Serve with fried pita bread as croutons. YUM.

Mahshy Kromb (New Recipe)

If you have noticed on my blog, i have a recipe for egyptian stuffed cabbage, well I wont be using that recipe anymore because I have found one that takes less time and less calaroies, less preparation and well its just so much lighter and delicious. So here it is!

2 red onions chopped and rubbed with salt and pepper
2 large tomatoes diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 bunch of chopped dill
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 Maggi Chicken cube
3 cups of rice
Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, chilli powder, cinamon, ginger
1 cup of oil.

Mix all raw ingredients together and stuff prepared cabbage leaves. Line in a pot, fill half way with broth or water if you dont have any and cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Vegetarian Lasagna

I think if I wasnt a Muslim, i would be vegetarian, Islam enourages to eat what is lawful and for us that is meat, but whats also lawful and good for us too is vegetables. I love vegetables, I love how they make ever meal more interesting and not to mention colourful.. and I never say no to a vegetable. I decided to try something other than meat and bachamel lasagna which oh soooooo good but oh so calorielicious. lol. Heres my version of vegetarian lasagna.

Ingredients:
2 cups of diced pumkin
1 packet of frozen spinach
2 cups of mushrooms thick sliced
1 onion diced
3 cups of low fat ricotta ricotta
1 tablespoon of italian seasoning
1 egg
1 jar of italian pasta sauce (their delicious so go ahead use some!)
Mozarella cheese
1 packet of no boil lasagna (make life easier!)
Oil

1. boil diced pumkin for 20 minutes. Drain place in bowl and mash lighlty. add salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. saute some spinach with half the diced onion and salt and pepper. If theres any juices drain.
3. saute mushrooms with the rest of the onion with salt and pepper. set aside.
4. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, italian herbs, some mozerella cheese, and salt and pepper. set aside.
5. Take a rectangle baking dish and begin layering by putting some sauce down the bottom, a layer of lasagna, sauce and then ricotta cheese followed by spinach. Then a layer of lasagna, sauce, ricotta, then mushrooms, then a layer of lasagna, sauce, pumkin and keep repeating until you run out of fillings but remember you have to put a layer of sauce on top of each lasagna to help it cook. the final layer top off with sauce then plenty of mozeralla cheese. (my favourite). add some parmesan if you have some and then cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, uncovered 10 minutes or until cheese forms a light crust.

Serve with garlic bread and salad. Perfect!

Home made Hommos (No canned stuff around here)

Chickpeas are one of my favourite beans/pulses. There full of protein, vitamins, minerals, and there are so filling that by the time main meal hits your table, your practically full from all that dipping and scooping up hommos with bread, so remember to eat this lightly if your having this as an apetizer or go full out and eat as much as you want if your having this as a brunch. What i love about hommos is that its so versatile, you can eat with anything and the taste is mild but the kick of lemon and garlic give it a nice touch. When I see hommos, I must say, i love it to be creamy, white and thick but not too thick. It has to be thick enough to stay on the bread but also creamy enough to be able to spread effortlessy. Heres how i make this classic hit.

1 and 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas (from arabic supermarket)
1/2 cup of tahini
Juice of 2 lemons.
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
4 gloves garlic mashed
salt
Water to thin the tahini

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Water should be 2 inches above chickpeas.
2. In the morning, wash chickpeas, but in saucepan with water to the rim and simmer for 2 hours.
3. When chickpeas are mushy, drain and put in food processor.
4. Take tahini in a small bowl and add water little by little and whisk until tahini is white and smooth. (It will get clumpy but thats normal just keep whisking and adding water until its completley smooth and has a white colour).
5. Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, lemon zest and salt to the food process which already has chickpeas and blend on high  until its smooth and creamy. Chill and go crazy with garnishing like me lol.

Stuffed Bell Peppers (Capsicum)

Really tasty and really easy!

Ingredients:
As many peppers as you like preferably red for a sweeter taste
4 onions diced
3 large tomatoes diced
4 large table spoons of tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of water
500 grams of ground beef
3 cups of rice
Chopped up parsley, dill & corriander
Teaspoon each of: Cumin, 7 spices, salt, pepper, and cinnamon & 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder

What to do:
Cut around the top root of the peppers. Make sure you do not cut the top half and make a lid as this is unnecessary. Cut around the stem of the peppers. Wash well and set aside.

Now make the stuffing. In a large pot saute onions until caramalized. Add beef and cook until no more pink. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste  water and spices and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste for Salt and season to your liking.

Add rice and chopped herbs to the stuffing Mix well and put in a bowl reading for some serious stuffing.

Stuff the bell peppers allowing space for the rice to expand (dont fill it to the top, leave about 1 cm) Arrange in a deep cooking pot. Fill the pot 2 inches of water.  The trick is that the tomatoes in the rice mixture already provide it with enough water to cook through but you have to add extra water as well. Cook with lid on (medium heat) for 45 mins or until the rice is cooked and peppers are tender.. You can use the same stuffing to stuff Vine Leaves (Absolutely delicious) as well as Zucchini.

Serve as a side dish. Here I served it with Macarona Bashamel and some lamb.

Mahshi kromb.. (old recipe people) i use a different one now.

Mahshy Kromb means Stuffed Cabbages. They're delicious and can be seen in many different cuisines not just Egyptian. Each country has their own way of making this scrumptious meal but I find what makes this way stand out is that the cabbage leaves are cut into small peices that way you get a much bigger quantity and you still feel like your eating a cabbage roll. My mother makes these actually bigger than usual and that's the way I love it.. You can see these at almost every 3ezooma ( dinner invitation) and eaten throughout the year. Let me show you how I make it..

Ingredients
1 Large Cabbage
Some slices of butter
3 cups of broth.

Stuffing
3 large onions diced finely
3 large tomatoes chopped
3 large tablespoons of tomato paste

teaspoon each of: Cumin, chilli powder, 7 spices, Salt, pepper, Cinnamon, ginger powder
Chopped up pints of Dill, parsley and coriander (Add as much as you like. The more you add the better the flavour)
3 Cups of short grain rice
& Water

How to make it
This is the most trickiest part. Core the Cabbage from the bottom. Once its corred take a large pot full of water and put it on medium heat until the water is simmering. Place the cabbage in the water the cored side for down for 5 minutes to soften the stubborn edges so that it will be easier for the leaves to remove. Now turn the cabbage cored side up and when the leaves begin to soften you will see that its easy to remove the cabbage leaves one by one. Do not wait until the cabbage leaves turn see-through. Remove them when they are still green but bendeble. About 1 minute for each layer is enough. The trick with this is that you dont want to boil the cabbage leaves you just want to soften them but still keep its freshness because they will go for a second time in cooking process.

Once all the cabbage leaves have been softened and removed, Take each cabbage leave and cut into rectangle shapes, long and wide enough to wrap. They should be cut with the grain of the cabbage leaves, so cut them going across with the cabbage line/veins.

One you've cut all of them, stack them on top of each other on a tray and set aside like this:

 Okay by now you should now that this dish will need some patience and time but belive me, its worth it! So lets make the stuffing now!
First saute the diced onions in some oil in a deep pot. Once they are caramalized add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and enough water to make it into a saucy consistancy. Place the lid on the top and simmer until the tomatoes have disintegrated and the sauce become thick, add more water if its too thick. Add the spices and chopped herbs simmer for a further 2 minutes. Now add your rice and stir very well. Keep it on the stove for 5-10 minutes for the rice to partially cook and soak up all the flavours from the sauce. Transfer the rice mixture to a bowl and now you are prepared to stuff.

Take a generous pinch of the rice and place at the top of the cabbage leave, tuck the top under the rice and keep rolling until its closed. Line in a pot straight away. The process is like this:

Keep lining until youve reached the top of the pot..

Place some slices of butter on top and cover with enough broth until it reaches the rims of the pot. Simmer on high first until it starts to bubble then switch on low heat and cook for 1 hour or until the cabbage is soft and the rice is cooked and delicious.. Enjoy!

Al hamdulilah!

Ta3meya Falafel فلافل

Falafel are soooo damn good for breakfast or any time of the day, There so filling not to mention healthy. 

2 cups of raw fava beans soaked overnight (skin removed)
3 spring onions or scallions (basal Akhdar)
1 bunch chopped corriander (Kosbara khadra)
1 bunch chopped parsley (baadoones)
4 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of corriander powder (kosbara nashfa)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder.
1 boiled potato cubed

Place your fava beans in a food processor and process until medium fineness, then add the rest of the ingredients and process until its a pasty green colour. Transfer to bowl and Leave to rest to the baking powder can activate. Form into patties and fry in hot oil. The falafel with puff up and go golden in colour. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes.  Be careful not to burn them. Eat it with tahina sauce, pickles, salad, bread, fries the list goes on and they are quick and tasty snack.

Pomegranate Fattoush Salad.

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper diced
2 small radishesdiced
1 carrot shredded
1 hand ful of parsley chopped
2 tomatoes diced
2 lebanese cucumberdiced
half cup pomegranate seeds
half loaf of lebanese pita bread fried in corn oil.
DressingL
half lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of sumac
Mix all ur vegetables in a bowl. Dont be afraid to use pomegranate seeds, They taste amazingly good. You then need to fry the bread in corn oil until its a nice golden colour. Be colour that you dont burn it. Golden should be fine. once its golden crack it over the salad. Mix well. Mix your dressing ingredients together and pour over your salad.

Voila its very delicious!