Cherry and Almond Cake

Cherry and Almond Cake is one of my most favourite cakes, never disappoints and always a hit with family and friends. Soft on inside and with a thin crust on the outside.


Ingredients

Butter, softened (at room temperature) - 175 gram (200?)
Golden caster sugar - 175 gram (200?)

Eggs - 4
Almond  extract - ½ tsp

Self-raising flour - 175 gram
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Ground Almonds - 125 gram

Milk - 100ml

Glace cherries - 300 gram
Flaked Almonds - 2 tbsp

Recipe

1. Heat oven to 140C fan
2. Line the base of a 20cm deep cake tin, scrape butter on sides
3. Rinse and dry the cherries thoroughly, then halve and dust with flour
4. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
5. Add Almond extract
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low just until they are mixed in
7. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds
8. Optionally add half of the cherries to batter at this stage
9. Add milk, and fold a bit
10. Pour batter into the tin
11. Add cherries on top
12. Scatter over the flaked almonds
13. Bake for 45 mins (Check after 30-35 minutes)
14. Check and bake for another 5-10 minutes if the cake is not done
15. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes

Mediterranean Chicken Casserole in Oven

It's a simple dish, but has got loads of flavour and straight forward to cook. There is something in the casserole for everyone. Mediterranean flavour add wonders, the apricot, the olives, Ras-el-hanout, Greek yogurt, its packed with oomph.

Chicken Casserole in Oven

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 medium or 8 leg pcs

Lemon - 1

Olive Oil 

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Onion - 2 medium

Greek Yoghurt - 1 cup

Olive -5-7 pitted

Garlic Cloves - 5

Potatoes (small) -4

Cherry Tomato - 5

Dried Apricot - 5

Almonds - 7-8

Cinnamon stick - 1

Ras-el-Hanout - 3 teaspoon

Paprika - 1 teaspoon
Salt (to taste)

Chicken Casserole in Oven

Recipe

1. Marinate chicken in lemon juice for 5-7 hours
2. Microwave dried apricot in half a cup of water
3. Fry chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, with whole spices and ginger garlic paste
4. Rub olive oil on sides of the oven dish
5. Add chicken to the oven dish
6. Fry onion in oil, add to chicken
7. Add greek yoghurt,  garlic cloves, potatoes, cherry tomato, apricot, almond, cinnamon stick, ras el hanout, paprika and salt
8. Cover with silver foil and bake for an hour
9. Remove from oven, check if cooked else oven for another 15 minutes
10. Remove the silver foil and grill for 5-7 minutes to get the crispy look

Date Truffles

It's a Ramadan special delight, it's a date and chocolate combination, kids love it, not just eating but the helping out in preparing for Iftaar, and the added bonus is it is super quick to make.

Ingredients
Medjool dates (or any other soft date)  - 4 large
Almond powder - 200 gram (Ground Almonds)
Honey - 1 tablespoon
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon powder -  1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - pinch
Cocoa powder - 2 tablespoon

Date Truffles

Recipe

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to make a paste (add a teaspoon of water if the mixture is stiff)
2. Spoon small amounts of the paste into the palm of your hands and roll into small balls
3. Leave in the fridge for 15 minutes
4. Roll in Cocoa powder before serving

Note: Don't use too much cocoa powder, I did the mistake (see picture), because too much cocoa tastes bitter.

Lamb Stew - Khushi Style

One of the best Lamb Stew recipes I've tried, courtesy my dear cousin Khushi, who learnt it from her mum. I bargained recipe from her in return for sharing a barbecue recipe !

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder - 750 gm
Onion (sliced) - 4
Ginger Garlic (paste) - 2 teaspoon
Tomato - 1
Green chilli - 2

Whole Spices
Green Cardamom (chotti elaychi) - 2
Black Cardamom (badi elaychi) - 1
Cloves (laung) - 2
Black Peeper (kali mirch) - 6
Mace (Javitri) - 1/4
Bay Leaf (tez patta) - 2

Fennel (Khadi saunf) - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry whole red chilli - 2

Ground Spices
Red Chilli Powder (to taste)
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/3 teaspoon

Green coriander leaves - 3-4 tablespoon (chopped)
Salt (to taste)
Cooking oil

Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew (garnished)

Recipe

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker
2. Add 2 onions
3. Add green and black cardamom, clove, black pepper, mace and bay leaf
4. When onion gets golden brown add lamb
5. Fry till water dries out
6. Add salt and ginger garlic paste
7. Ache se bhuno
8. Add 2 onions, tomato, khadi saunf, coriander powder, green chilli and dry red chilli 
9. Add red chilli powder (to taste, optional)
10. Add 1 cup water
11. Pressure Cook till meat is cooked
12. Steam nikalne ke baad bhuno
13. Add garam masala
14. Add green coriander

Spinach and Carrot soup with Poached egg 🍳

Ingredients

Carrots (peeled and chopped) - 3 large
Spinach - 1 large bag
Potato (peeled and chopped) - 1

Coconut Milk - 200 ml

Onion (peeled and chopped) - 1 large
Ginger (grated) - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 2 cloves

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Fennel seed powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Egg - 4

Spinach and Carrot soup with Poached egg 🍳

Recipe

1. Heat oil in large saucepan, over medium heat. 
2. Add onion and saute gently until softened, but not browned.
3. Add carrot and potato, saute gently for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add garlic, ginger, chilli and spices, saute for a further1 minute, stirring occasionally.
5. Add spinach, cooked through for 5 minutes (wilt for 5 minutes if using fresh).
6. Add coconut milk, bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.
7. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Blend smooth with a hand whisk or in a food processor.
10. Adjust seasoning if needed.
11. Poach eggs in water, one by one, add to soup bowls, garnish with black pepper.
12. Optionally add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut milk to each bowl.

Chicken in Ras el hanout

On my trip to Morocco, I bought Ras el hanout spice mix, I've heard quite a lot about it but buying from Marrakech had its own charm. I did taste quite a few dishes made in Ras-el-Hanout at the hotel we stayed in.

Then a few weeks later after we were back from holidays our chef in office kitchen made 'poached white fish in Ras el hanout' and that's how I thought of my own Ras el hanout experiment.

Chicken in Ras el hanout

Ingredients
Chicken -  1 medium (cut in 16 pcs)
Onion - 2 medium (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 teaspoon
Whole Spices (Black Pepper, Green and Black Cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, and Star anise)
Greek Yogurt - 1 bowl
Ras el hanout mix - 3 teaspoon
Paprika - 1 teaspoon
Dried apricot - 5-7
Cherry Tomato - 5-6
Olives - 5-7
Olive Oil - 3 tablespoon
Salt (to taste)


Recipe

1. Microwave apricot in a bowl dipped into water for 2 minutes
2. Heat oil in a pan
3. Add whole spices and fry for a minute
4. Add chicken and ginger garlic paste, fry for 3-5 minutes, turning side by side
5. Take the chicken out of oil, and leave it in a large bowl
6. Add Ras-el-Hanout and paprika to chicken
7. Add greek yogurt to chicken, and let it marinate till onion is ready
8. Add some more oil to pan if necessary, and heat it
9. Add onion to pan, fry for few minutes
10. Add Cherry tomatoes and olives, fry for few minutes
11. Add apricot with its water
12. Add chicken marinate, add water, cover the pan
13. Cook chicken on low flame till it is well done