Rice Pudding (firni)

We need:

½ cup of rice flour

5 cups milk

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon saffron

1 tablespoon crushed cardamon

2 tablespoon shredded almond

2 tablespoons shredded pistachios

Let’s Make Pudding:

Put the rice flour into a large pan. Add the milk and cook over medium heat for about 20 mins stirring continuously until creamy.

Add the sugar, crushed cardamon and saffron and cook until the sugar dissolves.

Serve in a glass bowl and garnish with almonds and pistachios.

Serve chilled.

Enjoy J

Zanzibar Pizza

*Serves 6*

I thought homemade pizza was expensive, but I found a great recipe that uses ingredients that are already in the kitchen.

Teaspoon- tsp

We Need:

·         2 cups plain flour

·         ½ tsp salt

·         ½ cup of water

·         1 cup cooking oil *fresh fry*

·         500g finely minced meat *beef*

·         1 tsp garlic paste

·         3-4 fresh bullet chilies chopped or any other chili you have.

·         1 red onion, very finely chopped

·         6 eggs

·         Salt & pepper to taste

Let’s make pizza dough:

Sieve the flour into a bowl, add salt and water to make a smooth dough and kneed for 2-3 mins.

Divide the dough into 6 equal balls and place in a shallow dish. Pour the oil over them, making sure they are well coated. Then cover and put on one side for two hours.

Let’s make stuffing:

Mix the minced meat with salt, pepper, garlic and ginger paste and fry, stirring continuously until the meat is cooked. Allow to cool. Add the finely chopped onion, coriander and chopped chilies to the prepared meet and keep aside.

Pizza Time:

Stretch the dough balls into very thin 10” circle on a chopping board or metal tray. Make sure the edges are thinner than the circle. Break an egg on top of the meat and close the circle by bringing 2 sides up , over the other 2 sides, folding it like a square envelope.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil on a medium heated griddle or iron pan and fry the dough on both sides until egg is cooked.

Cut into four squares and serve with salad or chutney.

Enjoy :)

Jeweled Rice,

Jeweled Rice, Inspired by Reza Mohammad *the spice prince* Serves 6

I loved this recipe because of its simplicity and power in taste… dessert

We need:

1 kg pishori rice

50gms dried raisins

A cup of thinly slices/ grated carrots

A cup of orange zest, preferably South African oranges, which are orange in colour, has a sweet taste.

350gms of sugar

Different colours of food colour

Almond nuts, halved

A table spoon of ghee, clarified butter.

Let’s get jeweled:

Wash the rice repeatedly until the water is clear. Soak the rice in water.

Add the carrots and orange zest into a pan, add 3 cups of water and the sugar and stir, let it simmer and add the raisins. Let it cook until it glistens. Remove from heat.

In a hot pan, *low heat* add the tablespoon of ghee, add the drained rice stir and let the ghee infuse in the rice.

Add 6 cups of boiling water stir and partially cover lid.

When the water has reduced, add the carrot, zest mixture *with the liquid* and stir.

Mix ½ a teaspoon of the food colour in little water, and add horizontally on the rice.

I chose red, yellow and blue food colours, so I have 2 lines of each colour on the rice.

Reduce hit, cover for 8-10 mins.

Serve immediately with the halved almonds as the garnish.

Enjoy J

CHEESE FRIES

This is one of my favorite snacks.. Easy to make, unhealthy if consumed regularly but, my oh my *Jeff koinange’s voice* it’s amazing. (Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:

·         4 packets of French fries

·         Cheddar cheese 400g (easily available and my fav)

·         Bunch of parsley

·         Handful of fresh onion leaves

·         Salt to taste.

Let’s get cheesy:

×          Heat the French fries in a hot pan with a small amount of cooking oil. Shred the cheeses with a grater.

×          Place the fries on a plate and add the shredded cheese and put in the microwave for 2 mins or until melted.

×          Finelychop the parsley and onion leaves & sprinkle on the cheese fries .

×          Add salt to taste.

Boulette Oeuf

This is one of my favorite classics... We always have it during Ramadhan and on special occasions. It’s really easy to make, if you are a fan of kebabs, you will love this too. We use the French term for meatball and egg *Boulette Ouef* But it’s also known as Scotch egg.

We Need:

½ Kg mince meat *I prefer beef*

10 hard boiled eggs

1 egg yolk

1 medium sized onion

2 large potatoes

Tablespoon of parsley, garlic & ginger paste

A pinch of ground cumin, cardamom and coriander & black pepper

Vegetable cooking oil for frying * I prefer Fresh Fry cooking oil*

A cup of flour                                                  

Salt to taste

Let’s Cook:

Peel and boil the potatoes until done. I mince my meat twice, makes it easier to use.

Finely slice the onions. In a bowl, mix the meat, onions, parsley, garlic & ginger paste,

Cardamom and coriander, salt & black pepper.

Mash the boiled potatoes and add into the mixture.

Mix well.

With clean hands, (an egg at a time), take a handful of the mixture and cover the egg with it, making sure the whole

Egg is covered. You can use as much meat mixture as you want but I prefer a sizeable amount so that the meat is

Cooked through. Coat the egg roll in flour, coat it with egg yolk and set aside. Repeat the procedure until all eggs are covered J

I heat the pan then add the cooking oil for good measure. You can use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the oil,

Which should be at 120 degrees. But I wing it ;)

Add the eggs depending on the size of your frying pan but don’t over crowd. When on side turns brown, flip and let it brown.

Remove and place it on cooking paper towels or old newspapers.

Really easy to make and can be served on a bed of lettuce with one of my sauces.

It is also a complimentary Dish with fries, rice etc

YUM