Sere Bites Biryani/Birani

The ideal biryani curry should be marinated overnight if possible. Makes the beef tender and also adds the oomf!

Curry Ingredients, (Serves 6)

• 1kg Beef Steak, cut into thick cubes
• 500ml of sour milk or plain yogurt
• 1 cup of grated paw paw (optional)
• 1 tsp of each, fresh cardamon, cinnamon, cloves
• 3 tbsp of fresh ginger & garlic
• 1 tbsp of pilau masala, curry powder & 2 chilli beef cubes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 5 large potatoes
• 3 large onions
• 5 large tomatoes
• Salt to taste.

Wash the meat and place in a container or clear bag. Add the sour milk or yogurt, grated paw paw, fresh cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, fresh grated ginger and garlic and salt. Refrigerate the mixture in the lower part of the fridge overnight.

Lets Cook

• Slice the onions and deep fry until brown. Deep fry the potatoes and place aside.
• In a hot pan, add the marinated ingredients and let it simmer. Add the curry powder, beef cubes, pilau masala and salt, stir and let it cook.
• After 15 mins, add the deep fried onions and potatoes and stir. \
• Add some oil used to fry the onions and potatoes, to your taste
• I like my biryani curry spicy so i add black pepper, cayenne and more pilau masala.
• Add salt to taste.

Biryani Rice

 

• 4 cups of Pishori Rice
• 8 cups of boiling water 
• Food colour 
• Handful Raisins
• 3 tbsp cooking oil

Add the oil in a hot pan then the rice and stir in low heat. Add the boiling water after 2 mins and let the rice cook.

When the water has almost dried up, add the raisins and food colour.

Reduce the heat for 10 mins and serve.

Have some sour salad on the side and homemade chili..

Sere Bites Pilau

Pilau is a East African Coastal dish that is very simple to make and very economical.

Ingredients

2kg Rice
2kg Meat
3 large onions
2 tomatoes
4 large potatoes
2 tablespoons of grated ginger & garlic
Pilau Masala Powder
2 tablespoons of curry powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
A handful of fresh cardamom, cumin seeds, cloves
Cooking Oil
Salt to taste

Lets Get Cooking

• Wash and soak the rice
• Boil the meat in a separate pan with 2 Tablespoons of pilau masala & a teaspoon of salt
• Add cooking oil in a different heated casserole pot, add sliced onions and stir until brown, add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup of warm water.
• When the water has reduced, add the meat and stir until the meat has mixed well with onions & tomatoes.
• Add the curry powder, black pepper & salt with 4 cups of boiling water. (1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water).
• Add the cumin seeds, cardamom seeds & cloves.
• Let it cook for 5 mins, then add the soaked rice and stir. Partially close the lid.
• Add the halved potatoes when the water has almost drained.
• Cover the pot with foil paper and with lid. Reduce the hit.
• Serve while hot after 15mins minutes.

• Serve with room temperature cucumber salad 

Sere Bites: Thin Pancake Recipe

I love love pancakes especially the thin ones and not drenched in oil. Here is one that is Easy and healthy. (For savoury food)

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
100g of melted margarine
A pinch of cumin seeds
1/4 cup of sugar

Let's Cook

• Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.
• Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and and stir,
• Pour in warm water and mix to your desired thinness.
• Heat a skillet, add a small amount of cooking oil and rub the surface and add the pancake batter and spread around the skillet.
• Flip on the other side and add some oil if its stick.
• When the pancakes are brown, they are ready :-)
• Repeat the process until all the batter is done.

You can have it with spicy stew or mince meat

Sere Bites Doughnut without the Hole

This is a combination of doughnut and swahili bun, aka Mandazi/Mahambri. I made them in Ramadhan and was a hit :)

Ingredients

• 2 kg All purpose baking flour
• 4 eggs
• 250g of margarine
• 500g sugar
• 1/4 cup of yogurt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• Green Cardamom (iliki) crushed, the fresh cardamon is green and has a stronger scent.
• warm water

Kneading

• In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cardamon and yeast. Add melted margarine and mix well (mixture should look like breadcrumbs)
• Add the yogurt and eggs, mix and gradually add water and start kneading. DO NOT KNEAD FOR MORE THAN 10 MIN so that the doughnuts without the hole won't be tough.
• Cover with a moist cloth for 1 hour or until you finish cleaning the house :)

Cut and Fry

• You can use any cutter to design your doughnut without a hole, but i used the a glass to cut them out.
• Take a handful of the dough, flatten on a flat clean surface, flatten to 1/2 an inch and cut them out.
• Place the cut out on a flour dusted surface and repeat the process on the remaining dough.
• Deep fry until brown.

Serve while warm with Masala tea or you can wait it cool and dust icing sugar and serve with chilled ginger juice.

KalKals

My thumb had a workout... ;) Thank you Sahra

Kalkals is a somali and Indian dessert.

Ingredients

500 g of all purpose flour
100 g of butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

Ingredients for coating

100 g of sugar
2 teaspoons of cardamon powder

Lets get Cooking

In a bowl, add the flour and the melted margarine and mix. Make the mixture look like bread crumbs.

Add water gradually while kneading.

Make a smooth dough and let it sit for 20 minutes under a moist cloth.

Cut the dough in small balls, then take each ball and flatten on a new or clean hair comb.

Add some oil on the comb if the dough sticks to it.

Deep fry the kalkals until brown.








Syrup Time.

Melt the sugar in a small amount of water. Add the kalkals into the syrup and flip until all the kalkals are coated.

I like my kalkals cold so i place them in the fridge :)

Enjoy

Noodles Fried Eggs

Easy, cheap and healthy (serves 3)

We need;

8 eggs

4 packs of noodles

1 onion

3 tomatoes

1 teaspoon beef curry powder

Pinch of pepper

Lets Cook Noodles

• Heat 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt.
• Add the noodles in boiling water and slightly cover the lid.
• When the noodles soften, reduce heat for 5 mins, drain the remaining water.

Lets Cook Eggs

In a heated pan, add a healthy amount of cooking oil.. let it heat up and add diced onions and diced tomatoes and stir until the mixture softens.

Add the spices and stir with a small amount of warm water. Let the water dry and add the beat eggs and stir.

Place the noodles on a flowery plate and add the fried eggs on top.. Sprinkle some onion leaves.

ENJOY

Halal Cocktails

This is simple to make, and quick to drink  *Serves 2*

We Need

1 cup of ripe apple mangoes
1 cup of grated carrots
2 cups of diced pineapples
2 tablespoons of grated ginger

Let's Juice It

Place them all in a blender with a handful of ice cubes for 3 mins.

Strain if you like but i like mine thick.

Poor in a Pre-frozen glass.

Serve while chilled.

Enjoy :)