Burnt tomato salad

My sister got married 2 weeks ago today (aww ma sha allah), so our little family went a visiting (as you do).

Her husbands brother-in-law made a tomato salad for us where he used fried dried chillies. It burnt my husband's mouth off but it was such a lovely salad, i thought i would do my own interpretation of it (minus too much spice).

I would say it is also reminiscent of salads in Bangladesh because there is no cucumber or lettuce in it, embellishments added in salads in the UK.

I used:

2 large, firm tomatoes
1 large red onion, very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
2 green chillies
Finely chopped coriander

Take the tomatoes and using a fork, put them one by one on a flame and burn the skin all over.

Do the same with the cloves of garlic.

Allow to cool slightly.

Then chop the tomatoes very finely, and put into a bowl. Add the onions.

Finely chop the garlic. Put the salt on top of the garlic and mash it with the side of a knife or back of a spoon. Add this mix to the bowl.

Slice the chillies lengthways in half and then chop finely. Add to the salad.

Finally add in your finely chopped coriander to the salad and using your fingers, mix and break up the tomatoes very well.

And that's it! If you can handle your spice, definitely try the fried dried chillies. It adds an extra dimension of smokiness and also increases your metabolism! What a great tasting way to lose weight :)

Enjoy!

Yaz ♥

Jeera/Zeera/Cumin rice

This rice/pilau dish is an extremely simple accompaniment, but packed full of flavour. It goes extremely well with the dish in my previous post, Murgh Musallam or with fried fish.

The main component in this dish is zeera/jeera/cumin in seed and powder form, so it has a certain beigeness to it (lol) but i have added pops of green by using peas, chillies and coriander.

I used:

3 rice cooker cups of rice, soaked in warm water for an hour
2 tbsp ghee
2 bay leaves
1 large cinnamon stick
3 cardamoms
Pinch of fennel seeds
3 cloves
3 peppercorns
1 star anise
A sprinkling of asafoetida (hing - optional)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
5 cloves minced garlic
1 inch piece minced ginger
1 1/2 onions, finely sliced
Salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup frozen green peas
4 green chillies to garnish
Chopped coriander to garnish

In a saucepan, heat your ghee. Add in your whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, fennel seeds, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, asafoetida and cumin seeds). Allow these to infuse your ghee.

Then add in your minced garlic and ginger and brown. To this add your onions and salt and allow to brown too. We want them to be a deep brown to bring out the sweetness. Try not to burn them.

Once browned, add the cumin powder and stir for a few minutes. Pour in your frozen peas and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now strain your basmati rice, and add to the onions. Mix well with the onions and peas and stir for a minute or two on a high heat. Then pour in enough hot water to cover the rice and go about 1 cm above the rice. Add in your chillies and coriander, cover the pot with some foil, and put the lid on. Lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and foil, and using a fork, fluff up the rice. Cover again, turn off heat and allow to steam through.

Serve when hot with a curry dish.

Enjoy!

Yaz ♥

Murgh Musallam

I've seen a few recipes for this dish, so after finding one that wouldn't need a million and one extra ingredients that i didn't have, i thought i would give it a go.

This was my first time cooking this and although it was lovely, i would have cooked it slightly longer on the cooker and in the oven to get a better texture on the outside of the chicken.

I used a whole baby chicken and 2 eggs which was sufficient for 2 people, however, if you would like to do it for 4 or more, just double or triple the recipe. So for 4 people i would use 2 baby chickens or 1 large chicken, etc.

This is a lovely dish to have at the beginning of a special meal, and i accompanied it with a jeera rice, the recipe for which will be my next post. It is also a one pot dish which means you won't have to wash more than one dish (which is always a plus point).

I used:

1 whole baby chicken
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp paprika for colour
Salt to taste

Make deep slits on the chicken breast and light slits in legs. This is to ensure flavour will penetrate chicken. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken. Rub into the slits and cavity of chicken well and marinate overnight if possible or for at least 4 hours.

For the sauce:

3 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup ghee
3 cardamoms
2 small cinnamon sticks
1 large onion, chopped finely
1/2 tsp salt
2 hardboiled eggs
Saffron
1 tsp sugar
A few drops rosewater
Fried onions
Chopped pistachios for garnish (optional)
Raisins for garnish (optional)

Get the chicken out of fridge and allow to sit.

Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for half an hour.

In a deep pot, pour in your ghee. Add your cardamoms and cinnamon sticks and allow to infuse ghee.

Put in your onions and salt and brown slightly. Get the whole chicken (do not throw away the marinade) and put it breast down into the pot and on a medium - high heat, letting it brown. Pick the pot up and swish it around every few minutes so chicken does not stick to the bottom. After 5 minutes, turn the chicken over and do the same to the other side. Let it get a golden crisp brown.

Put some water in the remaining yoghurt mixture and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook in the mixture, turning chicken over once, until oil seperates. This will take about 20 - 25 minutes on a low heat.

Pre heat oven to about 230°C or gas mark 6 - 7.

While oven is pre heating, in a blender, blend your poppy seeds with enough water to cover seeds into a paste.

Uncover chicken, put the hardboiled eggs into the cavity, sprinkle your saffron, sugar, pour in the poppy paste, and add a few drops of rose water. Add a handful of fried onions also. Covering the pot, gently swish the pot around to incorporate the ingredients. (Garnish with pistachios and raisins at this point if you would like).

Put into the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve immediately.

Serve with jeera rice (my next post!)

Enjoy!

Yaz ♥

Diabetic friendly kheer/rice pudding

I haven't got much of a sweet tooth but being a diabetic also prevents me from eating most desserts! However, i do like a good rice pudding or kheer and when making it yourself, you can always use alternative sweetening methods.

It is not a very difficult dish to cook and you can use a variety of different rices to make it such as basmati or pudding rice. I have used pudding rice because i like the little oval grains (i know, it's sad).

To cook this, i used:

750ml whole milk
150ml water
1/4 tsp black cardamom powder
1 small cinnamon stick
1 pinch saffron strands
20g Canderel Sweetener
150g East End pudding rice
Golden raisins for garnishing
Flaked almonds for garnishing
Chopped dried apricots for garnishing

In a heavy saucepan, pour in your milk and water and slowly bring to a boil. Add your cardamom powder, cinnamon stick and saffron strands and stir slowly. Then add your sweetener and stir (you can add sugar if you're not diabetic but adjust according to your taste).

Lower the heat so milk is simmering then add your pudding rice. Allow to boil on a low heat for 20 - 30 minutes stirring so the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more milk if you see the milk drying up too much (the end consistency should be slightly liquidy as it will thicken up when cooled).

Garnish with your dry fruits and nuts and serve warm or if you like it cold, then allow to cool then pop into fridge in an airtight container.

My mum uses mango or coconut in kheer for a more exotic flavour. You can use whatever you like. I sometimes like it just plain, with strawberry jam.

Enjoy!

Yaz ♥

Spicy chicken fillets

I posted a picture on Instagram and Facebook of today's lunch and have been asked for the recipe. It was a mixed vegetable niramish/sabzi with spicy chicken fillets on top. My previous post consists of recipe of the sabzi, and in this post i will be putting up the recipe for the chicken.

Now this chicken can be cooked in many ways and once cooked, can be eaten in many ways. I like it as a side dish with rice, also in a bun as a burger, or my little sister likes it cut up in a tortilla wrap. Such a versatile dish!

I fried the chicken as my oven doesn't work :( but you can bake it, grill it, or if in sunny climes, barbeque it!

I used:

2 chicken breast fillets, cut in half sideways (so they are thinner) and bashed slightly with a rolling pin
2 - 3 tbsp oil
2 tsp garlic and ginger paste
Salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp Bolsts curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp paprika
Finely chopped coriander

Mix all of the above ingredients together well in a bowl and coat the chicken well. Cover bowl with cling film and place in fridge to marinate overnight, or 4 hours minimum.

Take the chicken out half an hour before you cook it to allow it to come to room temperature. This way, your chicken will cook evenly throughout.

I used a non stick pan to cook - and lightly brushed oil on. This will allow you to get a nice crust on the chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes each side and cut the middle to check it is no longer pink. Once cooked, serve immediately or let it cool, cut into chunks and eat in wraps.

Unfortunately i didn't take any pictures of the cooking process, but here is a photo of the chicken served on top of my mixed vegetable niramish!

Hope you enjoy!

Yaz ♥

Mixed vegetable niramish/sabzi

Whilst visiting Bangladesh, we stayed at various hotels but there was always one thing we had for breakfast which was roti paratha and vegetable niramish/sabzi. Simple fare, but oh so tasty.

Recently i've been craving the sabzi dish, so this is my take on it.

You will need:

1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp panchpuran
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 green chillies finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt to taste
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 - 1 tbsp chilli powder (your preference)
1 tbsp chopped tomatoes

You can use any vegetables of your choice. Just bear in mind they should be cut to approximately the same size so they cook at the same time. I used:

1 small cabbage, cut into chunks
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 handful frozen sliced mixed peppers
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 handfuls baby spinach
Chopped coriander to garnish

Heat up a kadhai, or wok and put in your oil and ghee. Once hot add your panchpuran and allow to sizzle. Once spluttering, add your garlic and brown. When browned, add in your onions, green chillies, coriander and salt and fry until lightly brown. Do this on a high heat and keep watching so that it doesn't burn.

When the onions have browned, add in your turmeric and chilli powder and fry for 2 - 3 minutes before adding in your chopped tomatoes. Lower the heat and let the masala simmer for 5 minutes. Add a little water if the sauce sticks to the pan.

To this, add all your cut vegetables except the spinach and mix well. Cover and cook on a low heat for 15 - 20 minutes. Uncover and add the spinach. Cover and let it cook for further 2 - 3 minutes. Switch off gas, and garnish with coriander.

Now you can eat this with just about anything, and i did! I ate this with a spicy marinated chicken fillets (the recipe of which i will be posting soon!) Apologies for the lack of photos, this was a requested recipe and i cooked without taking any photos. Oops!

But here is a photo of the dish with the chicken fillets on top!

Hope you enjoy!

Yaz ♥