Ramadan 2010: Iftar meals

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, the month of fasting.  Whenever we are both free, me & Hayati meet for the fast-breaking meal called Iftar.  He used to buy food from a restaurant before, comes in my place and there will eat together. But now it changed as we prefer to cook at home and enjoy the fruit of our labor.

Yesterday, we had another cooking session (Ramadan Special). I decided to fast as well so I will feel what hayati feels whenever he’s breaking his fast. Thought was easy but the smell of the food in the kitchen was so tempting. Wanted to get a piece and have a taste of what we are cooking but I have to stop myself. My body was shaking because of hunger yet I patiently waited for the Maghrib prayer time signaling the end of our fast. We cooked for nearly 4 hours without tasting the food…ingredients are all by approximation. Below are some of the dishes we made.

DESSERTS – All bought pre-mixed (RTC- ready to cook) and just cooked as per instruction in the package.

The caramel cream turns out a success.The jelly while settling seems okay...but we had difficulty unmolding it. So I suggested to hayati to dip the molder in a hot water. We counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! And the jelly easily slipped out of the molder. But it turned out a bit watery :(  We have dipped it for quite long in the hot water..we learned that maybe 3 counts should have been enough.

THE DUMPLINGS/ PIKA PIKA FOODS  – as starters. Again mostly pre-mixed and RTC.  This is the most we can do I guess as newbies in cooking.The dumpling was prepared as package direction.  Hayati patiently mixed it with a carefully measured amount of water (don’t want to go wrong with this)until he arrived with a smooth mixture, then covered it with moist damp cloth for about 45 minutes for it to rise.We formed a small ball from the batter and fried in hot oil. Drizzled with a bit of honey and ready to be eaten.  I am in doubt though..should this be classified dessert or starter? We also fried other vegetable fritters: samosa, pakora (potato dipped into a batter then fried) and mashed potato with some parsley formed into small balls (the round ones in the below picture). Of all the fritters, my favorite one was the potato dumplings.

 THE MAIN DISHES

He is craving for something sour..hayati experimented on this dish. He sautéed onion in about tablespoon oil, added the drained chickpeas, then about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixed masala & pinch of salt. Cooked for about 5 minutes under low fire. Then he dissolved tamarind in a small amount of water and mixed in the dish. He liked the outcome of his experiment and finished everything in the bowl.Lastly, the dish that up to now I could not believe he prepared…

Hayati doesn’t like the smell of fish. In our years of relationship, I never saw him eating fish dish except when I forced him to have a little bite on my fish sandwich. He claims that in his entire life, that was his first taste of fish food.

Surprisingly, he asked me to buy hamour fillets when I went in the supermarket. When he said he’s going to cook it, I was so hesitant as never he had experience in cooking fish and thinking he might just ruin the fillet and will end up in the garbage bin. I kept on reminding him that this is an expensive fish and he kept on answering me with “no worries, it will be a good dish”. So I entrusted to him the fillets..but of course I did the slicing and slitting.

Nothing so fancy he did on the fish..just seasoned with salt, pepper and squeezed juice of a half lemon in the fillets. Then in a non-stick pan, he heated around 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, fried both sides of the fish till browned. Then transferred into a baking tray and put in a pre-heated oven (temperature set at 150 degrees) to continue cooking  for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the same pan used for frying the fish, he sautéed 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped tomato, added tomato paste, then dropped 1 can of drained mixed vegetables. Seasoned with 1/4 teaspoon masala, dash of salt & pepper and cooked for about 5 minutes in medium heat.

Served with love the hamour in a bed of basmati rice with vegetables. Plus a bonus of one boiled egg :)Hayati’s first fish dish was not that bad..in fact, I can say it was perfectly done and the fish was so tasty (maybe the reason why hamour is so expensive).  For that I am giving him a rate of 9/10!  Also, just the effort of cooking this dish thinking he dislike the smell is already a ++ points for him…and that’s why ahabek hayati. 

Grilled Chicken in Yoghurt

I had a joke with hayati the other day that all his dishes seem the same, cooked the same way..in tomato sauce & masala. That conversation ended with a promise that the next dish he’s going to prepare will be somewhat different from what he previously cooked.

Well, let’s see if this recipe is really unalike from hayati’s previous dishes.

He marinated 6 pieces chicken legs (skin discarded) into a mixture of:

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon masala
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• juice of 1 medium size lemon

Just combine all the above ingredients, pour into the chicken pieces in a foil, seal and marinate for an hour or preferably longer.

Cook in a 250 degree oven for about 20 minutes just to tenderize the chicken. Then grill for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 2 cups basmati rice as per the package direction. Sauté onion in a 2 tablespoons canola oil, drop 1/2 cup chickpeas, season with salt & pepper, plus he added a yellow coloring for the rice. Combine with the fluffy basmati rice.

Serve with the grilled chicken.

Hayati’s Biryani#2

Hayati seems enjoying making his own version of biryani dish. And here’s another product of hayati.

Ingredients used:

• 3 cups basmati rice (cooked as per pack direction)
• 6 pieces chicken legs, rub with coarse salt & wash thoroughly
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 big potato, sliced into medium size
• 1 medium carrots, finely diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/8 cup roasted cashew nuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Arabic mix masala
• Cooking oil (we always use canola oil)
• 1 cup water
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

• In a pan, cook the chicken in a little oil in a medium heat till it gets little brownish. This is hayati’s way of getting rid the fats from the chicken. Once cooked, set aside in a plate.
• In the same pan, remove some of the oil sauté the onion until it becomes translucent then drop in chopped tomatoes and cook till it gets soft. Add the sliced potatoes and carrots, cook for about 5 minutes set in a low fire (to avoid burning).
• Add masala and put back the chicken. Add a cup of water, cover and simmer until chicken gets cooked.
• Lastly, season with pepper & salt as required, add the roasted cashew nuts, cover & cook for another 5 minutes still in low fire.
• Get another pot, brush the bottom with little oil and put half of the cooked rice. Cover the top with half of the cooked chicken, then put the remaining rice. On the topmost layer, spread the remaining chicken mixture and the two hard boiled eggs. Retain the other egg for garnishing. Cook this in a low heat for 5-10 minutes just to blend the flavors.
• Plate & garnish with sliced eggs.

Shish Tawook in Rice

Hayati thought of using the shish tawook (marinated chicken) in this dish instead of the usual grilling method. I and Hayati have no idea on the name of this dish so we’ll call it Hayati’s biryani #1.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Basmati rice (cooked as per package instruction)
• 1/2 kg ready to cook shish tawook (marinated chicken)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 carrot, cut into small cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Some cashew nuts, roasted
• Some raisins
• 3 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Arabic mix masala
• 1 cup of water
• Some canola oil
• Salt to taste

Cooking direction:

• In a pan, sauté the onion till translucent. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, in low fire.
• Add the masala, tomato paste and carrots. Add a cup of water and simmer till the chicken is tender. If necessary, add more water just till the chicken is done.
• Add the garbanzo beans, cashew nuts and raisins. Season with salt cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
• In another pot, arrange the rice & the cooked chicken dish in alternating way. Rice on first layer, second layer the cooked chicken. Again a layer of rice then topmost layer is the chicken.  Cook in low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Serve with yoghurt.