Hijazi or ma'amoul

This Alexandrian dessert has a very delicious flavor and an aromatic smell that makes it very popular 
and one of the most famous oriental sweets in the region . I hope you enjoy preparing it .

Dough ingredients : 
2 cups white flour
2 cups semolina 
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
2 Tbsp sugar 
1 Tbsp dry active yeast+ 1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt 
Lukewarm water or milk 
Stuffing ingredients: 
1 cup semolina 
1 cup sugar 
1/2 - 3/4 cup of ground walnuts ( or peanuts as preferred )
1/4 cup of water (and you can substitute 1 Tbs with orange blossom water)
1 Tbsp cinnamon 
Note: you can remove nuts completely from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup of semolina as I did .

Method : 
- mix the yeast with the sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water, cover and let it activate and rise .
- Mix white flour with semolina , sugar and salt .
- Melt the ghee and add it to the flour mix . Mix with your fingertips until all the ghee is absorbed.
- Add the yeast mixture then the water and start to knead until you have a dough similar to Ma'moul's one ( dates biscuits ) .
- Cover and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour .
- To prepare the stuffing: add all ingredients then add the water gradually using a spoon , mix until you have a mixture that is similar to wet sand . 
- After the dough has completely rest, divide the quantity into two halves , one of them is a little bit bigger than the other.
- Bring one a flat tray with low edges, cover all areas with a wipe of ghee .
- Take the bigger half , spread in the baking tray equally , taking the edges up a little .
- Spread the stuffing all over equally .
- Using a sheet of parchment paper , spread the second half on it until flat and enough to cover the stuffing . 
- Flip over the baking tray , fix it until it covers the stuffing from all sides.
- Decorate the top with the back of the fork , cut and leave to rise for half an extra half of hour.
- Bake in a 180 degrees oven until the edges and top start to golden .
- Let it cool down then recut again on the same cut . 
- Serve with tea 
- Bon appetite #Hijazi_alexandrian #arabic_flavor#Egypt

Fish Kebab

This is really simple yet delicious recipe can be made with fish or/ and shrimp

Ingredients:

·        1 kilogram of fish fillet cubed

·        ¼ cup of vegetable oil

·        Juice and a zest of a lemon

·        1 teaspoon of dried coriander powder

·        1 tablespoon "magic " fish spice mix or any fish spice mix as long it has turmeric or just add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric to the recipe

·        1 teaspoon of dry garlic powder

·        1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano

·        1 teaspoon of dry basil

·        2 tablespoon grated onion

·        1 teaspoon of paprika powder

·        2 teaspoon of cumin powder

·        1/2 teaspoon dry ginger powder

·        dry chili , salt , black-pepper  up to taste

·        1 green pepper cut in cube to skewer

how to do it

·         wisk the spice with the oil and lemon then mix it with the fish..and let it marinate at least 30 min

·          skewer the fish with the pepper and  then grill it on high heat

·         serve it with brown basmati rice

Sun Dried Tomato and Rosemary Twist Bread

This is my first challenge in the daring kitchen group and I am so glad that I made it since I have homemade cherry dried tomato .. I don't think I'll be doing this bread again but the experience was joyful

this recipe come from Tandy  at Lavender and Lime

Ingredients:

·        680g / 5 1/2 cups (spooned & scraped) bread flour

·        15g / 4 3/4 tsp instant yeast OR 20g / 7 tsp active dry yeast

·        118g / 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

·        375ml / 1 1/2 cups water

·        1 large egg yolk

·        60ml / 1/4 cup canola oil (if your sun dried tomatoes are in oil, then use that oil), plus extra for the dough

·        22g / 3 1/2 tsp flaked salt

·        150g / 1 1/3 cups sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

·        5g / 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

·        1 large egg lightly beaten with 5ml / 1 tsp water, for egg wash

·        10g / 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Place the flour, yeast, sugar, water, egg yolk and oil into a stand mixer bowl

NOTE: If using active dry yeast, activate it in the water for 5 minutes first

2. Use a dough hook and knead for 1 minute

3. Add the salt and knead for a further 5 minutes

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface

5. Knead gently and shape into a ball

6. Rub the bowl with a little bit of oil

7. Place the dough back into the bowl, seam side down

8. Cover and leave to prove until doubled in size

9. Lightly oil your hands and punch back the dough

10. Cover and prove for 1 hour

11. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface

12. Knock back and roll out into a rectangle

13. Spread on the tomatoes and rosemary

14. Roll up tightly, lengthwise

15. Trim off the edges

16. Cut in half, down the middle, but not going all the way to the bottom

17. Slightly open the two halves

18. Twist the dough to resemble a length of rope

19. Shape into a circle

20. Place onto a lined or sprayed baking tray

21. Cover dough with a damp cloth and leave to prove for 30 minutes

22. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5

23. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on the sesame seeds

24. Bake for 10 minutes

25. Reduce the temperature to 175°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4

26. Bake for a further 45 minutes

27. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for 15 minutes

28. Place onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before cutting

Ina Garten blueberry crumb cake

 I really do love Ina's recipes .. they're easy , affordable and delicious ..this cake isn’t too sweet and the crumb part was my favorite

It keeps moist up to 3 days .. if you love blueberry as much as I do I recommend add extra on the batter and not to fold it so it doesn’t sink ..

Ingredients “ From Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006. All Rights Reserved”
For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling


Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.
For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed or sprinkle the blueberries on the batter on the pan 
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Palestinian Cauliflower Fritters "Mshat"

The ingredients of Cauliflower Fritters "Mshat" vary from one home and village to another, but all recipes call for eggs and cauliflower as the 2 main ingredients in preparing it. Less fortunate families used to add more flour to the batter and reduce the quantity of eggs they hardly afford. 

Please note that this recipe doesn't have exact measures, but you should end up having a batter very similar to cake batter after mixing all ingredients together


Palestinian Cauliflower Fritters "Mshat" 
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs 
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 head of cauliflower, small sized
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley  
-1/2 cup of chopped green onions (optional)
-1/3 to 1/2 cup of cauliflower's boiling water 
Salt , black pepper and cumin according to preference. 

Preparation: 
-Cut the cauliflower into medium sized pieces, boil in water until slightly tender, strain and chop into small pieces. added to the parsley and onion

-Whisk the eggs, add the cauliflower boiling water, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

-Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan, you can mix it with olive oil if you prefer. Scoop a spoonful of the batter and dump it in the hot oil, spread it lightly like a patè until it holds up and starts to cook and turn golden at the bottom

- flip over and let it fry till the other side turns golden as well.

-Repeat till you finish all quantity.

-Serve alongside pickles, yogurt, Arabic salad or Tahini salad .
-This dish can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Bon Appétit

#ArabicFlavour
#PalestinianCauliflowerFritters
#MshatZahra
#Palestine

Kuwaiti dessert "Baid Al Qata".. stuffed fried dough

‪#‎ArabicFlavour‬ ‪#‎BaidAlQata‬ ‪#‎Kuwait‬

A traditional Kuwaiti dessert full of crunchy yumminess, usually served along with arabic coffee. Baid Al Qata is a deep fried dough filled with a creamy mixture of crushed walnuts, rose water and spices, tossed in powdered sugar that gives it an "out of heaven" effect. The unusual name "Baid", meaning eggs, came from the resemblance in shape with the eggs of the rare Crowned Sandgrouse bird "Al Qatta" that was very common in that geographical area in specific back then. I really hope you will like and enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Baid Al Qata

Ingredients

*For the dough:
Enough to make around 60 pieces "as shown in the photo"
- 1 ½ cup cake or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup lukewarm milk
- 1 stick (100 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Pinch of cardamom
- Pinch of salt

*For the filling:
- 1 cup crushed walnuts
- Few strands of saffron soaked in 1 Tbsp rose water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (or more according to preference)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp orange blossom water
- Powdered sugar for coating
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:
- Sift together the flour, cardamom and salt then add the butter and knead. Add milk gradually and knead till you get a soft and smooth dough.

- Cover and set aside from 30-60 minutes.

- Meanwhile, mix all filling ingredients together. (Walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, rose water and blossom water)

- When dough is ready, take a small piece of it and spread lightly, then add in the center a small amount of the walnut mixture, but do not overfill it so it won't open during the frying process. 

- Fold the dough over the filling forming a ball, then turn it into an egg-shape by rolling it lightly between your palms .
- Set aside for the dough to rest again for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help the dough to maintain its shape.

- Deep fry till they turn golden.

- Strain excess oil and let them cool down a little bit.

- Toss them in powdered sugar to cover all sides, or from one side only if you don't want it to be very sweet. The original recipe calls for covering it from all sides.

- Serve it along with Arabic coffee or special saffron coffee.

Recipe alternatives:
- Blossom water, cinnamon and saffron are additions to the original recipe, but they definitely add a great flavour.
- The dough can be baked instead of deep fried as a healthier option, but the outcome won't taste as good as fried.
- An easier updated dough recipe comprises of 1 cup of flour and 1 can of cream. It tastes good as well.

Bon Appétit