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

morrocan harira soup

Harira soup

Moroccan Harira Soup made with quinoa instead of legumes  (just replace the legumes with tri- color quinoa from the original recipe)  presented by Ihsan Nuri from Morocco the host of Arabic Flavour for October with traditional recipe . Since the winter season is at the door, she specifically choose a soup recipe that suits the cold weather. This authentic Moroccan soup is very popular; which I believe most of you have already heard of!
The Harira of “Amazighi” origins dates hundreds of years back. It has various ways of preparation, and evolved overtime within the different regions of Morocco. For example, there is the “Marrakechi Harirah” in reference to the red city of Marrakech, and there is also the “Wajdiah” of the city of Wajda, and the “Fassiyah” from the city of Fas. Despite time; this soup is still considered a staple in the Moroccan cuisine, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
It is known for its high nutritional value, as it is rich in vitamins and animal and plant proteins; which makes it a complete meal.
Harirah soup is so popular; it is served in almost all top restaurants and hotels of Morocco, and since it is one of Ramadan’s main recipes; it is usually served with dates and “chebakia” dessert, yet it is served with hot bread and boiled eggs in some areas of Morocco.
#Moroccan_Harira_Soup #Arabic_Flavour #الحريرة_المغربية #نكهة_عربيه

Ingredients:
1 medium onion (grated)
2 tomatoes (grated)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup parsley and coriander (chopped)
200 grams of meat (cut into small pieces)
1 cup of chickpeas (soaked overnight)
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of dried fava beans (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons rice or vermicelli pasta
1 cup flour
Salt according to preference
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (according to preference)
1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
Pinch of saffron
3 tablespoons ghee or butter, or 3 spoons of olive oil
3 liters of water.
Preparation:
– Soak chickpeas in water overnight. (Keep or remove skin according to preference) skip this process if using only quinoa

– In a cooking pot, add ghee or oil, onions and meat and stir fry for 3 minutes.

– Add celery, coriander, parsley, beans, tomatoes, saffron, salt, pepper and dry fava beans (optional). Mix and keep stirring for another 3 minutes.

– Add 3 L of water and let it cook until meat and chickpeas are tender enough.

– In a separate bowl, mix flour and water until you get a slightly thick and smooth batter. Leave a side.
– Make sure the meat is cooked through. Add tomato paste to the soup and mix well.

Emirati machboos ” rice and chicken pilaf”

Our recipe for today is one of group "Arabic Flavour" hosts from U.A.E Chicken Machboos, meaning “mixed”, because all the ingredients are mixed together. I really hope you will like this easy, quick and delicious recipe

‪#‎ChickenMachboos‬ ‪#‎Arabic_Flavour‬ #مجبوس_الدجاج_الاماراتي #نكهة_عربية

Ingredients:

– 1 kilogram whole chicken cut according to preference
– 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 10 minutes then strained
– 2 chopped tomatoes
– 1 large onion, julienned
– 1 tablespoon tomato paste
– 2-3 Cups water
– 1 Cup chopped coriander
– 4 dried limes (black lime). use lemon juice if not avaliable
–  Spices: 3 cloves, 3 cinnamon sticks, 4 cardamoms pods and 5 bay leaves
– 1 small teaspoon turmeric powder
– Salt (according to preference)
– Whole black pepper (according to preference)
– 1 tablespoon Arabic spices powder: (1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground red pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds powder, 1 teaspoon cloves powder ,1 small spoon ginger powder).
– 1 small spoon ginger paste
– 1 small spoon garlic paste
– Green chili pepper (optional)

Preparation:

– Heat oil in a cooking pot. Add the onions and stir until the color tends to light brown.
– Add the whole spices (cinnamon، cloves, cardamom and bay leaves).

– Add the ground spices then the chicken pieces and stir lightly for ten minutes till browned.

– Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, coriander, garlic, ginger and dried lime, then stir until the tomatoes become soft. Add the green pepper (optional).

– Add  chicken and let it sit for 5-10 min

-Add coriander and water until chicken cooked through.

– Remove the chicken and place it in the oven under the grill to give it a lovely brown color.

– Cook the rice by adding the right amount of chicken broth to cook it (each cup of Basmati rice will take 1 ¼ – 1 ½ cup of broth).

– When the rice water evaporates, we return the chicken on top of the rice and close the lid for another 25 – 30 minutes on very low heat till it's completely cooked.

kushari ...(Egyptian Rice, Lentils and Macaroni with Spicy Tomato Sauce "Daqqa")

as a member of " Arabic flavour" cooking group ..we choose a secret recipe " mostly Arabic tradition recipe" every month host by one of the members 


August project was the famous Kushari by Aya Kiwan from Egypt.

she used her mother-in-law recipe and she described the dish by

I'm overwhelmed with joy for being this month's host for Arabic Flavour. I shall introduce to you an authentic Egyptian dish that is very dear to my heart, and gives me joy every time I prepare it.
Kushari.. despite its Indian origins, the Egyptians turned it into a culinary masterpiece; which eventually became a staple in the Egyptian cuisine. Aside from being prepared at home, it is also served at roadside stalls and  restaurants all over Egypt, specially in Cairo.
Before getting into details, I would like to mention that there are several ways to make this dish, but this is my mother in law's recipe and I consider it the tastiest of them all. This recipe calls for cooking the lentils and rice each separately, not together in the same pot like in most recipes, the thing that distinguishes the flavour of the dish I'm presenting today. Preparing this dish takes a good amount of time, but if you follow my steps thoroughly with a pinch of multitasking skills, you will be able to cut the time in half.

since i am allergic to legumes i swap the lentil with quinoa and didn't use chickpea


Ingredients: ( i used half of the ingredient )

- 2 cups Egyptian rice or any short grain rice 


- 250 grams brown lentils, soaked over night ( i used 2 cup of brown quinoa )


- 250 grams brown lentils, soaked over night


- 100 grams spaghetti pasta


- 100 grams elbow pasta (small sized)


- 3 white onions, chopped julienne style


- 1/2 cup corn oil


- 1 Tbsp tomato paste






Tomato Sauce ingredients:


-750 grams tomatoes, crushed 


- 2 garlic cloves, crushed


- 1 tsp cumin


- salt






Daqqa ingredients: "chili vinegar dressing to add to tomato sauce"


- 1/4 cup hot water


- 2 Tbls vinegar


- Juice of 2 lemons


- 2 garlic cloves, crushed


- 1 green chili pepper


- salt, according to preference










Preparation:


- Drain the soaking water of lentils and chickpeas, rinse thoroughly then replace with fresh boiling water and bring to boil.


- Heat oil on high heat in the pot you intend to cook the rice in. Fry onions till brown and crispy, preferably white onions for their extra crunch, sprinkle with salt while frying. Fry in two patches and set aside in a wide dish to maintain crunchiness. Bare in mind that you will use the onions frying oil in many stages of preparing this dish, so if you feel you will need more oil then make sure to add more at this stage.


- After boiling the lentils for 10 minutes, wash, strain and add salt and some of the onions frying oil. Set aside.


- As for the chickpeas, drain the water as soon as it starts boiling, wash then replace with fresh boiling water again. Add the tomato paste spoon to it and let it boil till cooked. When cooked, strain, add salt and set aside.


- To make the tomato sauce, in a pan add 3 spoons of the fried onions oil, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes, cumin and salt then let it cook till it starts simmering. Turn off heat.


- At this stage you should be doing the above mentioned steps all at once on the stove top to cut the preparation time in half.


- Cook both types of pasta separately according to package directions, strain, add some of the friend onions oil to coat. Set aside.


- Cook rice as you usually do but by giving it a fry with the remaining oil of the fried onions first. Cook till its done.


- Meanwhile, you will also prepare the "Daqqa" to add to the tomato sauce by mixing hot water, lemon juice, garlic, green chili pepper and salt in an electric mixer. Add the mix to the tomato sauce and cook until sauce thickens and oil rises to the top. Finally add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.






Assembling the dish:


In a wide serving dish, layering should go as follows..


1- Rice


2- Lentils


3- Spaghetti pasta


4- Elbow pasta


5- Tomato-Daqqa sauce


6- Chickpeas


7- Crunchy Onions






If you wish to have an extra spicy sauce, you can fry some dry chili flakes or chili powder in some of the fried onions oil, then add a big spoon of the tomato sauce to it. Beware that this can be extremely spicy, so it's not recommended for people with allergies to consume.


It is very common in Egypt to serve milk pudding as a dessert after having Kushari.





Bon Appétit


English text by Maei Junaidi