Shrimp Machboos

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp shelled
salt
black pepper
2 tsp of kabsa spices (or add pinches of red pepper, cumin, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg coriander, and ground dried lemon)
3 tbs olive oil (or more)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 ripe tomatoes chopped
1/4 tsp ground dried lemon (loomi, noomi basra, omani lemon)
salt
juice of one lemon
2 tbs butter or olive oil
1 3/4 cup rice
3 1/4 cup water
1 rounded tsp tomato paste

Instructions

Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of the kabsa spices and rub the seasonings into the shrimp.Sautee in 2 tbsp hot oilve oil for around 2-3 minutes (dont cook them completely) remove from panTake same pan and sautee the onion with the rest of the olive oil until soft. Add garlic, rest of kabsa spices, tomato, loomi, salt, lemon juice, and butter. cook for a few minutes more.Add the rice, making sure each grain is coated with the spiced tomato mixture.Pour on the water, stir in the tomato paste and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes (add more water if the rice seems too dry, if it seems too wet, remove the cover and gently raise the hheat for a few minutes)Turn off flame, and gently stir in the shrimp. Put cover back on, and steam without additional heat for about 5 minutes

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
salt
1 pound carrots-- pared and cut into 2.5 inch X 1/4 inch sticks (generally)
fresh parsley, minced

Ingredients For The Dressing

1 clove garlic crushed with salt (or pressed)
3 tbs lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper (or more)
2 tbs minced parsley
2 tbs minced cilantro

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil, add salt and carrots, and steam over medium heat until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.Prepare the dressing by putting the ingredients together (the recipe recommends putting it in a Tupperware box and shaking it together)Stir the dressing and the reserved cooking liquid into the carrots, cover and simmer about 7 minutes. (the carrots will be soft). Add the fresh parsley and toss. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Potato Kubba

Ingredients & equipement

(For the Potato Shell)

*1/4 cup white rice, any type except converted or instant
*3 Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
*1 or 2 big slices of day-old bread
*salt
*black pepper

( For the Meat Filling )

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 tbs olive oil
* 1/2 pound ground beef
* Salt
* Black Pepper
* equal pinches of cinnamon, cumin, and curry powder (I sometimes just use curry)
*1/4 cup minced parsely
*Oil for sautéing
*Optional- toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Boil the rice in 4 cups of water until tender. Drain and allow to cool down.

2. Steam or boil the potatoes in salted water until tender (roughly 15 minutes). Drain and use a potato masher or mixer to mash.

3. Tear the bread into pieces and whirl them in the food processor-- you should have about a cup of bread crumbs as a result.

4. Measure 1 cup cooked rice, and add to the food processor, processing again with the crumbs

5. Add th potatoes to the rice-bread combo and knead the mixture until a smooth dought is formed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. For the stuffing, gently sauté the onion until soft, add meat and spices, and fry for a while, making sure to break up the lumps of meat. when browned, drain any extra oil and stir in the minced parsely & optional toasted pine nuts.

7. To shape the potato cake, form a ball the size of a lime and insert your finger to hollow out the inside. Fill with about a tsp of the meat stuffing and close the potato mixture around the filling. Flatten slightly between yor palms. At this point I like to place the uncooked kubbe in the refigerator for an hour or so to firm it up. You can also freeze it as is to be thawed and fried later on.

8. Lightly sauté the kubbe in oil until pale golden brown and crisp. Serve hot or at room temp.

Cabbage Rice

Ingredients

*1/2 Head Medium White Cabbage
*1 Large Onion, chopped
*garlic cloves, chopped
*1 lb ground beef
*Tumeric
*salt
*pepper
*red pepper (optional)
*Basmati or Long Grain Rice
*Butter or Oil

Instructions

Put a large saucepan full of water on the burner with salt. When it boils, add the rinsed rice and cook for roughly ten minutes, or until the rice is a little bit cooked, but not yet done. Drain in a colander and run some cold water over it to remove any starch. Set aside.In a frying pan, heat up some oil or butter and gently fry onions until transparent. Add several cloves of chopped garlic and fry for a few minutes more, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, red pepper, and tumeric, stirring constantly to make sure the peices of beef break up well. When browned well, chop up the 1/2 head of cabbage into ribbons and add to the mixture. Fry over a slow heat until the cabbage is wilted. In saucepan, melt some butter or oil and add 1/2 of the cooked rice. Add the cabbage-meat mixture, and then place rest of rice on top. Take your spoon or spatula handle and poke several holes in the rice down to the bottom to insure it steams well. Place a paper towel or a thin dish towel over the top of the saucepan, and then fix the lid on tightly (this traps the steam and makes sure the rice doesn't get soggy). Steam over LOW heat for 20 minutes, or until the rice is done to your liking.

Hummus

Ingredients

*2 cans of chick peas, or 3c cooked chick peas (save water)
*garlic cloves*Tahini Paste (aka Sesame Seed Paste)
*Lemons or Lemon Juice
*Olive Oil Instructions


Place chick peas, 1/2 cup of its water, several tbs of lemon juice, several cloves of garlic, and 3-4 tbs of tahini in a food processor or blender. Puree, adding salt and white pepper to your taste. If the consistency of the hummus isn't thin enough, add either more water or lemon juice to the mixture. Serve with olive oil, salad, and toasted flat bread.

Homemade Cheese (paneer)

Ingredients

*Milk (whole, lowfat, or skim)
*lemon juice or vinegar
*salt*saucepan
*cheesecloth or think white cloth
*cooking thermometer
*colanderInstructions

Slowly heat the milk in the saucepan over low or medium-low heat , stirring occasionally, until it is roughly 175F, or until it is not quite to the boiling point. Add vinegar or lemon juice to the milk a tablespoonfull at a time, stirring slowly, until the milk begins to curdle. When you can tell the difference between the curds and whey (one will look like cottage cheese and the rest like yellowish water), then take off heat and add no more lemon juice or vinegar. place cheesecloth in a colander with edges draping over the rim. SLOWLY pour the curds into the colander and let sit until most of the water has drained off. Add salt to your liking, tie ends of the cloth and hang over the sink for several hours. Alternatively, add salt, form the curds into a square shape, wrap up in cheesecloth, and place on a cutting board. Place something under one end of the board to have it at a slant, and place a heavy book on top of the wrapped cheese to press out the water. Let sit for several hours or overnight in a cool place. Remove cloth and cut into chunks and store in a plastic container in the refigerator.

Yoghurt Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

*Yoghurt, plain
*salt
*white pepper (optional)
*cucumbers
*white onion, minced (optional)
*pressed garlic or minced shallots (optional)

Instructions

Take the yoghurt and place in a bowl. Skin the cucumber, cut lengthwise, and take out the seeds if you wish. Cut the cucumber into very small pieces, or grate it, using the large teeth of a grater. Add to the yoghurt along with salt, pepper, and the optional ingredients. Serve cold as a side dish or with rice dishes, or as a cold sauce in pita bread sandwiches such as falafal.

Yoghurt Cheese

Ingredients

*Yoghurt
*cheesecloth or thin white cloth (perhaps a thin T-shirt)
*Olive Oil
*Jar
*spices such as paprika and cumin (optional)
*colander (optional)

Instructions

Take the yoghurt and place it in the cloth, typing the corners of the cloth to make a sort of bag. Hang this from the faucet over the sink, or place it in a colander in the sink so the water drains off. Check the yoghurt periodically to see if it is the consistency you like. Different thicknesses of cloth will take different amounts of time to thicken the yoghurt. n to your liking, take the yoghut out of the cloth and either place as is in a jar or plastic container and place in the refrigerator, or else form the yoghurt into 1 1/2 inch balls and pack in a jar with some olive oil. n serving, some people like to roll the yoghurt balls in paprika or cumin before placing on it's serving dish. Good for breakfast with flat bread.

Homemade Yoghurt

Ingredients and Equipment

*Milk (whole, nonfat, or lowfat)
*small quantity of yoghurt
*Cooking Thermometer
*plastic or ceramic bowl
*saucepan
*towels

Instructions

Heat milk slowly in a saucepan until it reaches 185F (85C). If you don't have a thermometer, heat the milk until bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pan. (be careful to keep stirring the milk or it will burn on the bottom and make a crust) Cool the milk until it is down to 110F (45C), or lukewarm.Put the yoghurt in a small bowl (about 1/4 cup for a gallon of milk, or 2 Tbs for 4 cups of milk) and stir until it is soft. stir in about 1/2 cup of warm milk with yoghurt until it is all mixed well. Add this yoghurt mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the milk, stirring SLOWLY, or it will become sour or tart. Rinse the bowl you are using with hot water and then pour in the yoghurt/milk mixture. Put on the lid firmly and then wrap the bowl in at least two layers of bath towels to keep the heat in. Set the towel covered bowl aside for at least 6 hours, usually overnight. Afterwards, store the yoghurt in the refigerator.

Lubia Bi Zayt

From Nargis

Ingredients

SPIKE--a bottled vegetable seasoning --this is critical to this recipe. if you dont have this then forget it.
2 cloves garlic, minced
a bunch of fresh washed, trimmed green beans, cut into peices
a lot of chopped parsley
oil
water

Stir fry the beans, and garlic for a few mins. Add the spike. sautee till beans are nearly done. add some water, cover pot with lid and steam a few minutes. Add the parsley. Cook a few more minutes till all is done. Serve with rice.

Jazar Faas

Nargis' recipe

Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter
5 cps sliced carrots
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cp soaked and then drained raisins
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cp white grape juice (or just water and a bit of sugar will do if you dont have this)

salt to tasteSautee the carrots in butter 5 minutes. Turn heat to low, add onions, nutmeg and grape juice. Cover and simmer till carrots are tender. Stir in raisins, cook a bit longer and then serve with rice! O this is good!

Vegetable Pasta

Another recipe from Nargis

Vegetable Pasta

Sautee together:

CHOPPED ONION
GRATED GARLIC
GRATED GINGER
CHOPPED ZUCCHINI
CHOPPED HOT GREEN CHILES
SLICED MUSHROOMS(you decide the proportions yourself!)

Add a bit of water, cover with lid and cook till all is tender. Add about 2 1/2 cups of MUSHROOM SOUP, (canned or homemade both are ok), some SOUR CREAM, and heat together. Serve over cooked pasta.Sounds weird but people like it.

Samosas

(Nargis's recipe)

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

1/2 C white flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter, soft
ice water

Mix the above with out ice water...and add enough ice water to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and silky. Cover with plastic and start making the filling!

FILLING INGREDIENTS

6 cooked, peeled and diced potatoes
3 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cp chopped cilantro
1/2 cp frozen but defrosted green peas
1 1/4 tsp garam masala or chat masala
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt or more to taste
a big pinch of hing(asafoetida)
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
a teaspoon heaped up high of minced ginger
some ghee (clarified butter)oil for deep frying

OK! Now put some ghee.about 2 tbsp into a frying pan or skillet. Heat it up and throw in the mustard seeds. (watch out they start popping and will jump right out of the pan and go allllll over your kitchen!)When they start jumping out, add the chopped jalapenos, ginger and the hing. Fry a bit. When you see the mustard seeds turning greyish color then add the potatoes,the peas, the garam masala or chat masala, salt, sugar, and sautee a few minutes. This is the time to taste it. Add more salt if necessary or masala or whatever. Then stir in the cilantro and take it off the stove.Then make about 14 balls out of the dough. Roll them flat like tortillas(about 6 inch rounds).Cut each in half so you have 28 semicircles. (Yes i know this is very annoying and i dont like it either but it sure tastes better than shortcuts like using flour tortillas or wonton skins! GOOD GRIEF---better to do it the ORIGINAL WAY!!!!)Then take a spoonfull of the filling and place in center of one semicircle..and wet the edges with a bit of water(to make it sticky). Then ..here is the hardest part.you have to manage to make a sort of cone shape out of this thing, by folding the triangular edges together,,and sealing it, and then sealing the top. It should look like a triangle. Its nice if you can ruffle the top edge but most ppl cannot do it ! I notice the indian stores dont even bother with this at all LOL but still..try it, it looks pretty. Just make sure its crimped well so filling doesnt seep out during frying. OK now if you aren't totally disheartened with this process, then do same with all of the semicircles, stuffing and sealing. Then deep fry in oil, till they are cute and golden brown. Drain of course...and eat with CHUTNEY OOOH MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I can eat TONS OF THESE!!!!!

Yakhni

(special thanks to Sume for the recipe)

Ingredients

Once large head of cauliflower
One bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 lb cubed meat or bones (depending on how meaty you like it)
2 yellow onions chopped
5 cloves garlic chopped
Butter or olive oil
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Any other spice you prefer

Directions

Cut cauliflower in to fist size pieces, and deep fry until golden. You have to fry it on high or medium high so it doesn't cook all the way through. Set aside and drain. Saute meat in frying pan in butter or olive oil until brown. Place meat in pan with six cups of water and salt, bring to a boil and simmer. In a frying pan, saute onion in butter or olive oil until transparent, then add cilantro and saute until wilted down, then add garlic, saute for a minute or two longer and take it off the heat. Add cauliflower and cilantro mixture to meat and simmer until cauliflower is tender. Also add any other spices that you like.

Serving Suggestions

Best served with long-grained rice
Options: Lemon Wedges and whatever condiments you prefer

Iraqi Shorba

Ingredients

One or two large onions, chopped
Several cloves of garlic
One Large Tomato, chopped
Olive Oil
Dried Lemon (optional)
One 6oz can of tomato paste
Salt, pepper, hot pepper (optional), preferred spices
Your choice(choose ONE) of vegetable: okra
yellow and/or zuchini squash
spinach
green peas
other...
Your choice of either beef or lamb, cubed or on the bone
(at least one pound, but you can make due without meat)



Instructions

*Fry onions in olive oil over medium heat until they are transparent.
* Add garlic (chopped or whole) and fry gently for a few minutes.
*Add cubed meat, salt, pepper, and spices and brown.
*Add the tomato and dried lemon
*Add water (enough to well cover the meat) and cover pot.
*Add tomato paste
*Boil for two or three hours, or until meat is tender
(using a pressure cooker reduces the time for the meat!!!)
*Add your chopped or cubed vegetable and boil until a thick stew.
**Note: You will definetly have to keep adding more water to
the pot, make sure your shorba doesn't boil down and burn!


Serving Suggestions

*over pita/Arabic bread in a large serving bowl.
*eat with pita or arabic bread instead of a spoon.
*serve over saffron or long-grained rice