Daal Fry

This can be made with maash/urud daal or moong. Instead of rice, I love this daal with naan, roti or paratha!

Ingredients

1 cup daal, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 tsp red chili/cayenne pepper
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tomato, chopped

4 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 curry leaves
1 jalapeño, sliced thick
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

Boil the daal with the first set of ingredients until half the water is gone. Lower the heat and stir every couple minutes to avoid sticking. The daal should be cooked, but not mushy. Add water if needed.

In a separate pot, heat oil and then add the second set of ingredients and stir until garlic turns golden. Immediately pour into the daal. The daal should be whole, most of the liquid should be evaporated but it shouldn't be too thick either so adjust by adding water or cooking over medium low heat accordingly. Garnish with plenty of fresh chopped cilantro.

Easy Shrimp Recipe

Take a bag of shrimp any size or quantity

Add
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 chillie sauce...you can use any chillie sauce:)

Just marinate it for a lil bit and then bake or grill

Kulfi

Kulfi Recipe

One can evaporated milk
One can condensed milk
One can table cream
One Slice of white bread
Elashi/ Cardamom powder 1/2 tspn
Badaam and pistay 1/2cup

Make sure you grind the almonds and pistachios from before

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend them then add the grinded badaam pistay and blend again.
Then pour the mixture into a box with a lid and store in freezer for at least a full night...pour some of the mixture in small box and keep in fridge so when you serve the Kulfi you can pour some of the mixture on top of it like a topping...make sure to thaw a lil bit b4 serving and ENJOY:)

Kibbeh

Kibbeh are a crunchy deep fried stuffed meatball of sorts, popular in middle eastern cuisine. They are traditionally stuffed with ground beef or lamb which is wrapped in a layer of bulgur. This recipe however uses the super grain quinoa! These go well with a garlicky lemony yogurt sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 lb ground beef or lamb
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced,
1 tbsp arabic 7 spice mix
OR a mix of cinnamon powder, nutmeg, clove powder, black pepper, paprika, cardamom powder, cumin and coriander
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp crushed dried mint leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

Heat enough oil to deep fry in.
Place quinoa, about 1/4 of the ground meat, 1/4 of the onion and a little salt in the food processor and blend until it forms a sticky looking dough.

In a skillet, heat a tbsp of oil and add 1/2 the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the meat, spices and herbs and cook until fully cooked and most of the moisture has evaporated. Add pine nuts at the end. Let sit until cool enough to handle.

Take a tennis ball sized amount of the quinoa mixture and flatten in your palm to form a patty about 1/4 inch thick. Place a tbsp of meat mixture in the middle and carefully close up the quinoa around the meat, shaping gently between your palms to form a ball or football shape. Wet one hand slightly and shape one last time to seal cracks. Repeat until all mixture has been used. Gently fry for about 5-7 minutes until brown.

Shaped, raw kibbeh can also be frozen and fried later! Just shape and freeze on a cookie sheet, then store them in a ziplock  bag or container.

Stuffed Zucchini

This is a popular middle eastern dish, very similar to stuffed grape leaves, but much easier and less time consuming. Makes for a night one dish meal with some garlic yogurt sauce or as a side.

Ingredients:

5-6 zucchinis with at least 1 inch diameter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef or lamb (optional)
1 cup white rice, rinsed
1 small tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parlsey, chopped
2 tbsp crushed dried mint leaves
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp aleppo pepper flakes or crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

1 can tomato paste
4-5 cups water
2 tbsp adobo seasoning

To prep the zucchini for stuffing, cut off the tops. With either an apple corer or thin butter or paring knife, gently begin coring the zucchini. Start with a little near the top then gently push your way to the bottom, taking care not to poke through the bottom or sides. There is also a special tool found in some middle eastern stores specifically for this! I couldn't find one so I used a butter knife and it worked perfectly.

Mix together the ground meat, rice, onions, tomatoes, parsley, mint, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon pepper.

Begin stuffing the zucchini, gently pushing stuffing down to the bottom with your finger or butter knife. But be careful not to pack it in too much, as the rice expands while cooking.

Combine water,  tomato paste and adobo seasoning in a large pot and set over medium high heat. When it begins to boil, lower heat to medium or medium low and gently place zucchinis in the liquid. Make sure there is plenty of liquid to cover the zucchinis. Boil for 30-40 minutes uncovered until the zucchinis lose their bright color and are tender when poked with a fork and rice looks cooked.