Shakshuka

Shakshuka- A hearty, easy recipe made with eggs that are gently poached mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions & garlic with a hint of spices and some fresh herbs complete this satisfying one-skillet dish! Goes well with Pita Bread
My twin sister Mini shared this recipe. thank you mini for the recipe

Ingredients

* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 red onion, peeled and diced
* 3 clove garlic, chopped
* 2 bell pepper- chopped (I used half of red and half of yellow)
* 2.5 cups ripe diced tomatoes,
* 2 tbsp tomato paste
* 1 tsp chili flakes
* 1 tsp cumin
* 1 tsp paprika
* Salt and pepper- to taste
* 5 eggs
* 1/2 cup baby spinach finely chopped
* 1/4 cup yogurt (whisk well and add 2 tbs water)
Method
1. Heat a large pan on medium. Pour olive oil, Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.
2. Add the diced bell pepper, sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium until softened.
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir until blended. Add spices and stir, and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until it starts to reduce.
4. At this point, you can taste the mixture and spice it according to your preferences. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add yogurt and stir well.
5. Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the mixture, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce.
6. Cover the pan. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly reduced. Keep an watch on the skillet to make sure that the sauce doesn't reduce too much, which can lead to burning.
7. Some people prefer their shakshuka eggs more runny. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top-- then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste. Garnish with the chopped spinach.
Tastes best when eaten with pita bread.

You can serve the shakshuka with crumbled feta cheese.

Pita Bread- No Yeast & No Oven

Ingredients 

1. 1½ cup Maida
2. 1½ cup whole wheat flour
3. 1 tsp sugar
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1 tbsp baking powder
6. 3/4 cup milk or water 
7. 3tbsp vegetable oil/ olive oil 

Method 

1. Mix the flours, sugar, salt baking soda well. Using a shallow bottom plate make a well & add the milk, start making the dough, add water as required. 
2. Make a soft dough, don’t make it very stiff. Grease a bowl with olive oil, and keep the dough in the bowl, cover the bowl with a cling film.
3. Keep this dough aside for 3 hours in a warm place. 
4. After 3 hours the dough will Slightly rise. 
5. To make the pita breads, make small 8 balls and keep then aside. Start rolling the pita bread, make thick chapati & fry it on a skillet, the pita will puff up
6. Store it in a kitchen towel and cover it with the towel to keep the pita bread soft.

Grilled hammour with salad

Hammour is the Arabic name for Grouper fish. Hammour is commonly found in the waters of the Persian Gulf and is the fish of choice in a lot of Arabian cuisine.Here's a common recipe that is popular throughout the gulf countries, if you cannot find hammour you can replace it with salmon, king fish or fish of your choice

Ingredients
2 fillets of Hammour
salt as required
freshly ground pepper as required
fresh lemon juice as required
paste of 4 garlic cloves
for garnishing
5 lettuce leaves
2 tsp chopped tomato
2 tsp chopped onion
1 tsp capsicum
olive oil
Method
Clean the fillet, rub salt, freshly ground pepper and lemon juice & garlic paste.keep aside to marinate for an hour.
clean the lettuce leaves, roughly chop it and soak it in cold water. Keep aside
Mix the chopped veggies (tomato, onion, capsicum) add olive oil, ½ tsp garlic paste, salt and pepper as required, now drain the water from lettuce and add it to the veggies and leave this salad for flavours to combine well.
on a serving plate arrange the salad as shown below

Brush the hammour with olive oil .Grill the fish until ready – depends upon the thickness and heat of grill, but probably 5 minutes per side

Plate the hammour with fish resting on the salads. Server immediately

Serves- 2 persons

Tahini

Tahini is an essential ingredient in Arabic Cuisine such as humuus and falafel. Add the whole sesame seeds into a food processer with metal blades and grind it into a paste, it may be little coarser than the readymade tahini.here's the recipe
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil 
1 cup sesame seeds
Method

Roast the sesame seeds on a heavy bottom saucepan for 10 minutes stirring regularly, it should not change the color, allow the sesame seeds to cool down.
Grind the roasted sesame seeds and half the oil into a blender on a high setting for a minute, clean the side of the blender with the help of a spoon, add the remaining oil and blend again into a paste. the mixture may be coarse in consistency
Tahini may be refrigirated for 2 weeks in a sealed jar
Use this for making Hummus

Arabic Cuisine:falafel, hummus & basboosa

I Arabian Cuisine is very popular these days around the world.I got hooked on to Arabic food only after I landed here in Muscat. My all time favourite is falafel and the basboosa (semolina) cake. I would say falafel is the most easiest to make, only thing it needs a little bit planning because of the chickpeas which need to be soaked well in advance . Enjoy cooking these delicious middle eastern food.

Falafel

Ingredients

1. ½ cup dried chickpeas, (soak for 6hr)
2. 3-4 garlic, cloves (finely chopped)
3. 1 small onions (finely chopped)
4. ½ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
5. OR
6. ½ cup parsley leaves (finely chopped)
7. 1 tsp cumin powder
8. salt as per taste
9. ½ tsp crushed pepper
10. ½ tsp baking soda
11. vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. Place chickpeas in hot boiling water in a bowl. Allow to soak for 6 hr.
2. Combine the chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander / parsley, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. 
3. Combine ingredients in a food processor into a thick paste. 
4. form mixture into small balls, slightly flatten & fry them immediately until golden brown
5. Serve hot.

To make Falafel sandwiches

1. Apply mayonaise on the pita bread, lettuce leaves, french fries, ketchup and falafel. Roll into a sandwich
2. Enjoy !

Hummus

Ingredients

1. 1 cup chickpeas (boiled)
2. 5 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
3. ½ cup of olive oil
4. lemon juice
5. 1 garlic clove
6. cumin
7. red chili powder
8. salt

Method

1. Into a blender add the boiled chickpeas with the tahini,juice of half a lemon, garlic clove, cumin powder and the olive oil & salt as per taste. Blend until very smooth consistency.
2. Add little water or 2-3 ice cubes if the consistency is too thick.
3. Sprinkle a bit of red chilly powder on top & Olive oil
4. Serve immediately

Basboosa

A favorite Arabic sweet, main ingredient of basboosa is semolin which is baked and soaked in rose water syrup. An Omani friend and old colleague was kind enough to share her recipe & I baked it at home. The Arabs enjoy this sweet with a cup of qahwa or tea.

Ingredients
Syrup Ingredients
2¼ cups sugar
1½ cups water
2 tsp rose water
Cake Ingredients
2 cups semolina
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup full fat milk
1½ tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
blanched split almonds
Method
Prepare syrup first. Dissolve sugar in water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the syrup begins to boil. Reduce heat and allow to slowly boil for about 8-10 minutes.Add rose water, Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and flour a baking dish.
Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add eggs & vanilla essence.
In a separate bowl, combine semolina, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add to butter and egg mixture. Stir in milk.
Pour mixture into baking dish.
Take a knife and make diagonal lines to make diamond shapes. Place an almond in the center of each diamond. Bake for 25 minutes
Remove cake from oven and pour syrup over cake. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Different Arabic sweets on display

Best quality Omani Dates for sale for the holy month of Ramadan

Famous Arabian sandwich "Shawarma" place in a restraurant in Muscat.

Couscous with grilled chicken & veggies

Ingredients
for grilled chicken
5 chicken breast pieces divided into 2 pieces
2 bowl curd (beaten)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp ginger- garlic paste

3 tsp meat masala

1 tsp salt

for bbq veggies

1/2 red pepper cubed

1/2 orange pepper cubed

1/2 yellow pepper cubed

10 button mushroms

1 large onion cubed
1 bowl curd (beaten)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
3 tsp meat masala
1 tsp salt
for couscous

1½ cup pre-cooked couscous

2½ cup water

freshly chopped parsley

Salt to taste

1 tsp Olive oil

Method

Place pieces of chicken into a bowl, add curd, ginger-garlic paste, meat masala, parsley &salt and allow it to marinate for 2 hrs

In another bowl marinate pepper, mushrooms and onion and marinate for 2 hrs

Char-grill over medium to high direct heat in a covered grill, turning to cook evenly until chicken f grilled

Arrange the vegetables into a toothpick and grill until veggies are crisp to tender.

Meanwhile, bring 2½ cups water to boil in a covered saucepan over high heat, add olive oil & couscous.Cover and allow it to swell for 5 minutes, stir in parsley

Spoon couscous into a plate, remove chicken and veggies and serve