Baklava

Baklava  Preparation Time  60 minutes Cooking Time, 60 minutes; Serves 8 Ingredients for the phyllo pastry450 g refined flour   1 tablespoon vinegar         1 teaspoon oil             1 teaspoon lemon juice     1 cup hot water          200g butter  For the filling450 g mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds), finely chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder For the syrup1 cup water  ½ cup caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence ½ cup honey  To serve Sugar syrup Pistachio flakes Honey (optional) Gulkand Method For the phyllo pastryPlace half the flour in a bowl and mix in the vinegar, oil, lemon juice and hot water. Knead the dough on a floured surface till it is stiff. Divide the dough into 20 parts. Roll out each part into a very thin, almost translucent sheet, like a roomali roti. Cut into an 8-inch square, cover with a damp cloth and set aside. If using a pasta machine pass the dough through the machine till you reach mark 1. Dust with flour several times. Cut into squares and cover with a damp cloth. For the filling and sauceIn a bowl, toss the chopped nuts with cinnamon. Set aside. In a pan, heat together the sugar, honey and vanilla. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. To assemble the baklava Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Butter the base and sides of an 8-inch square pan or tin. Spread two sheets of pastry on the base of the pan one on top of the other. Brush with melted butter, then add 2 more sheets. Repeat till you have about 8 layers of butter and pastry.  Sprinkle two to three spoonfuls of the nut mixture on top. Repeat the layers of pastry, butter and nuts. Use a sharp knife and cut the pastry into squares or diamond shapes while still in the tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or till the pastry is crisp. Remove the baklava and pour the prepared sugar syrup all over the baklava; sprinkle with pistachio flakes. Set aside to cool. To serveArrange pieces of baklava on a plate. Drizzle with sugar syrup and sprinkle with pistachio slivers. For extra sweetness add some honey as well! Footnote: People have a sweet tooth but God has given me 32 sweet teeth! This is one of those recipes which has all of them craving for more. Note: Commercial phyllo pastry is made by machines as it has a texture that is very difficult to achieve by hand.   Use 450 g of readymade phyllo dough for this recipe.

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Lamb Sambousek

Lamb Sambousek IngredientsLamb Mince 500gms Garlic Chopped 20gms                 Large Onion Chopped 1 No Cumin Powder ¾ tsp Olive Oil 20ml Fresh Mint Chopped 50gms Salt and Black Pepper to Taste Lime Juice 1 tbsp For the filling Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil, in a frying pan. Add ground meat and brown. Stir to ensure the meat and onions are well mixed. Then add cumin powder, chopped mint and salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Assembly Roll out small pieces of phyllo into desired shape, about 1/16 inch thin. You can do circles, triangles, squares, or crescents. Place 1 tablespoon of meat filling, seal, and crimp edges to seal. Fry or bake in oven about 6-8 minutes. Until it turns golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel and serve.

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Anjeer Surprise

Anjeer Surprise Fig and coconut rolls and kewra smoothie Ingredients for Coconut & Fig Rolls1.5 cups of dried figs, mashed 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut 1 teaspoon ground coffee or espresso 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of salt 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/2 cup mixed nuts (almonds and walnuts), finely crushed into small pieces/ “flour”. Extra unsweetened shredded coconut for coating MethodMash up dried figs, either by hand in a ziplock bag or in a food processor. Fold in ground flax seed, 2 tablespoons of the coconut, ground coffee/espresso, cinnamon, and salt. If the mixture is too dry or hard to mix, add some almond milk, a little bit at a time. Add the nuts and mix well. Aim for a cookie dough consistency and then place the bowl into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. In a separate bowl or plate have some unsweetened shredded coconut ready for coating. Use hands to roll fig mixture into little balls (~1 inch diameter) and drop them into the coconut. Coat well. The mixture should yield approx. 16 balls. Freeze the balls until ready to serve. Ingredients for Kewra Smoothie 1 cup  Yogurt 1/2 tsp kewra essence Method1. Combine ingredients in blender; blend until fruit is pure.

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