MAYAZ'S ZAATAR CHICKEN

Recipes like these are my favourite, Just throw in all ingredients and let them cook type. I'm sure these days life has become so fast for us all no one really has the time to roast and grind the masalas rather we all want something thats less time consuming and great to serve for friends at the weekend dinner or just have a cozy dinner with your partner. I've lived in Abu Dhabi for 15 years and have never liked zaatar as much as I like it now, i must say its become one of my favourite ingredients. Zaatar is a mixture of thyme,lemon salt,seasam seeds very Mediterranean spice it is. When we were living in the U.A.E every alternate weekend a must thing was to visit Dubai, in Dubai at the time Ghurair center was quite a posh mall to visit I've heard its no more that way, on the back of Ghurair center there was a Lebanese restaurant that we visited occasionally and that's where we had our zaatar chicken it was just too juicy and most tasty ever. Ever since I've been wanting to try making it in my home but didn't have the proper recipe. Last year I was watching some food channel and came across this particular one but as Always this one has a bit of my twist.Hoping you'll enjoy making it in you homes too...HAVE FUN...;)

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Whole chicken cut in 4-5 pieces(with skin)
• 2 Tbsp Sea salt
• 4 Tbsp zaatar more if you like more( you'll find it in Arab,Indian or Pakistani shops abroad)
• 4Tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 Medium sized potatoes
• Some coriander or mint leaves for garnish
• 1 Lemon cut in wedges for garnish
  

METHOD:-

1. preheat oven 180 deg
2. Wash you chicken thoroughly.
3. In grilling pan or a frying pan add olive oil and warm it till it crackles.
4. Add chicken piece by piece and fry till its golden brown on the skin side.
5. Cut potatoes in big chunky pieces.
6. Add the potatoes to the baking dish in the bottom of the tray .
7. Place your chicken over the potatoes in the tray and add the olive oil that you used for frying the chicken keeping aside about 1Tbsp olive for later.
8. Place the baking dish in the oven and let it cook for about 30 Min's or until you feel the potatoes are cooked.
9. Take it out of the oven and sprinkle zaatar and sea salt.
10. Then sprinkle the 1Tbsp olive oil over the chicken.
11. Place it back in the oven for 10 Min's switching the top grill on.

This recipe has been a favourite in my family and friends and I hope it becomes a household recipe for you too. People who like chicken roasts and grilled chicken would fall in love with this recipe its best served with fresh salad and humous. until next time..enjoy..:)

MAYAZ'S PALAK PANEER

Spinach best known as palak in Urdu always reminds me of Popoye the sailor man,of gaining strength and that's what i tell my kids its the most powerful saag in the world. My kids love it like I have always loved spinach. It depends how you make it usually I make it like mumma's (my mom) she always made it in milk, it was much more creamier in taste than the one made with tomatoes in them. The only thing I did not like about palak was that it changed it's colour and was almost black at the time of serving, So I found a tip from a restaurant's chef in Dubai long time back. He told me if we added a pinch of soda bicarbonate in any saag it will be green always. This is my own recipe so to suit our taste buds at home you can do a bit of variation as well by adding methi or soya(dill) which ever you like more. hope you will have a nice time having it...

INGREDIENTS:-

• 2 Gaddis palak/1 pack spinach
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pinch Bicarbonate soda
• Pinch Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder more if you like it hot
• 1/2 tsp Sabet zeera(whole)
• 2-3 Green chillies
• Some coriander leaves for garnish
• 2 Cups milk
• 2-3 Tbsp any vegetable oil
• 1 Packet Paneer { you'll find it in the Indian,Pakistani or even Arab shops}
• 1/2 Cup water

METHOD:-

1. Wash spinach with cold water.




2. In a pan add oil,spinach,bicarbonate soda,salt,red chili powder,turmeric,zeera and milk and if adding methi or soya (dill)add now as well.




3. Let it cook for 5 Min's on high or til the milk is just hot enough to start rising.
4. Lower the heat and let it cook uncovered otherwise the milk will spill.
5. While the spinach is cooking cut the paneer in big cubes,and fry till golden brown on all sides.
6. Drain the oil and place them on a kitchen towel.

   






7. When the leaves are well drowned in the milk increase the heat with constant stirring.
8. Add green chillies now if you like it,this is optional, depending on how hot you like it.
9. Cook till the oil separates from the pan and you can see that that the spinach is shrunk in size,add a little water if the spinach looks too dry.
10. Now add the paneer cubes , keeping some for garnish.
11. Mix slightly and serve hot. Garnishing with the cubes you've set aside and coriander and green chillies.

If you don't have milk just use water and follow the steps in the same way. Its best served with hot chapattis, but for me palak paneer and white boiled rice with greek yogurt does wonders. For me its comfort food as one may want to say it that way. You try and see what works best for your taste buds....enjoy...:)

COCONUT MACAROONS

I'm sure you will agree that there is nothing better than home baked cookies. We all love cookies it reminds us of our childhood and the treats we bought from bakeries. For me it reminds me the aroma of the bakery back home at the end of our street. Our kids loved making them and its easy to get them involved in making these macaroons. Making cookies for me was the hardest job and for a long long time I never tried making them and kept going back to my favourite bakery to have them, recently i saw this recipe in a kids recipe book and thought I'll give it a try. the original recipe used golden granulated sugar but I used a different one. Its always great to make cookies at home and a great gift option also. wrap it up in cellophane. Anyone who is at the receiving end will love the thought of you going an extra mile in making something as special as these cookies. I hope this recipe turns out to
be special ...:)

INGREDIENTS:-

• 250 ml/1 1/2 cups dessicated coconut
• 2 medium egg whites or 1 large egg
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 5-6 Tbsp soft brown sugar

METHOD:-

1. Pre- heat oven at 300 *F/150*C
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment
3. Place the coconut in a large bowl,and leave it aside.
4. In a big bowl add egg whites,cream of tartar and salt.
5. Beat it together with a rotary egg beater until egg whites turn white and fluffy.
6. Add sugar now a spoonful at a time, beating after you add.
7. With the help of a spatula mix the coconut in the egg whites.
8. Now with a tea spoon drop it on the baking tray about 3 cm apart, if you want it in bigger size use a Tbsp. These will make about 30 macaroons if you are using a tea spoon if making with a Tbsp it will make just about 10 macaroons.
9. Bake for 18-20 Min's if making a bigger size if making small macaroon about 10-15 Min's are enough.Bake till you notice a little browning on the edges.
10. Cool completely on the baking sheet before removing, can keep them in an air tight container for a week.

I just love macaroons and its great having them with a cup of tea in the evening in from of the television.Try having them crushed on ice cream yummy is all i can say. It a great recipe to impress you partner and family and you'll be amazed how well you are at making cookies at home yourself...enjoy...:~)

MAYAZ'S CHICKEN KARAHI

Cooking for me is a form of relaxation. I love food anyway, but the dishes that take minimal efforts are my favourite. This chicken karahi is easy to make and is ready in minutes. I first made this karachi at my sons birthday 4 years back ever since I've just simply stuck with this recipe. i like to keep my recipes simple for the reason being the more you complicate it the less taste of the individual spices you'll get. I normally keep my spices to the minimal and try to use as little ingredients as possible this provides me with an opportunity to experiment more in terms of making something new every time I'm in the kitchen. Love this recipe for a quick meal. hope you like it..;)


INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Whole chicken cut in small pieces.
• 1 tsp salt
• Pinch turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder or more if you like it hot.
• 2 Onion roughly sliced
• 1tsp Ginger and garlic paste
• 1tsp Kalongi
• 600 g Tomatoes if using the canned if not the about 5-7 medium sized tomatoes cut into small pieces.
• Some Coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 Chili for garnish
• 2-3 Tbsp any vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cups water.

METHOD:-

1. Add oil to the pan when its warm then add the kalongi.
2. After half a min add the roughly sliced onions and fry until just starting to get golden now add ginger garlic paste and fry for further min or so.
3. Add the tomatoes to the onions but add no water.
4. Cook till you see the tomato paste separating from the oil.
5. Now add the defrosted chicken and fry it for about 3-4 Min's.
6. Add water 1/4 first and stir well for a min or two then add the rest just lower the heat cover and cook till again the oil separates from the pan and sticks to the chicken.
7. If you like it dry than add no water and serve, but if you like a little bit of masala then add just enough to make masala about 1/4 cup is more than enough.

Traditionally karahi dishes are had with nan bread out of the tandoor. Generally when I make it at home I make sweet daal with it to compliment the sour taste of tomatoes.and just boiled rice. Simple yet satisfying, hope you will like this simple recipe and enjoy....:~)

BREAD TARTLETS...

I love tarts but find it really hard to find time to make short crust pastry and than bake it and so on. With kids around one needs to find easy options out for meals.Therefore a few years back on my husbands birthday I came up with the idea of making the base with bread (as we say it in Urdu double roti). Since then I've made these and people have loved having them. This one is yet again a simple and easy recipe to impress your guests or family. These serve individuals rather one large tart. If making for a dinner party of more than 10 people start making the bread bases earlier on. These take about 45 Min's to make including the making of tarts if making 12 servings. The filling of the tarts is very vegetarian but if you would like to try adding shredded chicken , mince meat ,anchovies or just tuna to it'll be great too, have tried them and they come out as well as these. Without saying anymore ..here's the recipe hope you enjoy it...:)

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Red bell pepper (capsicum)medium
• 1 Green bell pepper (capsicum)medium
• 1 Punnet mushrooms
• Mozzarella cheese
• Unsalted Butter
• 1 Medium sliced bread
• 2 Cups milk
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

METHOD:-

1. Pre-heat oven at 190 deg
2. Grease your muffin's tray with butter.
3. Prepare you vegetables first, cut mushrooms in thin slices,cut bell peppers in small cubes.
4. If you're adding any kind of pre-cooked meat add to the pan first then add your vegetables.
5. Now just saute both in olive oil don't cook it or it won't be crunchy when you take it out of the oven.
6. Now add salt and pepper,other wise your mushrooms will leave water.
7. Cut the corners of the bread slices.
8. Put butter on both sides of the bread.
9. In a big bowl pour milk in and dip you bread slices in it just enough to make them wet, don't soak them or leave them in they will become too soggy and break.
10. As soon as you dip them place them in the already greased muffin tray don't worry too much about the shape as long as its creating cavity for the filling.
11. Once that is done place them in the oven for just about 20 Min's, checking every 5 Min's.
12. When its light golden in colour take the tray out of the oven and add your filling and some shredded cheese on top you can avoid the cheese if you like for health reasons or just like it fat free.
13. place the tray back in the oven for 5-8 Min's until or until you see the cheese melted and browned a little.

ORANGE CHICKEN

This dish is a mixture of western and Arabian chicken roasts. Chicken roast are very popular in both these places in my opinion. For a person like me who has spent so many years living in the U.A.E it was not very difficult to get inspired by the chicken roasts the Arabs make its so juice and succulent that one person who is passionate about food can maybe even eat two whole chickens at one time. I remember us having a lot of memories for these roasts. The English roasts are usually with less salt and more sweet in them where as the Arab roasts are very much salty. This roasts good quality is that it gives you both flavours and variety when you serve. Because you can serve it just with any boiled vegetables and it'll taste as good as it would with pitta bread and homous.

INGREDIENTS:

• Whole chicken with skin
• 1 Glass orange juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 or two whole garlics according to your liking of the garlic.
• 1/4 Cup Olive oil

METHOD:

1. Rub a little salt on the chicken and then fry it in the pan /pot or frying pan any kind of pot will do with enough space to move it about.
2. Fry the chicken till its light brown .
3. Cut the whole garlic in half without removing the skin.
4. Place the garlic in the baking dish and once the chicken is fried place it in the baking dish over the garlics and add a little oil from the frying pan.
5. Now add the orange and lemon juices and pepper,brown sugar and mix well before adding to the chicken.
6. Bake it covered with foil for about 2-3 hours if the chicken was frozen ..if fresh about 1 -2 hours are fine .
7. Once you think the chicken is well cooked take it out and place it on the serving dish and put your baking dish on the stove and on high heat cook it till the liquid feels caramelized.
8. During this process with a wooden spoon or spatula press the garlic and it will separate from its skin very easily, take out the skin and throw, mix it well with the liquid juices to make a really thick caramelised sauce then pour it over the chicken.

Its Great for serving kids and dinner time because they love anything that's sweet and love to squeeze some lemon on it. Serve with mashed potato and peas or anything green is one way of having this chicken and the other is serve it with fresh salad,with lots of fresh flat leaf parsley,humous,pitta bread, mutabal and you'll feel like you're sitting in Dubai or some Arabian city. hope you like it and enjoy making it...:)

MUMMA'S HARA MASALA BIRYANI

This recipe was a speciality of my mum's. She made it almost at every special occasion in our house. We loved it to bits and till date we go mad when this biryani is made.It's simple to make, and with every bite you take can taste the freshness of the ingredients used in it. Every birthday that has gone by since I remember I've had this biryani my kids love it and I hope everyone who tries it loves it. The most important things to remember in this recipe is timing of how much you would boil the rice if you miss that technique you'll miss having a great biryani.

Biryani's are always easy to make and to me basically biryani is a one-pot dish. Biryani is half cooked rice layered with a special kind of curry. As you start to read the method of this one you'll be surprised that this recipe requires very little cooking really. When i make this recipe I usually keep the chillies on the minimal because of my kids but you can have more if you like......hope you like it and becomes a special dish for you and your family as much as it is for me and my family....healthy eating...

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Whole chicken cut in 8 pieces
• 4 Tbsp Salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Garam masala
• 1/2 Bunch hara dhanya (coriander)
• 1/2 Bunch pudina (mint)
• 8-10 Green chillies
• 600g yogurt about 1 and 1/4 pack greek yogurt.
• 2 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 1/2 Cups oil
• 2 Medium sized Onion
• 3 1/2 -4 cups rice washed and soaked in water just an hour before cooking
• Saffron
• 1/4 Cup milk
• 1 tsp yellow food coloring (optional)
• 2 Lemon's juice
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cardamom pods
• 2-3 cloves
• pinch kala zeera

METHOD:-

1. Wash the chicken well and drain well.
2. In the blender make the hara masala (add green chillies,coriander,mint,
   salt 2 Tbsp,ginger garlic paste, 1/4 oil , yogurt and garm masala).
3. Add this to the chicken and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours.
4. Cut 2-4 green chillies in half, squeeze lemon juice , cut some coriander and mint and leave it aside.
5. Cut onions in thin slices ,fry in 1 1/4 cups oil ,and leave them aside too, also save the oil as well for later.
6. Now add water in a pan/pot, to that add black zeera, mint leave,2 Tbsp salt,cardamom,cloves,Cinnamon stick.
7. When it starts to boil drain the soaked rice and add to the water. Just about 3 Min's later, when it starts to boil with the rice be as alert as you can. Take a grain of rice in your hand and place it on your finger and press it with your thumb this will break into small pieces this should ideally break into max 3 pieces, not more. See the Picture below to get a better idea.
8. Once it reaches this stage very quickly drain the rice in a colander empty all the rice from the pan.
9. In the same pan add the oil used for frying the onions about 1/2 cup.
10. Then add the marinated chicken, to the pot.
11. Sprinkle fried onions, 1/2 of cut green chillies, some min and coriander leaves.
12. Now add all the rice to the pot and sprinkle the rest of the green chillies,fried onions,mint and coriander leaves.
13. To the 1/4 cup milk add saffron, and warm it up a bit before spreading it over the rice.
14. Add food coloring to the 1/4 cup water and add that all over the rice too.
15. Then with the help of a wooden spoon make holes. ( from the handle side)
16. Now pour over 2 Tbsp of oil and the lemon juice.
17. Cover the pot and cook over high heat for 5-8 Min's or till you start to hear a sizzling sound. then leave to cook on low heat for just about an hour.

Don't get too afraid to make it seeing all the steps its really easy to make...I made this biryani for the first time at the age of 14 and since then I've been making it and loving it been over 20 years now. Every time I make it I feel like I've made it for the fist time. the only step difficult is the boiling of rice and knowing when to take it off boiling just a helpful hint/tip in case you've boiled your rice a little longer don't panic just wash it under cold water and it won't be as bad as you think. I make it this recipe in memory of my mum ....love you mumma and miss you too always....:)

CHOCOLATE STONES

CHOCOLATE STONES

This is simple and easy one to do with kids. A few of my friends asked me to put some recipes up that they could do with kids. I love doing all kinds of foods with kids my trick is i really don't think about the mess they are making rather the skills they are learning. With recipe they will learn how to mix well,how to close and make a fist is they are under three,they will also love shaking or rolling the chocolate stones. Kids also love anything that makes sound and they are allowed to use anything their mums use, makes them feel more responsible like a grown up which they want to be.This recipe does not require any cooking at all unless you'd like to bake a cake yourself. The advantage of cooking with kids is they eat what they make much quicker than what we make for them cooking for ages in the kitchen. Try making it and do let me know how it worked out for you look forward to hearing your comments...

INGREDIENTS:-

• Any chocolate cake
• 1/4 Cup milk or cream
• 1 Cup desiccated coconut or any nuts crushed if your kids like it.
  

METHOD:-

1. Break the cake into small pieces to fit in a food processor and whiz till it looks like crumbs.
2. Place them in a bowl and mix well with the cream /milk so that it forms a dough.
3. In a plate have your nuts or coconut ready at the side.( if doing with kids have a sandwich bag filled with it and ask them to shake it.)
4. Once you have made the balls roll them in nuts/ coconut.
5. your chocolate stones are ready.

Hope you will have a great time making these with your kids...my kids just loved it, what they made was truely not perfect to adults but to them they were just right they gobbled them up in a matter of hours,i'm sure yours will too....enjoy...:)

STUFFED AUBERGINES..:)

My memory of having aubergine or bringle was not so nice really. Every time I ate aubergine it started to itch on my tongue and sometimes all over the body. Yeah I know it was quite nasty but mum ma never made just aubergines on its own thankfully other than the Hyderabad's dish. Any way after i got married and came to UK it sort of changed. I invented a dish inspired by the Arabian dish called dolma. Dolma basically means stuffed vegetables but the most popular there is a marrow or torai as we call it back home. when I made it the first time every one including me ate it in one go. Its quite hard to find dishes made with aubergines that taste that good. Its been almost 6 years I've been making this and enjoy making it because its simple and easy to make has very little oils and tastes great with both rice or bread(chapati,pitta). Kids love to join in and help they never let a chance go by to help me out with anything. This helps them to learn new skills and me I learn how to be patient. There is one more thing that I've learnt from my kids over the last 5 years kids will be messy and and will not be perfect,so please if you're looking for you kids to help ignore all the mess and enjoy them and the dish you're making....

INGREDIENTS:-

• 3 tsp Salt


• 1tsp Black pepper


• Pinch or turmeric


• 1/2 tsp chilli powder more if you like it hot


• 600g Tomatoes (just about a can and half)


• 1 Aubergines


• 1/4 kg Mince meat


• 6 Tbsp Olive Oil ( I use it you can use any vegetable)


• 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste


• 2-3 tsp ground zeera


• 1/2 pack mozzarella (optional)

METHOD :-

• Pre- heat oven to 220 deg


• Use a non sticking baking dish.


• Cut the aubergine in to vertical half, with the stem on.


• With the help of a round scoop or a table spoon, scoop out the center of the aubergine.


• Scoop out as closely to the skin as possible making it look like a small oval bowl.


• Then in a small bowl 3 Tbsp spoons oil and 1 1/2 tsp salt mix well.


• With the help of a baking brush brush it all over the aubergine bowls you have made. cover it well this will prevent it from going black/brown. and add to the taste.leave aside in the baking dish.


• Now cut the aubergine pulp ( center ) that you scooped out earlier into very very small cubes as small as you were cutting onions for the omelet.


• Add 3 tbsp oil to a pan let it warm up a bit and than add ginger garlic paste.


• Now add mince meat,aubergines(cut in small pieces), rest of the salt,turmeric,chilli powder,black pepper powder,zeera powder.


• Stir well till it turns brown than add tomatoes. cook it well till it starts to show some oil.


• Fill in the aubergines with the mince meat prepared.


• Place them in the oven.


• Bake for 35 Min's or until when you press the stem it mashes up between you fingers. or if that is difficult try a piercing with a tooth pick in the skin.


• Sprinkle some cheese on top and and bake for another 5min or till it golden brown. This last step is optional.
  

This is one of my favourites as well. I can eat this as often as possible.i love to make it because its easy to make and takes only about 45 Min's to get ready, usually i serve it with bread, but its tastes even better with white boiled rice. its great party food as well as just made on a day you want to lazy and don't feeling spending too much time in the kitchen. I hope you will enjoy making it as much as i do ....enjoy...:~)

MUSAB'S GOL GUPPAS

GOL GUPPA/PANI PURI

Gol guppas are one of my favourite snack or rather a complete food package. In my opinion its quite a healthy meal in it self. This is one dish when I make my kids really get involved in rolling the dough and cutting out the circles. Just as it says in its name gol meaning circle or round like a ball. These bring back memories of us being treated to when we had been good, or wanted to eat out. Its so amazing how as kids we found pleasure in such simple things and as we grow older we tend to loose interest in them and complicate our ways of living eating thinking and all the things we do in life.
This recipe of gol guppas was given to me by one of my cousin who loved having them and he was one of the lucky one who got to eat a whole plate extra. Leaving us with our eyes popping out and mouth open. Gol guppas can be eaten sweet as well as salty. Entirely up what you like. This recipe is for all that love a bit of fun in life, and who live abroad and miss the fun time from back home.

FOR GOL GUPPAS

INGREDIENTS:-

1. 2Cups Semolina (suji)
2. ½ Cups Water a little more may be required for kneading.

METHOD:-

1. Mix semolina and water and knead into hard dough don’t worry if it does not stick properly at this stage. At this stage add only ½ cup water.

1. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep aside for at least 3-4 hours.
2. Knead again with a bit more water until smooth like, when we make chapattis ata.



3. Divide the dough in small balls roll with a rolling pin and cut round shapes with a small cookie cutter.




4. When you are rolling the ball make sure you don’t over do it and make it too thin other wise they won’t rise well for them to look like small balls.
5. Deep fry them like you would do a puri.

TAMARIND JUICE:- SALTY GUPPAS

• ½ pack tamarind (dried) imli
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste
• Red chilli powder to taste
• ½ Ground zeera powder
• ½ Ground dhanya powder (coriander powder)
• Chopped onions

METHOD:-

1. Soak tamarind in warm water for a few mins and strain.
2. Mix all ingredients and boil it till its almost half if you like it more watery just boil and take it off the hob.
3. Boiling the mixture is one way on knowing you won’t have sore throat afterwards.

TAMARIND JUICE :- SWEET GUPPAS

• ½ Pack tamarind
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cups sugar or a little more to your taste
• Fresh dates if you can’t find them use the dries one they work fine too.
• ½ tea spoon salt
• Red chillies powder to your taste
• ½ tsp zeera powder
• ½ tsp corriander powder

METHOD :-

1. Soak tamarind in warm water for a few mins and strain it well.
2. If using dried dates soak them over night after removing their seeds.
3. If using fresh ones just remove the seeds and boil them.
4. Once they are boiled add them to the tamarind juice and add the rest of the ingredients and boil till you have a think sauce like consistency. More like ketchup.

FILLING FOR GUPPAS:- (SALTY)

• Boiled chick peas or a can of chick peas.
• 1-2 kairies ( raw mango)thinly diced like we would cut onions for omelette .
• 6-8 green chillies
• Chopped boiled potatoes
• Tamarind juice salty

FILLING FOR GUPPAS :- (SWEET)

• Boiled chick peas or a can of chick peas
• 1-2 kairies( raw mango) like above
• Chillies if you like it hot as well as sweet
• Chopped potatoes
• Tamarind juice

Your first few puris may not look well for a lot of reason ,one it may be that the oil was not hot enough so make you when you place you puri in the oil is well hot. Two it may be thin and three most important you may be too excited to see the first one to be perfect, but don’t worry a few more in the pan and you‘ll have your guppas for sure. When you’re making the salty guppas tamarind juice make sure everyone has their own serving of juice because its thin and they be dripping it all over the table if there is only one serving dish, however if serving sweet ones no worries just have extra spoons around. .The key as I always say is to enjoy it don’t take it as a chore or a job otherwise you’ll end up in a mess of panic and things will get worse. Stay calm and you’ll love every min you’ve worked in the kitchen. Hope you all enjoy making it….until next time ..enjoy..;)

Mumma's Lamb Roast

MUMMA’S HARAY MASALA LAMB ROAST
( LAMB ROAST GREEN PASTE)

My parents were very very social so almost every weekend we had dinner parties some at our house and some at others. While growing older I remember having lamb roast very often in those gathering I simply loved it. It was so juicy and succulent I can actually feel the taste and texture in my mouth right now as I write about it. This is one recipe I really don’t want to change because it reminds me of Mumma and maybe this is why I keep this recipe too close to my heart I know this one by heart. It was one of the first things Mumma taught me to make. I always liked cooking yet more I love the idea of people loving it and almost eating up their fingers like I do till date sometimes.;)
We tend to usually forget to thank our mums to teach us a lot of things specially cooking. I really thank mumma for teaching me and making me responsible for cooking at a very young age, because today most of the people I know love what I cook. Had it not been for her I may not be able to cook so well. So here’s My Mumma’s one of the best recipes. i think this recipe is so easy that i make it with my kids and they love all work.ofcourse i was keeping an eye on them.

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Lamb leg
• 1 Tbsp Garam masala
• Half of coriander bunch
• Half of mint bunch
• 6-10 Chillies ( can have more if you like it hot)
• 2 tsp Meat tenderiser or 2Tbsp raw papaya grounded
• 500g yogurt (greek yogurt)
• 1 Tbsp salt ( salt has to be more nearly as much as in the sae water)
• 2Tbsp Ginger and Garlic paste
• 1/4 cup oil

METHOD:-

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender, and blend well to a thick paste consistency.



2. 
3. Then with a sharp knife sear the meat well. ( meaning hit it with knife and sort of make holes.)
   




4. Place your lamb leg in a baking tray.


5. Pour over the lamb leg the blended yogurt mixture. Leave it in the fridge over night or even a bit longer to marinate.
6. Bake at 120deg c for 7-8 hours.
   
   The trick to this recipe is the longer you leave it to marinate the better and the slower you cook it the better. Usually I put in the over at night and let is cook all night. By 9 in the morning its well cooked, meaning I cook it for more than 10 hours really. It all depends on how well cooked you want the meat to be. …hope you like it too ..enjoy..