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..:)

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 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..