SWEET PUFFS

SWEET PUFFS
MAKES: ABOUT 40

2 teaspoons active dried yeast
80 g (3 oz/¾ cup) chickpea flour
75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 teaspoons ground rice
5 large eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, pounded
60 g (2 oz/¼ cup) ghee, melted and cooled
oil, for deep-frying
Syrup
440 g (15½ oz/2 cups) sugar
2 tablespoons strained lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, pounded

Add the yeast to 2 tablespoons warm water. Leave to soak, then stir to dissolve.
Sift the chickpea flour, plain flour and ground rice into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
Beat the eggs well and stir in the cardamom, saffron and yeast mixture. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, pour in the cooled ghee and gradually mix into a thick batter, beating until smooth.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm draught-free place for at least 4 hours.

To make the syrup, dissolve the sugar in 500 ml (17 fl oz/ 2 cups) water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to the boil, add the lemon juice, cardamom and saffron and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave until cool.
Heat 10 cm (4 inches) of ghee or oil in a deep saucepan to 180°C (356°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. Stir the dough, then drop teaspoonfuls into the hot oil, pushing it off the end of the spoon with a round-bladed knife. Drop 10–12 balls in at a time and fry for 3–4 minutes, turning to brown evenly.
When golden brown and cooked through, lift the puffs out with a slotted spoon and place in the cooled syrup.
When all the puffs are cooked, stir them in the syrup to coat evenly, then lift out with a slotted spoon and pile onto a plate. Serve warm.

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

RICE WITH ONION

RICE WITH ONION

Serve: 5-6

Cooking time: 1 hour
2 Cups basmati or other good quality long grain rice
Cold water
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1.4 cup ghee or oil
Pick over rice and wash with cold water until water runs clear, then drain.
Bring 6 cups of water to the boil in a large pot, add rice and salty and return to the boil, stirring occasionally to keep grains separate. Boil for 8 minutes, and then strain into a large sieve.
Heat ghee in a heavy pan and add onion. Fry gently until transparent, increase heat and fry until crisp and lightly coloured. Remove half of the onion and ghee and put aside.
Add strained rice to pan and toss with fork to mix onion through rice. Put reserved onion and ghee on top of rice. Cover pan tightly with lid and cook on low heat for 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff up with fork and serve piled on a platter. This is a standard accomplishment to must Gulf meals.

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

BARBECUED FISH WITH DATES

BARBECUED FISH WITH DATES

SERVES: 6

The traditional Gulf way to grill fish is in a special cut-away dome-shaped clay barbecue with glowing coals in the base. The fish is impaled on a firm stick, with the stick passing through the mouth and into the body.
The end of the stick protruding from the mouth is stuck into the earth under the bed of coals, at a 45 degree angle. Perhaps you could try a similar method, using a fire beneath a low grill, with galvanised iron set around three sides to deflect the heat.
The dates give the fish a very pleasant flavour.
180 g (6 oz/1 cup) dried pitted dates
6 whole firm-fleshed fish, each about 375 g (13 oz), gutted
salt, for sprinkling
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed, optional
1½ teaspoons Baharat
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Cover the dates with cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes, or until soft. At the same time, soak six wooden skewers or about 18 cocktail sticks in cold water for 30 minutes to stop them sorching.
Meanwhile, rinse the fish cavities and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, inside and out, and leave for 15 minutes or longer.
In a mixing bowl, combine the onion, garlic, if using, and the spices. Add a little water and mix together well.
Fill the fish cavities with the onion mixture and close the cavities with the soaked wooden skewers or cocktail sticks.
Rub the dates through a sieve to purée them, adding some of the soaking water, or purée in a blender or food processor, adding enough soaking liquid to make a soft paste.
Spread the date purée on each side of each fish and leave on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Cook the fish over glowing charcoal for 4–5 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the body.
Serve hot. The skin, with the scales attached, is removed before eating.
Note: Choose a fish suitable for barbecuing, preferably a roundbodied variety such as red mullet. Do not have them scaled — the scales keep the flesh intact during grilling

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

MINCED MEAT KEBAB

SERVES: 8
It is quite a sight to see these flavoursome kebabs being prepared in the Gulf States, with many shops and food stalls specialising in them.
Lightning-quick hands shape the herbed and spiced meat paste onto long, flat skewers. Iron troughs running the length of the shop glow hotly with their charcoal fires ready to cook the kebabs quickly to juicy tenderness. The skewers sit across the top of the troughs in neat formation, with the cooks working their way up and down the passageway between, turning the skewers or removing them when cooked.
The finished kebab is deftly slid off the skewer onto soft, flat khoubiz; shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, chopped onion and cucumber are added and it is handed to the waiting customer. Hamburger Gulf style!
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) minced (ground) lamb or beef
1 handful coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Baharat
oil, for brushing

To serve
Khoubiz
cos (romaine) lettuce, in leaves or shredded
sliced tomatoes
sliced cucumber
finely chopped onion or spring onions (scallions)
In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, parsley, onion, salt and Baharat. Pass the mixture through a meat grinder twice, using a fine screen; alternatively, process the mixture in four batches in a food processor, using a steel blade.
Turn the mixture into a bowl. If a meat grinder was used, knead the mixture to a smooth paste by hand; if the mixture was processed, knead it to combine the flavours evenly.
Moisten your hands with water. Take generous tablespoons of the paste and mould it around flat, sword-like skewers, in finger shapes about 10 cm (4 inches) long. Place two such shapes on long skewers, or just one shape if the skewers are short. Keep your hands moistened during shaping.
As the skewers are prepared, set them across a baking dish, with the ends of the skewers resting on each side.
Have a charcoal fire at the glowing stage and remove the grill if possible. A rectangular barbecue such as the Japanese hibachi is an advantage here, as medium-length skewers will fit across it without the need for a grill.
Brush the kebabs lightly with oil and grill for 2–3 minutes, turning frequently. If it is impossible to cook the kebabs without a grill, then try to place the skewers so the meat lies between the grill bars.
Remove the cooked kebabs from the skewers and serve immediately in warmed Khoubiz, with salad ingredients.
They may also be served on a plate with a vegetable or salad accompaniment.

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

BRAISED MEAT AND POTATOES

1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) boneless lamb or beef stewing meat
40 g (1½ oz) ghee, or 2 tablespoons oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Baharat
1 garlic clove, crushed
500 g (1 lb 2 oz/2 cups) chopped, peeled tomatoes
60 g (2 oz/¼ cup) tomato paste (concentrated purée)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to garnish
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) potatoes
Khoubiz

Trim the meat and cut into cubes. Set aside.
Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy-based saucepan and gently fry the onion until translucent. Increase the heat and add the meat. Stir until the meat loses its red colour, then add the Baharat and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and parsley. Cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours.
Peel the potatoes, and halve them if large. Add them to the pan, then cover and simmer for a further 1 hour.
Cut the Khoubiz into small pieces and place in a serving dish. Ladle the meat, potatoes and sauce over the top and sprinkle with some extra chopped parsley.
Serve hot with salad and pickles

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

ARABIC COFFEE

SERVES: 8
6 cardamom pods
20 g (¼ oz/¼ cup) coarsely pulverised dark roast coffee

Bruise the cardamom pods by hitting them with a mallet, or pounding them briefly using a mortar and pestle.
Pour 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) cold water into a long-handled coffee pot and add the cardamom pods and coffee. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, so that the coffee grounds settle.
Pour the coffee into Arabic coffee cups, only half-filling the cups. It is traditionally served without sugar.

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

SWEET ARABIC COFFEE

SERVES: 6
Although called a coffee, there is no coffee in this exotic brew. It is actually a spice infusion!
3 whole cardamoms
3 teaspoons saffron threads
sugar, to taste

Pound the saffron using a mortar and pestle. Add the cardamom pods and briefly pound them to bruise them.
Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan or large longhandled coffee pot. Add 375 ml (12½ fl oz/1½ cups) water, and sugar to taste. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then leave over low heat for 30 minutes, or until reduced and thickened.
Serve in Arabic coffee cups, filling them to the top

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

SPICED CHICKEN AND RICE

SPICED CHICKEN AND RICE

SERVES: 4–5

40 g (1½ oz) ghee or 2 tablespoons oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Baharat
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 chicken, about 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz), jointed
375 g (13 oz/1½ cups) chopped, peeled tomatoes
3 cloves
½ teaspoon ground loomi (dried lime), or grated zest of ½ lemon
2 pieces of cinnamon bark 6 cardamom pods
3 teaspoons salt
400 g (14 oz/2 cups) basmati or other good-quality long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the ghee or oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and gently fry the onion until translucent. Stir in the Baharat and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Add the chicken pieces and turn in the onion mixture over medium heat to brown lightly. Add the tomatoes, cloves, ground loomi, or lemon zest, cinnamon, cardamom pods and salt, stirring well to combine.
Pour in 625 ml (21 fl oz/2½ cups) water, then cover and simmer over gentle heat for 45 minutes.
Pick over the rice to remove any discoloured grains. Place in a bowl and wash with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain. Stir the rice gently into the stew, add the herbs and bring back to a slow simmer.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 35–40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, stirring gently once or twice during cooking. Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
Pile the mixture onto a large platter, arranging the chicken pieces in the centre. Serve hot with pickles, salad and Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg

STUFFED ONIONS

SERVES: 6–8 AS A MAIN COURSE, 12 AS AN APPETISER
1 walnut-sized piece of tamarind paste
5 large onions
1 tablespoon oil or melted ghee
salt, for sprinkling
2 teaspoons sugar
Stuffing
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) minced (ground) beef or lamb
100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) long-grain white rice, rinsed
1½ teaspoons Baharat
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
125 g (4 oz/½ cup) chopped, peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Soak the tamarind in 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) warm water for 30 minutes. Strain into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to separate the pulp. Reserve the liquid and discard the seeds and fibres.
Peel the onions and carefully cut out the root with a pointed knife. Slit the onion on one side through to the centre, cutting from the top to the root end.
Drop the onions into a saucepan of boiling water and boil gently for 8–10 minutes, or until softened. Drain and cool.
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the filling ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
Carefully separate the onion layers. The outer layers may be cut in half; leave the inner layers intact.
Place about a tablespoonful of the filling on each onion layer, then roll each one up firmly.
Grease a heavy-based saucepan with the oil or melted ghee. Pack the rolls in the pan, seam side down, lightly sprinkling each layer with salt.
Combine the reserved tamarind liquid with the sugar and 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) warm water, then pour over the rolls. Invert a heavy plate on top of the rolls to keep them intact during cooking. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1½ hours.
Serve hot with salads, pickles and Khoubiz, or lukewarm as an appetiser.

Recipe placed by Corne Liebenberg

SWEET RICE

SWEET RICE
Known as the Bahraini pearl divers’ rice, Muhammar is one of those recipes which falls into the ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ category.

Though early pearl divers were doubtlessly not aware of the physiological implications of diving, at some stage they must have found they could dive more frequently and with less ill-effect if they had sweet foods and sustaining foods. The combination of date juice, rice and fat fulfilled these requirements.
Diving enthusiasts might be interested in the skills of these intrepid men. Using a rope to guide them, they would rapidly descend to a depth of up to 40 metres with a weight tied to their toes. They would stay down 10 to 15 minutes, scoop up any oysters in sight, then ascend. Diving at such a depth even with modern scuba gear has its hazards, let alone with no breathing apparatus at all. Needless to say the mortality rate was high, with sharks, sea snakes and jellyfish adding to the dangers involved.
Serves: 5-6 (1 of you are diving)
Cooking time: 30 – 35 minutes

¼ Teaspoon saffron threads
3 Cardamom pods, cracked
2 Tablespoons rose water
2 Cups basmati rice
6 Cups water
1/3 Cup granulated sugar or honey
¼ Cup ghee or butter

Place saffron and cardamom in the rose water and leave aside to steep.
Pick over rice and wash until water runs clear.
Bring 6 cups water to the boil in a heavy pan, add salt and rice and stir occasionally until water returns to the boil. Leave uncovered and boil for 8 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Pour sugar or honey onto hot rice and mix through with a fork.
Heat ghee or butter in pan in which rice was cooked and add sugared rice. Sprinkle rose water mixture on top. Make 3 holes in rice with end of a wooden spoon.
Cover rim of pan with a paper towel and place lid on tightly. Cook rice over low heat for 20 – 25 minutes until tender. Serve with grilled fish and roast lamb.

Recipe posted by Corne Liebenberg