8 Best Recipes For Ramadan 2014
Greetings to all Muslims for Ramadan. As all Muslims have their holly month and they are celebrating it to have Fasts. Here i have mentioned below the best energetic recipes for Ramadan 2014 with the help of Pakistan's foodie website tossdown.com.
ShukShuka
An Arabic dish consisting of eggs, garlic and tomatoes. ShukShuka is very DELICIOUS and energetic dish.
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 large fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 eggs
4 pita bread rounds
How To
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped tomatoes and garlic, stirring occasionally, until liquid has cooked out of the tomatoes. Carefully break eggs over tomatoes without breaking yolks. Lightly season with salt, reduce heat, and cover.
Simmer covered for 20 minutes, or until yolks are fully cooked. Adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Serve with pita pockets.
PREP 10 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 30 mins
Shish Tawook Grilled Chicken
These are served in every restaurant in the Middle East. You can easily make them at home and make them taste just as good, if not better. Don't substitute sour cream for the yogurt, as the yogurt is a meat tenderizer.
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
2 onions, cut into large chunks
1 large green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
How To
Whisk together the lemon juice, vegetable oil, plain yogurt, garlic, tomato paste, salt, oregano, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and cardamom in a large bowl; add the chicken and toss to coat. Transfer the chicken mixture into a large plastic bag; refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate. Thread the chicken, onions, and pepper onto metal skewers. Cook on preheated grill until the chicken is golden and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes each side. Sprinkle the parsley over the skewers.
PREP 30 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 4 hrs 40 mins
Balela Salad
This is a Middle Eastern-style bean salad that is full of flavor.
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
How To
In a salad bowl, lightly mix together the garbanzo beans, black beans, mint, parsley, onion, and grape tomatoes.
Place the jalapeno pepper, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar into a blender, and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to mix; sprinkle with salt and black pepper to serve.
PREP 25 mins
READY IN 25 mins
Kanafa
A Palestinian dessert! Crunchy shredded phyllo dough is baked with a layer of creamy sweet cheese and then drenched in rosewater syrup. It's simple yet impressive. The cheese filling is traditionally made from Nabulsi cheese that is desalted. The ricotta-mozzarella mix is a great substitute, and lower-fat products can be used. If you have access to a Middle Eastern grocery, you can probably find kanafa dye, which turns the dough into the orange or reddish color that is the signature of kanafa.
1 (16 ounce) box shredded phyllo dough (kataifi)
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup white sugar
12 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon rose water
How To
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Use a food processor to finely chop the frozen, shredded phyllo dough. The strands should be about the size of a grain of rice. Pour the dough into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup sugar.
Place the butter in a large liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Heat the butter in a microwave until completely melted, and let it sit for several minutes until a thick white foam has formed on top. Clarify the butter by using a spoon to skim off the foam.
Carefully pour the butter into the bowl of phyllo dough. Avoid pouring in the white milk solids at the bottom of the clarified butter. Use your hands to mix the butter and dough together. Make sure that the butter is absorbed by taking handfuls of the dough and rubbing it between your palms.
Evenly spread the buttered phyllo dough into a 9x13-inch pan and firmly press it into the bottom and edges. Spread the cheese mixture onto the dough, avoiding the edges of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is slightly golden and the edges of dough are brown and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.
While the kanafa is baking, prepare the syrup. Combine the water and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. (Do not let the mixture turn golden and caramelize.) Remove from heat and add the rose water; set aside.
Remove the kanafa from the oven. Place a large platter or baking sheet over the baking dish. Using oven mitts, carefully invert the baking dish onto the platter so the phyllo is on top. Pour the syrup over the kanafa. Cut into pieces and serve while hot.
PREP 25 mins
COOK 35 mins
READY IN 1 hr
Veggie Bulgur Salad (Kisir)
It is a very popular Turkish/Middle Eastern salad.
1 cup fine bulgur
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cucumber, diced
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
7 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 fresh lemon
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
How To
Place the bulgur in a bowl; stir in the boiling water. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chopped onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
Drain the bulgur and return it to the bowl. Add the cooked onion, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green and red bell peppers, green onions, parsley, mint, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, and the pomegranate molasses. Toss gently until the salad is thoroughly combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.
PREP 15 mins
COOK 5 mins
READY IN 40 mins
Chicken Biryani
This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yield a more authentic taste.
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 small potatoes, peeled and halved
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (1 inch) piece cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
5 pods cardamom
1 pinch powdered saffron
1 large onion, diced
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
How To
In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.
Banana Shake
A delicious banana shake made with milk, yogurt, lemon juice and sugar.
1 banana
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup whipped cream, garnish
How To
In a blender, combine banana, lemon juice and sugar. Process until smooth. Blend in the milk and yogurt. Pour into glasses, top with a dab of whipped cream and serve.
Yummy Strawberry Shake
Tastes yummy and delicious
4 cups strawberries, hulled
2 cups ice cubes
2 cups milk
4 cups strawberry ice cream
2 teaspoons white sugar
How To
In a blender combine strawberries, ice, milk, ice cream and sugar. Blend until smooth
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