Grey Street Casbah Recipes (Diwali) - October 2015
Grey Street Casbah Recipes (Diwali) - October 2015
Grey Street Casbah Recipes (Diwali) - October 2015
Leila Ally
Advertise in The
Eshana Suleman
Casbah
Method
1. Beat butter and sifted icing sugar together till light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla essence and ground almonds
3. Add sifted cake flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough
4. Pipe biscuits through a star shaped nozzle onto a greased baking tray
5. Decorate with a half a glazed cherry or an almond
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 for 20 minutes till done
Poli
Ingredients:
METHOD:
Sift dry ingredients, rub in butter (not ghee) and make a soft, pliable dough with some warm
water.
Roll out into a very large circle, smear with ghee. Fold in half, smear top half with ghee. Fold in
quarters. Wrap in cling wrap and leave in fridge.
FILLING:
1 cup desiccated or fresh coconut
cup semolina
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
cup castor sugar
cup sesame seeds
cup poppy seeds
1 teaspoon elachi powder
A little condensed milk
METHOD:
VARIATIONS:
Ingredients:
Falooda
METHOD:
Add milk to a pot, add china grass powder and bring to boil, keep on stirring to prevent china grass from settling and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once it boils, let
milk simmer on low heat for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from stove, add elachi powder and condensed milk. Stir well. Taste it and
add sugar if you want it sweeter. Tint in colour of your choice with food colour or red
rose syrup. When a little cool add nestles cream.
Beat with an electric or hand beater to incorporate the cream and make it frothy.
Pour into individual dessert glasses or bowls or in a square casserole bowl. Leave to
set in refrigerator. When set, decorate with strawberries, coconut or chopped/slivered almonds and edible glitter.
Coconut Burfee
Ingredients:
500g klim
1 tin nestles cream (155g)
3 cups dessicated coconut or freshly grated
2 teaspoons freshly ground elachi
1 tablespoon ground or chopped pista (pistachio)
1 tablespoon ground or chopped almonds
Slivered almonds and pistachio to decorate the top
Syrup
A few drops rose essence
4 cups icing sugar
1 cups fresh milk (full cream)
60g or 6 tablespoons of butter ghee
1 tablespoon condensed milk
METHOD:
Add sifted klim powder to a large bowl. Add the coconut, almonds, pistachios and elachi powder. Shake the tin of nestles cream well before opening to ensure that it is evenly mixed. USE
ONLY TIN NESTLES CREAM (and NOT the whole tin). Add a little at a time to the klim
mixture and rub in well with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside for a few
hours or preferably overnight, tossing every now and then to allow it to dry. Put this mixture a
little at a time through a coffee grinder or a food processor, though the coffee grinder is preferable as it gives a smoother texture. Set aside in a bowl.
Now add the milk, rose essence, ghee and icing sugar together in a pot and bring to boil, then
let simmer for 3 4 minutes until all the sugar is melted through. Now add this hot syrup to
the ground klim mixture a little at a time, using a spoon to mix it to form a soft, pliable, sticky
dough (or very thick batter). Be careful not to pour all the syrup in as you may not require all
the syrup to make a dough. If you add all the syrup your burfee will be ruined as it will become
runny and will not set.
Now add the condensed milk and mix well. Grease a casserole bowl with some butter ghee and
press the burfee mixture flat into the casserole. Top with almonds and/or pistachios and leave
to set overnight. Slice into squares and serve.
The burfee can also be scooped out into disposable paper cups (as for cup cakes) and decorated
accordingly.
NOTE: Burfee freezes very well. Just wrap in glad wrap and place in a sealed Tupperware
container and freeze. Allow to thaw at room temperature when needed.
Kaju Burfi
Ingredients
Method
1. Dissolve the sugar into 3 or 4 cups of water and bring to boil.
2. Add saffron and cook until it forms a syrup of thinnish consistency
3. Melt ghee and add to syrup
4. Add cashew nut powder and mix throughly.
5. Set aside and cool slightly. Knead it well and roll into a half centimeter thick triangle
6. Spread silver foil over it and cut into diamond shape, of approximately one and
half inch a side.
Dodhi Bhajias
Ingredients
Method
To grated dodhi, add grated onion. Add oil, chopped dhania and spices. Mix well together.
In a separate bowl, sift chana flour, mealie meal and baking powder, and add to the dodhi.
Form into bhajias and fry in shallow oil
Serve with chutneys of choice.
METHOD:
Heat butter in pot and add vermicelli, soji, sultanas, cloves and cinnamon sticks, tossing to prevent
it scorching. When it turns a peachy colour, add your milk a little at a time, stirring continuously
to prevent lumps forming. Add your condensed milk, rose essence, sugar and elachi powder. Taste
the mixture before adding all the sugar as you may not want it too sweet or for those who prefer it
sweeter, add a little more sugar.
Drain your soaked sago and add to milk mixture.
Bring to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until the mixture thickens. Add your almonds
and pista. Remove from stove and add your nestles cream and mix in well Serve hot. with
papadums!
PS: Using freshly ground elachi makes a huge difference to the taste
If too thick add a little more milk
METHOD:
Boil dhal in salted water until cooked but still whole (not mushy). Drain and set
aside.
Heat oil and add half the onion. Braise until softened. Add boiled dhal and spices.
Toss well and simmer on low heat until completely dry. Add curry leaves, rest of
onions, and mashed potato. Toss and leave to cool.
Remove curry leaves, add greens and test seasoning. Add more crushed chillies if
you prefer it more pungent and add more salt if less. It is now ready for filling.
The potato acts as a binding agent
Patha
Ingredients:
METHOD:
VARIATIONS:
Ingredients:
1 cup gram dhal (washed and boiled in salted water until done - drain)
6 bunches methi bhaji (washed, chopped and drained)
1 large onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (grated or finely chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon gharum masala
1 cinnamon stick
Salt to taste
cup oil
1 sprig curry leaves
1 little chopped dhunia to garnish
METHOD:
Braise onion in oil until golden brown. Add ginger/garlic and simmer a further 30
seconds. Add tomatoes and spices and simmer until tomatoes cooked and spices
fried until catching at the bottom of the pot.
Now add the methi and the boiled gram dhal. Simmer on low heat for +- 20 minutes
or until almost dry and methi cooked. Garnish with greens and serve with roti
METHOD:
Place the drained, boiled jackfruit in a food processor and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients,
mix well and shape into kebabs. If the mixture is too dry add a little water. If too wet, add more
flour
Press into tight balls or patties (cutlets), refrigerate for an hour and shallow fry until golden brown
on medium to high heat. Place in cooked chutney, garnish with greens and serve with roti
To make Chutney:
Ingredients:
METHOD:
Heat oil and add onions. Fry until onions softened and lightly golden brown. Now add garlic and
fry a further 1 minute. Add spices, sugar and salt and allow to fry on low heat (2 to 3 minutes). Add
tomatoes and cook until all water evaporated and chutney dry. If too dry, add a little water.
Sabzi Pilau
Ingredients
4 tablespoons oil
2 meduim onions , finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 cups rice
4 cups hot water
1 teaspoon masala of choice
1/2 cup lentils , boiled
2 meduim carrots cut into strips
1 dozen green beans thinly sliced
1/2 cup green peppers diced
1 small tomato chopped or grated
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
Salt to taste
Egg yellow food colouring
Method
Heat oil, fry onions until golden brown add spices and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
Add all vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes
Add rice to boiling water. Bring to boil over high heat and when it starts to bubble,
lower heat
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes till all liquid is absorbed. Do not allow vegetables
or rice to over cook.
Fluff up with a fork, mixing the vegetables and lentils with the rice
Garnish with egg yellow.
Optional: Sliced fried potatoes can also be used for garnishing.
Method:
Boil lentils in salted water. Soak rice in water for 1 hour.
Soak soya in hot water till it becomes soft. Boil garda beans till tender.
Heat ghee and fry onions until golden abd then remove from ghee and set aside.
To the remaining ghee add from bay leaves,cardamon, cinnamon stick,fennel,
Cumin and garlic/ginger. Stir in mixed masala and tomato, drained soya, lentils,
gadra beans and all vegetables.
Add salt and yoghurt and water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add strained rice.
Cover and cook until water is absorbed. Add greens.Serve with dhal..
BENGALI
VEGETABLE CURRY
Ingredients
1 1/ 2 cups fresh peas
1 1/ 2 cups green beans sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots diced
A few florets cauliflower
2 large potatoes diced
2 meduim onions finely chopped
4 level teaspoons butter or cooking oil
3/4 cup yoghurt
2 level teaspoons ginger/ garlic
1 teaspoon methi seeds ( fenugreek)
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted masala
1 large tomato chopped
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste
Method
Place vegetables in a pot, mix , add salt and sufficient boiling water, just to cover the vegetables.
Cover and allow vegetables to stand for 10 minutes
Then, heat butter/ oil in a meduim sized pot. Add the methi seeds and when it begins to turn light
brown add the onions. Fry onions till golden brown.
Add ginger/ garlic and roasted masala, stir. Add the tomatoes and yoghurt, stir once more. Cover
pot and cook at meduim heat until tomatoes are tender. Add the salt and soaked vegetables with
water. Cover and the simmer until vegetables are cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tandoori Paneer
Tikka (sizzler)
Ingredients
250g Paneer ( cut into 10 - 12 pieces)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon chaat masala
For marinade
Method
1. Put ingredients for the marinade into a food processor and blitz until smooth
2. Mix the paneer in the marinade and leave aside for an hour
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry until paneer is light brown in colour
4. Sprinkle chaat masala on top with a dash of lemon juice
5. Serve on a sizzler plate for that restuarant effect.
Chaat Masala
Ingredients
Method
1. Melt butter and allow to cool.
2. Add onion soup powder, the two creams and other ingredients besides the potatoes.
3. Thickly slice the potatoes.
4. Layer potatoes and cream mixture alternatively in a casserole dish.
5. Cover generously with cheese.
6. Bake in 180C for a few minutes or until cheese melts.
7. Ideal to serve with grills and braais.
Tip
Special Thanks goes out to Asha Weir for putting this event together
ATTENTION