SubhanAllah, we are on the last ten days of Ramadan. How fast time is flying… Every year, we look forward to the last ten days, which Allah has declared includes the best night in the whole year, the Lailathul Qadr – “Khairun min alfi shahar” – better than 1000 months, easily more than our one lifetime. We are asked to look out for the day and increase as much as good deeds we can do during these last ten days in anticipation of the blessed night.

However, as women, we may face our periods interfering with our days and we get upset that we may not be able to do as much as we can, especially since prayers are not allowed. Allah is Ar-Rahman, and hence expecting His Mercy while we make our sincerest intention, we can make as much as zikr our tongues can handle, listen to some beautiful recitations like this one and recite along with it, give charity, cook food for our neighbors, listen to lectures to learn new things about our religion, the list is endless…. At night, when everyone runs towards the Qiyamulail, we can sit on our prayer spots and make our dua. We don’t need to be clean to do that. It is a condition that Allah has given us to let us take things slow, since He knows how much we put a lot of stress on ourselves. So let us be His thankful slaves and do the best we can, InShaAllah…

My dear blogger friend Meena, who loves my collection of Emirati recipes, once messaged me saying that she had found out this recipe that uses broken wheat called “Jereesh” and I must try it, since it was really easy to make and absolutely delicious. As soon as I read through the recipe, I felt it like a cross between the Harees and the Arseeyah. Moreover, it had been a really long time since I had tried a new Emirati recipe. So I took the opportunity and decided to make it.

Jareesh is nothing but broken wheat. It is a little bigger than the regular nurukk gothamb we use and hence has a higher cooking time. Just like the Harees, it is very much a one-pot meal and uses chicken as its protein. To make it quite rich, it uses yogurt and cream as well. Top it with some ghee and fried onions, and you have a soulful dish at hand. It is said that Jareesh is more of a Saudi Arabian dish – in fact, it is declared as their national food – with little variations in the end result. Immaterial of it, it is still delicious in its own way… Try it during Ramadan or maybe even as a lazy lunch or dinner meal any day later, InShaAllah… There are variations that include tuna with a little spices, also the Saudi version of mixing jareesh with a little rice, which I must try gradually…

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Emirati Jareesh | Broken Wheat with Chicken and Yogurt

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1 cup jareesh
• 1 large chicken breast refer notes
• 1 stick cinnamon small
• 2-3 cardamom
• 2 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 stock cube
• 1 cup yogurt
• 125 ml cream one pack
• Melted ghee and fried onions for topping

Instructions

• Soak the jareesh for at least 2 hours or more. Clean and drain.
• In a pressure cooker, add the jareesh, chicken, water, cinnamon, cardamom, chicken stock cube, salt and pepper. Pressure cook for around 5-6 whistles on meduim-low flame.
• Allow pressure to go by itself.
• Whisk the yogurt and cream together.
• Open the cooker, add the yogurt-cream mix. You will see the mixture is dry, the chicken is all shredded.
• Bring the mixture to cook for around 10 minutes on low flame. Adjust seasoning.
• Using a hand blender, blend the mixture till smooth.
• Serve hot, with ghee and fried onions.

Notes

You can use chicken with bone for more flavor, just make sure the pieces are small so that it is easy to discard the bones. 

The post Emirati Jareesh | Broken Wheat with Chicken and Yogurt appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

Alhamdulillah, this year unlike the past two years, there is a full fledge Hajj happening in Saudi Arabia. It feels very heartfelt to see a million of our own brothers and sisters, unitedly call out the name of Allah, go through the process that was demonstrated by our Nabi (PBUH) on the blessed land of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). There are so many lessons of dedication, steadfastness and gratitude in the history of this month. We already know it, but it is always better to revisit the history and remind ourselves about it. Since the main event of Eid-ul-Adha is the sacrifice of domestic animals like goat or lamb, most of them prepare their dishes from that meat. Many foodies may refer to this Eid as “meaty Eid”.

I have been wondering which recipe to share on this occasion. I wanted to try a new mutton biriyani recipe and was wondering which one I would. Naturally, my head was titled to trying a local recipe. I tried to search on Google and there was only one option available to even refer to. I checked my cutout folder and there were no recipes in it as well. I am a little surprised since meat is eaten more regularly than chicken in this part of the world. Another disappointing thing was that the option available was absolutely confusing as far as the steps were concerned. If someone is trying the recipe for the first time, they would definitely have a mess in hand. So I reworked on the entire recipe and cooked it. The use of spices is minimal and hence I was a little concerned about how it would taste. To my surprise, it tasted amazing. It actually reminded me of the rare mutton biriyani D used to get from the local restaurant near his office during Ramadan – rare, because umma was never fond of mutton. The bites of the chickpea lentils is the highlight, do not skip it – a very stark similarity to the Omani Mutton Kabouli. It actually lends an amazing deliciousness to this mild biriyani and something that HD really loved. If you have no plans set for the day but want to cook something simple, then I would say to target this biriyani. Just make a batch of the bezaar spice blend in advance and you are good to go!

If you are looking for some meaty ideas, go on and explore the meat section for all sorts of ideas. But if you want me to suggest something specific to make, then here are my go-tos:

Thalassery Mutton Biriyani

Malabar Erachi Biriyani

Harrison’s Mutton Biriyani

Safed Maas

Bedouin Meat Rice

Lahm Majboos if you have bezaar and want to make something else

I may not post much next week, even though I absolutely have no plans on. But at times, little breaks are good to then come and blast in some amazing recipes… Have a blessed Eid and stay tuned…

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Lahm Biryani | Emirati Meat Biriyani

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 400 gm mutton pcs with bones
• 1/4 cup chickpea lentils
• 10-15 almonds blanched
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp bezaar spice blend
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 tbsp ghee

FOR RICE

• 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 1 clove
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 cardamoms
• 5-9 black peppercorns

Instructions

• Pressure cook the mutton with salt and pepper and set aside along with its stock.
• Pressure cook the chickpea lentils till done. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, boil lots of water with the whole spices and salt. Add the rice and cook till 90% done. Drain and set aside.
• In a cooking pan, heat olive oil. Fry the almonds and then the raisins. Drain and set aside.
• Add the onion and saute till golden brown.
• Add the spice powders and cook for a minute. Add in the tomato and tomato paste along with some salt and cook till nicely mashed.
• Now add in the mutton with the stock and the drained chickpeas and give a good toss. Adjust the seasoning and cook on low flame for around five minutes for the flavor to mingle.
• Now keep the flavor to the minimum. Top with the prepared rice. Sprinkle the fried almonds, raisins and coriander leaves on top. Drop the ghee in a few spots.
• Cover with aluminum foil and close the lid tight. Cook for around 15-20 minutes. Switch off and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
• To serve, slowly fluff up the rice and serve warm with sides of choice.

The post Lahm Biryani | Emirati Meat Biriyani appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I wish I could just get back to how life was normally – waking up lazily, watering and talking to my plants, just going by my life at home and just taking life as it goes. When life just goes on, we wish there was something more to it, when Allah decides to just let you know that things were fine as it was. Mentally, it has been a little overwhelming for me, because I am so used to being busy and having something or the other to do, that being on the bed most of the time isn’t taking well on my thoughts. I am just trying to stay as positive as possible, since I have no other option. This current situation is going to take around a month to get back to normal, or close to it, so I have to gear myself for it. In between, yesterday Rasha turned 15. I sometimes can’t believe that my girls are no longer little. All I pray for them is that Allah keeps them steadfast and levelheaded to face the challenges of the world ahead of them… This time I couldn’t bake anything but since she isn’t a cake fan, I don’t feel guilty about it.

It has been quite some time since I have posted any Emirati recipes on the blog. I can’t believe that the last recipe was the Thareed Lahm, that I posted as the National Day special post, which was a good six months ago. It has been mainly because I haven’t been trying much. The past couple of years have been a limbo as far as trying new recipes are concerned, and that explains the slow down in the posting as well, compared to the initial years. But I guess, that is a general transition when you blog for a long time – the circumstances change, so does the taste buds of the family as they grow into their stages. I don’t want to keep promises to myself but of course, want to explore at least some new recipes as soon as I am able to get out of bed… Hehe…

This is likely to be the last leg of the majboos recipes on the blog. I have already posted the chicken – the most tried and tested, Alhamdulillah! -, mutton and fish versions, which I realized I had posted exactly a year before. Even though prawns aka shrimps are technically in the fish category, the coking style is different and hence a totally different recipe. The prawns are marinated and cooked in the beginning and then added back to the rice just before the steaming process. I used medium sized prawns in this recipe. Try to use these or the jumbo ones, since they seem to go well with the recipe and would hold shape.

Since I can’t eat prawns, the family, especially my majboos crazy HD really devoured it. But if you ask me which is his favorite, it is always the chicken one. Always have a small bottle of the bezaar spice blend handy, so that you can make any of the Emirati delicacies at a whim. I usually make half the batch and it stays for at least 3-4 majboos cooking. Do you know that Emiratis use a lot of prawns and fish in their cooking, due to the proximity of the sea to the desert? Do check out the Arseeyeh Rubyan, Marrag Samak and the Emirati style baked fish, just among the limited recipes on the blog. Off to this delicious recipe…

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Majboos Rubyan | Emirati Prawns (Shrimp) Machboos

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

FOR PRAWN MARINATION

• 500 gm shrimps/ prawns, cleaned and deviened medium sized/ jumbo
• 2 garlic pounded
• 1 heaped tbsp bezaar spice blend
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• Salt to taste

FOR RICE

• 2 1/2 cups basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil as needed
• 2 large onion thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 loomi slightly crushed
• 1 small stick cinnamon
• 2 cardamoms
• 4-6 black peppercorn
• 1 veg stock cube optional but recommended
• 3 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

• Marinate the prawns with all the ingredients and keep aside for at least fifteen minutes.
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the prawns and cook both sides till slightly browned and almost cooked. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pan, add more oil if needed and add the onions. Fry till nicely browned and crisp. Drain half of it out and set aside.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, loomi and whole spices and cook till the tomato is completely mashed and cooked.
• Add the water and stock cube and bring the mixture to boil. Adjust the seasoning.
• Add the rice and allow it to boil till the rice absorbs most of the water.
• Keep the flame at the lowest. Sprinkle the reserved fried onion and coriander on top. Layer the fried shrimps as well.
• Cover the top tightly with aluminum foil, close the lid. You may keep something heavy on the top of the lid as well.
• Cook for 20-30 minutes on the steam. Switch off and allow the rice to rest till the time of serving.
• While serving, toss up the rice to mix with the prawns. Serve hot with yogurt and salat on the side.

The post Majboos Rubyan | Emirati Prawns (Shrimp) Machboos appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I have always made it a point to post an Emirati recipe every December 2, starting from the Khabeesa. This time, I was in a fix and was really not ready. To tell you the truth, I am very relieved that  I am able to post something on this day and that too a recipe that I love from the heart. I have already mentioned that my entire life has been in the UAE. The way the country pampers you is unparalelled anywhere in this world. I am sure that the multi-national expats in this country will really vouch for it. Even when we went to the US, my girls were constantly comparing it to how UAE is. Talking about it, even my sister after being there for almost 11 years, still can’t get the UAE out of her. It is a very complicated relationship. Once you are in this country and you have experienced the warmth, it stays with you, come what may…

This year, the UAE celebrates 50 years of being a shining example to the world of how a country should be. Without adding too many words to my emotions, I only wish and pray that the country becomes more resilient and helps its inhabitants grow and prosper in this difficult times, as always it has done in the past and become a world super powder in the making… Aameen…

Coming to the recipe for today, Thareed is one recipe I have been wanting to try and post, ever since I have tried the vegetarian version a few years ago for the redundant MENA Cooking Club. Like I had mentioned on that post, this recipe is not unique to the Emirates. The Thareed is widely eaten in Saudi, Qatari and Bahraini cuisine as well, and the recipe remains more or less the same. This food is said to have been Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s favorite dish. This article has some very interesting references towards this food and its goodness towards health.

The Thareed is a loose stew made with any form of meat, usually mutton and lots of vegetables, especially anything that comes into the gourd family, like squash, pumpkin, bottlegourd, etc. It is served on top of the local thin bread called “Regaag”. The regaag soaks up all the liquid in the stew and leaves a heap vegetables and meat on the top. This dish is usually served during Ramadan and unfortunately is not very frequently available in local outlets unlike the Harees, luqeimat and even Majboos. However, there is this outlet in Masafi which serves such amazing Thareed that they start sale at 4 pm on weekends and it finishes within an hour. The portion is huge and can be shared by at least 4 people. I hope you can track it down on your next long drive towards that area.

The recipe is quite straightfoward and not very complicated to make, though it takes the time the meat takes to cook. The level of water is totally dependent upon your liking, though the stew is supposed to have a lot of liquid. Since I couldn’t get regaag, I used saj bread to serve this curry, and it tasted delicious enough. Another option you could use is khubz or Lebanese bread as well. The thinner the bread, the tastier it would be…

I was wondering what is the difference between the Salona and the thareed as the recipes are very similar, and what I figured out is that the Salona is served on its own with rice or flatbread seperately, while the Thareed is served along with the flatbread in one bowl. Of course, have a bottle of the Bezaar blend always ready in your fridge, so that you can make all your spiced Emirati dishes whenever you wish for it. Off to this simple and wholesome recipe…

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Thareed Lahm | Tharid ~ Emirati Meat Stew

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 500 gm meat chunks with some bones I have used mutton
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste heaped
• 2 tsp bezaar spice blend
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 ts cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp black pepper more for spiciness
• Salt to taste
• 1 big loomi crushed
• 150 gm pumpkin chunks
• 1 large carrot peeled and cut into roundrels
• 2 koosa peeld and cut into roundrels
• 1 potato peeled and cut into chunks
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Regaag bread to serve can use saj or khubz

Instructions

• In a pressure cooker, add the ghee and oil. Add the garlic and sizzle.
• Add in the onions and saute on high flame till it turns golden brown and smells fried.
• Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook just till mashed.
• Add in all the spice powders and the loomi and give a good mix.
• Add the washed and drained mutton, add in the salt. Add a cup of water and close this lid.
• Pressure cook for 3-5 whistles, till the mutton is almost done. Allow the pressure to go by itself.
• Open the lid, add in the vegetable chunks. Adjust the seasoning. Close and cook for one whistle. Take off and allow the presure to go. By this time, the mutton should fall off its bone and the vegetables should be cooked but still in shape.
• Open the lid, and check the seasoning. Add the coriander leaves. Add more hot water if needed.
• To serve, layer dish with regaag or saj bread. Pour the stew only all over the bread for it to soak. Top with the mutton chunks and vegetable. Dig in.

Notes

Make sure to cut the vegetables based on its cooking time. I cut the potatoes, pumpkin and koosa into big chunks since they cook faster and the carrots into meduim roundrels so adjust the cooking. 

You can replace the mutton with chicken. In this case, cook everything together. 

The post Thareed Lahm | Tharid ~ Emirati Meat Stew appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I was hoping that once I get back, I will be able to get back to blogging like I used to do before. But jetlag is such a pain… It is a constant fight to get the body and mind to coorindate and get back in track. As I do this post, I can’t but think with a sad heart that it has been one week since we are back. Days are flying as if there is no tomorrow.

The girls’ schools are expected to open to face-to-face classes soon and I can’t wait for them to go to school. It is mainly because their concentration on studies have hit a road block ever since they have been sitting on their laptops. My sound seems to have taken a toll but not their listening capabiities. :/ At least once back to school, there will be an urgency to do their work and be up-to-date, which was not the case when home.

I know a lot of the parents are not still opting for this, but looking into it, by being at home, our kids are missing the most fun part of being at school – being social with their friends. Thanks to Covid, they won’t be able to share each other’s lunch boxes or sit next to each other on the stairs during the recess. I feel sad about how much of their childhood has been wiped out by this pandemic, but Alhamdulillah, we have survived and hopefully things will get better, InShaAllah…

It seems like ages since I have shared an Emirati recipe, the last one being with fish too. In general, my trials of recipes, whether new or old, has taken a back seat this whole year, due to so many reasons, so I am just thankful I am able to feed the blog. Hehe… Shark is a fish that is widely available here and is loved by the Emiratis. In fact, it is one of my favorite fish too. If there was a fish umma never liked, it is this and when she had to fry shark, she would make something else for her. The thing with shark is that it is a very thick skinned fish, and once it is gutted, there will be hardly any flesh available. But I find the meat of this fish absolutely delicious. However, there are times when the flavor of the shark can be smoky or taste a little off. I have no clue why this is, but I have had this experience a couple of times and that makes me think twice before buying shark…

Now this dish is feels like our Kerala style meen thoran. The chunky fish is first boiled, shredded and added into a  deliciously spiced base to make up the final dish. The recipe was really hard to find, however I was lucky to find it while browsing a magazine in a store and immediately took a click to make it. The recipe uses the bezaar spice blend, which is used in every spiced Emirati dishes. I loved that this dish used crushed fried onions, and I decided to stick to it. I found another recipe that used tomato chunks as well. If you like tomatoes or need a little more body to this dry dish, you may add so.

If you are wondering how to serve this dish, it is usually served with plain rice or saffron rice and if you need something to go with it, then a good option is this lentil soup or Daqoos. It goes amazingly well with chapathis or just eaten with plain bread. Off to this simple recipe…

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Jesheed ~ Emirati Minced Shark

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg shark fillet
• 1 small bay leaft
• 1 inch pc cinnamon
• 1 loomi (dried lemon) crushed

FOR DISH:

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chiliies minced
• 1 loomi (dried lemon) crushed (refer notes)
• 1 tbsp bezaar spice blend
• 1 tsp black pepper powder add more to taste
• 1 cup fried onions, crushed made of 2 large onions
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Instructions

• Wash the shark well. In a pot, add the shark, cinnamon, bay leaf and loomi along with lots of water and salt. Bring to boil and cook till the shark is almost cooked.
• Drain and allow to cool. Shred the fish after discarding the bones.
• In a saucepan, heat ghee. Fry the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and crushed loomi.
• Add the shredded shark along with the bezaar spice blend and pepper powder and give a good toss. Sprinkle some water to keep the dish together and cook on simmer for five minutes, stirring in between.
• Add the crushed onions to the done shark and adjust salt. Cook for two minutes, add the coriander leaves and switch off.
• Serve hot as side to plain rice.

Notes

The original recipe uses dried loomi powder in the sauce prepared. I used one loomi crushed. You can add 1 tsp loomi powder if available. 

This dish is dry. Some recipes use tomato. If using, then chop one tomato into small peices and add along with the shredded shark. Cook till smashed and done.

The post Jesheed ~ Emirati Minced Shark appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

Currently I am struggling with routine. Once Ramadan is gone and Eid is finished, getting back to the regular routine of cooking three meals a day and deciding what to feels a little overwhelming. I have to just be happy that I have a family who prefers simple meals and hence I do not need to break my head to make my meals. Hehe… meanwhile, since this is the month of Shawwal, there is a voluntary fasts of six days, if fulfilled along with Ramadan, becomes equivalent to fasting one whole year. Last year, thanks for Covid getting on to me immediately after Eid, I wasn’t able to do the fasts. But this year, I really want to be doing it somewhow, InShaAllah…

Coming to the recipe post for today… It has been so long since I have posted any Emirati recipes of late. I have been a bit lagging in trying new ones as well. I hope I can get back to making more and posting them as well, so let’s start with this one for now.  The Chicken Majboos is one of the most tried and loved recipes on the blog for all good reasons. I have also posted the meat version, which is something I cook when I get some good mutton. This is the third version, which is made from fish.

The recipe is quite different from how the meat ones are made. I have adapted this recipe from here, with some minor changes. Since there is not much flavoring from the fish, the rice has a lot of flavor elements going into it. The list of ingredients may look a little long, but it isn’t essentially complicated to make. If you get some really good king fish or a nice steaky sea bream, then do try making this rice over the weekend or a weekday lunch too. You won’t be disappointed…

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Machboos Samak - Emirate Fish Majboos

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 500 gm king fish steaks
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp bezaar spice blend
• Salt to taste
• Oil for shallow frying

FOR RICE

• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp bezaar spice blend
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
• 2 loomi
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 stock cubes
• 2 green chillies
• 2 cups basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained
• A fat pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 bunch coriander leaves chopped

Instructions

• Marinate the fish in the spices mentioned and set aside for 15 minutes. Shallow fry in oil till just brown. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, heat oil. You can add the oil back from what was used for frying fish. Fry the onions till caramelized.
• Add the garlic, tomato and tomato paste and cook till the tomatoes are completely mashed.
• Now add all ingredients from cumin powder to green chillies and saute for a few minutes or till raw smell is gone.
• Add three cups of water and bring to boil. Adjust seasoning.
• Add the drained rice and cook on meduim flame till the rice soaks up all water.
• Reduce the flame to minimum. Sprinkle the saffron water, the ghee and coriander leaves. Line the fried fish on top. Seal the pan using aluminum foil or cloth and close the lid tight.
• Cook for 20 minutes and then rest for 10 minutes. Open, fluff the rice and serve with regular sides.

Notes

You can use whole fishes instead of steaks. 

The post Machboos Samak – Emirati Fish Majboos appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

It always feels nice to come back to this little space and write about the country that is our bread and butter. Having lived here since I was born, I have seen the country go through a lot of changes, improvements and diversions. This year has been the most challenging thanks to Covid, but it was a worldwide phenomena and many will agree that UAE has managed this epidemic well. In between, the country had its first Mars mission, which was a first of many kinds. The Expo 2020 may be delayed, but it is a hope of having a better event in place. I sincerely hope that the coming years will be a much better and productive year for this country, which is entering its 50th year of existence. It is an immense pride of how much this country has achieved in such a short span of time!

I have been trying to have a collection of Emirati recipes on the blog, however though the process has been really slow, I am glad that I have been able to do it. While trying to figure out what to cook as the National Day special, my mind wanted to make the Ferni, which is the local style rice pudding, but then as soon as I saw the pack of sago aka tapioca pearls in my pantry, I just wanted to make the Sago that I have been eyeing forever. The way sago is cooked here is like a sweet – or as they call it, halwa. The sago is cooked in a liquid made with caramelized sugar and heavily scented by saffron, with undertones of rose water and cardamom, till the whole mixture becomes a gloopy mess. It is surely a little bit of work and patience to get the whole thing done, but the end result is absolutely amazing. I have had Sago at the local cultural shows here, but somehow at the end, I pick up the Omani halwa to take home. Both tastes very similar, just that the sago has a more sticky texture.

The recipe has very limited ingredients. The sugar is first caramelized and then once the water is added and boiled, the sago is added, and then left on low flame to cook till done. Of course, you can’t leave it alone, you need to get your power in to stir the whole mixture to get them together. There are a few notes in there, especially the amount of the water and the type of sago to use. Usually, I get the big sago that really pops up when you make payasam and gives a pretty look, but takes some time to cook. However in this recipe, the small sago is supposed to be used. It would ultimately powder out and get mashed into the mixture completely once cooked. I used the large sago and it took really a lot of time to cook and tested my patience. That is when I checked the videos again and noticed that all are using the small sago, so it would ultimately look like a proper halwa. So please use the small sago and not the big one, like I did. Other than this, it is a uncomplicated recipe, and if you love saffron, this will surely become your favorite to make!

Before moving to the the recipe, I am linking this post to the AtoZ Challenge hosted by Vidya and Jolly. This month, the alphabet is “S” and I have chose saffron as my ingredient. What better way to highlight the world’s most expensive spice in a dish that belongs to the country that I have lived in forever! I understand that not everyone likes saffron – same was the case with me too, it has grown on me with age, I must say! But I truly love it in my chai or just plainly in milk, so delicious for the chilled nights we have at the moment! Of late with milk cakes being a rage here, my favorite always remains the saffron milk cake.  I was also thinking that “sago” could have also qualified for this month’s ingredient, but my favor tilts towards the saffron, so let it be. I guess I will leave my saffron craze for now and quickly hope on to the recipe…

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Sago | Emirati Tapioca Pearl Pudding with Saffron

Course Dessert

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sago or tapioca pearls refer notes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups water refer notes
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tbsp rose water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2-3 tbsp crushed nuts

Instructions

• Soak the sago pearls in water for 30 minutes. Wash and drain.
• In a thick bottomed saucepan, add the sugar. Sprinkle in around 2 tbsp water.
• Cook on low-medium flame, swirling the pan, till the sugar starts to caramelize. Allow it to reach an amber color. Do not stir.
• Now add the water. Make sure to pour it from a distance since it will start to splutter. The caramel may become hard as well. Don't worry abut it. Once the spluttering stops, stir and allow it to come to a boil. The caramel will start melting into it.
• Now add the drained sago and the cardamom. Cook, stirring and mixing well occasionally, till the sago is all done and gets transparent. Add the saffron and rosewater midway.
• It gets done until you will no longer see any whitish tinge. Add the ghee and mix well. Switch off.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle in the nuts (I used cashews). Enjoy warm or cold!

Notes

The sago to be used is the small one. I have used the big one and hence it was still not smooth.
The amount of water is totally dependent on the cooking time of sago. If the mixture sticks to the pan and the sago is still not cooked, add water in increments of 1/4 cup till the sago is completely cooked and transparent.
You can sprinkle in pistachios or even sesame seeds for a final touch.
Personally I like this dessert warm. But you can have it cold as well.

The post Sago | Emirati Tapioca Pearl Pudding with Saffron appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I was contemplating whether to post this now or later. But during Ramadan, even though we love to eat a lot of non-veg dishes, there are times when you would like vegetarian fare and you would prefer eating something that wouldn’t make you miss non-vegetarian food. This casserole perfectly fits the bill in every way.

Let me start with a story. Last January when my parents were here, we were invited for dinner to HD’s local friend’s sister’s house. It is the first time I am eating at a local’s house. Expats in the Gulf countries may understand when I say “first time”. I do have a couple of local friends but we always end up meeting and eating out. The beauty of most of the Gulf countries is you do not feel like you are living in a foreign country, especially if you are an Indian, and particularly a Keralite. OK, so coming back to the dinner, we received a warm welcome, over some dates and Qahwa. In all the vast dishes that was a part of the dinner spread, this particular dish totally caught my attention. It didn’t look appetizing, but when she explained to me that she had cooked it and it was something her father had taught her to cook, I had to eat. What was one spoonful, because almost half a plate. After cherishing my fill, I asked her for the recipe, but with her broken English and my even broken Arabic, all I could figure out was yogurt and turmeric. I sincerely regret not knowing Arabic, but that can be a topic of discussion for later…

I have been wanting to make this since then and have been googling for a recipe that is at least close to it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find even a single link. There were casseroles with these ingredients but either they were the Moussakka or a vegetarian version of it. Finally, I decided I am going to figure it out myself. The Emiratis use a lot of Madras curry powder in their dishes, and I had got myself one small tin – I used this brand – to try a few recipes that uses it. I decided I was going to use this stash of mine into this dish, even though I wasn’t 100 percent confident. She had told me that they deep fry the potatoes and aubergines, which I didn’t do, to save some calories. I parboiled the potatoes and shallow fried the aubergines. One advice – please cook the potatoes till at least half done. If not, they are bound to give you a headache in the oven. They take forever to bake! Baring this mistake, everything turned out perfect. Even though the family wasn’t impressed in the first look, I coaxed them to try it and all I received was an empty pan. Yay moment! The sauce was sincerely amazing. The flavor of the curry powder just made it better. I would increase a little more on the yogurt, maybe 1/4 cup more to have a little more sauce. This recipe actually reminded me of this baked yogurt chicken but without the chicken, of course!  Off to this recipe…

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Batata Batemjaan ~ Potato Aubergine Casserole

Course Main

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 large eggplant/ aubergine - around 500 gm
• 2 large tomatoes
• Olive oil as needed
• Salt and pepper as needed
• Parsley or coriander leaves for garnish
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 1 1/4 cup yogurt refer notes
• 3 heaped tsp Madras curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Wash the potatoes well. Slice into thin roundrels. Boil water and drop in the potatoes and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. The potatoes still be partly cooked. Drain and set aside.
• Wash and slice the aubergine into roundrels. Sprinkle salt and set aside in a colander to drain off the excess juices. Wash and drian.
• Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Pan fry the aubergine slices for a minute a side. Drain and set aside.
• Slice the tomatoes into roundrels and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
• Keep a large oven plate ready. Layer the potatoes, aubergines and tomatoes in to the dish. Sprinkle black pepper in between.
• Whisk together all the ingredients under "for sauce". Spread on top of the arranged vegetables. Drizzle some olive oil.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Take out, toss all the ingredients so that the sauce coats. Put back into the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes till the potatoes are cooked.
• Take out, garnish with coriander or parsley leaves and serve hot with sides of choice.

Notes

I used only 1 cup of yogurt in my sauce but would have loved to use more, and hence mentioned the increased quantity in the recipe.
You may use regular curry powder instead of Madras curry powder, even though the flavors may be a little different. Add 1 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder if using regular curry powder.

Disclaimer – I don’t know how authentic this dish is as far as local cuisine is concerned. But since I had this first time at an Emirati’s house, I am still tagging it under Emirati cuisine.

The post Batata Batemjaan ~ Potato Aubergine Casserole appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

I guess it is time to get back to reality after basking in some glory after the Chocolate Mousse Cake. Hehe… This week has been quite busy with guests from HD’s home. My whole schedule has gone for a toss, but for that matter, from November end, nothing has been as per schedule. It is just being twisted and tweaked as per how circumstances are coming and falling in place. But InShaAllah, after they leave on Saturday, I should be able to come back into my routine of everything, especially my workouts, that I am struggling to come back to. I always feel that I eat better the time I workout and vice-versa. I really don’t understand my thought process, when most of the time, it is the way around for many people! So let’s see how it goes… The climate has been kind. It is kind of cozy most of the time, with bouts of extreme coldness and the general feel is only to round up on the couch with a throw intact and something hot to drink all the time…

On a Friday afternoon, when I run out of ideas and ask my family what they would like to eat, they would unanimously say – Majboos! Once a month is mandatory now at our place. When umma comes, then it may repeat again within the month – that much she loves it. I always have a bottle of the Bezaar spice ready in my pantry and making this rice is also super easy. Once you put all your ingredients in place, all you need is one pot to go about the whole process. Even though this recipe doesn’t feature on the popular recipes on the blog, I must say it is the most tried and the amount of feedback I have received is enormous. It feels nice to know that this dish is loved by many and so much that they make it when they have guests! I feel very happy when I receive such messages and comments. Majboos is not only made with chicken but you can make it with other meat too. Just like this one made with mutton…

HD loves mutton a lot but because of his uric acid problem, I try to cook it minimally at home. He has been behind me to try the majboos recipe with mutton since long. Before I used the same recipe, I checked around and found that there wasn’t much of a difference except for partly cooking the mutton, since it takes time to cook. Moreover, if you notice, the local community always cook big chunks of meat, so what is added to their rice or curry dishes are cooked for a long period of time to ensure that the meat falls off the bone. I have used regular sized chunks of mutton that we would usually buy for our curries and rice to cook this dish.

Like I mentioned, the only difference is cooking the mutton with some water, and then adding it back to the rice for final cooking. The rest of the procedure remains the same. I have added a tin of drained chickpeas into this dish, which is optional, but adds a nice dimension to the flavor of the rice. The chickpeas was a part of the original chicken majboos recipe, however I never used it there. I tried it with the mutton and we loved it. The day I made it, the mutton was all fished out and I had little rice remaining. Since the rice in itself is so flavorful, all you need is some yogurt and pickle to wipe it clean! Off to this simple recipe…

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Lahm Machboos | Majboos ~ Emirati Mutton Rice

Course Mains

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• FOR MUTTON:
• 500 gm mutton cut and washed
• 2 heaped tsp bezaar spices
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 lime juice extracted
• Salt to taste
• FOR RICE:
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large onions sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• 2 cardamom crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 loomis dried lime
• 2 cups basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained
• 1 stock cube
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 small can chickpeas drained

Instructions

• Toss the mutton into the ingredients mentioned under "for mutton". Marinate for 10-15 minutes.
• In a pressure cooker, add the mutton along with one cup of water. Pressure cook for three whistles, and switch off. Allow the pressure to go by itself.
• Drain the mutton and reserve the stock. Measure the stock and fill up with water to make it 3 cups.
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and fry till browned. Reserve half the fried onion.
• Add the drained mutton and toss for a couple of minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, whole spices and loomi and cook till tomatoes are mashed.
• Add the stock mixture and bring it to boil. Add the stock cube and rice. When boiled again, lower to the smallest flame, and adjust seasoning. Cook till rice absorbs almost all the water.
• Now sprinkle the remaining fried onions, the chopped coriander, the saffron water, the ghee and the drained chickpeas on top. Cover the lid tightly with foil or a muslin cloth and cook on steam for around 15-20 minutes.
• Switch off and allow to rest for a few minutes. Fluff up well before serving it hot with accompaniments of your choice.

The post Lahm Machboos | Majboos ~ Emirati Mutton Rice appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.

This month, three days of the week, you will see posts related to the Bake-a-thon. This is a baking event that is conducted by Valli every year. I think I will leave more details in the next post, while today, I will celebrate the birthday of the country that gives our bread and butter…

Every year, I have made it a point that I do a post for this day. December 2 was the day when this country was declared in its current known state. The country today completes 48 years of existence. We all know how much the young country called UAE, despite its diminutive area, has managed to come to the top of the world, due to its exemplary leadership, swift development and enthusiasm to soak in new technologies and innovation. 2019 was celebrated as the Year of Tolerance and through out the year, there were events confirming the country’s commitment to promoting tolerance between communities, irrespective of their differences.

I have written enough about how much I am indebted to this country for the lovely life it has given me and my family. If you would love to read the posts from the previous years, then here they are…

Khabeesa

Lqeimat

Chebaab

Aseeda Bobbar

Biriyani Dejaaj

You can find all the Emirati recipes clubbed together under this tab for easy reference…

Since this year, the date was clashing with the first post for the Bake-a-thon, I decided that I must somehow figure out a baked dish that I could post during this special day. We all know that the UAE is a desert and the idea of baking was not something that was done in modern style. As per what I understand from my readings, the baking was usually done in deep hot stone ovens, which are similar to the Indian tandoors, and most of the time, it would be something like meat or fish. A little big digging and a small memory brushing reminded me of the yeasted bread called “Khameer”.

“Khameer” in fact means “yeast”. Likely the bread got its name from the usage of yeast to give its body. There is a little confusion with regards to the making of this bread. Of late I had seen a lot of recipes where the Khameer is fried. I understand that the fried version belong to Yemen, while the baked version is what belongs to the UAE. Moreover, there is even confusion on the texture of this bread. I have seen, and in fact eaten a Khameer which was totally puffed up and looked like a pita bread, yet slightly sweetened due to the use of dates in it. However, there are Khameers that are like thick pancakes, made healthier due to the baking.

The Khameer I made ended up in the second category despite following the recipe to the T. I have no idea whether it was wrong or maybe that is the way it is, however we totally enjoyed the bread along with the cheese and honey. Since it was a hit with my family, I decided to get it up on the blog.

In fact, my first try was a disaster. I used this recipe and tried the overnight proofing. I used half of all purpose and half wholewheat to make the dough. Unfortunately, when I saw the dough in the morning, I realized something was wrong and the first bake cemented my doubts. Instead of getting bread, I got a thick biscuit and that entire dough ended up in the bin. I then kneaded the second batch, this time taking little hints from my earlier lesson and referring to this link, and went proofing as usual. However, there was no usage of the date syrup anywhere so I still went ahead and used it. Usually, I understand it is softened dates that it mashed and added, but you can add dates syrup or paste to make your life easier. The spices lend a subtle flavor to the bread.

Even though the bread wasn’t puffy, it was really soft and melt in mouth. Like you can see in the below, we dunk into the cheese and drizzled a little honey over it, and really enjoyed it. In fact, I regretted making an additional breakfast, thinking that this wouldn’t get accepted, so I had to make the folks finish off the bread over two days. Hehe… Hope you have enjoyed the first recipe from my adopted country… and till the end of the month, three days a week, you will only see bakes this month, so stay tuned…

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Khameer | Emirati Yeasted Flatbread

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 -4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• A fat pinch of saffron crushed
• 2 tbsp date syrup
• 1 tbsp melted ghee
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 small egg or milk for wash

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt and the spices.
• In a mug, whisk the syrup, ghee and milk till combined and pour over the dry ingredients.
• Bring the dough together and knead till you get a soft, non-sticky dough. Add more flour or milk as desired. Knead for at least 7 to 10 minutes.
• Grease the bowl and keep the dough for proofing for an hour.
• Preheat oven to 240 degrees. Take out the trays and only keep the rack in.
• Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll into a 1/4 thick round. Wash with egg or milk on the top.
• On a cooling rack, put the brushed side down and push into the oven. Bake for 3 minutes or till cooked.
• Pull out and take onto a plate. Serve warm with cheese and honey.

The post Khameer | Emirati Yeasted Flatbread appeared first on The Big Sweet Tooth.