1. The healthiest one: Apricot date smoothie with basil seeds (babri) and Tragacanth gum (Kateeer)
Preparation time: 10mins. Process Time: 5mins Total time: 15mins.
Serves: 2 Glasses
Ingredients:
- Apricot (ripe)- 2
- Dates (without seeds)- 2
- Chilled milk- 1½ cups
- Honey- ½ to 1 tbsp
- Kateer-2tbsp
- Basil seeds
Method:
- Soak the basil seeds and Kateer in water for overnight and they will from a gelatin like coating.
- In a blender, puree all the above mentioned ingredients till smooth.
- Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
2.Watermelon Peach smoothie with Basil seeds (babri) and Tragacanth gum (Kateeer)
Preparation time: 5mins. Process time: 5mins. Total time: 10mins.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- Mint leaves
- 1 tbsp basil seed (soaked)
- 1 tbsp kateer (soaked)
- 1 Peach, ripe
- 3 cups Watermelon
- 1 handful ice cubes
- 1/2 cup chilled cream or full cream milk or coconut milk
Method:
- Put all ingredients into a blender and blend them until mixed.
- Garnish with mint and enjoy!
3.The simplest one: Fruit Salad
Preparation time: 20mins. Process time: 10mins. Total time: 30mins.
Ingredients:
- Chilled cream
- Sugar/Honey
- Strawberries
- Apple
- Mulberries
- Mango
- Banana
- Cherry
- Cashews
- Walnuts
Method:
- In a blow whip the cream with a Whisk and gradually add sugar or honey.
- Add chopped fruits to the bowl and beat well (add delicate fruits like Mulberries and cherry at the end)
- Refrigerate for 2 hours. Garnish with dry fruits before serving
4.Turkish Lamb Pulau
Preparation time: 5min. Cooking time: 30mins. Total time: 35mins.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- flaked almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 500g lean lamb neck fillet, cubed
- 250g basmati rice
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 12 ready-to-eat dried apricots
- handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Method:
- Dry-fry the almonds in a large pan until lightly toasted, then tip onto a plate.
- Add the oil to the pan and then fry the onion and cinnamon together until starting to turn golden.
- Increase the flame, put in lamb, fry until the meat changes color.
- Then put in rice and toss for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in 500ml boiling water, add in the stock cube and add the apricots and whisk it slightly so that the flavors mix up.
- Lower the flame, cover and simmer for 15mins until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Toss in the almonds, mint and serve.
5. Moroccan Meatballs:
Preparation time: 5mins. Cooking time: 15mins. Total time: 20mins.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- 350g beef or chicken meatballs
- 1 large onion sliced
- 100g dried apricot, halved
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 400g chopped tomato with garlic
- 25g toasted flaked almond
- handful coriander, roughly chopped
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan, put in meat balls and fry for 10mins, turning occasionally until cooked through. Take out of the pan and set aside
- Then cook the onion for 5mins, until translucent.
- Add the dried apricots, cinnamon stick, tomatoes and add water and salt to the pan, bring the mixture to boil and simmer for 10mins.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and put in the meatballs and cover them well with the tomato sauce.
- Sprinkle with the almonds, coriander and serve.
6. Roasted chicken with creamy walnut sauce
Preparation time: 15mins Cooking time: 40mins Total time: 55mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 8 chickens thighs
- Salt (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 pita breads/naan
- 150ml hot chicken stock
- 175g walnuts
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 50ml cream
- juice 1 lemon
- handful coriander, chopped
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 200C or180F. In a roasting blow flip the chicken with cumin, paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil and add salt as per taste. Cook for 40mins until the chicken is crisp and cooked through.
- Tear up 1 pita bread or naan and place in a small bowl. Pour over a couple of tbsp chicken stock and leave to soak.
- Dry-fry the walnuts in a frying pan for about 3mins until golden and toasted. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan and cook the onion and garlic until softened.
- Now put the softened pita bread or naan, onion mixture and most of the nuts into a blender. Pour over the rest of the chicken stock and whisk together until a rough paste forms. Return the mixture to the pan.
- To this mixture add the cream and lemon juice and keep warm.
- When the chicken is cooked taken out on a serving platter.
- Add coriander to the sauce and stir well.
- Now scatter the sauce over chicken and add roughly chopped remaining walnuts and serve with Naan or pita bread.
7. Mango Sorbet
Preparation time: 5mins. Process time: 5mins. Total time: 10mins.
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- 2 mangos, cubed and frozen
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tbsp honey
Method:
- Blend the mango with cream in a blender; add honey for taste if required.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve chilled.
8. Peach Sorbet
Prep: 15mins. Process: 20mins. Total time: 35mins.
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 medium ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
Method:
- In a pan combine the water, sugar and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly; transfer to a blender.
- Add the peaches and process until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into a freezable container and freeze until firm and serve chilled.