Kibbeh- Recipe of the Month.

KIBBEH a dish that was first tasted in an Arabic Restaurant with lot of curiosity, a bit hesitantly as  I was not sure of the variety of meat that it was made of. Reassurance from the waiter that it was indeed lamb meat made me give it a try.

Early start of this year brought home the sad news about my dad’s demise. It was a dreaded news that I  would always worry about every time I left my motherland. Dad’s absence leaves a vacuum within, as apart from being my dad he was a great friend too. It was always a cherished moment to discuss about anything with him, to share my dreams and aspirations. The sad part is that I cannot share my blogging experience with him and I miss his thoughts on each and every post that I have written so far.  As he was fond of lamb mince, I have been posting and sharing my lamb mince recipes every month with you all, as making these dishes in my kitchen are my moments with him, his memories, cherishing all the good times that we spent together. To continue with this journey I bring here my Recipe of the Month, a middle eastern dish-KIBBEH.

To share a bit about my cooking experience of this dish. I made this dish for my hubby’s birthday this year, a new first time trying out of the recipe.  I searched the internet for information on how it is prepared, and gave it my own personal touch. As no chilli was added the first time, my first mental note was to add the chilli to the list of ingredients the next time I made it. This time when I was making it for the recipe of the month post, I have added the spice and chilli that I use at home and gave the dish my own personal touch. The final dish was devoured as soon as I kept it on the plate. It is a fantastic recipe, try and give yourself the gratifying moment!!

KIBBEH-MY RECIPE OF THE MONTH:

KIBBEH- This is a dish found in Middle Eastern countries. The main ingredients are Bulgur wheat (cracked wheat), lamb mince, onions. This is a deep fried dish, that has a soft filling of meat along with pine nuts. The onion in the dish imparts a sweetish taste, lamb the meaty taste, and the pine nuts  impart the nutty taste, all together making it a very different and unique tasting experience.  I have added chilli flakes and garam masala to make it a more spicy hot taste, more perfect for our taste.

INGREDIENTS: 

Bulgur wheat-3/4 bowl (75g),

Onion-2 Medium-sized,

Lamb mince-300 g,

Pine nuts-50 g,

Cumin -1 Tsp,

Chilli flakes- 1 Tbsp,

Garam masala- 1 Tsp,

Pepper powder- 1/2 Tsp,

Salt- to taste,

Cooking oil- For frying.

METHOD:

1. Soak the Bulgur wheat in water for 20-30 min.2. Drain the water from the soaked wheat and press it hard to remove all the excess water. Water should be completely removed from the soaked wheat.

3. Roughly chop the onions. Grind the soaked wheat, chopped onion, cumin, half of the chilli flakes, and 150 g of the lamb mince in a mixer pot. It should form a dough-like mixture. If need be one can add ice cubes when grinding the mixture.

4. Heat a fry pan on the gas stove. Add 1-2 tsp cooking oil and then add cumin. After that 1/2 finely chopped onion and sauté. Then add the chilli flakes, garam masala (ground spice powder), salt and the lamb mince. Mix all the ingredients  and cook till the meat is done. (All water should be dried out)

5. Dry roast the pine nuts lightly in a frying pan. When the meat is almost cooked, add the roasted pine nuts to it, mix well , and use this as the filling.

6. Brush the palm with water and take a spoonful of the dough-like mixture, form a ball. Using a finger make a pocket in the dough ball for adding the  pine nut and minced meat filling.7. Close the pocket after adding the filling and pressing with both hands give it a shape as show in the picture.8. Make all the Kibbeh and keep in a plate to fry.

 9. Heat oil in a Karahi and dip the Kibbeh into the oil, taking care not to spill the oil on the hands. Deep fry them to get a nice golden brown colour and a  crispy look. 10. Serve hot with any sauce of choice.

It is always a pleasure to serve food that my family loves to eat.  Wishing you all happy trying out this recipe of mine and I would love to hear your thoughts and your cooking experience of this recipe.

Tip: One could make and keep the Kibbeh in an air tight box and freeze to fry later as required. This way they will be handy and readily available to be taken out from freezer and fried as required.

Enjoy!!!!

#5 Sunday Tips & Tricks- Rolling the Roasted Papad

An Indian household menu will always include Urad papads for the main meals, most houses, if not all. As a child, I have seen my mother making huge quantities of these papads, our summer holiday activities, which were then stored in big boxes to be used at mealtime all throughout the year. Now they can be purchased in any grocery or supermarket. The papads can be fried in oil or can be roasted directly on the gas flame or in a hot fry pan.

I have always been fascinated with the way the roasted papads can be given different shapes. It makes the circular shaped papad more appealing in the display of dishes when the dinning table is set with food. This technique of giving a different shape to the roasted papad comes as my 5th Sunday tips post.

 

Heat a fry pan on the gas burner, and roast the papad on one side. Then turn the papad over and using a kitchen towel or spatula press it against the pan so that it gets roasted evenly. Immediately remove it from pan and start rolling without delay. Hold the rolled papad for a few seconds in hand, the shape gets retained.

 

Keep these roasted papads in a tumbler or any fancy bowl/dish along with some mint dip in the centre or salad corner of your dining table . This will enhance the beauty of the table and would definitely impress the guests.

Go ahead friends, give it a go and check out if you love this idea.

Enjoy!!

#4 Sunday Tips & Tricks- Introduce Flaxseeds in your Diet

Friends, I have been using these flaxseeds on a daily basis in my cooking and being aware of its health benefits, I thought of sharing this with you all as my #3rd Sunday tips and tricks post.

Wishing for more happy and healthy eating!!!!

Flaxseeds : Flaxseeds are the plant source of Omega-3 fatty acids, the essential fatty acids needed by our body. They are essential as they are not made by the body and hence we need to get them from our diet.

 

They are a rich source of dietary fibre, Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA), and the phytochemicals lignans. Being a rich source of fibre, they help relieve constipation. Ideally every meal should contain some amount of dietary fibre, and getting it from this source is also good for our health.

 

Dry roasting the seeds and making a powder makes it more versatile to use. One could add the powder to any meal. The dry seeds can also be used in bakery items. Thus making use of these wonderful seeds in some form would ensure a daily intake of these essential fatty acids in our diet.

Picture1: Dry Flaxseeds.

Picture2: Dry roasting the flaxseeds in a frying pan with the lid covered, the seeds splutter when heated.(Roast them for just a couple minutes taking care of not burning the seeds.)

Picture3: The coarsely ground roasted flaxseeds powder.

Enjoy!