Fuss Free Falafal

By Sabirah , In , , , , , , 12:40 AM



This quick self made falafel type dish is so easy to make, and healthy - because it's not fried, it's baked!
Ok, baked stuff will never be as tasty as crispy fried in hot oil, but that comes pretty close!

It is yummy with my home made flatbread and some fresh garden lettuce and of course some hummus dips

you can use dried chickpeas and soak them overnight in water however I go for the cheap and lazy tin version

2 X 380g tin chickpeas (or 1 can chickpeas and 1 can fava beans)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 slices of dried diced bread or breadcrumbs
8 tblsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
plenty of salt, pepper, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground carraway seeds (you really need plenty of seasoning)
1 cup of fresh parsley and if you like some coriander leaves or mint
juice of a lemon
some vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

then drain and wash the chickpeas and blend until they are minced (but not mashed), set aside in a bowl
chop the onion and mince with garlic in the blender. Mix into the chickpea mince
Finely chop parsley and mince in blender, add to chickpea - onion mince.
Mince diced bread in blender and stir into the chickpea mixture, combine the flour with baking powder and knead into the mixture.
Season with lemon juice, salt and spices, mix thoroughly.

Finally form the chickpea mince into balls and put on a lined baking tray. Spay and cover with some cooking oil and grill/bake until golden brown.
Ah well, you can deep fry since we are not counting the calories, but I really couldn't be bothered.
Serve with fresh bread, salad and hummus and some yoghurt. Nice and simple. So easy. Easy peasy. And cheap. Now I have a huge tray of falafel and need people to eat it!

I don't know how so many people are having a problem with making falafel?

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Pizza Galore

By Sabirah , In , , , , 5:26 PM


If there is one thing that I learnt to make from my mum that is how to make pancakes, and pizza...


Pizza can come in so many flavours and shades, and is easier to prepare than most people think.

Once you've got the pizza base, you can really get creative, and it's always a family favourite, good for parties and get-togethers. There is no substitue for making your own base, and I get asked a lot how I make my pizza base. I was recently invited for dinner and the host made pizza with ready-made base. The difference was huge!


for a good base you'll just need


500 gr standard flour

250ml luke warm water

about 2 tblsp olive oil, or other vegetable oil

1.5 tblsp dry yeast (can use a cube of fresh yeast if you have)

1 tsp salt


dissolve and stir the yeast with a bit of warm water until it gets frothy. Then combine with the rest of the dry ingredients. Slowly add the warm water and oil bit by bit and knead until it's all combined and looks like bread dough. You might need a bit less water, if you use too much it gets like batter and you have to add some flour


pop the dough into a blowl and cover with a kitchen towel, let rest in a dark and warm place for at least an hour. Knead again after an hour and let rest for another hour.


You can also make faces into the dough ball and punch it like you would like to punch your sexist boss...


Then you can roll the dough out on a floured cookie sheet and decorate it with some topping:)


Of course you have to use some tomato sauce, for that cook some tomato concentrate with garlic and herbs and a bit of water and spread onto the pizza. I sometimes use Dolmios. Easy as.


The above pizza was just topped with a can of tuna, shrimp, onion rings, chillies and grated cheese.

If you like you can add olives (I don't like them too much), capers, anchovies.

For a meaty topping I sometimes use curried minced lamb, or cooked chicken, herbs (rosemary, thyme etc..) , slices of capsicum etc... there are endless possiblities!







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Turkish Tatli - syrup cakes

By Sabirah , In , , , , , , , 9:48 PM





these are delicious and sooo easy to make, but be careful, they are very sticky! they are also called seker pare in turkey.


They go very nicely with a cup of strong (cardamom) coffee or just a cup of tea!


I'm personally not very fond of cardamom though...


ingredients for a lot of seker pare:


500g standard flour

2 eggs

200g sugar

200g desiccated coconut

250g margarine or butter (i prefer margarine)

1 tsp baking powder

and some nuts of your choice, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts.. I opted for almonds


to make the syrup:

1kg sugar (yes it has to be that much)

750 ml water

a cinnamon stick

a couple of crushed cardamom pods or alternatively 2-3 cloves


it pays to make the syrup in advance as either the cakes or the syrup should be cold in order to come out allright. You probably won't need as much syrup but you can save it for some other yummy things and keep it in the fridge. Mix the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and boil for about 10-20 minutes until it's... well, syrup! Then let it cool down...


to make the cakes, mix the dry ingredients to a smooth dough, take pieces of dough with a table spoon and make balls out of it. Place the balls on a greased and lined cake tin and lightly press them to a flatter shape. Pop a nut onto each cake.


Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (celcius) or 300 Fahreheit and bake until light brown in color.


Once they are baked, dunk the cakes twice or thrice into the syrup until they are nicely soaked and covered and hide from kids and husband.




0 Comments

food food food

By Sabirah , 7:11 PM

Who doesn't like it - it sustains us - it nourishes us - it gives us reason to talk.

Ok... I used a template for this blog, but hey - who doesn't? I have actually NO idea what that food is in the picture above, but it sure looks yoummee, doesn't it?

Watch this space, I'll think of something nice to whip up...

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