Chilli prawn noodles

Ingredients

• oil , for frying
• 1 red chilli , chopped
• 1 orange or red pepper , deseeded and sliced
• 150g sugar snap peas , sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 3 tbsp ketchap manis or soy sauce with a pinch of sugar
• 2 x 150g straight-to-wok medium noodle , pouches
• small bunch chives and coriander
• 300g raw peeled prawns

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or frying pan and cook the prawns for 1 minute. Remove.
2. Tip in the chilli and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spring onion and sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute, then add the sweet chilli sauce, ketchap manis, noodles and about 100ml water.
3. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce is syrupy, then stir in the prawns.
4. Snip the chives and coriander over.

Falafel

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g tin of chick peas
• 2 x small onions
• 2 x clove garlic
• 2 x eggs
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• Large bunch of fresh parsley
• 1tbsp lemon
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper

Finely chop onions and garlic and cook on low heat in oil until soft not brown,
Wash and drain chick peas and place in food processor with onions, garlic and all other ingredients. (if you don’t have a food processor mashing in a bowl will work but will take time).
To cook heat a fair amount of oil on a medium heat, shape mix into small patties and place in oil (makes about 16).
Cook for three minutes each side avoiding touching them while they are cooking and turning very carefully or they will break apart. Ideally would deep fat fry for a couple of minutes instead if you have a deep fat fryer.

Uzbek Palov Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh lamb (better if you have some meat on the bone for the taste)
• 2 medium onions
• 5 medium carrots
• 3,5 cups of rice
• 1 bulb of garlic washed (optional) if the skin is to think remove the top layer only*
• 1 cup of canola oil
• 3 tsp of salt
• 1,5 tsp of ground cumin (or 1 tsp of ground cumin & 1/2 tsp of whole cumin)
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups of previously boiled water



Directions: Clean, wash and julienne carrots like in the below pictures
Cut the onion in half circles measuring 1/4 of an inch. Keep the meat in bigger chunks.
Heat the medium cast iron pan or a regular non stick pan. Add the oil and heat it on high heat until you see a slight smoke
Using a skimmer carefully and slowly lower the meat in to the oil. You should immediately see the boiling sensation around the meat. Keep on each side for 30 seconds and keep frying until desired color is reached. Remember you are frying the meat on a high heat. Once the meat has a slight brown crust put the onions on top. Add pinch of the cumin half of the salt and the black pepper. Mix everything well and keep mixing to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Since you are cooking on high heat these steps are going to happen quickly. Stay on top of everything.
Color of the onions is the essential element do determine the color of the Palov. If you are aiming for a lighter color Palov, there is no need to much caramelize the onions.
Once the onions reach the desired color, put ready carrots in the pan. Add remaining salt and cumin. Stir everything well and fry until carrots are relatively soft. Keep stirring every 30 seconds to prevent the carrots sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the carrots are ready turn the heat down to medium (5 in electric stove tops) and pour previously prepared 8 cups of boiled water.
Water will start simmering but not boiling. Add the garlic bulb, push it deeper in to the bullion and let everything simmer on medium heat for 1 hour. Meanwhile, depending on the type of the rice you are using, wash it thoroughly. Sometimes it takes multiple washes to get the starch out of the rice.
When the time is up, remove the garlic bulb and evenly distribute the rice with the skimmer. If the water is not enough, add some more water. If using the Basmati rice, keep the water level 1 inch above the rice, for any other time keep it 1/2 inch above the rice level. From this point, until Palov is ready, there is no mixing the ingredients together. You need to keep everything layered until Palov is ready.
Drop the garlic bulb back in the pan. Remember – your heat is on medium. Be attentive, water may evaporate faster than you expect.
Once the rice starts absorbing the water, take out the garlic bulb. Using the skimmer, flip the top layer of the rice to keep it evenly moist (this is the original way of letting the rice absorb the water. If you want to speed up this process close the lid of the pot for about 8 minutes and in medium-high heat let it stand for 10 minutes or until the rice absorbs the water. Check every 2 minutes, because you do not want the bottom of the Palov burnt).
Check the sides of the pan to make sure there is no water remaining. Turn the heat down to medium-low and quickly make a dome from the rice. Put the garlic bulb on top of the rice and push it in.
Cover the rice with a plate suitable for high temperatures. Put the lid on the pan and TURN THE HEAT DOWN TO LOWEST. In electric stoves it is 1. In Gas stoves it is barely visible flame. Let Palov rest for 20 minutes (Basmati 30 minutes).
Once the time is up, remove the lid and the plate. Remove the garlic bulb, extract the meat and mix the rest of the ingredients using the skimmer
Cut up the meat into a small cubes and serve it on top of the Palov.

Meat Pie

Ingredients for the crust:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour (or less)

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 lb lamb meat
• 2 medium onions
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 ground black pepper
• 1/2 ground cumin
• 1 egg

Directions:
In a medium bowl mix melted butter, sour cream, 1 egg, baking powder and salt.
 If your sour cream is on the thick side, add the first 2 cups of flour and see if you can knead a very soft dough, which will not stick to your hands or to the walls of the bowl. If that doesn’t seem to be enough, add the remaining flour and keep on kneading. Once done kneading, divide the dough into two portions. One portion should be slightly smaller than the other one. Ultimately, bigger portion goes on the bottom of the pie and the smaller one is going to cover the top of the pie. Wrap them with a plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
Preheat the oven at 375F. Thinly chop up the onions. Cut the meat into tiny cubes and cut the potatoes into small cubes, too. Place these 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, add the spices and mix well. Set aside.
Take out the bigger dough ball and roll it into a 12-15 inch circle. Carefully place the dough on top of the baking sheet. I usually roll the dough around the rolling pin and carefully unroll the dough over the baking sheet. The dough is very soft but it should not be a big hassle to work with.
Place the filling evenly on top of the flat dough leaving 2 inches of space on all sides. Following the same steps, roll the second dough, making it slightly smaller than the previous one. Cover the top of the meat mixture with the second dough and seal the edges nicely.
Mix the egg with a little bit of water and brush the top of the pie with it. Make small cuts on top of the dough to help the heat escape. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the pie turns golden brown.

Meatball Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 cup rice
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 medium onion
• 1/2 whole green pepper
• 1 tomato
• 2 medium potatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 small carrot
• 1-1,5 tsp salt
• 1/2-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2-1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup oil
• 6 to 8 cups of pre-boiled water

Directions for the meatballs:
Thinly chop 1 onion, place in a medium bowl, add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and mince the onion thoroughly.
Add washed rice, ground beef, egg to the onion mixture and combine everything thoroughly. Put the bowl into the refrigerator until needed.

Directions for the soup base:
Cut all vegetables according to your own shape preference.
On medium-high heat, place medium-sized pot, heat it up a bit and add oil. In a couple of minutes, add a tiny bit of the meatball meat to give the broth a good taste. Fry the meat for couple of minutes and add onions. Saute until onion turns golden. Add tomato, saute until tomatoes get softer. Check the heat, if it is too high for you, turn it down a notch. Add all other vegetables and saute for couple of minutes. Add salt, cumin, black pepper and saute for another couple of minutes.
Add water and turn the heat down to medium low. Take out the meatball mixture and start shaping golf ball size circles. Once you are done slowly and one by one emerge meatballs into the soup. Under no circumstances do not mix the soup right away. Let the meatballs harden a bit for you to be able to move them without breaking their shape
Bring the soup to boil. Once the soup starts to boil turn the heat down to medium low.
Cook the dish for 30 minutes. Turn off and completely close the lid for 5 minutes. When meatballs and vegetables are fully cooked, take the meatballs out of the soup, place them in a separate container. When serving, pour some liquid in soup bowls and place 2 or 3 meatballs in each bowl. Garnish with cilantro or green of your choice. A good addition to this dish would be a 1 Tbsp of sour cream

Shurpa – Lamb and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lb fresh lamb, preferably on the bone
• 1 large onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 potatoes, 4 medium potatoes are ideal. But I am trying to cut our potato intake to a minimum.
• 10 cups of plain water and 11 cups of pre-boiled water
• 1 cup of chickpeas previously soaked in water (optional)
• salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Directions:
Wash the lamb on the bone and place it in a large pot. Pour over 10 cups of water and bring the water to boil in medium heat. As soon as the water starts slightly boiling, discard the water. I do this in order to reduce the smell that lamb meat usually has and to clean out the meat to have a clear bullion.
Once you emptied the pot return it back to the stove and add 11 cups of pre-boiled water. Bring it to boil again but keep the heat on medium. Do not overboil the water. When the water starts boiling, more foam will appear on the surface of the soup. Using either a spoon or a spatula, remove the foam. The water of the soup should be clear. Keep on simmering the soup in medium-low heat. Cover the lid of the pot half way and cook the meat for at least 2 hours.
Clean all vegetables, wash them and cut them accordingly: cut the onions in half circles. Thinly slice tomato, cut carrots in smaller pieces, julienne green bell peppers, cut potatoes in half (if smaller) or in fours.
Open the lid of the pot and turn the heat to medium. When the meat is almost cooked, first add onions to the soup. Stir in the cumin, black pepper and salt as desired. Cook onions for about 15 minutes and add tomatoes. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
When the tomato slices are nice and soft, add the remaining vegetables and cook until they are soft enough to be consumed (for approximately 20 minutes).
Place equal portions of vegetables to meat and pour over the soup. You can also shred the meat and get rid of the bony part. Serve with dills or cilantro. Viola!!!

Lahmacun

Ingredients for the dough:

• 1 tsp dry active yeast
• 0,5 tsp sugar
• 1+1/2 cup of warm water
• 4,5 cups of flour (you can use pain wheat)+
• Little oil to brush the dough

Ingredients for the topping:

• 12 oz of minced beef or lamb (I always use 85 % lean beef)
• 1 big onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp of butter
• 1,5 cups of fresh curly parsley
• 1 cup of fresh mint
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 tsp of chili pepper
• 1 jalapeno (optional) (I personally use pickled hot peppers instead of jalapenos)
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp of cumin (optional)
• salt according to your own taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• little oil to brush the dough

10-12 lehmacuns

Directions for the dough: In a small bowl mix yeast and the sugar. Add 1/2 cup of warm water, stir well, close the lid (or cover with plate). You can leave the bowl on the counter but I usually put it somewhere warm. Warmness accelerates the process and better activates the yeast. Activating yeast is important to have a better rising dough. Keep the mixture warm for about 15 minutes without opening the lid. When the time is up, you should have a nice foamy liquid. Even if you do not, still keep it and make the dough. It will still work.
In a large bowl combine the remaining water, flour and the yeast mixture.
Mix everything well and kneed it into a nice soft, springy dough. It should be soft as your ear lobes. Add flour or water as needed. A well-kneaded dough will be much easier to work with later. Keep this in mind!
Coat the dough with just a little bit of oil, cover with damp cloth and leave it to rise in a warm place. I usually cover the bowl with the lid and bundle it up nicely to have a good volume dough. Give it a rest for around 1 hour before you take it out from the cover. When you do take the dough out, make sure it has doubled in size.
Once the time is up, open up the lid and punch the dough a little. Flour the working surface and drop the dough. Cut it into pieces smaller than a tennis ball but larger that a golf ball. You should have about 10-12 pieces.
Roll each one and place on the floured surface. Cover with a damp cloth and let it stand until your topping is ready (20 min). Turn the oven on and keep it at 420 F.

Directions for the topping:
Wash the greens well and chop them nicely. I usually wash and soak parsley with mint in water prior to using them. This way all the dirt remains in the water.
Cut the onion and garlic in pieces, put the pieces into a chopper and chop until nicely minced.
Heat the skillet in medium-high, melt the butter, add onion+garlic mixture, saute for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, close the lid and simmer for 2 more minutes. Take the skillet off the burner and cool the onion mixture.
Peel the skin off tomato and cut it to very small pieces. A lot of people like to seed the tomatoes. I don’t like it, since it also removes all the juice from the tomato. But if you feel like seeding the tomato, go ahead.
Have all the ingredients in one big bowl. At this point, add chili pepper, salt, cumin, lemon juice, paprika, chopped jalapenos (or chopped pickled hot peppers) and mix everything very well. I am stressing this – the ingredients MUST be well mixed!
The dough is well rested at this point. Take one by one and roll into a round, flat circle or an oval measuring up to 5 mm in height. I like my Lahmacuns very thin. This way they come out a little crispy. My husband likes them much softer so I make his portion a little thicker but no more than 5-8 mm.
Some use pizza stones to bake Lahmacuns. While it is a good alternative for the original brick ovens, in my opinion, it is not very practical. So, I suggest using regular baking sheets. Sprinkle some non-fat cooking spray (or just a little oil will work), place rolled dough on the sheet, slightly brush with some olive oil (canola oil works too) top up with 2 Tbsp of the ready topping. Spread the topping evenly and very thinly.
I place 2 doughs in one regular 11″x17″ size baking sheet. If you have bigger sheets and want to use those, you are more than welcome to do so. 3 baking sheets are enough to keep the whole process going pretty fast. Put two baking sheets in the oven at a time. The top one usually gets baked faster. When you take the ready batch out, rotate the bottom one to the top and place a new batch on the lower rack.
The oven should remain at 420F – not too high and not too low. Since you are going to be constantly opening the oven, the temperature ideally will stay at about 370F. Cooked Lahmacuns are crispy at the ends and softer in the middle. Corners usually get nicely tanned. Take them off the baking sheet to a wider container and cover with a towel until you are done with every single one of them. Humidity under the towel will soften Lahmacuns, making it very easy for you to roll them around the fresh ingredients you might want to use.
Pace yourself, the process is a little overwhelming. But the end result is worth every minute of your time in the kitchen. We really enjoy Lahmacuns rolled around onions, some fresh curly parsley and hand-squeezed lemon juice.

Circassian Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 full chicken breasts (both halves)
• 4 tablespoons olive or walnut oil
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 slices of bread, crusts removed
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Salt
• Black pepper
• The juice of a lemon

Method

1 Bring the chicken stock to a simmer and add the chicken breasts. Add some water if there is not enough liquid to cover the meat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
2 Meanwhile, heat the olive or walnut oil in a small pot over low heat and add the paprika. Stir well to combine. Heat until you can smell the aroma of the paprika, then turn off the heat.
3 Tear the bread into chunks and put into a bowl. Ladle out about a cup or two of the chicken broth and pour it over the bread.
4 Set aside ½ cup of walnuts and put in a bowl with the green onions and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.
5 Put the rest of the walnuts into a food processor with the garlic, the cayenne, about a teaspoon of salt, the rest of the parsley and the soaked bread. Buzz to make a thick, relatively chunky paste. If it needs a bit more chicken broth to loosen up, add some a tablespoon at a time.
6 Stir the paprika-oil, then pour it into the food processor and buzz to combine. Taste the mixture to see if it needs salt.
7 Pull the skin off the chicken breasts and tear the meat into shreds. Put it in the bowl with the unchopped walnuts, green onions and such.
8 Add the walnut-paprika paste from the food processor to the bowl and stir gently to combine everything thoroughly. Add black pepper and lemon juice to taste and stir one more time to combine.
Yield: Serves 4-6.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp Peanut, grapeseed or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce or Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3-4 scallions, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• Chow mein noodles, to taste (skip for gluten-free option)

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free option)
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
• 1/4 cup peanut, grapeseed or canola oil

Method

1 Heat both oils over high heat in a large saute pan for 1 minute, then add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle chicken strips with a little salt and add them to the pan. Stir-fry the chicken over high heat until cooked through, 3-6 minutes depending on how hot your burner gets. Drain and set aside to cool.
2 In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Adjust to taste. In a large bowl, toss the chicken and salad ingredients together. Just before serving, toss with dressin and top with the chow mein noodles.
Yield: Serves 4-6.

Bulgur Wheat and Shrimp Salad

1 cup bulgur wheat

3 cups water

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1 carrot, coarsely grated

• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 can (8 ounces) baby corn, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 7 ounces peeled cooked shrimp

Lime and chilli dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried chilies
• Salt and pepper to taste

1

Put the bulgur wheat in a saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the bulgur is tender and all of the water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Spread in a flat dish and allow to cool slightly.

2

Combine the onion, carrot, tomato, corn, cucumber, and shrimp in a large salad bowl. Add the bulgur and stir together.

3

For the dressing, place the oil, lime juice, garlic, and chilies in a small bowl; add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk with a fork. Stir the dressing into the salad, tossing to coat all the ingredients evenly. Cover the salad and keep it in the refrigerator if not serving immediately. Serves 4.

Rustic Grilled Vegetable and Rigatoni Salad

8 ounces rigatoni

1 large red pepper, seeded and halved

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 medium eggplant, trimmed and sliced lengthways

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped capers

1 large garlic clove, crushed (optional)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1

Cook the rigatoni in boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.

2

Preheat the broiler or a grill to high. Broil or grill the pepper halves, skin side up, until blistered and blackened, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in a plastic zippered bag, then leave until cool enough to handle.

3

Broil or grill the tomatoes and eggplant for about 5 minutes. Turn the vegetables so that they cook evenly, and remove the pieces as they are ready. Place the tomato wedges in a large salad bowl. Set the eggplant slices aside on a plate to cool slightly.

4

Cut the eggplant slices into 1-inch strips and add to the tomatoes. Peel the peppers and cut them into 1-inch strips, then add to the salad bowl. Mix in the pasta.

5

In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar or lemon juice with the olive oil, basil, capers, garlic, if using, and Parmesan cheese. Lightly toss this dressing into the salad. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set the salad aside to marinate for about 30 minutes so that the flavors can infuse before serving.