Badam Burfi (Almond Candy)

Badam (almond) Burfi is a healthy substitute for candy but is rich in flavor. Almond burfi can be served as dessert or snack.

Recipe makes 20 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of Cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (clear butter)
• 1/3 cup milk

Method

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Peel the skin off the almonds. Blend the almonds into a fine paste using just enough milk as needed to blend.
3. Add the sugar and whip it for a couple of minutes.
4. Heat the ghee in the frying pan on low-medium heat.
5. As the ghee melts, add the almond paste and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously.
6. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of bread batter, and starts leaving the sides of the pan.
7. Add the cardamom powder. Remove the frying pan from the heat.
8. Whip the batter using a spoon in a circular motion for about two to three minutes.
9. Pour it into the prepared greased pan.
10. Smoothen the surface of the mixture to about a quarter inch thick.
11. Let cool for about 20 minutes until burfi is just look warm.
12. Cut into 1-inch squares or any shape you like.
13. Cool to the room temperature and store burfi in an airtight container.
14. Almond burfi has a long shelf life and can be kept outside for up to one week. When refrigerated, almond burfi will last a couple of months.

Suggestions:
You can make burfi using almond meal or almond flour. If you are using almond meal, mix one cup almond meal with the sugar and milk and knead the mixture for two minutes. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then follow the directions above. The almond flour burfi will be a little chewy.

Oven Baked Lamb Maglouba

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice or 400 g, washed and rinsed

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons dried lime powder

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons arabic mixed spicess

3 small eggplants or 400 g, cut into round slices

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup vegetable oil, for deep frying

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

400 g lamb, loin chop, with bones

1 medium onion or 100 g, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon or 20 g

3 cups water or 750 ml, hot

2 tablespoons butter, melted

300 g cauliflower, cut into medium florets

1 medium onion or 100 g, sliced & fried for garnishing

½ cup pine seeds or 50 g, slightly toasted

100 g dough

1 teaspoon butter, melted

Preparation

Soak rice for 30 minutes and drain. Combine all spices and gently mix together with wet rice, allow to sit for 15 min.

Peel and cut eggplants into 2cm thick slices, dredge with salt and allow juices to draw. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, pat-dry eggplants and fry on both sides until golden brown.

In large sauce pan, heat Oil and fry Lamb pieces until golden brown, add chopped Onions and fry for another 5 minutes. Add Garlic, MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon and water and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour. Remove lamb and reserve hot stock.

Pour melted butter in the bottom of a Dutch Oven or ovenproof pot (a clay pot would work best), Layer Cauliflower florets on the bottom and cover with half of the rice. Layer the fried eggplants over the rice, place lamb pieces over the eggplant, and cover with the remaining rice. Make sure the content of the pot only fills 2/3 of the pot size, since rice will increase in size once fully cooked.

Pour hot stock over the rice, garnish with Fried Onion slices and Toasted Pine Seeds. Rice should be covered with stock, if needs be add more water.

Role out bread dough to a large enough size to cover the top of the rice pot plus an extra 3cm hanging over the edge. Place over the pot and gently pinch the edges ensuring a tight seal between pot and dough.

Brush with melted butter and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Meat Strips with Yogurt & Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients

1 kg veal, fillet, cut into small strips

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon or 20 g

1/3 cup water or 100 ml, hot

6 loaves markouk bread or 300 g

2 medium cucumber, pickled or 120 g, thinly sliced

1 medium tomatoes or 150 g, diced

2 small red onions or 100 g, thinly sliced

½ cup pine seeds or 50 g, lightly toasted

½ cup flaked almond or 50 g

for the sauce:

2 cups labneh or 450 g

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small onion or 50 g, finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

2 medium cucumbers or 150 g, finely grated

Preparation

In a mixing bowl combine Meat, Garlic and all the Spices, mix, cover and allow to marinate room temperature for 30 minutes.

Combine Lebneh, crushed Garlic, Onions and Mint and whisk together.

Finely grate the Cucumber with the skin, place in a sieve, push to drain most of the juices, and add to the Lebneh sauce, and mix to an even consistency.

In a large frying pan, heat Vegetable Oil and sauté meat in batches to insure that the frying pan always retains its heat. Return all cooked meat to the pan, add MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon , and Water and simmer on medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed.

Place Saj Bread on a serving platter, spread over the Lebneh Sauce and top with Cucumber Pickle slices and diced Tomatoes. Place cooked Meat over the Tomatoes and garnish with sliced Red Onion, Toasted Pine Seeds and Almond Shavings.

Roasted Baby Marrow with Pumpkin and Cheese

Ingredients

600 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes

600 g baby marrow, cut into cubes

pinch of ground black pepper, to taste

pinch of dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon pine seeds

75 g fresh cheese, or white cheese, crumbled

2 cubes MAGGI® Vegetable Bouillon, crumbled

Preparation

Place the pumpkin and baby marrow cubes in a roasting tray; sprinkle them with generous pinches of black pepper and oregano. Roast in a preheated oven at 150 °C for around 50 minutes.

Once the vegetables are cooked, place a large, heavy-based non-stick frying pan or wok on a medium heat with the oil. Put the pine nuts until golden in color, and then add the roasted vegetables with the cheese and the MAGGI Vegetable Stock. Cook them for 4 minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Serve straight away with hot toasted bread.

Stuffed Squids

Ingredients

½ cup halloumi or 50 g, grated

200 g shrimp, peeled, raw, cleaned and chopped

1 small tomato or 50 g, diced

1 small onion or 50 g, finely chopped

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup breadcrumb, dried or 85 g

1 cube MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon or 10 g

1/3 cup water or 125 ml, hot

600 g squid, washed & cleaned tubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup water or 250 ml, hot

1 cube MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon or 10 g

2 medium tomatoes or 300 g, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, combine Halumi Cheese, chopped Shrimp, Tomato, Onion, Egg, Spices and Bread Crumbs together.

Dissolve MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon cube in 125ml Hot water, add and gently mix into the filling until the filling holds together when pressed between hands.

Gently turn the Squid Tubes inside out. This will insure that the filling does not get squeezed out as the Squid cooks.

Stuff each of the six squid tubes with the filling making sure not to over fill the tubes, to insure even cooking of the stuffing.

Heat Olive Oil in a large frying pan and fry stuffed Squids for about 5 minutes on medium high heat or until golden on all sides, reduce heat to medium, add Water and the remaining MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon, cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes.

Add Tomato, Garlic and chopped Parsley and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Finish the dish with lemon juice a few minutes before serving.

Slice tubes into rings and plate while pouring some of the sauce on top.