Part I
Okk..you know that I am in middle-east for almost 2 years now, Dubai to be exact & have been trying the Arabic foods..which is again controversial. Turks will claim that all arabic food actually originated in Turkey[do they still believe that entire middle east is under the Ottoman empire?], whilst Greeks also have similar food[cold mezze especially] and a growing disputes amongst arabics too--this is lebanese or syrian..that is from Saudi arabia or palestine & so on & so forth...but I don't care as long as I have food to eat, provided its good.
Caveat: When I came here, I was a little taken aback by the arabic [namesake] food. If someone would ask me, if I liked arabic food or not, I never took time to think--the answer was straight, "No, it doesn't appeal my palate."
But now things have changed, when I just tried to taste---instead of rejecting something outright, why not try?If it is unpalatable, well, that is another thing. Gradually I developed a taste for Arabic foods, but again I am selective. I love the fried mezze[kebbeh, sambousek], hommous, moutabel[and I honestly, dont like Labneh]. I am being selective on Lentil soup...since, I cannot eat all lentils!! And if you talk about main course, bring on as long as you make sure they are good--though mostly meat--Lamb Chops, Lamb Kofta[kind of Indian Sheekh kabab], Shish Kebab[okk..Arabic version of Chicken Tikka, but with Beef], & Shish Tawook[Arabic version of Chicken tikka, except Indian spices], or the grilled seafood--Sabream[i.e. Sea Bream], Sultan Ibrahim[threadfin seabream, like a baby red-snapper], Sultan Hedi[i.e., Red Mullet] or can be other local fishes like Hammour[a local grouper] or Shrimps. But there is more arabic food than what has met my eye & now I have developed a keen interest to make arabic food....is it possible to take it to the next level?Or it is best in its rustic form??
Okk...you know that I love sweets too...sweets of all kind from any corner of the world, provided it is upto my palate.Years before, when I saw Baklawa being made, in one the television channels, especially when hot honey was being poured over the freshly baked filo pastry...it was really appealing. Well, honey is good..isn't it?I always used to ask myself, "When will I be able to taste Baklawa?", since, I could never make filo pastry--the excuse being it is difficult to make at home, so I was waiting for the day to come...the day I would be in middle east or to some Greek islands or even Turkey, to taste this heavenly sweets.
So now I am in Dubai & tasted at least 4-5 types of Baklawa[well, there are many types, if you dont know that]--from excellent to disaster. Baklawa, a little crisp on outside & inside sublimely soft & delicious--the making of it is more than what meets the eye...for those, who think that buying a packet of filo pastry from the supermarket freezers & then making the Baklawa is just like a five-minute handjob, again, you will be very wrong my friend--unless, you are an expert.Another favorite of late, is the Umm Ali pudding- a variation of bread pudding, but on a lighter note, since it is solely based on milk[to make more exquisite, use camel or goat milk] and/or cream...and some nuts, but puff pastry is used instead of breads. And then baked!!!
For over the past few weeks, I was craving for some Baklawa & ultimately, I made one...the result was good..and the taste was getting better over time. So, today, I will share with you a recipe...no...two recipes. One is Shish Tawook [Chicken Kebab] & another being my favorite, "Baklawa", with assorted dry fruits.
For the time being, Baklawa for you...
1 lb package phyllo dough, defrosted
3 sticks (12 oz) butter or 1 1/4 cups ghee
2 1/2 cups nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon each rose and orange blossom water
1. Clarify the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it boil gently without stirring just until a layer of foam has risen to the surface and the white solids have sunk to the bottom (do not let the solids brown). Remove from the heat and skim off the foam as best you can. Then carefully pour the golden liquid into another container, leaving the solids behind (I normally strain it through a cheesecloth while doing this). Discard the solids. Skip this step if using ghee.
2. Make the syrup: Place the sugar, water, lemon, and blossom water in a pan and bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves. Let boil 5-10 minutes until syruppy. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and grind until they form a coarse meal.
4.Brush the pan with clarified butter or ghee & put a sheet of phyllo, trimming off the edges to the fit the pan. Brush with ghee or clarified butter & put another sheet of phyllo, brushing the top with ghee/clarified butter. Continue doing this, until you put 8 sheets of phyllo pastry. Add in the crushed nuts in an even layer. Top with a phyllo sheet and again brush with ghee/clarified butter & do like this, until you top it off with at least 4 sheets.Using a very sharp knife score the top of the phyllo in a square or diamond pattern.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until deeply golden and crisp but not overly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava. Set aside to cool and absorb completely.Use a knife to cut all the way through the score marks to the bottom of the pan. It is really best if you let it sit overnight, covered with foil, before serving.This will stay fine upto 3 weeks
Okk..you know that I am in middle-east for almost 2 years now, Dubai to be exact & have been trying the Arabic foods..which is again controversial. Turks will claim that all arabic food actually originated in Turkey[do they still believe that entire middle east is under the Ottoman empire?], whilst Greeks also have similar food[cold mezze especially] and a growing disputes amongst arabics too--this is lebanese or syrian..that is from Saudi arabia or palestine & so on & so forth...but I don't care as long as I have food to eat, provided its good.
Caveat: When I came here, I was a little taken aback by the arabic [namesake] food. If someone would ask me, if I liked arabic food or not, I never took time to think--the answer was straight, "No, it doesn't appeal my palate."
But now things have changed, when I just tried to taste---instead of rejecting something outright, why not try?If it is unpalatable, well, that is another thing. Gradually I developed a taste for Arabic foods, but again I am selective. I love the fried mezze[kebbeh, sambousek], hommous, moutabel[and I honestly, dont like Labneh]. I am being selective on Lentil soup...since, I cannot eat all lentils!! And if you talk about main course, bring on as long as you make sure they are good--though mostly meat--Lamb Chops, Lamb Kofta[kind of Indian Sheekh kabab], Shish Kebab[okk..Arabic version of Chicken Tikka, but with Beef], & Shish Tawook[Arabic version of Chicken tikka, except Indian spices], or the grilled seafood--Sabream[i.e. Sea Bream], Sultan Ibrahim[threadfin seabream, like a baby red-snapper], Sultan Hedi[i.e., Red Mullet] or can be other local fishes like Hammour[a local grouper] or Shrimps. But there is more arabic food than what has met my eye & now I have developed a keen interest to make arabic food....is it possible to take it to the next level?Or it is best in its rustic form??
Okk...you know that I love sweets too...sweets of all kind from any corner of the world, provided it is upto my palate.Years before, when I saw Baklawa being made, in one the television channels, especially when hot honey was being poured over the freshly baked filo pastry...it was really appealing. Well, honey is good..isn't it?I always used to ask myself, "When will I be able to taste Baklawa?", since, I could never make filo pastry--the excuse being it is difficult to make at home, so I was waiting for the day to come...the day I would be in middle east or to some Greek islands or even Turkey, to taste this heavenly sweets.
So now I am in Dubai & tasted at least 4-5 types of Baklawa[well, there are many types, if you dont know that]--from excellent to disaster. Baklawa, a little crisp on outside & inside sublimely soft & delicious--the making of it is more than what meets the eye...for those, who think that buying a packet of filo pastry from the supermarket freezers & then making the Baklawa is just like a five-minute handjob, again, you will be very wrong my friend--unless, you are an expert.Another favorite of late, is the Umm Ali pudding- a variation of bread pudding, but on a lighter note, since it is solely based on milk[to make more exquisite, use camel or goat milk] and/or cream...and some nuts, but puff pastry is used instead of breads. And then baked!!!
For over the past few weeks, I was craving for some Baklawa & ultimately, I made one...the result was good..and the taste was getting better over time. So, today, I will share with you a recipe...no...two recipes. One is Shish Tawook [Chicken Kebab] & another being my favorite, "Baklawa", with assorted dry fruits.
For the time being, Baklawa for you...
1 lb package phyllo dough, defrosted
3 sticks (12 oz) butter or 1 1/4 cups ghee
2 1/2 cups nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon each rose and orange blossom water
1. Clarify the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it boil gently without stirring just until a layer of foam has risen to the surface and the white solids have sunk to the bottom (do not let the solids brown). Remove from the heat and skim off the foam as best you can. Then carefully pour the golden liquid into another container, leaving the solids behind (I normally strain it through a cheesecloth while doing this). Discard the solids. Skip this step if using ghee.
2. Make the syrup: Place the sugar, water, lemon, and blossom water in a pan and bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves. Let boil 5-10 minutes until syruppy. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and grind until they form a coarse meal.
4.Brush the pan with clarified butter or ghee & put a sheet of phyllo, trimming off the edges to the fit the pan. Brush with ghee or clarified butter & put another sheet of phyllo, brushing the top with ghee/clarified butter. Continue doing this, until you put 8 sheets of phyllo pastry. Add in the crushed nuts in an even layer. Top with a phyllo sheet and again brush with ghee/clarified butter & do like this, until you top it off with at least 4 sheets.Using a very sharp knife score the top of the phyllo in a square or diamond pattern.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until deeply golden and crisp but not overly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava. Set aside to cool and absorb completely.Use a knife to cut all the way through the score marks to the bottom of the pan. It is really best if you let it sit overnight, covered with foil, before serving.This will stay fine upto 3 weeks
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