Song of the day

Chinese Salad

Every now and again I create recipes based on what I know and "think" will work. This recipe was a jumble of colorful Chinese vegetables, peanuts, sesame seeds and the oh so bad deep fried noodles for crunch. I really loved it, a nice change from the usual salad.

Recipe:

1/4 red cabbage cut thin
1/4 Chinese cabbage cut thin
2 carrots shredded
Small handful of spring onions cut thin lengthwise
1 small packet of baby corn cut thin lengthwise
Half packet of mangetout or snow peas cut thin lengthwise
Handful of bean sprouts
Small handful of peanuts roasted
Small handful of sesame seeds roasted
1 packet of Indomie instant noddles deep fried in a little peanut oil

Mushroom mixture:

6 Chinese mushrooms soaked and cut lengthwise
2 tablespoons remaining stock of the soaked mushroom

2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
1 red chili de-seeded and cut thinly
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil


Dressing:

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons peanut oil


Method:

Soak the mushrooms for 20 minutes and slice, in a frying pan heat the peanut oil, add the chili, garlic ginger, mushrooms, five spice, soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Add the stock and stir fry for 3-5 minutes, set aside to cool. In a big bowl mix all the salad ingredients, cooled mushroom mixture and pour dressing. Garnish with the crushed fried noddles, peanuts and sesame.

Shite List

1. Bahrain Airport.............first its we don't give entry to anyone staying less then 8 hours, then its we don't give Visa's to American's then its we can't come up with any other excuse so please leave......tsk tsk!

2. The "new" Dean and Deluca layout.............its basically a food court, what next a chocolate fountain stand?

3. To the two evil ugly trolls at MAC Souq Sharq........learn how to respect sales assistants, talking beyond rude to someone is crass, oh and your foundation needs to be downgraded to 10 shades darker, next time you visit MAC again tell them to sort you out.

Meatballs with Potato

Meatballs are much loved in my family and this recipe is absolutely delicious. My mother made up this recipe years ago and always a joy to eat. 

Recipe:

Mince mixture:

1/2 kilo minced lamb

3 onions peeled

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 red chili

Small handful of tarragon and mint

Salt 

Pepper 

Stew:

2 onions cubed

2 potatoes cubed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Handful of cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Method:

Mince everything in the mince mixture and form the meat into small meatballs. Heat a pot with oil and lightly saute the onions and lay the meatballs adding the tomato paste, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and lemon juice. Cook on medium to low heat for 35-45 minutes. Serve with bread and pickles. 

Song of the day

RIP Andy Williams

Feed the Thighs

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well

                                                                                                        -Virginia Woolf

I heartily concur, on all levels. A meal may feed your hunger pangs, but those favorite snacks, whatever they may be, that you can't stop thinking about, the sound of an annoying alarm going red in your head that won't stop until you satisfy your naughty intuition........get my drift?

Below are just some of my beloved snacks that I cannot live without that feed the thighs and make everything seem ok even for a mere 5 minutes.  

Clockwise:

1. The infamous Pufak....... your fingers must be left reeking of processed puff cheese and be licked one by one.

2. Oreo cookie......I only like the original one and don't have a technique of eating it, just pop the sucker in and enjoy!

3. Snickers bar....my favorite chocolate bar, I cut the bar into bite size portions and eat throughout the day, justifying that its a fun size bite it can't be that bad..... pathetic I know. 

4. KDD Thahab ice cream.....it has lost its golden touch over the years with the new bland tasting waffle cone and "squeeze your eyes you can see those almonds" but its a childhood favorite. 

5. Orange Lolly...... artificial color, sugar, orange lust, hey what more does a girl need?

6. Nutella: spooned straight from the jar, always room temperature........ fertilizer for the thighs.

7. Chunky peanut butter.......always makes me happy, its partially healthy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

8. Ritz crackers with Kraft cheese......so scandalous, so naughty, it really hits the spot. Trailer park fine dining at its best.  

9. Gummy bears......These babies are from Dean and Deluca I bought a while ago and have a small stash left, so plastic so fantastic. 

Will feature more of my favorite snacks later but please do share yours!

Song of the day

Song of the day

Best Dressed

The Emmy Awards was a tad of a fashion letdown in my opinion, nothing blew me away but I have to say Kiernan Shipka from Mad Men in Zac Posen was definitely the best dressed for the evening. Just look at her icy blue satin dress, heels makeup, purse! ADORABLE! I wish I could hang out with her.

                                                                     Photo Credit: Daily Beast

Tomato Rice

One of the easiest, fastest but truly scrumptious rice dishes close to my heart is tomato rice. Perfect with grilled chicken, hot sauce, salad or eaten solo its pretty addictive but so worth it. Kids also love this dish for its vibrant color and simple taste. 

If anyone does make this dish, please let me know what their thoughts were and its one of my top loves.

Recipe:

2 cups rice
4 cups water
5 tablespoons thick tomato paste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Pinch of saffron
Salt

Method:

Wash rice and set aside. In a frying pan heat the oil, butter and stir in the tomato paste and salt and stir for 3-5 minutes. In a pot add the rice and tomato paste, pinch of saffron and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes stirring very lightly, turn the heat to very low and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with anything your heart desires.

Song of the day

Mac and Cheese

 Mac and Cheese, if only marriages lasted as long as these two soldiers.Warm oozing cheese with soft macaroni topped with sriracha hot sauce (my personal favorite). Whether eaten alone or with an accomplice............Moreish.

Recipe:

3 cups Gruyere cheese grated
1 cup sharp Cheddar grated
1 cup Gouda or Edam grated
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 packet of elbow macaroni
4 cups warm milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tomatoes sliced thick

Method

Preheat oven to 190 Celsius, cook the macaroni and drain. In a pot melt the butter and add the flour stirring for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk and whisk until it becomes a thick sauce, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cheese little by little and stir until it becomes a pool of eternal sunshine. Set aside.
In a oven proof dish lay the pasta, pour the cheese sauce and top with sliced tomatoes. Bake in the oven 35-45 minutes.

Fried Chicken

As some members of my family have started a diet, I decided to treat them to a last artery clogger of a supper.....fried chicken with mac and cheese. This fried chicken recipe was taken from a Paula Deen show I watched years ago. I made it but had to teak it my way and well it really should be spanked and arrested as she says. Yeeeeehaaaaaa!!

Recipe:

Chicken pieces (breast, drumstick, wings) as many as you can handle!

2 regular bottles of Tabasco

1 regular bottle of Red Rooster hot sauce

6 garlic cloves peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons garlic powder 

3 eggs

2 cups self raising flour

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons salt 

Frying oil 

Method:

Wash and dry your chicken pieces, slashing 2-3 slashes on the breast and thighs to ensure even cooking, you can remove the skins if you prefer, but leave the skin on the wings......be scandalous.

In a large bowl empty the bottles of hot sauces and no don't worry it will only give the chicken a slight spice punch. Add the garlic, garlic powder, eggs, and salt. Mix well and add the chicken pieces making sure it is coated well. Marinate overnight.

When ready to eat, in a large bowl mix the self raising flour and pepper and coat all the chicken pieces and lay on a tray. Heat your oil 1/4 of the pot on medium heat and begin to fry. The breasts should take 10-15 minutes while the drumsticks should take 10 minutes and wings 5 minutes. Drain on chicken towel and serve piping hot. Utensils not allowed! 

Song of the day

Barberry Rice with Chicken

Fear is the cheapest room in the house.

I would like to see you living in better conditions.

                                                                            -Hafez

Barberry or zereshk rice with chicken is not only a delight to eat but visually stimulating. Loaded with semi tart barberries, crunchy roasted almonds and pistachios, it is eaten dry, no sauce but plenty of pizzazz. Are you shaking in your pants chicken machboos? 

Recipe:

1 cup barberry washed and dried

1/4 cup sliced almonds roasted

1/4 cup pistachio roasted

1 tablespoon sugar

3 small chickens or preferred chicken pieces

3 cups rice soaked 1 hour before cooking with plenty of salt

Small handful of chives, basil, parsley chopped

2 onion chopped finely

3 tablespoon olive oil 

2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 stick butter

3 tablespoons cooking oil 

2 potatoes

3 cups water

2 pinches of saffron

Salt 

Pepper

Method:

Wash and dry chicken, removing skin if you prefer and make a rub by adding the olive oil, chopped herbs, 1 onion, 1 teaspoon turmeric, salt and pepper. Rub a dub dub all over the chicken and leave to marinate overnight. Wash the chicken the next day and pat dry. In a big pot add the chicken, remaining turmeric, chopped onion, salt and 3 cups water on very low heat and allow to cook for 1 1/2 hours. Check on the chicken from time to time as there must be around a cup of stock remaining once it has finished cooking. Remove the chicken and reserve the stock. In a glass add 3 tablespoons of warm water and the saffron and  pour over the chicken and  put in a warm oven covered in foil for later. 

In a frying pan melt half a stick of butter and add the barberries, sugar and a little salt. You have to make sure you mix it very fast as it burns very quickly. The barberries should just get glazed and still be bright red. Remove and set aside.

Drain the stock in a sieve and put aside. Bring a pot filled with water to boil and add rice. Once the water starts to boil again, allow to boil for 5 minutes and drain. Peel the potatoe and slice resembling this:

Return the pot you boiled the rice in on the flame (medium high)  add the cooking oil and sliced potatoes until the bottom of the pot is completely covered. Add all the rice and shape the rice to look like a mountain (my mothers saying) add the barberry mixture and stock with remainder of butter. Leave to cook for 35-50 minutes on low heat. 

Once the rice is cooked arrange the rice of a serving dish and garnish with the almonds and pistachios, and chicken. 

Shite List

1. Having an elder say in Farsi they love the whistle song by Flo rida and what exactly does it
    mean?.....cringe.

2. Asnan Clinic........man you really getting on my nerves, after rescheduling my appointment you call two
   days later and want to know why I missed the the initial appointment?


Anger? Anyone?

Song of the day

An Iranian in an Iranian Restaurant

A few days back I dined at Gol Anar in Bidaa for the first time with my friends. Now you have to understand that its a bit challenging for me to go to an Iranian restaurant here in Kuwait without having my fair share of comments throughout the meal because there aren't any decent ones here.

We went for an early supper so it wasn't crowded at all. Settled at our table we were offered fresh bread accompanied by cheese, olives, mint, basil and walnuts.

For starters we ordered the Golnar Maksous, Rayhan, Shirazi, Shirazi Golnar and Mast o Kheyar. 

The Golnar Maksous was delicious really tangy fresh and had a hint of bottled lemon juice you grow to love in Iran. The Shirazi salads were equally tasty especially the Shirazi Golnar, it had pomegranate molasses in the dressing. I have to recreate this at home ASAP!! The Rayhan salad wasn't anything special really the vermicelli didn't really belong there and stuck out like a sore thumb. Now the mast o kheyar was a huge let down. It barely had any cucumbers, the yougurt wasnt thick and barely had any dried mint.

Now to be fair we didn't try any other starters so I can't comment on anything else in that department.

We were introduced to the lovely Head Chef Hameed and came over for a chat. (We told him to jooj up the  yogurt dip)! I couldn't help myself........

Now off to the main supper:

  

My buddy ordered the kabab kobedeh (minced kabab) and kabab barg (fillet) with rice. It was presented beautifully I tried the kababs and the minced one had a tad too much onion but the barg was quite good. Juicy and full of flavor. I didn't try the rice but looked and smelt delicious.

My other friend and I ordered a chicken dish that was lost in menu translation. It didn't say that it had a tomato sauce. It was half chicken cooked slowly with a sauce that was quite bland. I know I should have ordered a stew or kabab but what put me off was the fact they don't have skewers of just chicken breast or fillet. Am not a thigh person at all so it was the only option.

The service was brilliant, the vibe was great I will defiantly go back again and try other delights on the menu.

  

Song of the day

Chicken Hut

Last night we decided to order in from Chicken Hut located in Yarmouk, it was a first timer. We settled for the "basket" which is most of all their chicken offerings. From wanton chicken, spicy chicken tenders, dynamite bites, chicken sambosa, chicken balls, jungle sticks (chicken wrapped in vermicelli) and seasme chicken.

Their sauces included, ranch, coriander, curry, sweet chili and honey mustard. Overall the presentation was great and the food was still nice and warm. My favorite was the spicy chicken tenders, it was crispy and the breading had the right amount of fire. Each one of the finger chicken goodies was different in taste and texture. The chicken sambosa tasted resembled a pastilla which I love. Am not really big on sauces, but they did taste great especially the coriander one. If you are into fried, battered, minced chicken lovin' then give them a try.


Chicken Hut Telephone: 55467900 or 99544350.

Shite List

1. The "manager" at Burberry in 360 that looks like he rolled out of bed into the store........I busted you
    when I talked and complained to the real manager.

2. Asnan Clinic...........for 4 months now I have given you my new phone number and you still call the old
    disconnected one?

Song of the day

5 A Day

Lulu hypermarket.........just cant seem to get enough. I love roaming around the vegetable isles looking for new ingredients to come home with. I found the cutest Thai aubergines the other day created this dish with other usual suspects. Perfect with brown rice, grilled meats or own its own. 

Recipe:

1 packet sugar snaps
1 onion sliced thinly
1 packet Thai aubergine
1 inch piece ginger minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red chili chopped lengthwise
1 green chili chopped lengthwise
Half box brown mushroom sliced
1 long sweet yellow pepper sliced thick
Fresh Lemon juice
Salt
1 spring onion
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
Finely chopped coriander to garnish


Method:

In a wok on, heat the peanut oil adding the onion, ginger, chili, garlic and aubergine. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes adding the turmeric, salt and remainder of vegetables. Stir for another 3 minutes adding the lemon juice. Garnish with coriander and spring onion.

Whimsical Snack

Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you have no empathy for human pain, the name of human you cannot retain.

                                                                                                                                    - Saadi

One of my favorite snacks of all time is thinly sliced sweet pears, Stilton cheese drizzled with honey and topped with walnuts. No utensils, fingers picking up the soft cheese sticky honey and crunch of the walnuts. Moorish.

What's your favorite snack? Please share.

Song of the day

Song of the day

Feel Good Soup

Whenever anyone in our house gets sick, my mother makes this soup and poof somehow you feel somewhat better. Its a herb soup with rice and meatballs, highly aromatic and just filled with love. I know a lot of people under the weather lately so pass this along to help them get better!

Please excuse the quality of the picture as I asked my brother to take it and his Samsung phone camera is not that great even though he pretends it is. Bless him. 

Recipe:

1 onion
1/2 kilo minced lamb (lean)
3 bunches of chives washed, dried and chopped finely
1 bunch dill washed, dried and chopped finely
2 bunch parsley washed, dried and chopped finely
1/2 cup rice
3 cups water
3 bunch coriander washed, dried and chopped finely
2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Method:

Meatballs:

Mince onion, lamb, 1 bunch of chive, dill and 1 bunch of parsley and season with 1 teaspoon of turmeric and salt and pepper. Once minced, form into small sized meatballs and put into the fridge. In a deep pan add the remainder of herbs with the oil and add the water, turmeric, salt,  pepper and let to cook for 30 minutes. Add the meatballs and allow to cook for another hour to hour and half. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Song of the day

Deep Fried Oreo's

This fluff ball is so filthy good, I don't know why I hadn't tried it before. It all came into existence when my beautiful friend S decided to whip them up last night after her and her husband gave me a intense visual mind trip about how they had tried them in Miami at Prime One Twelve and loved them. 

The batter is a simple pancake batter that should be the perfect consistency and golden, and the Oreo inside must soft, gooey and spankin' hot.

Be warned as these can be highly addictive but the perfect I slaved over for hours and made you a scrumptious desert (with hand on hip) kind of night! 

Recipe (Stolen from S):

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons melted butter 

Oreo cookies

Frying oil

Icing sugar

Method:

In a shallow pan heat the frying oil, the oil should come up 1/4 of the pan.

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, milk, egg and melted butter making a thick batter. Test the oil to see if its hot enough by dropping a small amount of batter, it should puff up come to the top. Dip the cookies in the batter giving it a generous coating and gently put into the pan and fry until golden. Depending on the size of your pan only fry in small batches to keep the oil hot. Once all cooked serve on a platter and dust icing sugar on the mini delights! 

Song of the day

Schiacciata Alla Fiorentina

Schiacciata Alla Fiorentina , carnival cake or Florentine sponge cake is made during Easter time in Italy. It's very light, aromatic and so easy to prepare. I decided to make it when I was watching an episode of "Extra Virgin" on Food network when Gabriele makes it for Debi after a long day. I just love watching those two cook delicious meals together. They are so happy and loving with each other it just makes you smile. This cake is perfect with your afternoon tea.

Recipe adapted from Extra Virgin:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 orange
3 large eggs
1 cup warm full fat milk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Icing sugar for decorating
Butter for baking tray

Cooking Utensil:

 9 by 13 inch baking tray (I found one in Lakeland-Marina Mall)

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 Celsius and butter the baking tray.

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients with a whisk for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour mixture into baking tray and cook for 25-30 minutes. Let the cake to cool for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter and dust with icing sugar.

Song of the day

Stupid Waiters

I will be adding a segment to my blog "Stupid Waiters" whenever I have a bad experience with really really dumb waiters.


The following incident happened last night at Lorenzino Cafe in Avenues.


My Friend: May I have the pepper steak?
Me: Waiting for the waiter to ask how my friend likes his steak............nothing.
Me: He likes his steak medium
Waiter: Medium well done?
My Friend: No Medium
Waiter: Pause, medium well cook? Indian head shake where you dont know if its a yes or a no.
All of us: Shaking our head and ignore him.
Me: I would like the Moroccan tea
Waiter comes with all our orders. (Friends steak is so over done it tastes like leather) doesn't complain.
My tea is repulsive.
Me: I don't like my tea I want to change it.
Waiter: errrrrrrrrr I don't know madam i will ask my manager
Waiter comes back: Madam am sorry I will change for something else but will charge you.
Other friend is fuming: Bring me your manager!
Manager: Sorry madam we cant change your Harrods tea it is very costly.
Me: It says Lipton (smirking)
Waiter and Manager: Both look at each other, don't say a word and remove the tea.

Song of the day

Chestnut Lima Bean Salad

I was first introduced to chestnut lima beans a couple of years back and was always intrigued by their white speckles and marbling. They have creamy texture with the consistency of chestnuts. The beans trace back to the Pervian Andes where it got its name from in Lima, Peru. 

Very high in fiber and a great source of protein, this bean is apparently rare and sought after. Sad.

I created this salad last night and was very good indeed. Full of color and different flavors from the bitterness of the radicchio, licorice hint of fennel crunch and sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. If you aren't a fan of radicchio you can replace it with red cabbage.  

Recipe:

1 cup chestnut lima bean (no need to pre soak as it cooks in a jiffy)

1 fennel sliced thinly

1 big handful of string beans cut into 2 inch pieces

1 radicchio sliced thinly  

Small handful of yellow cherry tomatoes (whole)

2 tablespoon fresh pomegranate seeds

Dressing:

Juice of 1 orange

1/2 glass lemon juice 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Couple of drops of sesame oil 

1 teasppon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Sea salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method:

Cook beans until soft, set aside to cool. Boil the string beans for 4 minutes and immerse into a bowl of ice cold water to retain its color and crunch. 

Make the dressing in a bowl adding the olive oil at the end by slowly pouring it and whisk to get a thick consistency. Taste and add what you feel needs more oomph. 

Assemble the salad ingredients on a big plate and drizzle the dressing. 

Quince Stew

This sky where we live is no place to lose your wings

So love, love, love.

                                                                                   -Hafez

Quince stew is a stew on a league of its own. As a HUGE lover of sweet meat dishes, one must appreciate the unique taste it truly sates. Its rich, sweet with a hint of tang and the beautiful deep pink color the quince turns into as a result of cooking it in a copper pot is visually arresting. I love the end result of the flecks of bright green pistachio against the melt in your mouth dusty rose quince. This dish is best served on special occasions, or for those days when you want to tell someone that you really really love them.

Recipe:

3 to 4 quince cut into large chunks
1/2 kilo lamb shoulder cut into cubes or chicken pieces preferably breast (cut into 3) and drumstick skin removed.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 medium onions chopped half slivers
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
Pistachio slices to garnish


Cooking tool:

Copper Pot

Method:

In a copper pot add the quince, 1/2 cup water and sugar and cook for 2 hours on very low heat until the quince turns into a dark pink color. While the quince is stewing, in another pot add the cooking oil and saute the onions adding the chicken or meat seasoning with all the spices and 1/2 cup water and allow to cook on low heat for 2 hours. Once everything is cooking decant the chicken or meat mixture in the stewed quince adding the lemon juice and cook for a further ten minutes. Garnish with pistachio slivers and serve with white rice.

Song of the day

Guilt Free Snacks

If you are a fan of gummy bears do I have the perfect fix for you!!! Guilt-free fruit snacks containing no sugar, gluten, or high  fructose corn syrup is available now in by Raw Living Kuwait. I tried them and they are delicious and only 70 calories a pack!! Perfect for kids, and adults that need a quick sugar pick me up! Text them on  97969928 for orders. Addictive!

Glass House

Browsing through Abyat the other day, I came across this glass room that would be perfect for a garden. My friend actually had an amazing idea to tun it into a workout studio. Be warned though it comes with a hefty price, the below model is KD 4,500 and can be custom made to any size you want with the price of KD 140 per sq. meter.

Song of the day