RECIPES: A taste of Eid at home

Marriam Essa-Sayed, aka Foodeva Marsay, a South African food and lifestyle blogger, shares some of her family’s Eid favourites.

Eid ul Fitr will take place on 21 or 22 April, depending on the sighting of the moon.

*Tangy and spicy prawns

Servings: 2-3

Difficulty: easy

Author: Foodeva Marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

12-15 king prawns

For the marinade:

1 cup double cream yoghurt (or full fat yoghurt)

2 tsp crushed/chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped green chillies

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp egg yellow food colouring (powder)

1 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)

1 and 1/2 tsp coriander and cumin powder (dhania jeera powder)

2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp salt

4 tbs lemon juice

5-6 tbs oil

butter for dotting

Method

Make up a marinade with the above ingredients except for the butter.

After cleaning and washing the prawns, allow the excess water to drip off.

Marinate the prawns with half a cup or more of the marinade, for 1 to 2 hours.

Set aside the reminder of the marinade to brush onto the prawns just before the grilling is done

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Spray an oven dish with non-stick spray and layer the prawns in a single layer into oven dish.

Dot with butter and broil/grill for 15 minutes, turning once. Use the remainder of the marinade to brush over the prawns, and return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Best enjoyed served immediately, with a garlic butter or lemon butter sauce, and with a side serving of savoury rice (I do mine with garlic, onions and peppers) and a lightly toasted garlic roll.

NOTES: * You may opt to remove prawn heads and shell.

* This recipe works perfectly for grilling on the braai, broiling in the oven, or even quickly cooked on the stove top.

* Try this marinade for chicken and steak too.

*Grilled Hariyali Murgh (Grilled Green Chicken)

Servings: 4

Difficulty: easy

Author: Foodeva Marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

600 – 800 grams chicken fillets or chicken thigh, cut into cubes. Wash and drain well.

For the green chutney, blend together:

1 full cup of fresh coriander leaves and stems

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

3 stalks spring onions (green fleshy bit)

2-3 green chillies

2-3 cloves of garlic – paste or chopped (1 tbs)

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

juice of 1 lemon

4-5 heaped tbs plain yoghurt

Add to the chicken:

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp green chilli and garlic paste (green masala)

Allow the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes

Preheat oven to grill setting.

Method

Place the chicken into oven proof tray/casserole, and add a few dots of ghee or butter.

Grill until the chicken cube edges turn a little charred, and done to your likeness. Turn a few times, basting with pan sauce each time. Ensure the hariyali chicken does not dry up too much.

Serve hot, with rice/roti/flatbread/puri/starch side of choice/salad.

NOTES: * This recipe can also be prepared on the stove top, add ghee/butter to pot and when melted, add the marinated chicken, and cook until done.

* If you enjoy a more spicier end result, then increase your amount of green chillies.

* Try this recipe with chicken skewered onto grill sticks and then grilled in oven, or over hot coals (braai/barbecue), baste with reserved green yoghurt marinade.

* If you doing a braai, save some of the blended chutney to baste

*Creamy steak with mushroom and pepper

Servings: 4-6

Difficulty: easy

Author: Foodeva Marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

1kg steak, (any cuts, sliced into medium/large slices)

1 tsp, or more, ginger garlic paste (or just garlic paste)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander/cumin powder (dhana jeera)

1-2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1tsp salt (or to season)

3 tbs lemon juice or vinegar

2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce or Soy Sauce

1/4 cup oil/ghee/butter

3-4 bay leaves

mushroom (as much as you prefer, cut into halves/quarters)

Peppers (any colours or a combo of colours, cut into chunks or thick slices)

1/2 – 1 cup fresh cream/cook-in cream or 1 can evaporated milk

Method

Marinate the steak slices for a minimum of 10 minutes with all the above mentioned ingredients, except the oil/butter/ghee, bay leaves and mushroom and pepper, and cream.

In a large enough flat pot or pan, heat the oil/ghee/butter.

When this is hot, add the marinated steak slices. Brown for a few minutes and turn them around. Follow by adding 1/2 cup of water, and reduce the stove heat to low, and let the steak cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Gradually add more water if need be.

Now add the sliced mushroom and peppers.

After 5 minutes, add the cream of choice, and let it simmer until slightly thickened.

Carefully turn the steak slices during this time to coat them evenly with the cream.

When done, sprinkle with chopped parsley or coriander and serve hot with a starch of choice.

NOTES: * Any cuts of steak work for this recipe. You may need to cook for longer, depending on which steak cut you prefer.

* More cream may be used, if preferred. Remember to check and adjust you salt seasoning accordingly.

*Vanilla sponge cake topped with custard

Author: Foodeva Marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

For the sponge cake:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence/extract

1/2 cup milk

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 175 -180 degree celsius. Prepare pans by spraying with a non-stick baking spray.

Using a hand-held electric beater, whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Beat these well, until light pale in colour and sugar is dissolved.

Add the sifted dry ingredients, and add the milk in two parts, and continue whisking until well blended and smooth batter achieved.

Pour into baking pan, and bake for +/- 20 minutes, or until browned and skewer comes out clean.

Once done, cool for 5 minutes in pan and gently turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: *This batch is perfect for one loaf, one small square cake or 12 cupcakes. And this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for large cakes.

For thick custard:

1 litre milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

8 tbs custard powder (dissolved with enough water to make a thin custard paste ‘slurry’).

Heat the milk, vanilla essence and sugar in a large enough saucepan.

When the milk is hot and the sugar is dissolved, add the custard paste slurry.

Keep stirring the custard until it reaches a thick consistency and boils for a few seconds.

Take care not to let the milk custard mix scorch at the base of saucepan, and continued stirring will ensure no lumps form.

The custard is now ready to be used.

I divided the custard amount, and coloured them green, pink and left one batch the original. But you can leave the custard as is if you prefer.

To assemble:

Add a dollop of custard to the centre of your serving platter, where you will position the first layer of vanilla sponge cake. Spread this custard evenly along the length, the size of the cake. This ensure the cake is held in place and serves as a kind of ‘glue’ for the base of the cake.

Place the first layer of sponge cake, top this with a generous amount of custard, just enough so as to not drop down along the sides too much.

Place the next layer of sponge cake, top again with custard.

Lastly add the last layer of sponge cake and once again top with the remaining custard.

Take care not to add too much custard that it drips down the sides.

You can now add any the of decorations you prefer on the top.

I have used here, a drizzle of chocolate ganache (2 tablespoon cream and dark chocolate, melted until dissolved). I also added strawberries that I halved, and a scatter of sliced pistachios.

This cake tastes wonderful, if allowed to rest for a few hours in the fridge, and brought back to room temperature before serving time.

You can also serve it along with an extra pouring of custard, or it is perfect as is.

NOTE: * If you want to cool the custard slightly before topping onto cake, cover the top of the custard with a plastic film/cling wrap. Allow the plastic to rest onto the custard surface. This helps in not allowing a crust to form of the surface, which if mixed into the custard later will cause it to be lumpy.

*Peppermint Tart Fridge Dessert

Difficulty: Easy

Author : Foodeva Marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

Ingredients and Instructions:

500ml fresh cream

1/2 cup caramel treat

2 tbs castor sugar

* Whip cream, gradually adding the sugar.

* Stir through the caramel treat to remove lumps, before gently folding into the whipped cream.

* Flavour the cream/caramel mix with 1 to 2 drops of peppermint essence.

1 – 2 packets Tennis Biscuit

Slab of any mint chocolate (Peppermint Crisp/Mint Crisp/AeroMint)

All that’s left to do is layer:

* In a greased casserole dish, start off by layering the first row of Tennis Biscuits.

* Follow with a layer of cream/caramel mix.

* Top with some grated mint chocolate.

* Keep at the layering until you end with a layer of cream/caramel mix right at the top.

* Decorate as desired and finish off with a grating of mint chocolate.

* Refrigerate overnight until set.

* Top with fresh mint leaves just before serving.

NOTES: * I have used 1/2 can caramel treat with success many a times.

* This recipe also works well with a regular Lotus Biscoff.

* The longer the dessert sets in refrigerator the better it tastes.

* Works well either set into a large casserole or in single servings.

* With single serving options and the smaller shot glass, servings (as in the picture further below), I have crushed the Tennis Biscuits before layering as above.

*Burfee sojee (burfee semolina halwa)

Servings: 6-8

Author: foodeva marsay (@foodeva_marsay)

150 grams butter

1 and 1/2 cups semolina/tasty wheat

1/2 cup Klim powder (milk powder)

1-2 tsp green cardamom powder (elachie powder)

2-3 tbs powdered almond or sliced/nibbed almonds

1 cup boiling water

1 cup fresh cream

1 can condensed milk

To serve: dessert cream and coloured almonds/pistachios/rose petals

Method

Whisk together the condensed milk and fresh cream. Warm slightly and keep aside until required.

Melt the butter in a large enough pot, on medium heat.

Add in the semolina/tasty wheat, the Klim powder (milk powder), cardamom powder and almonds.

Stir until the butter is absorbed for 1 to 2 minutes, ensuring the semolina does not brown.

Carefully add the 1 cup of boiling water and stir well until the semolina absorbs the liquid.

Now add in the warmed condensed milk and fresh cream; keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.

Using the back of a spoon, you can press out any lumps, as the wet ingredients is absorbed, the consistency of the sojee will even out.

Keep stirring the sojee for +/- 10 to15 minutes and the sojee will eventually leave the sides of the pot and spoon.

Lower the heat and allow to gently cook covered until done, for a further 5 minutes stirring in between to ensure the sojee does not catch at the bottom of the pot, and the butter begins to surface.

Serve the sojee hot, with a drizzle of dessert cream and chopped/slivered coloured almonds/pistachios

NOTES: * If you prefer a richer end result, you can up the butter amount to 250 grams.

* Add the initial stages when the semolina is cooking, you can add in a few strands of saffron and sultanas (optional).

* Add a cap of rose essence/rose water to the wet ingredients if you enjoy your regular burfee with a rose taste.

* You may use any brand of milk powder you prefer.

Follow her on www.marriamsayed.com and Instagram: @foodeva_marsay Facebook: @FoodevaMarsay

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