British take on Ma'asoob (معصوب)

So this is no proper 'traditional' recipe, but just a British variant because I can't find any decent Middle Eastern bread to use for it. Alas, the bog standard loaf of wholemeal bread that was laying around would have to do! And I think it worked quite well, if I do say so myself.

EDIT: So I just found out from a friend that the bread usually used to make this is called 'fateerah' (فطيرة) and that it is actually the same as South Asian 'Parathas'. So if you can find either, use that! :)

Ingredients

2 Bananas
3 Slices of bread (wholemeal if you wanna be healthy)
Optionals:
Dates
Some extra thick spooning cream (Not single or double)
Runny Honey

In a Large bowl, mash up your banana

Add your chopped dates if using

Toast you bread until lightly golden brown, do not burn!

Crumble the toast into the bowl by squeezing and rubbing it in your hands

Mash it all up some more with the help of a potato masher

Add a large spoonful of cream if using

Mix it all up

Place in a microwavable dish and heat until hot, drizzle with honey (optional) and serve.
And do not be fooled by what looks like a very modest portion size, there is 3 slices of bread, 2 whole banana, 4 dates, cream and honey in the dish! ;)

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Ful Mudammas (فول مدمّس)

Ful Mudammas

Ful Mudammas is a very popular dish throughout the Middle East, and can be made in a variety of different ways depending on which region you are in. The first time I tried this I really disliked it - then again, it was an imported 'ready to eat' canned version of the stuff that I tried. Since all my Middle Eastern friends stood by their claims that it was a staple dish that rich and poor alike both ate, I decided to give it another try making it myself - the results were quite different!

I won't claim this recipe is from any specific region, because it is not. I searched a wide variety of recipes, all of which differed in some way or another. When the time came to try our this dish again I didn't bother with a recipe at all. I went with what I remembered from the various recipes I had found. Since I also had no sort of Arabic bread available, with which ful is usually served, I decided to be a typical Brit and make toast instead!

Ingredients

Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 can/tin of brown broad beans
1/2 a bell pepper (any colour is fine), diced
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1/2 a tomato, chopped
1/2 a tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of crushed garlic
1 tbsp of tomato puree*
1 cup of water
juice of 2 lemons (or to taste)
salt and black pepper, to taste

*In Britain, tomato puree, usually refers to what is known in America as concentrated tomato paste

Fry the onion until translucent

Add bell pepper and fry for a further 3 min

Add tomato and fry until soft

Add ground cumin and crushed garlic, fry for a futher 30s

Add 1 cup of cold water, tomato puree* and the broad beans.
Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid.

Simmer on low heat for about 10min or until liquid has reduced by half , it should look as above

Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon, for a chunky consistency
You could serve it  like this, or if you want a smoother texture give it a further whizz with an electric hand blender or in the food processor.

Once you have your desired consistency/texture, mix in the lemon juice, salt and pepper to your preferred taste
This above photo shows the consistency/texture after using a hand blender
Serve with Arabic Flat bread, or any other type of bread ;)

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Saudi Scrambled Eggs (شكشوكة‎)

Some exciting new and a new recipe today!

First off, I got a new camera which I am utterly overjoyed with. A Canon EOS 600D, perhaps not the most 'professional' camera out there, but it does what I need it to - and I'm a poor student remember ;)

I have to admit I made this blog not even having the right equipment from the start. I don't know much about HTML, but if found this wonderful template and tweaked with it a bit (from what little I could remember from my younger days) for my needs until I was happy. Then when I wanted to post some recipes I realised I didn't have a decent camera. My little point and shoot would I worked, if course, but the quality would not be great.
So I took to pinching a few photos from other blogs (you'll find all the credits below the picture though!). Despite crediting the original source, I still felt kinda bad for taking them.

But now, oh boy, ya walad! I am going to have fun with this new beauty!
So to test it out I snapped each step of making my breakfast this morning - Scarmbled Eggs, Saudi style a.k.a shakshouka/شكشوكة‎


On with the recipe!

Serves: 1-2 (I am greedy and ate it all to myself :p)
Ingredients

3 medium eggs
Half a medium onion, diced
One third of a green bell pepper, diced (other colours work too, but green will look the prettiest. I used red since there was already a third left over. No need to waste ;) )
Half a tomato, chopped
Half a tsp of ground cumin
Quarter of a tsp of salt
Quarter of a tsp of black pepper

Optional
Dash of milk
Tsp of butter

Ingredients

Lightly beat your eggs (milk and butter, if using) with a fork until mixed

Fry onion in some olive oil until they start to turn golden

Add pepper and fry for a further 3 min

Add tomato and fry for a further 3min

Sprinkle on about half of the ground cumin and fry for a further 30seconds

Add your egg mix (those lumps are from the butter which was optional!)

Sprinkle on the salt, black pepper, and the rest of the ground cumin
Tip: you could just leave to cook like this to make an omelette ;)

Mix mix mix, and keep mixing until the egg is cooked!

Once the egg is cooked it will look something like this.

Shakshouka is normally served with Arabic flat bread, which I have been told is the same a pita bread, but also been told it is not the same a pita bread. So right ow I have no clue! I was going eat it with some pita but then noticed little spots of mould on mine (oops) so I just ate it on it's own and it was still extremely satisfying! Enjoy :)

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