II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 12

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Two friends got together and created  Potsandpatterns  to share their experiences of food and life in general. Today one of them Shaima Al Tamimi is sharing with us how Ramadan & Eid is celebrated in Emirati household. Over to you Shaima.

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Hello to the readers of Gheza-E-Shiriin, I am Shaima Al Tamimi, a hardcore foodie since I could remember. I live between Abu Dhabi and Doha, so i pretty much have  love hate relationship with my suitcase. I started this blog with my school friend Latifa Al Shamsi. Pots and Patterns is our outlet to store the labour of our hobbies and share it with the world.

As we welcome Ramadan into our lives, just like the new year, we take it upon us to explore and better ourselves. Spiritually, it is a time to intensify connections with God through prayer, charity and rekindling relationships with relatives and friends, most of the time over iftar gatherings.
If you are not familiar with Ramadan, I’ve written about our rituals here a couple of years ago.
Today, I’m sharing a recipe that is not only delicious and refreshing, but also very close to my heart. When I was younger (and until today), my dad would dabble in the kitchen every now and then to whip up delicious dishes for us; a famished family of 6. His cooking style is very adventurous and at times, is based on re-inventing recipes according to whatever takes his fancy. This white cheese veggie dip has made it to our Iftar table for many years and is immediately wiped down with warm wholemeal toast followed by a cold glass of the Arab gulf’s favourite berry cordial drink, Vimto. When my dad is too tired to make this before we break fast, my baby brother makes it instead. It is not iftar without this creamy veggie dip.

So here goes the recipe:
1 cup White Cheese
2 chopped medium tomatoes
3/4th cup chopped parsley.
Olive Oil
With a fork, mash down the white cheese on a plate  until its soft and creamy. Add the chopped tomatoes and mash through again.
Mix in the parsley and finish off with generous drizzles of Olive Oil.
Enjoy as a dip for bread or crudites and even use as sandwhich spread.
 To know more  catch up with Shaima  on Instagram, Twitter, blog

Cous Cous Na Gota – Guest Post for Yummy Food

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Time has passed so quickly and again the holy month of Ramadan has come. Like every  year Lubna from Yummyfood is again hosting the event joys of fasting to feasting where she is inviting Muslim  blogger from all over the world to share their  food prepared during Ramadan .

 
 
Today, sharing with you a fusion recipe Cous Cous na Gota !!Arabic with a touch of my state Gujarat. Those familiar with gujarati food  must know how we gujjus love our snacks.  Gota  is round ball made from mix of gram flour & flour & some times semolina  using different flavoring like fenugreek, spring onions or spinach or a typical gota masala.But here I have somewhat twisted the original recipe and incorporated new flavors 
 
Lubna Ramadan Guest post
 
To know more, please hope over to Lubna’s space here
 
 
 
 

II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 11

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Today we travelling to the lands of Arabia, to  a small country Kuwait  located on the tip of persian gulf . Our guest Fatimah Alhusaini  from the blog Saffronpudding is sharing with us about this pious month along with  a traditional recipe Rangeenak specially made during ramadan. Over to you Fatima. But before going further just to remind u all , last week I had done a guest post for her too.You can check the post here
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A new Ramadan. A new beginning. A new chance to make amends. It’s the time for deep thinking. Of going back to the roots; of why we exist, what purpose do we serve here on earth and what truly matters in life. 
It’s the time for spiritually and self decline . For breaking away from the things that pulls us down to the earth so our spirits can fly up high to the sky.


It’s the time for true appreciation for everything we have and enjoy. The big comfy homes, the food filled fridge , the tiniest water drop.



It’s the time for taking a break, stepping back and enjoying our families, our traditions and our culture and everything around us. 
And for me that means spending time with the elderlies in my family. Knowing more about my past. And making traditional dishes like the one I am sharing with you today.

Rangeenak (رنگینک) is a dish that is popular in Kuwait amongst the Iranian descents families.Iam not sure exactly what the name means and why it called that. I know رنگ in farsi means‘color’ but I am not sure if it derived from that name or not. It is made with fresh sweet dates and caramelized flour and oil. The ingredients sound a bit bland for someone who haven’t tried the dish. But the overly sweet flavor of the fresh dates paired with the nutty earthy flavor of the caramelized flour topped with cinnamon and walnuts is divine, and especially full filing and satisfying after a day long fast. !

Rangeenak (رنگینک) Recipe
Fresh dates enough to fill two plates ( about 2 kg)
1/2 cup vegetable oil!
1/4 cup butter ( half a stick)
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
ground cinnamon for sprinkling at the end
1/4 cup walnuts ( small pieces for garnishing)
– with a toothpick carefully pierce the dates to remove the seed. Arrange dates on plates starting
from the outer circle going inward. Set a side.
– In a medium sauce pan or regular pan heat oil and butter over medium- high heat. Add flour,
cardamom and salt. Whisk vigorously until all flour is incorporated and there are no lumps.
– Continue to cook over medium-high until mixture resembles the color of caramel ( golden
brown) . Stir occasionally.
– Carefully pour the oil and flour mixture over dates. Sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with
walnuts. Serve warm.

To know more about Fatimah visit her @ blog, Facebook

II Edition of Ramadan An Event to Share – Chapter 10

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Who does’t love Pattice and that too filled with flavorful chicken..Today my dear friend Aara from Sweets & Spices is sharing with  her nani’s recipe Chicken Stuffed Pattice in step by step 
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As Salamu Alaikum To the Readers of +Gheza e shiriin  I m Aara here back again to the board with some yummy goodies to try this Ramadan.


Today I m sharing a recipe known by few and it is called Pattice / Petties which can either mean like a hindi word for suitcase known in olden days as peti. Which has things stuffed inside, Similarly came up the word among our elders as petties. However lets still to the western term of acknowledgement known as Pattice (something round flattened cake of food, disc shaped)



My nani is expert in making this, now she is old and she do not carry the same energy level as before. My nana can somehow never forget  about this every Ramadan and he insist only this has to be made when we give food for iftar to our relatives. My mami and khala, now I can say either mastered / suffer this yummy snacks in large batches every year.
We always enjoyed what ever we got from our nani’s place mom was never interested to make this of her own, until once when me and my bro insisted mom to try out her hand!! 
Yaaaayy she did and we enjoyed it alot. Of course I be there near my mom to help her like gud girl. We found it all easy and regretting why dint we ever try this so many years? 
Well gone is gone! Good that we tried and here today I m going to share the recipe with you guys!! Hope you try it out and enjoy it 
The procedure for preparation may seem long but we can consider it to be lazy workers job!! As we can take our own sweet time in preparing it ahead and just fry before the time when needed. 
Chicken Stuffed Aloo Pattice
Ingredients:
Potatoes – 4-5 medium size
Salt according to taste
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2tsp or more as needed
Chicken mince -3/4th cup
Oil – 4tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/4th tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4th tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/4th tsp
Onion – 1 medium size (finely chopped)
Spring onions – 1/4th cup (finely chopped)
Coriander powder – 1/4th cup (finely chopped)
Semolina/ suji – 1/2 cup  or more as needed
Eggs – 2 large whisked with some salt and red chilli powder
Oil – for deep frying (1cup is enough)
Method:
– Boil potatoes till soft, and remove from water immediately!! This will ensure we dont get sticky potato mashed up. Allow it to cool nicely.
Peel of the skin and mash it along with salt and chilli powder according to your taste. Keep this aside.
Preparing the chicken mixture 
Heat 2tsp oil in a pan in low flame add ginger garlic paste, and fry for 1 min, add in mince chicken, salt, turmeric and chilli powder, cook it in medium flame nicely till well combined for 2 mins, now add chopped onion and cook for 5-10 mins in high flame, by this time you see chicken mince has oozed out lots of water just keep stirring and dry up all the extra moisture. Check for salt!!

When this is still hot add in the spring onions and coriander leaves, mix mix and break the large mince if any!! everything should be well combined. Our Stuffing is Ready!!


Assembling of patties:
Take small portion of potato, flatten it in palms put in the stuffing as required. Take another ball of same size to 1st one, Flatten it and place on top of fillings. Now slowly pack the sides of potato edges and shape it nicely without breaks. If any breaks comes you can add in little mashed potato to fill in that portion

Place this over semolina or suji and carefully coat it, Just one coat is enough till it covers the outer surface of pattice.

Arrange this one by one in plates or trays keep it as it is until u are ready to fry.

Keep egg mixture ready!!

To fry Heat oil in a kadai (dont use frying pan) now carefully take each pattice and dip it into egg mixture slide it over hot oil. As soon as you place it over oil flip it, so that egg mixture does not drain towards one side alone.

Add 2 at a time to fry. Flip it and fry till both sides are golden brown, this should take just 2 mins in medium flame. Remove pattice into oil absorbent and serve it hot or warm With tomato ketchup!!


Notes:
– Make sure mashed potatoes are not sticky, It will be difficult to work that way, If in case it gets sticky add bread crumbs to make it workable. Adjust salt and chilli powder accordingly
– Add spring onions and coriander leaves after removing the chicken mixture from heat, this will ensure it both the green components retain its color. Cooking it with chicken may turn it all dark in color.
– Always use kadai for frying, Since the pattice are heavy do not attempt putting it over oil like we do for pakodas, it might take no time to spill the hot oil over your body. Be careful while flipping as well, do it slowly dont be in hurry! The same goes in using fry pan, it has high chances of spilling oil over you without you really noticing it!! I already burnt my left hand that way!! It is all like handle with love and care.
– Check salt and spice in mashed potatoes, chicken filling and eggs mixture, everything should balance the taste of pattice
– Adding chilli powder to eggs mixture will give it nice color while frying
– Vegetarians can try the same with different fillings and coat it with flour paste 1st and then bread crumbs
– This takes very less cooking time and oil also,
– Add just 2-3 pattice at a time without over crowding the kadai.
– Use  a rounded spoon to flip, If you are new to cooking, you might tend to break the pattice with pointed spatula.
– Extra fillings if left any can be stored or use it along with sabzi, or side dish for roti / puri / parathas.
– If extra mashed potatoes are left then you can make some potato cutlets / aloo bonda / aloo tikkis (nothing will be wasted)
– My nani used to add hard boiled egg whites to the filling it again used to be gud to taste something alternative to paneer.


Hope you guys enjoyed reading my post, This snacks is worth giving a try and check out the taste yourself. It is different and yes very very yummy!! 

When you try out do let us know how it turned 🙂


Thanks Aara for giving us such a detailed post.To check more of her delicious recipes, visit her @ Blog , FB