MY EASY WAY INDONESIAN BEEF BALL BAKSO SOUP

Apa saja sup memang menjadi kegemaran Lydia asalkan ianya tak pedas. Bakso adalah once of my favorite sup. Lydia hanya pernah makan dan mula berjinak- jinak dengan bakso ni sedari di Malaysia dalam sekitar tahun 2000an setelah di perkenalkan oleh seorang perempuan Indonesia sewaktu membeli makanan dekat my mom house. Sekali makan hari- hari mau (HARIMAU).. tapi Lydia suka versi kosong jer tanpa perlu diletakkan sambal/cili dan cuka.
But today Lydia buat bakso sup kosong jer sebagai juadah berbuka puasa di hari yang ke-4 kerana tak lalu makan arabic foods..
Resepi ni kawan Indon yang ajarkan, memang sedap dan tak jemu rasanya. Walaupun masak bakso '0' tapi bersama ini lydia sertakan resepi lengkap bagi yang nak mencuba..

MY EASY WAY INDONESIAN BEEF BALL BAKSO SOUP

for the Soup
1 kg tulang lembu
1 kg Bakso beef balls
5 cloves of garlic*
3 ulas bawang merah*
1 inchi halia*
1 biji buah keras*- ditumbuk lumat bersama
1/8 camt serbuk buah pala
1 beef cubes
Air secukupnya
1/2 camt white pepper
garam secukup rasa

500g mee kuning- dicelur sebentar
beansprouts
Sawi

Garnishing
bawang goreng
daun sup/ daun bawang
cili hijau jeruk

Dark Chilli Sauce/ sos kicap
10-15 cili padi(bird's eye chilli)
3 ulas bawang putih
1 cawan sweet soya sauce (kicap manis)
Blend semuanya hingga lumat.

Masukkan tulang lembu dalam periuk presure cooker dan rebus sebentar hingga mendidih.
Buangkan air rebusan pertama.
Dalam presure cooker masukkan air, bahan tumbuk, serbuk buah pala dan white pepper.
Rebuslah hingga daging /tulang empuk dan masukkan beef cube serta garam secukup rasa.
Masukkan beef ball (bakso) dan terus merebus lagi hingga beef ball lembut.
Tambahkan air jika perlu.
Matikan api dan sedia untuk dihidangkan bersama mee/ bihun/soohon kegemaran anda.

Cara menghidang:-
Masukkan mee/ bihun/ sohoon ke dalam mangkuk.
Masukkan beberapa biji beef ball/bakso.
Taburkan dengan daun bawang/sup, bawang goreng, taugeh dan sawi secukupnya.
Masukkan sos kicap, dan cili api tumbuk serta cuka.
Akhir sekali masukkan kuah dan sedia untuk dihidangkan panas- panas.

Syrian Cabbage Rolls (Mahshi Malfoof)

Syrian Cabbage Rolls (Mahshi Malfoof)

1 medium cabbage
1 tbsp salt
enough water to boil and cover cabbage

Filling
1 cup Egyptian rice-wash and drain
1/2 fresh tomato-finely chopped
2 tbsp spring onion*
2 tbsp fresh parsely*
2 tbsp fresh corainder leave*-finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dry mints
1/2 tsp Arabic Mixed spices
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1 MAGGI Chicken cube
1 tbsp garlic paste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Sauce
600ml Water(+-)
1 pc MAGGI chicken cube
2 tbsp olive oil.
1/4 tsp arabic mixed spices
2 tbsp lemon juice

Place cabbage in a pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes to soften leaves.
Remove from water and with a knife, loosen leaves from the base.
If the leaves are still not soft, boil again for a few minutes.
When all leaves are cut free, trim the bottom portion of the thick rib from each leave (about 2 inches), leaving a large circle that will be used to wrap the filling.
Note - If the leaves are very large, they may be cut in half before use.

To make filling-

Place all remaining ingredients in a bowl and thoroughly mix.
Place some filling on the wide end of a cabbage leaf and roll, tucking in the ends in the process.
Continue until all leaves are finished.
Cover bottom of saucepan with cabbage ribs and any extra leaves.
Arrange rolls side by side.
Mix all the sauce ingredients.
Pour over cabbage rolls, add a little extra water if you needed so that the liquid comes up at least half way up the pan.
Place plates on top of the cabbage rolls to press them down.
Bring to a boil, over medium heat for 1 hrs or until very tender and soft.
Serve hot.

Stuffed Baby Zucchini with Tomato Sauce (Kosa Makshi)

Stuffed Baby Zucchini with Tomato Sauce Kousa mahshi)

Kousa Mehshi (Stuffed Zucchini) is an Arabic main dish spread in the mediterranean region . I omit the mince beef/ lamb, this simple and tasty dish makes a great vegetarian option for the Ramadhan diet.
I learned to make this dish while visiting my sister in-law in Syria. She is a truly amazing woman; she excels at whatever she puts her hands to, and of course she is a fantastic cook! Since I’m a beginner at speaking Arabic and in the kitchen involved a lot of pointing, gesturing, nodding, and excitement when the other person finally understood what was being communicated. But that just made it all the more memorable. In Syria, the zucchini is a lot smaller than the zucchini typically found here (a 6” zucchini there is pretty big!), so at first I wasn’t sure how to make this dish with our jumbo-sized zucchini.
Then a solution struck me, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner – just cut the zucchini into smaller pieces before hollowing it out! It worked brilliantly. Also, just in case you have a bounty of other vegetables from your garden you need to use up, you can use this recipe to make stuffed eggplant, tomato and peppers.

Rice mixture
500gms baby Zucchini, stalks trimmed, washed
1/2 cup egyptian rice , washed and drained
1/2 tomato-finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pc MAGGI cube
2 tbsp fresh corrainder leraves-finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsely leaves-finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh onion spring-finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp dry mints
1/4 tsp arab mix spices
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

sauce mixture
1ps MAGGI cube
1/4 tsp dry mints
1/4 tsp arabic mixed spices
1/4 cup tomato paste
700 ml water
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Lebanese bread, to serve
Natural yoghurt, to serve

Hallow the zucchini, wash well and set aside.
In a large saucepan combine rice, spring onion, spices, garlic, parsely, corainder, lemon juice, dry mints, MAGGI cube, black pepper, arabic mixed spices, olive oil, cinnamon powder and tomato.
Stuff the zucchini with the rice mixture.
Fill each zucchini shell about three-quarters full with the rice mixture and arrange in a casserole with a single layer.
Cover with sauce mixture.
Place plates on top of the zucchini to press them down.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour or until zucchini and rice are very tender and soft.
Divide among serving dishes and pour over broth.
Serve with bread and yoghurt

WARAQ ENAB/ STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Dolma/ Warak Enab/ Yabrak or Yalanji is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions, including Turkey, Egypt, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, the Balkans, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Northern Sudan, Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma, which is more precisely called yabrak, Yalanji(Arabic: يلنجي )or Warak enab mehshi (in Arabic ورق عنب محشي) is a same.
It's an Arabic popular dish of Lebanese origin. The plate is composed by vine leaves stuffed with rice, principally. Yalanji/ dolma/ warak Enab/ Yabrak is an appetizer dish mostly served at Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian famous restaurants.
The stuffing may or may not include meat. Stuffed Grape Leaves can be served as a side dish or a main dish. At restaurants it is usually served as a side dish, but when cooked at home it is mostly considered as a main dish. Warak enab is famous in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and Iraq.
Here is a step by step my recipe on how to make a vegetarian warak enab.
Cinnamon and mint seasoning make this version of a popular eastern Mediterranean food typically Lebanese and Syria.

1 jar vine/grape leaves
2 1/2 cups rice
2 whole garlic cloves
8 garlic cloves crushed with salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon arabic mixed spices
2 cubes MAGGI chicken cube
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh corrainder leave, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh spring onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1 tsp dried mint

Dip/ soften the vine leaves in boiling water for 1 minute, remove and set aside.
Wash rice and mix with all teh ingredients.
Open the vine leaves on a board one at a time.
Put 1 tsp of the mixture on the center of each leave, fold in 2 sides to the middle then roll tightly to form a cylinder about three inches long and somewhat thicker than a cigar.
Repeat until finish all the leaves or the stuffing.

Place the vine leave in the bottom of a saucepan, then put the stuffed leaves on top, Put whole garlic.
Sprinkle with MAGGI cubes and add water.
Use a plate to fit inside the saucepan as a lid, to stop the vine leaves from opening.
Cook on slow heat for about 1 hour when the leaves are well cooked.
Remove vine leaves carefully from pot/pan.
Cool fingers in cold water to facilitate handling the hot rolls.
Arrange on platter.
Serve hot/cold.

HARISEH/ BASBOUSA II- SEMOLINA CAKE WITH SYRUP

HARISEH/ BASBOUSA II- SEMOLINA CAKE WITH SYRUP

"Basbousa", is a typical middle-eastern dessert with Semolina as a main ingredient. Also, unlike the traditional way of making cakes, this is unique as it uses a sugar syrup topping for a plain cake, which in fact induces the softness, flavor and sweetness to the cake. Also, almonds and lemon juice are an important part of the traditional recipe. As I'm not too huge a fan of lemon flavor in my cakes, I cut down on the lemon juice a little and added Rose essence instead as I thought it would give a nice aroma and a mildly sweet taste that would accentuate the recipe. The result, a perfectly moist and healthy cake with a distinct taste, flavor and texture.
They love to eate basbousa with turkish/ arabic/ khaleej coffee after a meal. They are just enough to add that extra "umph" to a meal. The syrup is not too sugary because you can control how much sugar/ syrup you need, but sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Syrup
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp orange blossom water
Prepare the syrup first.
Dissolve sugar in water in a medium saucepan.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, orange blossom water and rose water, bring to a boil. Once the syrup begins to boil reduce heat and allow to slowly boil for about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Cake Ingredinets
2 cups semolina
1/2 cup fresh milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 eggs
blanched split almonds

Preheat oven to 180-200C degrees.
Lightly grease and flour a 9x12 baking dish.
Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine semolina, baking powder, and baking soda, slowly add to butter and egg mixture.
Stir in milk and yogurt.
Pour mixture into baking dish and smooth with spoon.
Take a butter knife and make diagonal lines from left to right and complete to make a diamond shapes.
Place an almond in the center of each diamond.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and pour syrup over cake until no more can be absorbed.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately.