Basbousa

When I was growing up, our neighbours up the street were Middle Eastern. Every Ramadan season, they would invite our family for an Iftar feast. Most of the dishes they served were not familiar to me, but the one dish that stood out from the rest was the basbousa. It had a subtle sweetness that was not overpowering and was the perfect finish to a meal or as a teatime snack.

Butter Chicken

The aroma of spices in oil, the tang of chili powder and the smiling face of my friend, Uma; that is what Butter Chicken reminds me of. Ever since I came to Dubai, I have fallen in love with Indian food, all thanks to my friend and neighbour, Uma. I cannot have enough of tandoori chicken, kulchas and kheer. But in my mind, the king of Indian cuisine is Butter Chicken.

Christmas Cake

 

Tis the season to be jolly….

Christmas- It that time of the year when one yearns for the comforts of home. A flurry of snow flakes, a warm cocoa and crackling fire…

Since all these things are not available in Dubai, the best way to assuage my yearning for home with a good old Christmas fruit cake.

My Christmas cake recipe comes from my grandmother, but I have made addition to it over the years. The cake is basically an equal weight pound cake, with additions of fruit, caramel and spices.

Also I prefer to soak my cake in wine rather than rum or brandy, since I am more of a wine drinker. All you teetotallers out there can even use non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice. But be advised that if you use juice, the cake will not keep that long and has be finished quickly (not a problem in my house) or refrigerated.

So here goes.          

Chocolate Cake

This is my favourite recipe in the entire world. It also happens to be very first cake I ever baked in my life. Just thinking about this cake brings back so many childhood memories.

Beef Stroganoff

When I think of Beef Stroganoff, the first thing that comes to my mind is our old neighbour back in Edmonton, London. She came to England from Russia as a young girl and carried along many favourite recipes from her homeland. I don’t remember her name, but what I remember is her Beef Stroganoff.

I was a skinny child with a large appetite and my mother often complained she never knew where the food disappeared (probably into the year 2010). So whenever our Russian neighbour made Beef Stroganoff, she would bring a big bowl over for us. “It’ll put some meat on her bones”, she would say.

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

Admit it! You dip into the cookie jar for a Chocolate Chip Cookie when the kids aren’t looking. I do it all the time. And I end up feeling so guilty.

The last time we went on a holiday with the whole family, we stayed at this resort where they had the most amazing chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. The first bite and I was in Cookie Heaven.