Noor's Aqeeqah
Aqeeqah: A Muslim celebration, giving thanks to Allah for the special gift of a child.
This Friday I was honored to attend a celebration for one very special girl named Noor. Noor is the youngest child of a very good friend of mine from Pakistan. Her name means light and appropriately so because her life has brought a light into many lives around her, including mine.
Her parents in celebration of their beautiful daughter held an elegant affair, full of memorable moments and of course delicious food!!!!
One of my favorite Eastern foods, samosas, were offered as an hors d'oeuvre. Samosas are baked or fried pastries filled with spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken.
Indian Lamb Samosas
Description: Savory filled pastry
Cuisine Style: South and South Eastern Asian
Cuisine Style: South and South Eastern Asian
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
6 tablespoons ghee or oil, divided
Cold water as needed, usually about 10 tablespoons
1 cup minced onion, divided
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, divided
3 hot green chiles, such as serrano, seeded and finely minced, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/4 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 pounds ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
3 cups fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Oil, for frying
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
6 tablespoons ghee or oil, divided
Cold water as needed, usually about 10 tablespoons
1 cup minced onion, divided
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, divided
3 hot green chiles, such as serrano, seeded and finely minced, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/4 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 pounds ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
3 cups fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Oil, for frying
Directions:
Make the pastry by combining the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and then rubbing 4 tablespoons of the ghee into the flour until well combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together to form a ball, about 10 tablespoons. Knead the dough lightly and then form into a disk, wrap in plastic and transfer to the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Heat the remaining ghee in a medium skillet and add 3/4 cup of the onion. Cook until the onion is lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the ginger, 1 tablespoon of the garlic, 1 of the chiles, coriander, garam masala, cumin seeds, tumeric, and cinnamon and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the meat, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the remaining salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 cup hot water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the water has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the cilantro and set aside to cool completely.While the filling is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining the mint, remaining cilantro, remaining chopped onion, remaining ginger, remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic, remaining green chilies, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, sugar, lemon juice, and 3 to 4 tablespoons water in the bowl of a processor and process until a fine, smooth puree is formed. (Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.) Set aside, refrigerated, until ready to serve the samosas. (Taste and season with additional salt and sugar, to taste, if necessary.)
Divide the samosa dough into 10 portions and roll each piece of dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll each ball of dough into a circle about 5 inches in diameter (use a small bowl or the rim of a saucer and a sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough to form neat circles.) Cut each circle in half. Lightly moisten half of the straight edge of each half circle then bring the edges together to form a cone shape and press together to seal. Carefully spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling into the dough cone and push downward to compress the filling. Moisten the top edges with a bit of water and press together to seal. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough and filling.
When you are ready to fry the samosas, heat a deep-fryer or a large saucepan filled with at least 2 inches of oil to about 340 degrees F. Fry the samosas, a few at a time and stirring to promote even cooking, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain. Repeat until all samosas have been fried. Serve immediately, with the fresh mint dipping sauce and/or your favorite chutney.
Prep Time: 1 hr 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Servings: 10 servings
A Fast for Love: Karva Chauth
Karva Chauth: an annual one day celebration observed by primarily Hindu women in Northern India and Pakistan in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety of their husbands and unmarried women for their loves and betrothed. The women dress in traditional clothing and adorn themselves with jewelry and henna for the evening celebration, some even wearing their wedding attire. The dresses (saris or shalwars) are most often red, gold or orange in color. The fast is broken when the husband or love gives his beloved a sip of water and feeds her the first morsel of the day which is usually something sweet. In return for her dedication a new dress or jewelry is given as a gift.
Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian dessert. The perfect bit of sweetness to break fast.
Gulab Jamun
Cuisine Style: Indian/Asian
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), melted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon chopped almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
1 tablespoon golden raisins (optional)
1 pinch ground cardamom
1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying
1 1/4 cups white sugar
7 fluid ounces water
1 teaspoon rose water
1 pinch ground cardamom
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the milk powder, flour, baking powder, and cardamom. Stir in the almonds, pistachios and golden raisins. Mix in the melted ghee, then pour in the milk, and continue to mix until well blended. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, stir together the sugar, water, rose water and a pinch of cardamom. Bring to a boil, and simmer for just a minute. Set aside.
Fill a large heavy skillet halfway with oil. Heat over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Knead the dough, and form into about 20 small balls. Reduce the heat of the oil to low, and fry the balls in one or two batches. After about 5 minutes, they will start to float, and expand to twice their original size, but the color will not change much. After the jamun float, increase the heat to medium, and turn them frequently until light golden. Remove from the oil to paper towels using a slotted spoon, and allow to cool. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool slightly. Place the balls into the skillet with the syrup. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, squeezing them gently to soak up the syrup. Serve immediately, or chill.
***I like to sprinkle with coconut! Yummy*****
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Level: Labor of Love :)
Servings: 20 balls
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