Fresh Tuna Stir-Fry & Cannelloni- Cooking with Asra

On Thursday, Naseer uncle's 13-year old daughter came over to our place after school. Uncle was coming home (the doctors have told him bed rest for 3 months minimum) and Rizwan had gone to pick him up, my parents were out grocery shopping so it was upto Asra and I to make dinner.
I taught her a few things, and here are two awesome recipes from Thursday's menu.

Fresh Tuna Stir Fry
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/4 lbs fresh tuna, cut into 1-inch cubes*
1/4 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce**
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup vertically sliced onions
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
Additionally, you can marinate it with spices beforehand.

1. In a bowl, combine lime juice and tuna.
2. In a small bowl, combine teriyaki sauce and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat.Add in onion, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes.Add in fish mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add teriyaki mixture; stir-fry 30 seconds or until slightly thick.

Cannelloni with Cheese, Spinach and Walnuts

12 Barilla cannelloni
2 cups milk (700ml)
1 cup ricotta cheese (500g)
400g Parmesan and marble cheddar/halloumi cheese**
150g fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped almonds
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

In a pot, melt the butter on low heat, and slowly add the flour, milk (previously boiled). Whisk. Add all the cheese (except 1/2 of Parmesan), salt and pepper and let them melt together. In another saucepan, cook the spinach coarsely chopped in olive oil for 5 minutes.
Mix it all with the nuts and fill the cannelloni. Spread half the cheese cream at the bottom of a pyrex baking dish and place the filled cannelloni at the top. Cover with the remaining sauce and cook for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius.

*Chopping up a fresh tuna fish was not fun. It was the complete fish with the eye and all. Eeks!
But I had to do it because my father insisted that I make the tuna. I only managed to cut half, the rest, I mixed with the ingredients and put it in the oven for baking.

**I had asked my parents to get teriyaki sauce and it was quite the experience for them. They called me 3-4 times from Carrefour! I've never found Parmesan cheese here, and even hazelnuts are an extremely hard find in Al Ain...

***The original recipe uses gorgonzola and percorino, I just used marble cheddar :)

Creamy Mango Cheesecake

This low-fat cheesecake is as creamy as any other, but makes a healthier dessert option, unlike the Chocolate Rhapsody (but there's no comparison, chocolate rules!).

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey
1 large ripe mango
1 1/4 cups low-fat soft cheese
2/3 cup low-fat natural yogurt
finely grated rind of 1 small lime*
3 tbsp apple juice
4 tsp gelatin**
fresh mango and lime slices to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Mix together the oats, butter and honey; press into the base of a 8in loose-bottomed cake tin. Bake for 12-15 min. Cool.

2. Peel, stone and roughly chop the mango. Process with the cheese, yogurt and lime rind until smooth. Heat the apple juice until boiling, sprinkle the gelatin over it, stir to dissolve, then stir into the cheese mixture. Pour into the tin and chill until set. Turn out and decorate with mango and lime slices.

* Make sure the lime is grated well, otherwise the small bits will taste quite bitter. Some people like that taste, but I don't. Or, you can get grated lemon rind @ Bulk Barn at the rate of $100/kg!

** If halal gelatin is not available, use what I used: agar agar.

Quick Gozleme

"This is a Turkish sort of hot-plate cooked bread wrap or crepes containing fillings such as spinach and feta, or spiced mince, served with lemon juice."

Preparing Gozleme following it's original recipe can make your poor arms drop-off from all the kneading and rolling of the dough!

So, here's my quick Gozleme recipe for Ramadan. [And I apologise to all your Turks for simplifying it beyond belief :D]

The Filling

2 cups grated feta cheese, or a mixture of feta and another cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta)
2 cups finely chopped silver beet or spinach leaves (no stems)
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup chopped spring onion
½ cup dried brown (friend) onion, mixed with the following:
1 tsp white pepper (optional)
1 tsp allspice (optional)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs e.g. oregano, sage (optional)

You can also have some minced meat filling seasoned to your taste.

The reason why this recipe is simple is because there's no dough to knead! Just use frozen puff-pastry squares.

Method

Blend/mix all the leaves, herbs and the dried brown (fried) onions in a blender or mixer for less than a minute. The mixture should have coarse-consistency, not paste-like. Mix this green mixture with the cheese and spices. That's it! You can store this in the fridge for 2-3 days and take it out 1/2 hr before iftar to prepare.
Put lumpfuls of this mixture on the puff-pastry squares laid out in a baking tray. Put it in the oven and use temperate instructions on the puff-pastry package.

Serve hot and fresh off the oven! :D

Paneer Tikka Pulao Recipe

4 servings - 35 min to make - 20 min prep

Panir
1 1/2 cups panir, cut into 50 mm. (2-inch) [panir can be replaced with cottage cheese]
1/2 cup red capsicums, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon gram flour (besan)
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons oil
salt

Rice:
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (zeera)
2 cloves (laung)
1 bay leaf (tezpath)
1 inch cinnamon sticks (25 mm darchini)
3 tablespoon oil
salt
1 sprig mint

Paneer tikka preparation:

1. Combine the yogurt, gram flour, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, fenugreek powder, garam masala, coriander, salt and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well to prepare a marinade.
2. Add the paneer, onions and capsicum to it and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Arrange the paneer 4 skewer sticks.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a non-stick tava (griddle) and sauté the paneer tikkas and the onions and capsicum, till they are lightly browned on all sides (approx. 4 to 5 minutes). Remove from the skewer and keep aside.

Pulao rice preparation:

1. Clean, wash and soak the rice. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan, add the cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon and stir.
3. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the rice and salt and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups of hot water. Cover and cook over a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. The rice is done when each grain can be separated with a fork.

Final steps:

1. Add the paneer tikkas with the vegetables, and cook till the rice is hot.
2. Garnish with the sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Maria, Let me know how it turns out :)

Mashed Potatoes & Cajun Gravy- Popeye's Style

Gravy

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup ground chicken
2 tablespoons minced green bell peppers
2 cups water
14 ounces beef/chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash dried parsley flakes



Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Saute the ground chicken in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked and add bell pepper to the saucepan and saute it for 1 minute.
Add water and broth to the pan. Sift cornstarch and flour into some water and whisk it into the pan.
Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer gravy for 30 to 35 minutes or until thick.



Mashed Potatoes

Boil the potatoes with some garlic cloves. Mash them over low heat and add some ground onions and garlic. Add cream until the potatoes look rich and creamy.

Best Drink Recipe Ever

My friends know about my smoothie craze... some of the best "smoothie"-days were those on our way to Shariah program in Kahkashan's car :D
There are some good combinations that will always work- healthy, colourful and just the right blend, such as watermelon-blueberries or strawberry-banana..mmmmmm!

This is a drink recipe that my mother taught me. It's the yummiest thing I've ever had, and it's extremely nutritious (first thing in the morning),very filling and excellent for the heart, brain and provides energy. She read about it in her version of the Prophetic Medicine (Tibb-e-nabvi) in Urdu.
And as you know, the most important (and only) kitchen appliance for making smoothies is a blender.

...
There, you have it :)

Sorry guys, I had to remove it because this recipe is going into a book inshallah!

Recipe of the Month- Corny Soybean Salad

1 1/2 cups/ 375ml	frozen edamame (uncooked soybeans)
1/2 cup/ 125ml	dry small shell pasta
2 tsbsp/ 30ml	olive oil
1/2	red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup/ 125ml	sweet onion, diced
2 cups	corn kernels (about 4 ears)
2 tbsp/ 30ml	water
2 tbsp/ 30ml	fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp/ 30ml	fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp/ 1.25ml	red pepper flakes
1/4 cup/ 60ml	parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1. Cook edamame and pasta according to package directions; drain well, toss with 1tbsp/15ml of oil and set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add bell pepper and onion and cook about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in corn, water, edamame and pasta; cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, basil and red pepper flakes. Grate Parmesan on top and serve immediately.

Edamame: bright green uncooked soybeans- 1/2 cup/ 125ml is a meal in itself, with 8g protein, 9g complex carb, 4g fibre and 3g fat per 100 calories.

Nutrition facts:
Makes 6 1-cup/250ml servings.
Amount per serving:

• Calories- 200
• Total fat- 8.6g
• Sodium- 95mg
• Total carb- 23g
• Fibre- 4.7g
• Protein- 11.6g

Source: Personal Best, Body Bulletin Canada

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Note: I haven't tried it yet!