SPICY ARABIC RICE

SPICY ARABIC RICE

Excite yourself with the tantalizing flavours of this spicy arabic rice dish. Using the right spices, this rice dish will liven up any menu. I serve it with plain natural yoghurt to help tone down the spice.. MMmm Hmm.. The smell of the spices coming off the rice are just amazing, wait til you get a whiff of it! Deeee Liiiish

What you will need 

• 2  cups basmati rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 whole dried lemon (optional)
• 1 bay leaf

Spices

• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• cloves (approximately 6 of them)
• cardamom (approximately 6 of them)

In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onion and ginger. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, dried lemon and bay leaf. Add the basmati rice into the pan, followed by the water. (Note: to cook basmati rice, for every 1 cup of rice, cook in 1 1/2 cups of water).  Stir the rice, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Stir in all the spices. Bring the rice to the boil. Simmer until the rice has absorbed the water. You are now ready to serve :) 

MAMAs SPICY MEAT CHOPS

MAMAs SPICY MEAT CHOPS

This has to be hands down, the tastiest bit of meat going. Use this sauce on any type of chop be it lamb, beef or whatever. The beauty of this recipe is that you cant go wrong with it. It goes down well even with the not-so-keen meat eaters. Please do try it, you will NOT be disappointed, I promise :)

So, in a blender, blend together the following ingredients

• 2 onions
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2 green/red chilli's
• 1 whole tomato

Marinate the chops (lamb or beef - though i usually prefer lamb for this) with the above blended mix (obviously its better to marinate it over night, but if you are stuck for time, then you can just use it straight away). I use about 6 chops of meat. 

Place it in the baking tray and cover with foil. These chops take about 2 hours to cook. For the first hour, cook the chops in a really hot oven (about gas mark 9/  260°C ) . For the second hour, cook on a medium heat (about Gas Mark 5/190°C).

Serve it with a spicy rice and a yogurt and cucumber salad. Alternatively, you can serve it with some mashed potatoes or a potato salad, and a nice green salad. 

SPICY CHICKEN WINGS

If you haven't figured it out by now, I tend to use a lot of coriander in my cooking. I just love the taste, the smell, the colour. I wasnt always a fan of chicken wings. I prefer real meat. But one day, when I noticed there was nothing in the house other than a bag of wings in the freezer, I had to make do. I now take back all that i said about wings. I simply love them. So, lets get started.

Main Ingredient: 

• 12 Chicken Wings

Coat mix: 

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon fresh coriander (chopped finely)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder 

Yummy Sticky Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Firstly, wash the chicken wings well. Clean them by removing the tip of each wing and removing any extra skin near the joints. If you are anything like me and hate touching meat, you can always ask the butcher to take care of it for you. So, cut each wing in two. You should now have 24 pieces.

Grab a bowl, and mix all the coat mix ingredients together. Stir in the wings ensuring they are well coated. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil. Drop the wings into the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes until cooked. MMmm

Now for the yummy sticky sauce. In a saucepan, place the butter, garlic and sugar over medium heat til the sugar dissolves. Add in the vinegar, tabasco sauce and salt and leave it to simmer until the sauce thickens. Throw in the wings into the saucepan of sauce, and cook for another few minutes, until the wings are nicely coated and tender.

These are delicious served hot with a nice fresh green salad and wedges or plain white rice. MMmmm...Happy Fingerlicking :)