Saturday 21 / December / 2024
Some nights call for a supper of fun-to-eat foods that are no-fuss to make.
Egg and Cheese Puffs
While there are many ways to make egg puffs, this recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for impromptu gatherings.
Ingredients
• 6 puff pastry sheets (readymade)
• 1tsp butter
• 2 boiled eggs
• 6 tbsp of grated cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup
or mayonnaise
Preparation
• Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Take one pastry square sheet and grease it with little butter.
• Take the boiled eggs and gently cut them into tiny pieces.
• Mix the eggs with the mozzarella and 1tbsp of tomato ketchup (optional) or mayonnaise in a mixing bowl.
• Now stuff this mixture into
the pastry sheet and close
them forming a triangle.
• Repeat this for all the six pastry sheets.
• Now place these stuffed triangle pastry sheets in the preheated oven and bake them at 180 C for 20 minutes.
• Make sure that that they are not over done, so keep checking on them.
• The moment they are golden, turn off the oven and serve hot
with sauce of your choice.
Shami Kebabs
Shami kebabs are very popular kebabs from the Indian subcontinent. Absolutely melt in the mouth tender, with a beautiful balance of spices
and flavour, you won't believe how fast you can get them on the table.
Ingredients
• 3tbsp ghee
• 1/2 tsp caraway seed (shahi jeera) powder
• 1/2 inch pinch, chopped ginger
• 2 cloves, garlic chopped
• 2 dried red chillies broken
• 250g mutton mince (keema)
• 1tbsp split Bengal gram (chana dal) soaked for 1/2 hour
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup deep fried onions
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 egg
Preparation
• Heat 2tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan. Add caraway seeds, ginger, garlic, red chillies, minced meat, and drained chana dal. Mix well and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add salt and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat till the moisture dries up and the dal is cooked. Add mint leaves, coriander leaves, and fried onion and mix well.
• Break the egg in a bowl and whisk it well.
• Add lemon juice and grind to a coarse paste. Heat the remaining ghee on a non-stick pan.
• Divide mutton mixture into 8 equal portions and shape them into flat kebabs.
• Dip each kebab in whisked egg and place it on the pan.
• Shallow-fry, turning the side once, for 3-4 minutes or till both the sides are evenly cooked. Serve hot with mint chutney.
Cheesy Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes are a healthy alternative to French fries, and with this recipe, they are just as decadent. Serve them as a side dish alongside grilled chicken or steak.
Ingredients
• 4 medium potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 tomato slices
Preparation
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
• Butter a 1 quarter of a casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the sliced potatoes into the bottom of
the prepared casserole dish. Top with onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk.
•Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until it melts for about 30 to 60 seconds.
•Pour cheese over the potatoes, top with tomato slices and sprinkle some parsley as a garnish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.
• Serve hot.
Oneza Tabish is a financial analyst and banker by profession. As cooking has been her hobby and passion she launched the Facebook page What's Cooking Oman — a Facebook group with more than 6000 members is where people share their simple yet unique recipes.
