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Eggless Almond Biscuits

Ingredients
250g butter
125g icing sugar (sifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup ground almonds
Enough sifted flour to make a soft dough(1 1/2 - 2 cups)

Method
1. Beat butter and sifted icing sugar together till light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla essence and ground almonds
3. Add sifted cake flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough
4. Pipe biscuits through a star shaped nozzle onto a greased baking tray
5. Decorate with a half a glazed cherry or an almond
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 for 20 minutes till done

Poli

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour

100g butter
teaspoon fine salt
A little ghee for smearing

METHOD:
Sift dry ingredients, rub in butter (not ghee) and make a soft, pliable dough with some warm
water.
Roll out into a very large circle, smear with ghee. Fold in half, smear top half with ghee. Fold in
quarters. Wrap in cling wrap and leave in fridge.

FILLING:
1 cup desiccated or fresh coconut
cup semolina
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
cup castor sugar
cup sesame seeds
cup poppy seeds
1 teaspoon elachi powder
A little condensed milk

METHOD:

Roast coconut but remove from stove before it turns brown.

Heat the butter/ghee in a frying pan and fry the semolina. Leave to cool.
Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan and lightly crush with a rolling pin.
Toast poppy seeds and set aside.
Mix all the above ingredients together and leave to cool.
When cool add the castor sugar and ground elachi. Toss well.
Add 4 or 5 tablespoons of condensed milk to hold the mixture together. Add more if necessary.
Roll out the dough, cut into circles using a biscuit or puri cutter. Brush the edges with water.
Put a generous amount of filling on 1 half of the circle. Fold over in half and fold the outer ends
inwards to seal (about 2mm), pressing the folded ends down with a fork.
Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown.

VARIATIONS:

Add cup raisins or sultanas

Add cup chopped almonds or pistachios
Add cup ground almonds or pistachios
Add cup chopped dates

Ingredients:

Falooda

1 litre fresh milk (full cream)

1 small tin nestles cream (155g)
tin condensed milk
2 teaspoons china grass powder (agar agar)
1 teaspoon freshly ground elachi powder
Sugar (if you want to sweeten it further)

METHOD:
Add milk to a pot, add china grass powder and bring to boil, keep on stirring to prevent china grass from settling and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once it boils, let
milk simmer on low heat for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from stove, add elachi powder and condensed milk. Stir well. Taste it and
add sugar if you want it sweeter. Tint in colour of your choice with food colour or red
rose syrup. When a little cool add nestles cream.
Beat with an electric or hand beater to incorporate the cream and make it frothy.
Pour into individual dessert glasses or bowls or in a square casserole bowl. Leave to
set in refrigerator. When set, decorate with strawberries, coconut or chopped/slivered almonds and edible glitter.

Coconut Burfee
Ingredients:
500g klim
1 tin nestles cream (155g)
3 cups dessicated coconut or freshly grated
2 teaspoons freshly ground elachi
1 tablespoon ground or chopped pista (pistachio)
1 tablespoon ground or chopped almonds
Slivered almonds and pistachio to decorate the top

Syrup
A few drops rose essence
4 cups icing sugar
1 cups fresh milk (full cream)
60g or 6 tablespoons of butter ghee
1 tablespoon condensed milk

METHOD:
Add sifted klim powder to a large bowl. Add the coconut, almonds, pistachios and elachi powder. Shake the tin of nestles cream well before opening to ensure that it is evenly mixed. USE
ONLY TIN NESTLES CREAM (and NOT the whole tin). Add a little at a time to the klim
mixture and rub in well with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside for a few
hours or preferably overnight, tossing every now and then to allow it to dry. Put this mixture a
little at a time through a coffee grinder or a food processor, though the coffee grinder is preferable as it gives a smoother texture. Set aside in a bowl.
Now add the milk, rose essence, ghee and icing sugar together in a pot and bring to boil, then
let simmer for 3 4 minutes until all the sugar is melted through. Now add this hot syrup to
the ground klim mixture a little at a time, using a spoon to mix it to form a soft, pliable, sticky
dough (or very thick batter). Be careful not to pour all the syrup in as you may not require all
the syrup to make a dough. If you add all the syrup your burfee will be ruined as it will become
runny and will not set.
Now add the condensed milk and mix well. Grease a casserole bowl with some butter ghee and
press the burfee mixture flat into the casserole. Top with almonds and/or pistachios and leave
to set overnight. Slice into squares and serve.
The burfee can also be scooped out into disposable paper cups (as for cup cakes) and decorated
accordingly.
NOTE: Burfee freezes very well. Just wrap in glad wrap and place in a sealed Tupperware
container and freeze. Allow to thaw at room temperature when needed.

Kaju Burfi

Ingredients

500g Cashew nut powder

200g sugar
5-6 strands of saffron
2 tablespoons ghee
6 - 8 leaves silver foil wrap

Method
1. Dissolve the sugar into 3 or 4 cups of water and bring to boil.
2. Add saffron and cook until it forms a syrup of thinnish consistency
3. Melt ghee and add to syrup
4. Add cashew nut powder and mix throughly.
5. Set aside and cool slightly. Knead it well and roll into a half centimeter thick triangle
6. Spread silver foil over it and cut into diamond shape, of approximately one and
half inch a side.

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Grey Street Casbah Recipes (Durban)

Dodhi Bhajias

Ingredients

1 dodhi grated (2 cups)

1teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon whole dhania crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large onion grated
6 green chillies
1 teaspoon crushed jeera seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup fine mealie meal
1 cup chana flour
1 bunch dhania

Method
To grated dodhi, add grated onion. Add oil, chopped dhania and spices. Mix well together.
In a separate bowl, sift chana flour, mealie meal and baking powder, and add to the dodhi.
Form into bhajias and fry in shallow oil
Serve with chutneys of choice.

Deluxe Milky Vermicelli

Ingredients:
1 cups Vermicelli (broken into little pieces)
3 tablespoons butter/butter ghee
2 tablespoons soji/taystee wheat/semolina
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 to 3 drops rose essence
2 tablespoons pista (pistachios optional)
cup sago balls (soaked in hot water +- 20 minutes)
2 litres milk (full cream)
1 tin condensed milk (large tin)
1 tin nestles cream (large tin)
cup sugar
1 teaspoon elachi powder (freshly ground)
10 sultanas (optional)

METHOD:
Heat butter in pot and add vermicelli, soji, sultanas, cloves and cinnamon sticks, tossing to prevent
it scorching. When it turns a peachy colour, add your milk a little at a time, stirring continuously
to prevent lumps forming. Add your condensed milk, rose essence, sugar and elachi powder. Taste
the mixture before adding all the sugar as you may not want it too sweet or for those who prefer it
sweeter, add a little more sugar.
Drain your soaked sago and add to milk mixture.
Bring to boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until the mixture thickens. Add your almonds
and pista. Remove from stove and add your nestles cream and mix in well Serve hot. with
papadums!

PS: Using freshly ground elachi makes a huge difference to the taste
If too thick add a little more milk

Lentil Samoosa Filling

Ingredients:
500g Masoor or Moong or Gram Dhal
2 large onions (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic
3 teaspoons ground red dried chillies
1 teaspoon freshly ground jeera
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 bunch dhunia (finely chopped)
1 bunch shallot (finely chopped)
1 sprig curry leaves
cup oil
1 medium potato (boiled and mashed)

METHOD:
Boil dhal in salted water until cooked but still whole (not mushy). Drain and set
aside.
Heat oil and add half the onion. Braise until softened. Add boiled dhal and spices.
Toss well and simmer on low heat until completely dry. Add curry leaves, rest of
onions, and mashed potato. Toss and leave to cool.
Remove curry leaves, add greens and test seasoning. Add more crushed chillies if
you prefer it more pungent and add more salt if less. It is now ready for filling.
The potato acts as a binding agent

Patha
Ingredients:

2 to 3 dozens madumbi leaves

2 cups chana flour (gram flour)
cup mealie meal
cup cake flour
5 teaspoons chilli powder
5 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
3 teaspoons ground green chillies
3 teaspoons crushed dried red chillies
1 tablespoon gharum masala
3 tablespoons methi masala
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons thick sauce from lemon achar (lemon
pickle optional)
2 tablespoons masala from mango pickle (optional)
3 large tomatoes
3 large onions
1 bunch dhunia
1 bunch shallot
8 cloves garlic
cup sour milk (full cream)
cup lemon juice
cup vinegar
250g aamli (tamarind mixed with hot water to
form a thick sauce- strain to remove seeds)
1 tablespoon jeera seeds (roasted and roughly
ground)
1 tablespoon dhunia seeds (roasted and roughly
ground)

METHOD:

Grind onions, tomatoes, garlic, shallot and dhunia

in a food processor or mincer (add very little water
as it must be very thick).
Add spices, aamli juice, vinegar, lemon juice, sour
milk, oil, lemon achar sauce, mango pickle masala
and mix well. Add sifted flour, mealie meal and
cake flour. Mix all to make a very thick batter. If
batter is too thin, add more gram flour if it is too
thick, add more sour milk.
Wash madumbi leaves and carefully cut off veins.
Dry the leaves and roll them out with a rolling pin,
crushing the veins flat.
Spread batter (about 2mm) over a large leaf, overlap another leaf over this (next to it overlapping
on one side) and spread batter on this leaf as well.

Until you have a layer of leaves about 40cm across

and 60cm in length.
Fold the sides in (by about 3 cm) and roll up tightly
like a swiss roll.
Finish off the rest of the leaves as above. Wrap
each roll of patha tightly in heavy duty foil.
Place an inverted shallow cake tin in a large pot,
place a lid over and place all the rolls of patha on
the lid. Fill with about 2 to 3 cups of water, making sure the water does not reach the level of the
patha. Cover with a lid and steam for 1 hours on
low heat.
Remove from pot and leave to cool.
When cool, remove the foil wrap and wrap tightly
in cling wrap. Freeze. Defrost when needed
Cut into 1cm thick slices and fry gently on both
sides (in shallow oil) until browned. Drain on paper
towels. Serve with puri and chutneys of choice
MINI Pathas: Choose medium sized leaves. Prepare leaves as above. Smear with batter and roll
up into small (mini) patha rolls. Steam as above.
Fry individually and serve with puris or make a
tomato chutney and set the fried mini pathas in the
chutney. Garnish with dhunia and serve with roti
Delicious!

VARIATIONS:

Add cup grated green mango to batter or

A mashed ripe banana
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
cup orange juice
1 packet mebos, soaked in vinegar and ground
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

Gram Dhal and

Methi Bhaji Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup gram dhal (washed and boiled in salted water until done - drain)
6 bunches methi bhaji (washed, chopped and drained)
1 large onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (grated or finely chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon gharum masala
1 cinnamon stick
Salt to taste
cup oil
1 sprig curry leaves
1 little chopped dhunia to garnish

METHOD:
Braise onion in oil until golden brown. Add ginger/garlic and simmer a further 30
seconds. Add tomatoes and spices and simmer until tomatoes cooked and spices
fried until catching at the bottom of the pot.
Now add the methi and the boiled gram dhal. Simmer on low heat for +- 20 minutes
or until almost dry and methi cooked. Garnish with greens and serve with roti

Jackfruit Kebab Curry

Ingredients:

800g boiled jackfruit (well drained)

1 tablespoon dried ground red chillies
1 teaspoon gharum masala
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground green chillies
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhunia/jeera powder
1 large onion (grated or ground)
1 packet tomato paste
1 small potato (boiled and mashed)
cup gram flour
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Finely chopped dhunia

METHOD:

Place the drained, boiled jackfruit in a food processor and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients,
mix well and shape into kebabs. If the mixture is too dry add a little water. If too wet, add more
flour
Press into tight balls or patties (cutlets), refrigerate for an hour and shallow fry until golden brown
on medium to high heat. Place in cooked chutney, garnish with greens and serve with roti

To make Chutney:
Ingredients:

3 to 4 large onions (slivered)

5 large tomatoes (grated or roughly ground in a food processor)
3 green chillies (slit or you may grind them with the tomatoes)
cup cooking oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons chilli powder
teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 sprig curry leaves
bunch dhunia (chopped)

METHOD:

Heat oil and add onions. Fry until onions softened and lightly golden brown. Now add garlic and
fry a further 1 minute. Add spices, sugar and salt and allow to fry on low heat (2 to 3 minutes). Add
tomatoes and cook until all water evaporated and chutney dry. If too dry, add a little water.

Sabzi Pilau

Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil
2 meduim onions , finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 cups rice
4 cups hot water
1 teaspoon masala of choice
1/2 cup lentils , boiled
2 meduim carrots cut into strips
1 dozen green beans thinly sliced
1/2 cup green peppers diced
1 small tomato chopped or grated
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
Salt to taste
Egg yellow food colouring

Method
Heat oil, fry onions until golden brown add spices and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
Add all vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes
Add rice to boiling water. Bring to boil over high heat and when it starts to bubble,
lower heat
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes till all liquid is absorbed. Do not allow vegetables
or rice to over cook.
Fluff up with a fork, mixing the vegetables and lentils with the rice
Garnish with egg yellow.
Optional: Sliced fried potatoes can also be used for garnishing.

Soya Vegetable Pilaau

Ingredients
3 cups brown rice of choice
1 cup brown lentils
3 cups soya chunks
2 cups gadra beans
250g margarine or ghee
1 large onion
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 cardamon pods
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons garlic/ginger
1 cup grated tomato
4 tablespoons mixed masala of choice
4 cups mixed vegetables
2 potatoes cut into 4
1 cup yoghurt
3 cups water
Salt to taste
Green coriander
Green chillies

Method:
Boil lentils in salted water. Soak rice in water for 1 hour.
Soak soya in hot water till it becomes soft. Boil garda beans till tender.
Heat ghee and fry onions until golden abd then remove from ghee and set aside.
To the remaining ghee add from bay leaves,cardamon, cinnamon stick,fennel,
Cumin and garlic/ginger. Stir in mixed masala and tomato, drained soya, lentils,
gadra beans and all vegetables.
Add salt and yoghurt and water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add strained rice.
Cover and cook until water is absorbed. Add greens.Serve with dhal..

BENGALI
VEGETABLE CURRY
Ingredients
1 1/ 2 cups fresh peas
1 1/ 2 cups green beans sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots diced
A few florets cauliflower
2 large potatoes diced
2 meduim onions finely chopped
4 level teaspoons butter or cooking oil
3/4 cup yoghurt
2 level teaspoons ginger/ garlic
1 teaspoon methi seeds ( fenugreek)
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted masala
1 large tomato chopped
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method
Place vegetables in a pot, mix , add salt and sufficient boiling water, just to cover the vegetables.
Cover and allow vegetables to stand for 10 minutes
Then, heat butter/ oil in a meduim sized pot. Add the methi seeds and when it begins to turn light
brown add the onions. Fry onions till golden brown.
Add ginger/ garlic and roasted masala, stir. Add the tomatoes and yoghurt, stir once more. Cover
pot and cook at meduim heat until tomatoes are tender. Add the salt and soaked vegetables with
water. Cover and the simmer until vegetables are cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tandoori Paneer
Tikka (sizzler)
Ingredients
250g Paneer ( cut into 10 - 12 pieces)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon chaat masala

For marinade

1/2 teaspoon jeera powder

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
3/4 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon green chilli paste
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon tumeric powder
1/2 cup beans ( sugar or broad)
Salt to taste

Method
1. Put ingredients for the marinade into a food processor and blitz until smooth
2. Mix the paneer in the marinade and leave aside for an hour
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry until paneer is light brown in colour
4. Sprinkle chaat masala on top with a dash of lemon juice
5. Serve on a sizzler plate for that restuarant effect.

Chaat Masala

4 teaspoons amchoor powder

3 teaspoons roasted jeera seeds ground
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon gharam masala
1 teaspoon roasted dhania seeds ground
1/2 teaspoon roasted fennel seeds ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Creamy Potato Bake

(Casserole)

Ingredients

7 potatoes boiled in jacket

125 g butter (1/4 lb)
1 packet white onion soup
250 ml fresh cream
250 ml sour cream
2 teaspoons ground green chillies
1 green pepper finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method
1. Melt butter and allow to cool.
2. Add onion soup powder, the two creams and other ingredients besides the potatoes.
3. Thickly slice the potatoes.
4. Layer potatoes and cream mixture alternatively in a casserole dish.
5. Cover generously with cheese.
6. Bake in 180C for a few minutes or until cheese melts.
7. Ideal to serve with grills and braais.

Tip

Mushrooms can be added to this dish.

Casbah Get Together UK

Special Thanks goes out to Asha Weir for putting this event together

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