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Persian Caviar

Ingredients: (4 servings)


fine caviar, 200 grams (or less, depending on your budget)

salted crackers

small onion, one

fresh lime juice, one teaspoon

fresh parsley, 50 grams

butter (optional)

Directions:

Iranian caviar from the Caspian sea is probably the best in the world.

Peel and chop onion very finely. Wash and chop parsley very finely. Add caviar to onion and parsley and mix well. If using unsalted crackers, a bit of salt can be added to the mix. If desired, place a bit of butter on each cracker, and serve with the mix.

Persian Crème caramel

Crème caramel is one of my most favorite desserts when it is creamy, but still light, with the right amount of

sweetness. This Persian version uses a simple mixture of:


Sugar: 1 cup

Milk: 2 cups

Whipping cream: 2 cups

Eggs: 8, large

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Vanilla extract or powder: 1 tsp

Vanilla bean (optional): 1/2, split lengthwise

Boiling water: as needed

Is a very traditional food in Saudi Arabia


Ingredients


3lbs chicken or lamb – 2 medium onions sliced – 6 garlic gloves – 1 carrot grated – ¼ raisins - 2 tbs allspices – 2 tbs cinnamon – salt and pepper - 2 ¼ Basmati rice – ¼ cup olive oil.




Cooking steps:

In a cooking pot or casserole, and under a low heat, put oil then you add onions, garlic and carrots, let it fried for 10 minutes. Then add chicken or lamb with all the spices including salt. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken becomes golden, then you add 2 cups of water, rice and raisins. Cover, under a low heat let it for another 25 minutes until the rice absorbs all the water and becomes tender.

Way of presenting:

Put the rice in a serving plate, topped with chicken and served with hot sauce.

Russian Pryaniki

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 2 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup honey,Thick berry jam.

Method:

-Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl and add the spices.


-Put the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl and whisk until white and thick.

-Melt the honey until it is liquid and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly before adding the honey to the egg mixture.

-Stir this mix into the flour to form a stiff dough. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

-Take approximately a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough and place around 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the middle. Pinch the edges together to close and roll on on a lightly floured surface to shape into a ball.

-Place each ball onto a greased or non-stick baking tray with plenty of space between each ball - they will spread as they cook to around twice their original size.

-Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the tray half way through.

ENJOY!!

    
After talking about the food all among the presentation that we have given like the good chef said it is always to complete your meal with a good beverage, and you can enjoy it after all these good and variety dishes that was presented by the CLL blog group. Here are two of my favorite recipes, which are so good you could make a whole weekend out of them. Start Sunday by shaking up a bracing Morning Glory Fizz or a luscious Ramos Gin Fizz, and you’ll forget about that hour you lost.

 

Ramos Gin Fizz/New Orleans Fizz

Contributed by: Allen Katz  and Faad limanesiwa
                               


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Zin
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 Dashes orange flower water
• .5 oz Heavy cream
• 1 Fresh egg white
• Seltzer
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:
The secret to this drink is to shake, shake and shake some more. Shake all the ingredients, except seltzer, vigorously with ice until the drink is as white as fresh snow and as smooth as a cold glass of milk. Strain into a Collins glass and top with cold seltzer. Stir before serving.

Morning Glory Fizz

Contributed by: Allen Katz 



INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Blended Scotch whisky
• .75 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar)
• .25 oz Absinthe or Pastis
• 1 Fresh egg white
• 1.5 to 2 oz Seltzer
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:
Shake all the ingredients, except seltzer, vigorously with ice and strain into a highball glass. Top with 1.5 to 2 ounces of cold seltzer. 
By the group CLL2010 with the precious advice of Allen  Katz.
NB: Good food without a good aperitif is worse it .But my advise to you, drink with moderation.

How to make shumai

Shumai（焼売）are a standby for dim sum, and are very well suited to bentos. They are small, freeze very well, and are a lot easier to make than.

You will need:

• Shumai skins. Shumai skins are square, and are a bit smaller than wonton skins.
• Filling of your Shrimp filling.

Place a skin on your hand.

Put about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the skin.

Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger.

Push the shumai skin down into the circle formed by your finger and thumb.

Squeeze the dumpling gently from the sides, while pressing the top and bottom.

A completed shuumai. It should be a little cylinder shape that is taller than it’s wide, since it will spread out a bit horizontally when you cook it.

Steam for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe: Shrimp shumai filling

This makes about 25 to 30 shuumai, depending on how much you pack into each skin.

• 225 g / 1/2lb uncooked shrimp (fresh or frozen), roughly chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 120 g / 4 oz ground pork
• 1 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. shaoxing wine or mirin
• 1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
• Pinch of salt
• Ground pepper
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch or potato starch

Combine the pork, ginger, seasonings and cornstarch, and mix well until it forms a paste. Add the onions and shrimp and mix very well. Use to fill shuumai skins.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

     Sweet and sour chicken is a main dish of Chinese restaurants, and it is popular dish in civilian. Learn how to make a restaurant-style sweet and sour chicken with the sauce may make your life more beautiful.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

2 lb of boneless skinless cut into chunks,1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and garlic powder, 1/2 cup of milk, 1cup of flour, 2 eggs,  pinch of freshly ground pepper,
1 green pepper, 1 red pepper and 1 yellow onion all cut into half inch bits,20 ounce can of pineapple chunks in juice, 2 medium carrots cut into thin slices, 1/2 pineapple juice, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of corn starch, and a little red food coloring.

Make Chicken Coating

In a new bowl we'll put the milk and the eggs and mix that together well.

In another bowl place the flour, ginger, garlic powder, add some freshly ground pepper, and mix that together and now we're ready to cook!

Fry the Chicken

Take some chicken, put it into the egg mixture, let it drain for a second, then drench in flour. add that to a large skillet with heated oil. You want to cook until golden brown on one side then turn over. Once its cooked on both sides, remove to a paper towel covered plate to drain.

Stir Fry Vegetables

We'll finish the meal in a wok. So heat some vegetable oil up and add the peppers and, the onion and the carrots. Stir fry that until the onions begin to caramelize.

Add Sweat and Sour Sauce

Add about a third of the sweet and sour sauce, stir fry that for a minute, add the chicken, add more sauce if you'd like, add the pineapple chunks, stir fry for a minute or two and you're ready to serve.

I'm going to serve this on a bed of rice, straight out of the wok. Let that cool for a minute before you eat it, but this is a fantastic recipe, check it out

persian sabzi polo

Sabzi polo is the herb rice traditionally prepared by the Iranians for the Iranian New Year. Iranian people eat it in the first day of New Year (nourooz).serve sabzi polo with white fish.


Basmati rice

Herbs (parsley, dill, coriander, fenugreek, spring onion ends)

Cooking oil

Salt

White salmon fish

Russian Tea Ceremony

Most of the Russian Tea Recipes you will find in cookbooks and on the internet are a dry mix tea or Instant Tea Mix from Russia that actually involves using Tang! (Tang is an instant orange drink / beverage powder).

Of course this wasn’t always the recipe for the tea, as Tang has only been available since 1960. Russia was slow to get on the tea drinking bandwagon considering it is a European country. Tea was introduced to Russia from China in the early 17th century. Prior to Chinese Tea being introduced, the Russians drank a beverage or tea called sbiten.
Sbiten was a brew of herbs, honey and of course water. Today in Russia, tea is the most consumed non-alcoholic drink.
Russian culture and the Tea Ceremony that evolved in Russia included the use of a unique device for keeping the Tea hot, it is called the Samovar. The Samovor can be very elaborate and the Tea Ceremony was one that involved social gatherings.

Chinese Style Fried Rice

Many Chinese from Eastern region, especially Shanghai, like fried rice.  If people have the leftover rice, it is the great way to use these rice to make fried rice.

Lemon Cream  Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• fresh zest of 1 lemon OR 1 tsp lemon extract*
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Cream the butter, sugar and cream cheese in a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
Cover the bowl or wrap the dough in logs and chill for at least 3 hours.  Overnight is better.
Preheat oven to 390F.  Roll dough out on a floured surface or a pastry mat.  If you like a crisper cookie, roll it to 1/4 inch thick.  For moister cookies, roll to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into shapes and place onto a making sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Bake for 5-8 minutes. For more moist cookies, take them out just before they “look done.”  Like as soon as the timer goes off the first time.
Try to restrain yourself and let them cool… or not your choice.
If you feel so inclined, decorate them with icing.  Royal icing is the typical topping, but I think a cream cheese frosting would be a lovely addition.  You know, cream cheese & heavy whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks and smeared all over the top of everything… err, these wonderful cookies.

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a large bowl combine ingredients on low speed of mixer about 1 minute. Blend well. Gradually add flour at low speed until just combined; stir in nuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls; place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes until firm to the touch but not brown. Do not overbake. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool; re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.

Morrocan tagine

4 pounds chicken

2 small onions thinly sliced

3 garlic gloves crushed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

6 tablespoon olive oil

1 small bunch of parsley chopped

¼ tablespoon cumin, fresh pepper, paprika, cinnamon

¼ tablespoon safran

½ salt (or to taste)


In a large non metallic dish mix all the ingredients and leave over night in the fridge.


In a large pan, brown garlic, chicken and onions. After 15 minutes add remaining ingredients.


Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for one hour. You can add carrots, potatoes, or any kind of vegetables.

Chinese Dumpling

Chinese always make dumpling
at Chinese New Year.






This picture is from http//www.wenxuecity.com.

Ingredidents:

•  dumpling dough
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• up to 1 1/4 cups of cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 1 cup of ground beef or pork
• 1 TB say sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3 TB sesame oil
• 1/2 green onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
• 4 TBs shredded bamboo shoots
• 2 slices ginger, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

How to do:

• Add salt into flour. Stir slowly in the cold water and form the dough, then to cover the dough and let it stand for 30 minutes.
• Prepared the filling ingredients. Add soy sauce, salt, rice wine, white pepper to meat, and add the remaining ingredients and mix them well.
• Divide the dough into 60 pieces. Roll each piece out into circle about 3 inches in diameter.
• Place a small portion of the filling into the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edge of dumpling with water. Folding the dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal and continue with the rest of dumpling.
• Cook dumpling: bring a large bowl with water to boil. Add half dumplings, stir gently. Wait the water to boil and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and repeat. When the dumplings come to the third time boiling, they are ready. Drain and remove.
  

PERSIAN HALVA

Halva is a popular sweet found throughout the Middle East. It is very common Iranian serve halva in their ceremonies. This Persian version uses a simple mixture of


Flour, sugar, butter, rosewater, and saffron.

PERSIAN MORASAH-POLOW

Ingredients: (4 Servings)


basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams

chicken, 800 grams

cooking oil

butter, 2 spoons

barberries (dried), 80 grams

almonds, 50 grams

pistachios, 50 grams

raisins, 50 grams

orange peel, 100 grams

sugar, two spoons

large onions, two

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

salt

black pepper

Directions:

Morasah-Polow is an elaborate rice dish which means jeweled rice and is usually made at weddings.



Soak rice in warm water for 2 hours. Wash chicken. Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add chicken pieces and fry until color changes. Add a glass of hot water, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary. About 1/2 glass of water should be left at the end. Romove chicken bones.



Wash barberries and raisins with cold water and drain. Fry separately in oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add some sugar to barberries during frying. Thinly slice almonds and pistachios. Soak almonds in cold water for an hour. Thinly slice orange peels. Boil for a few minutes, drain and repeat. Soak in cold water for an hour, drain, and repeat. Finally boil for a few minutes with a few spoons of sugar, and drain.



Prepare rice using the recipe for polow. When rice is rinsed, pour a bit of oil and hot water in a pot, and add 1/2 of rice. Spread chicken pieces over the rice, and cover with 1/2 of remaining rice. Spread half of almonds and orange peel over rice and cover with remaining rice. Pour chicken-juice and a bit of oil over rice. Dissolve saffron in a bit of hot water and also pour over rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add remainder of almonds and orange peel, raisins, barberries, and pistachios, and mix well. Pour two spoons of melted butter on top, and serve.

PERSIAN TAH-CHEEN

WWW.persian foods .com

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• chicken, 1 kg
• basmati or long grain rice, 500 grams

• yogurt, 300 grams

• saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

• large onions, two

• 3 eggs (yolks only)

• cooking oil

• salt

• black pepper

Directions:

Start by washing rice and soaking it in warm water (with added salt) for 2 hours. Then filter out the water.

Chop onions into thin slices and fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash and cut chicken, remove skin, and fry in onions until color changes. Add some water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly until cooked, adding more water if needed. Remove the bones.

While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth. Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water. Add saffron, salt, pepper and egg-yolks to the yogurt and mix very well.

Pour a few glasses of water in a large pot and bring to boil. Pour in rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice grows longer and slightly softens (Take care not to overcook the rice. It should still be too hard for eating). Again filter out the water.

Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a non-stick pot. Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of a spoon. Add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of rice. Again flatten the rice. Spread several more spoons of the yogurt mix on the rice. Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the yogurt mix have been used up. Add some more oil on top. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Place the pot in an oven (preheated to 250 F) and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. Note that the longer Tah-Chin is cooked, the thicker the Tah-Dig (delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom) will be. When cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes.

Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over. Tap the pot in order to loosen the contents inside. The contents should fall on the dish in one piece with the Tah-Dig on the outside.

Moroccan cuisine

Moroccan cuisine is diverse due  to many influences; Mediterranean, Arab, African, and Jewish.

The use of spices such as cumin, cinnamon, paprika, saffron and pepper is extensive. Also, Morocco is

a large producer of fresh vegetables, fruits, beef, lamb, and fresh seafood.

lentils, beans and wheat are used in many recipes. The main dishes are tagines, soup called harira, couscous and pastille.

The structure of meals; the main dish is served in the midday around 1pm accompanied with salads, and followed by desserts. The Moroccans use bread with every meal instead of rice except with couscous.

Moroccan tea that is made with mint and sugar is considered as an art and its one of the most important rituals of the day.

Chinese Noodle

Chinese Dumpling

Blog team members

Faad limane siwa

Fatima Oustouh

Jinzhi Lei

Nadeja Zotova

Sara Farhangjoo

Shuqing Liu