Mezze Platter 1/4 cup Hummus 1/4 cup Baba Ganoush 1/4 cup Red Capsicum and Walnut

Dip 1 cup Tabbouleh 1 cup Fattoush 4 Pita Breads , lightly toasted and cut into smaller pieces 4 Lavash a few thin slices of bread, toasted or plain 4 Falafel 4 Spinach Sambousik 1/4 cup Pickled Vegetables a few lettuce leaves

Method 1.Divide all the ingredients into 4 equal portions and arrange them on 4 large platters. 2.Serve immediately. Tzatziki: 1 cup - Amul Curd, Hung in a muslin cloth for 30 minutes 4 tsp - Cucumber, finely chopped 2 cloves - Lehsun (Garlic), finely chopped 2 tsp - Soa (Dill Leaves) 2 tsp - Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp - Lemon Juice Labneh Hung yogurt 1 cup Tahini ,paste 2 teaspoons Garlic,grated 2 cloves Fresh cream 1 tablespoon Parsley,chopped 1 teaspoon Salt to taste Method Combine yogurt, tahini paste, garlic, fresh cream, parsley and salt in a bowl. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour. Served chilled

Hummus 200 gms kabuli chana (white chick peas) 2 cloves garlic (lehsun) 1 tbsp lemon juice 4 tbsp curds (dahi) salt to taste 3 tbsp oil

For the garnish chopped parsley chilli powder oil Method 1.Soak the Kabuli chana for 6 hours making sure that the Kabuli chana are covered with water. 2.Cook the Kabuli chana in a pressure cooker. Cool and drain. Remove as many skins from the kabuli channa as you can 3.Put the oil, lemon juice, curds, Kabuli chana, garlic, salt and the strained water in blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. 4.Place this mixture in a serving plate and sprinkle parsley and chilli powder and a spoonful of oil on top. Put it in the fridge to cool. Tips1.Serve with thin pieces of pizza bread or thin pita bread

Red Capsicum and Walnut Dip 1 red capsicum 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies 2 tbsp toasted bread crumbs 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (akhrot) 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp pomogranate juice 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder 1/4 tsp sugar salt to taste 2 tsp olive oil sesame lavash Method 1.Pierce a fork through the red capsicum and roast on an open flame for about 7 to 8 minutes or till the skin is charred. Keep aside to cool. 2.Peel off the blackened skin, cut in to 4 pieces and remove the seeds. 3.Wash well, add all the remaining ingredients and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste. 4.Serve with sesame lavash. Baba Ganoush Eggplant / Brinjal 1 large Garlic,chopped 2 tablespoons Cumin powder 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon Tahini 3 tablespoons Lemon juice 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons for garnish Fresh coriander sprigs 1 cup - Flat leaf Parsley, finely chopped Oil Coal sigdi Method

Roast the eggplant on open flame till the skin is charred. Allow the eggplant to cool down to room temperature. Peel the skin off and put the flesh in a food processor. Add garlic, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, tahini, 2 tsps lemon juice and salt. Puree till mixture is smooth and thick. Transfer into a serving bowl. Add olive oil and mix well. Add remaining lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with coriander sprig and serve with pita bread. Do dhungar

Coriander Lavash Refined flour (maida) 3/4 cup Fresh coriander leaves,chopped 1 teaspoon Roasted coriander seeds,crushed 4 tablespoons Dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon Sugar a pinch Olive oil 2 1/2 tablespoons Salt to taste Method Combine yeast and sugar with half cup of warm water in a bowl. Cover and set aside for ten minutes or till frothy. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and enough water. Knead well into a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for half an hour or till the dough doubles in volume. Divide the dough into equal portions and roll out into a circular disc. Cut each disc into triangles.Brush the triangles with a little oil and sprinkle coriander leaves and coriander seeds on top. Press lightly.Place the triangles on a microwave proof dish and cook on Microwave HIGH (100%) for two minutes or till golden brown. Serve hot. Lavash 3/4 cup plain flour (maida) 1/2 tsp dry yeast a pinch of sugar 4 tbsp roasted sesame seeds (til) 3 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus) 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil or oil salt to taste Method 1.Combine the yeast and sugar with cup of warm water in a bowl. Cover and keep aside till it becomes frothy. (approx. 10 minutes.) 2.Sift the flour. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast and sugar mixture and enough water to make a soft dough. This will take about 7 minutes. 3.Keep the dough for 30 minutes under a wet cloth till it doubles in volume. 4.Divide the dough into 5 equal portions and roll each portion into a circle of 150 mm. (6") diameter. Cut each circle into 5 equal triangles. Repeat with the remaining portions to make 20 more triangles. 5.Brush each triangle with a little oil and sprinkle some sesame seeds and poppy seeds on top. 6.Arrange these triangles on a greased baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C (360F) for 10 minutes or till the chips turn golden brown. Fattoush

Onion 1 medium Cucumber,peeled 1 medium Tomato 1 medium Green capsicum,diced 1 medium Pita breads 2 Green olives,pitted 8 Black olives,pitted 8 Iceberg lettuce leaves 5-6 Parsley 1/4 bunch Fresh mint leaves,optional a few Salt to taste Black pepper powder to taste Lemon juice 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons Method Toast pita breads in non stick pan till golden from both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.Roughly chop onion and separate into layers. Deseed cucumber and slice diagonally. Diagonally slice tomato. Combine all vegetables in a bowl. Add capsicum, green and black olives, torn lettuce leaves.Cut toasted breads into bite size pieces and add. Roughly chop parsley and add. Add mint leaves if using.Add salt, pepper powder, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss to mix. Serve immediately

Middle Eastern Chickpea Platter

Chickpeas (kabuli chana),boiled 1/2 cup Olive oil 6 tablespoons Brinjal 1/2 large Garlic,crushed 2-3 cloves Salt to taste Pita breads 2 Onion 1 medium Tomato 1 medium Tahini 1 tablespoon Lemon juice 1 teaspoon Fresh parsley 3 sprigs Feta cheese 100 grams Green olives a few Black olives a few Method Heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a non-stick pan. Cut brinjal into inch cubes. Add garlic and brinjal to the pan. Add salt and mix. Cook till the brinjal is soft. Heat a non-stick tawa and roast pita breads on it till slightly crisp. Halve an onion and further cut each half into 4 pieces. Similarly cut a tomato. Grind chickpeas, tahini, 1 tsp lemon juice, cooked brinjal, salt and 2 sprigs of parsley to a smooth paste. Transfer into a bowl, add 2 tbsps olive oil, 2 tsps lemon juice and mix. Cut pita breads into small triangles. Cut feta cheese into inch cubes. Put the chickpea dip in the middle of a serving platter, place feta cheese cubes on either side followed by tomato, onion, black and green olives and finally the pita triangles. Drizzle remaining olive oil on all. Sprinkle some boiled chickpeas, garnish with remaining sprig of parsley and serve.

Tabbouleh 1 cup broken wheat (dalia) 1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves (phudina) 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (til) 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions (greens and whites) 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil salt to taste Method 1.Boil 5 cups of water in a broad pan, add the broken wheat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or till it is tender. 2.Pour cold water over it to cool the broken wheat. Drain and keep aside. 3.Combine all the ingredients including the broken wheat in a bowl and mix well. 4.Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving so that all the flavours blend. 5.Serve chilled. Sprouted moong,blanched 1/2 cup Cracked wheat4 tablespoons Spring onions,chopped4 stalks Fresh coriander leaves 2 tablespoons Spring onion greens,chopped 4 stalks Fresh mint leaves,finely chopped 6-8 Tomato , seeded, cut into inch cubes 1 medium Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Salt to taste White pepper powder to taste Olive oil 2 teaspoons Method Soak the burghul for about fifteen minutes. Drain. Place burghul in a bowl. Add spring onions and mix, crushing onions slightly with your fingers. Add sprouted moong and coriander leaves and mix well. Add spring onion greens, mint leaves and tomato cubes. To make the dressing, mix lemon juice, salt and pepper powder. Add it to the salad and mix. Add olive oil, toss and chill salad before serving. pita bread Ingredients Refined flour (maida) 1 cup Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 cup Salt 1 teaspoon Active dry yeast 1 tablespoon Sugar 1 teaspoon Method -wheat flour and salt together. In a small bowl take yeast and sugar, pour four tablespoons lukewarm water over it, sprinkle a little flour, cover and

keep aside. Keep some flour aside for dusting and take the rest of the flour in a bowl, make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix in a little flour from the sides of the well. Make a soft dough using the remaining water kneading really well. Leave the dough to rise for one hour. Knead the dough again very lightly and divide it into eight equal portions. Shape them into balls and leave aside for ten to fifteen minutes, covered with a damp cloth. Roll out the pieces into ovals (five by eight inches) and again keep them aside for twenty minutes covered with a damp cloth. It can be made in two shapes. Grease and flour baking sheets. Place them in the oven for five minutes. Arrange the Pita breads on them and bake for fifteen minutes. In this time they will start turning brown. Cool them on wire racks and store. Serve with any stuffing Falafel Chickpeas (kabuli chana),soaked overnight 1 cup Garlic,chopped 2-3 cloves Spring onion greens,chopped 4-5 Fresh parsley 2 tablespoons Fresh coriander leaves 2 tablespoons Salt to taste Soda bicarbonate a pinch Black pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon Cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon Bread crumbs 1/4 cup Oil for deep-frying Method Drain and put the chickpeas in a mixer jar. Add garlic and spring onions with greens and grind without adding any water. Transfer into a bowl. Chop parsley and coriander leaves and add. Add salt, soda bicarbonate, pepper powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Shape the mixture into cylinders and flatten slightly. Gently slide them into the hot oil and deep fry on medium heat till golden. You can also place small quantities of the mixture in a tbsp moistened with water and shape with the help of another moistened tbsp to make smooth oval falafels and deep fry them. Drain on absorbent paper. You can serve them by themselves with tahina dip. Or serve them with pita bread Falafel For The Patties 1/2 cup kabuli chana (white chick peas) 1/4 cup chopped onions 1 tbsp chopped garlic (lehsun) 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (both leaf and stem) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder 1/2 tsp baharat (optional) 1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves (phudina)

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania) salt to taste oil for deep-frying For The Dressing 1/3 cup curds (dahi) , whisked 2 cloves of garlic (lehsun) , chopped 1/4 cup chopped spring onions (including greens) a pinch of sugar salt to taste Other Ingredients 6 pita bread breads 1/2 cup thinly sliced tomatoes 1 cup shredded lettuce 1 recipe tahini dip 2 tbsp readymade red garlic chutney Method 1.For the patties 2.Soak the kabuli chana in water overnight. Clean, wash and drain. 3.Blend in a mixer to a coarse paste. 4.Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. 5.Divide the mixture into 30 equal portions and shape each portion into small balls. 6.Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry the balls till they turn golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. 7.For the dressing 8.Blend all the ingredients in a mixer to a smooth sauce. Keep aside. 9.How to proceed 10.Cut each pita bread into two and warm the halves on a hot griddle (tava). 11.Fill each pita bread half with little tahini dip, little red garlic chutney, some tomato slices and shredded lettuce, a few patties and a spoonful of the dressing on top. 12.Repeat for the remaining pita bread halves and other ingredie Pickled Vegetables Ingredients 1/3 cup black salt (sanchal) 2 cups white vinegar 1/2 cup carrot cubes 1/2 cup zucchini cubes 1/2 cup coloured capsicum cubes 1/2 cup cucumber cubes 1/2 cup beetroot slices 2 cloves of garlic (lehsun), crushed 2 green chillies, slit Method 1.Make the pickling solution, by boiling 2 cups of water with the rock salt. 2.Cool and add the vinegar. Mix well and keep aside. 3.Put all the vegetables, garlic and green chillies into a sterilized jar, fill the jar with the pickling solution and seal with glass or plastic lids. 4.Store in a cool place for 1 week before using. Once opened, store in the refrigerator. Unopened pickled vegetables can be kept in a cool, dark place.

5.Serve at room temperature Spinach Sambousik For the dough 1 cup plain flour (maida) salt to taste 3 tbsp melted ghee For the spinach and cheese filling 2 tsp oil 1/2 cup chopped onions 2 cloves of garlic (lehsun), chopped 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes salt to taste 1/2 tsp Baharat 1 cup blanched and chopped spinach (palak) 2 tbsp roasted and chopped pinenuts (chilgoza) 1/2 cup grated processed cheese Other ingredients oil for deep frying Method For the dough 1.Sieve the flour, mix with melted ghee and salt and add enough cold water to make a firm dough. 2.Knead for sometime till smooth. 3.Cover and keep aside. For spinach and cheese filling 1.Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic and saut for 2 minutes. 2.Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for a further 5 minutes. 3.Add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese and saut for 2 more minutes or till the mixture dries. 4.Remove from the flame and add the grated cheese. 5.Mix well and divide into 10 equal portions. Keep aside. How to proceed 1.Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. 2.Roll out each portion into a 75 mm. (3") diameter circle. 3.Place one portion of the filling in the centre of each circle. 4.Gently fold the circle into a semicircle and seal the edges. 5.To decorate the edges, twist the edges carefully with the thumb and forefinger like a ghugra. Alternatively cut with a decorative cutter. 6.Repeat steps 2-5 to make 9 more sambousiks. 7.Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry the sambousiks in it on a medium flame till they are golden brown in colour. 8.Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot

Dakkous/Duggus Fry garlic in olive oil until it turns golden then add mashed tomatoes, mashed green chili pepper and tomato paste. Keep all on low heat just for few minutes so they blend well. Serve cold with any kabsa dish on the side. Shish Tawook: 2 - Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 slices - piece Dry Ginger tsp - Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds) stick - Dalchini (Cinnamon) tsp - Kali Mirch (Black Pepper) Powder tsp - Grated Jaiphal (Nutmeg) 2 tsp - Paprika Powder tsp - Jeera (Cumin) 5 tsp - Lemon Juice 4 tsp - Olive Oil 6 cloves - Lehsun (Garlic), chopped As required - Satay Sticks, soaked in water for 24 hours Dry roast all spices and dry ginger and grind to a fine dust. Strain to remove lumps. Take a bowl add dry spice powder as per taste. Add olive oil, chop lehsun, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes. Spike the chicken strips on satay sticks and roast it over a low heat on a charcoal sigdi for 10 minutes turning frequently. Kibbe Minced lamb 300 grams Burghul (bulgur or burgul),soaked for 1/2 hour 3/4 cup Onion 1 medium Salt to taste Cumin powder 1 teaspoon Black pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon Oil to deep fry For stuffing Onion 1 medium Olive oil 2 tablespoons

 Minced lamb 3 tablespoons Salt to taste Pine nuts(chilgoza),roasted 2 tablespoons Method Strain the burghul pressing it through a strainer so that all the water is drained out. Set aside. Chop onion finely. Place keema in a mixer jar. Add onion, salt, cumin powder, pepper powder and red chilli powder. Grind till fine and smooth. Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Transfer keema into a bowl. Add burghul and mix well. Keep it in a refrigerator to chill for a while. For the stuffing finely chop onion. Heat olive oil in a non stick pan. Add onion and saut lightly. Add keema and salt. Saut for 5 minutes. Add pine nuts and mix. Dampen your palms, take a portion of keema-burghul mixture, stuff it with keema-pine nut mixture and roll so that the stuffing is completely enclosed. Shape into an oval. Slide the kibbehs into hot oil and deep fry, on medium heat, till cooked, golden brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot.