January 2016 – Officially Shamsa

Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe (No-Bake)

21st January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

A wonderfully delicious Chocolate Biscuit Cake which requires no baking and is really easy to prepare. The recipe for this chocolate biscuit cake is taken from The Best of Cadbury’s Chocolate Cooking. Serves 12 | Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 5 minutes (plus 3 hours for chilling) Ingredients Required: 125g Unsalted Butter 10 Digestive Biscuits (or 125g) 300g Dark Chocolate 2 tablespoons Milk 2 standard bags Milk Chocolate Buttons 2 standard bags White Chocolate Buttons Method: Break the dark chocolate into chunks and melt…

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Healthy Homemade Chocolate Bars

13th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

These homemade chocolate bars are a healthy version of Snickers bars, super easy to make and give you that chocolate fix you need! At approximately 130 calories each, these chocolate bars are a guilt-free treat 🙂 Makes 6 bars | Preparation Time: 40 minutes – 1 hour | Cooking Time: 5 minutes Ingredients Required: 6 Crispbreads (or Crackerbreads) 100g Dark Chocolate Chunks 1 tablespoon Honey 6 teaspoons Peanut Butter Spread 3 tablespoons Mixed Nuts (chopped) Method: Melt the chocolate by…

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Simple Vegetable Pakoras Recipe

11th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 2 Comments

https://youtu.be/ASmVldXxryM These pakoras are made with battered onion, potato and coriander. They are a delicious starter or snack, perfect for a rainy day. Makes 15 | Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients Required: 500g Potatoes 1 Onion (Small/medium) 1⁄2 cup Coriander (Chopped) 100g Gram Flour (or Plain Flour) 1 Egg (Large) 1 teaspoon Salt 1⁄2 teaspoon Chilli Powder 1⁄2 cup Water Method: Peel and chop potatoes into thumbnail-sized chunks and add to a large mixing bowl. Peel and chop onions into…

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How to make Cheesy Dough Balls

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

https://youtu.be/ZLjCYN_nX6I These cheesy dough balls are crunchy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside, making them a fabulous snack or starter. They are also really easy to make. Makes 36 balls | Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients Required: 4 cups Plain Flour 2 teaspoons Dried Active Yeast 1 1⁄2 teaspoon Sugar 1 teaspoon Salt 375ml Water (Warm) 1⁄4 cup Olive Oil (Or similar) 3 cups Cheese (Grated) Oil for frying Method For the dough: Add the yeast, sugar and…

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How to make Chinese Chicken Soup

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

https://youtu.be/RMmBlIHlwqY A delicious, spicy soup which is perfect for colder days. Serves 4 | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour Ingredients Required: 500g Chicken (On bone) 3 Carrots (Peeled and chopped into large chunks) 300g White Cabbage (Approx. half a cabbage, sliced) 2 tablespoons Coarse Black Pepper 2 teaspoons Salt 1 Egg (Medium, Free Range) 1⁄2 teaspoon Soy Sauce (Dark) 3 tablespoons Corn Flour 6 1⁄2 cups Water (Cold) Method Add chicken, carrots, white cabbage, coarse black pepper and salt into a large…

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Desi-Style Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 1 Comment

https://youtu.be/s1A5B0wJUMU This is a fabulous alternative to the usual spaghetti and meatballs, and perfect if you like your food with a little more flavour and spice. Serves 4 | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 35 minutes Ingredients Required: 500g Mince (Mutton/Lamb/Beef/Chicken) 2 Onions (Medium) 3 Tomatoes (Medium) 1 Eggs (Medium, Free Range) 1 clove Garlic 3⁄4 cup Gram Flour (Besan) or Plain Flour 3 teaspoons Salt 1⁄2 tablespoon Crushed Hot Chilli Flakes 1 teaspoons Ground Coriander 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera) 1 teaspoon Garam Masala 1⁄2…

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How to make Kebab Curry

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

Kebab curry is basically kebabs in a curry. The kebabs are yummy on their own, and within a curry are just amazing! Serves 4 | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time 45 minutes Ingredients Required: 500g Mutton Mince (Or Other Mince) 2 Onions 3 Tomatoes 1 Egg (Beaten) 1⁄2 cup Gram Flour 2 teaspoons Salt 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice 1 teaspoon Garam Masala 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder 1 tablespoon Crushed Red Chillies 2 teaspoons Garlic Paste 1 cup Fresh Coriander Cooking Oil (To Fry) 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 100g Tomato Passata 1⁄2…

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How to make Chapli Kebabs (Round Kebabs)

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 2 Comments

These are a classic Pakistani starter, and they are so yum! They are very popular in our house over Ramadan, and my husband requested that I make these almost every Iftar. Yes they are that good masha Allah! Similar to other kebabs, the distinction being that they are round and flat (chapli means slipper in Punjabi). Serves 3 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients Required: 500g Mutton Mince (Or Other Mince). Note: Mince with fat will make…

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Our trip to Muslim Spain

10th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 1 Comment

In the Summer of 2015 we visited Southern Spain, and the main purpose of this visit was to explore Muslim Spain, also known as Andalusia or al-Andalus. We visited the amazing cities of Cordoba, Granada and Seville, which were once the capitals of Muslim Spain. If you are not familiar with the history of Muslims in Spain, I would urge you to learn more, and if you can, visit the region at some point in your life. Truly a beautiful,…

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No-Bake Fruit Cocktail Cheesecake

9th January 2016 Shamsa Comments 0 Comment

This is a super creamy and delicious cheesecake recipe. The biscuit base with syrup gives the cheesecake it’s extra yummy taste. No baking is required and it is simple to make. Serves 8 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 6 hours Ingredients Required: 16 Digestive Biscuits (or 200g) 1 Fruit Cocktail Tin (in Syrup) 300ml Double Cream (or Whipping Cream) 200g Soft Cheese (or Cream Cheese) 50g Icing Sugar For the biscuit base: Crush the digestive biscuits in the bowl, using your hands…

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