Moussaka

Moussaka is a dish with layers of Aubergines (Begun or Eggplant) , Potato and Ground meat (keema) with Tomato sauce, topped with a white sauce and cheese. It is a Greek dish also popular in other Mediterranean countries, with many local and regional variations. Here is my take on this great dish, a healthier version.  

Ingredients for Layers

2 large potatoes
1 large aubergine
250 g minced meat

1 cup Tomato Sauce or Puree

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Onion, chopped

4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1/4 cup Olive oil
(feel free to add your regional spices like Cumin, Corriander, Garam Masala etc.)

• Thinly slice the potatoes and aubergines, coat them with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Cook the Mince meat with rest of the ingredients.
• Make white sauce.

Ingredients for White Sauce

2 cups milk
2 tbsp Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg.
1 cup cheese (mix of Mozzarella and Cheddar)

Making the sauce:

• Add the Milk, Flour, Salt, Black pepper, and Nutmeg (everything except cheese) in a pot and bring to simmer on medium heat, stirring constantly until the milk thickens with a creamy consistency.

Layering

• Place one layer of sliced Potatoes at the bottom of a ovenproof dish
• Spread 1/3rd of the meat over the potato
• Place a the Aubergine slices over the meat.
• Spread 1/3rd of meat over the aubergines
• Place the remaining potatoes over the meat
• Spread the remaining meat over the potatoes
• Pour the white sauce all over the meat.
• Spread the Cheese all over the white sauce.

Cooking:

• Cover the dish with a foil and put in the preheated oven to 200 c and cook for 30 minutes.
• Take the cover off and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled over.

Crumbles

A Crumble is a classic dessert, it is basically a dish with fruits covered with a crumbly topping. You get the tangy-sweetness form the fruit and the crunchiness from the crumble, together it creates a heavenly burst of taste, flavour and texture. Apple Crumble is the most popular, but you can make it with other fruits as well as tropical fruits like Pineapple and Mango. You can also use a mix of fruits as well. It is usually served with custard, cream or Ice-cream.   

Ingredients:

6 Apples for Apple Crumble or

2 large Mangoes for Mango crumble or

1 Pineapple for Pineapple crumble

½ cup Sugar (4 0z)

1 cup Flour (6 oz)

6 tbsp melted Butter (3 oz)
2 tsp Cinnamon

Method

• Peel and slice the fruits into small chunks
• Mix them with 1 tbsp Sugar and 1 tsp Cinnamon powder. 
• Place on a baking dish (fruits should cover the bottom)
• Make the Crumble:  Add the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix them together with hand.   
• Spread the mix over the fruit and pack them down. Tighter you pack crumblier it will be. (you can add some nuts if you like)
• Put the dish in a pre-heated oven at 200c for 15 minutes, then bring it out. 

Serve hot or cold with Cream, Custard or Ice-cream. You can use store-bought custard powder to make custard following the instructions on the container or make your own home-made custard which is always better. Here is how:

Custard: (Crème Anglaise) 

Ingredients:

6 Egg yolks

600 ml Milk, single cream or double cream. (about 2½ cup) 

¼ cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tsp corn flour (diluted in 2 tbsp cold water)

Method:

• Take 6 egg yolks in a bowl
• Add the sugar and mix with the yolks
• Bring the milk and vanilla (or cream or a mix of milk and cream depending on how rich and creamy you want) to simmering point
• Add ¼ cup of hot milk gradually in the egg yolks and sugar mix while stirring
• Then add the liquid in the milk
• Add the diluted corn flour to the milk mixture
• Turn of the heat off as soon as it starts simmering again.  

Easy Biryani

This is a simplified version of one of the most complex and exotic dishes of Mughal India, perfected in old Dhaka called Kacchi Biryani. This is unique in Dhaka where raw (kacchi) meat and rice are cooked together. For students it can be a life-saver! 

Rice-Cooker makes it stress free, but if you don’t have one you can use a thick bottomed pot on cooker at a very low temperature. 

Ingredients:

There are many flavours available,
I like this one, it's mild. Some are hot.
If you like it hot try Sindhi.  

1 kg meat
1 tbsp Ginger paste
1 tbsp Garlic paste
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Sugar
1-2 tsp Salt (to taste) 
2 tbsp Oil. (or Oil and Ghee 50:50)
2 tbsp Yoghurt
1 packet Shan Biryani Masala (your choice)

………………………………............................

½ kg Potato peeled (baby potato or bite size pieces)

(you can use canned potato available in supermarkets to make life easier)

½ kg Basmati rice

Mix everything above the dotted line in a 1.5 litre Rice Cooker

(if you have time leave it for 2-3 hour to marinade)

Place 1/2 kg pealed potato on the meat.

Spread 1/2 kg washed rice over the potato.

Add cold water up to 1 inch above the rice

Lid on and turn the rice cooker on (press the switch down) and leave it for 2 hours.

After two hours mix the rice and meat together. Put the lid back on.

Biryani will be ready to eat in 30 minutes. 


Note: Once you make the above basic Biryani, you can make it more exotic by adding:
Saffron, Rosewater, green chillis, cashew nuts, fried onions, sultanas, mint leaves, coriander leaves etc; any flavours and textures you like.