Sunday 19 July 2015

Drizzled Shortbread + So Many Mangoes + Our Eid Roast Chicken: 11 July - 17 July 2015.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful



{via}
this week, the blessed month of Ramadan ended.
I hope that it went well for you and that you benefited from it.


the weekend began with drizzled chocolate shortbread, jam doughnut muffins, so much food at Iftar including seekh kebabs, pulao, chana chaat and spicy chicken thighs.

{via}
Sunday was a calmer affair with simple yet spicy cheese on toast, strawberries and dates.

the week began with biscuit bases, shorba, creamy pasta and crispy chicken wings.
{via}
mini quiches invaded the kitchen on Tuesday. they were so good though, filled with caramelized onions and plenty of cheese. our local mosque finished the Quran on Wednesday night and so that meant plenty of gulab jamuns, laddoos and namak paray. it's always quite sad though when they finish because you can feel the end of Ramadan looming. 

Thursday was filled with plenty of mangoes, soft tortillas and spiced lamb mince.

the most blessed day of the week was filled with Eid preparations since our Eid was to be celebrated the next day. chicken was marinaded and roasted, samosas were filled and fried, potatoes were steamed and mashed and the first Irn Bru bottle was cracked open. Eid Mubarak! May Allah accept all our worship and efforts - Ameen.

here's more from my week:

 Saturday early morning sehri of fruit yoghurt and breakfast apple crumble.
I baked today. which obviously meant plenty of butter.
I want to drizzle white chocolate over everything now!
I also baked muffins.
once baked ...
.... I rolled them in melted butter and sugar. because they were jam doughnut muffins!
a successful days' bake.
so much food at iftar today, alhamdulillah. on this plate: seekh kebabs, spicy chicken thighs, veggie pakoras and spicy chicken stromboli.
also, a creamy chana chaat filled with spiced yoghurt, chickpeas and red onion.
and, a lamb pulao.
a simpler affair on Sunday with dates and strawberries.
and, coriander chilli cheese toasts.
 happy strawberries on a Monday afternoon.
biscuits blitzed.

and, about to be pressed in to make a base for something truly delish.
also today, a really intense masala.
with chicken.
plenty of water.

to make chicken and potato shorba.
mushrooms frying for iftar.
pasta boiling, sauce simmering.
to make a creamy pasta which I must make again to share with all of you.

ooh, and crispy chicken wings!
 trying to get my sunflowers to open on Tuesday afternoon.
{find beauty in the small things}
so, I thought I would use this homemade mixed berry jam in that biscuit base I showed you above.
alas though, it wasn't to be.
the end product was a million miles from what I had actually planned but ended up being so much yummier! I love it when that happens.
today, we baked mini quiches.

and they were shockingly good. I need to bake them again to share with all of you.
a few bits from Wednesday's iftar: a cold apple orange salad.
that tart from the day before and carrot kheer.
a rice dish consisting of boiled rice steamed with this shorba.
it was so good.
our local mosque finished the Quran today and handed out a few treats: laddoos, gulab jamun and namak paray.
 sixteen alphonso mangoes arrived at our house on Thursday afternoon.
oh, the smell. why has nobody bothered to make it into a candle yet?! 
for iftar, a batch of green yoghurt chutney with plenty of green chillies and fresh mint.

this stuff. I could drink it.
dough ready to make soft tortillas.
also, since we weren't sure as to when Eid would be, we decided to be a little organised and prep things beforehand.
first up, a lamb samosa filling with added potatoes. 
ready to fill the Eid samosas with.
but also ready for Iftar that night with soft homemade tortillas.
the most blessed day of the week arrived and the Eid prep continued. our Eid would be on Saturday, our local mosque informed us. an extra day of fasting, alhamdulillah.
today, we roasted plenty of spicy chicken legs ready for Eid, and here's how we made them.
In a small bowl, mix together:
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste 
2 teaspoons crushed red chilli flakes
5 tablespoons malt vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

take 12 whole chicken legs.

using a sharp knife, slash the flesh. this will get the marinade in.

ooh, we also stirred a little red food colouring onto the paste made above. it's completely optional though.
pour the paste onto the chicken.
give it a very good stir and leave to marinade for 4 hours.

after four hours, stir together:
250ml plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon crushed red chilli flakes
3 tablespoons tandoori masala
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
and add to the chicken.

give it another good stir, making sure the marinade is well distributed. leave to marinade for a few more hours.

then, bake at 200C for 15 minutes uncovered. then bake, covered with foil for 45 minutes. after this, we drained out the juices at the bottom of the tray. finally, bake uncovered for a final 10 minutes.
note: those juices from the bottom of the pan make the best, spicy gravy ever. we just use it as it is but if you like it thicker, thicken it up with a mixture of cornflour and water.

today, we also made samosas.

throughout Ramadan, we didn't cook samosas, spring rolls or pakoras once. they were gifted to us once or twice but we never made them ourselves.
so when Eid rolled around, it was time for a treat!
we always talk about, how in this country, we are so fortunate to eat whatever we want during Ramadan. that way, when Eid arrives, we've eaten everything special already and don't know what to cook. people in less fortunate countries eat meat once a year - only on Eid. that way, they look forward to it all year through. this was our way of trying to, in a tiny way, feel a little of what they feel.
also this year, I cut out soft drinks and coffee throughout Ramadan. so worth it!
anyway, once the samosa dough was kneaded, rested, par-cooked, it was time to fill.
done!
these were filled with the lamb potato pea filling I showed you above.
ready to be fried!
these ones were filled with the lamb mixture but also, with grated Cheddar. so good!

islamically, the next day begins at sunset. so on Friday sunset, Eid had begun and so did the samosa frying. oh, it was so exciting!


crispy, golden and ready to be devoured.

so, our final iftar was the spicy roast chicken I showed you above. along with its delicious gravy of course.

and mashed potatoes.
for the veggies, all we had in the house were onions and bell peppers which we caramelized slowly with butter.

once they were golden and sweet, seasoning and peas were added.
and, how could we forget the samosas with the obligatory green yoghurt chutney.

and, Irn Bru!
the final Iftar was tinged with sadness at this passing of this most blessed month.
May Allah give us life enough so that we see many more Ramadans - Ameen!

this time one year ago:
Victoria Sandwiches + Farm Walks + Shawarma

lately, on the blog:

Fried Chicken + Cheddar Waffles + Watermelon

Hoisin Chicken Wraps with Sweetcorn + Cucumber Salsa
Eid Mubarak!

a few of my favourites from around the web this week:

1/ snapchat made me cry with their Makkah story. seems plenty of other people enjoyed it too.
2/ baby!
3/ yum! this snack. I'd eat it for an easy dessert too.
4/ this biryani sounds delicious.
5/ two of my favourites together!
6/ baked potato bar? yes, please!
7/ a salad to help us recover from Eid.
8/ alhamdulillah, we are part of one amazing Ummah.

7:35

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you, relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
{Surah Al-'A'raf, Verse 35}

Have a beautiful week everyone!

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
© copyrights This Muslim Girl Bakes, All Rights Reserved. Branding & Blog Design by Sadaf F K.