Vegan Ma'moul/ Klaycha

recipe from an Iraqi friend. The Iraqi version is naturally vegan, apart from the egg glaze on top.

about to try with spelt flour... and an Oat milk as a glaze.

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three cups of plain flour
3/4 cup of sunflower oil
pinch of salt
tea spoon baking powder
mix together

add lukewarm water bit by bit until it becomes a dough
can add some rosewater to the dough too.

cover it with a towel and a leave for a bit (few minutes) while you get the date paste ready

date paste, add cardamon or aniseed (I presume powder…)
to make the date paste, just heat the chopped date with some oil to make a paste

try oatly as a glaze before baking. It's usually egg.

no need to oil the mould as the dough is oily.

oven on 160C until they are baked, (slightly red)

Dhal Pouri

Step by step photos are here

Yellow Split Peas (~1kg)

Wash peas in cold running water (no need to soak)

Strain peas and place in large pan of water (no salt)

Add 1teaspoon of tumeric to the water and stir in well. Bring the pan to the boil.

Check the texture of the peas - should be soft but firm (you are not making dhal). so that it can be ground. Stir occasionally while peas simmer, peel some garlic cloves.

Prepare self-raising flour (~800g) and baking powder.

Check the peas after 10 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms. Sift the flour with 2-25 teaspoons of baking powder, mix well and then add some salt.

After 20 minutes, check the peas (try biting one) - should be soft enough to bite through, but still firm - could be 25 minutes.

When the peas are ready, strain them.

Add some oil to the flour (about 2-3 teaspoons) and mix together by hand until it is almost dry again.

Add (800ml - 1litre cold water, a bit at a time to make an 'elastic' dough (be careful not to make it too wet).

If it sticks to your hands its too wet.

Cover the dough in cling film whilst you grind the peas.

Set up a food mill/ grinder and grind the cooked peas in batches (if using whole cumin seeds, add them to the peas to be ground at the same time). Add 3-4 garlic cloves to the peas to be ground at the same time. Aiming for quite a fine consistency. When all the of the peas are ground put them in a very large bowl and season well with black pepper, ground (roasted) cumin and salt (~ 1 tablespoon) - check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Ground peas should be quite dry but if they are too dry, but if they are too dry and some oil to moisten them.

(At this stage the ingredients can be left to rest)

Put some oil in a flat bottomed saucer and place a flat-bottomed glass in it.

Prepare a teatowel over another plate.

Divide the dough into clementine sized rounds.

Lightly flour the rounds to stop them from sticking and leave them to rest for a while.

Lightly flour a spare plate.

Take each round and flatten it out with a circular motion - use more flour to keep it dry.

Cup a flattened round in the palm of your hand (the round should be around 6 inches across) and pack some of the pea mixture into it.

Draw the sides up to form a pasty and then pinch the edges together.

Pinch the edges well together. Press onto the plate to seal into a round dumpling shape.

Don't prepare too many filled rounds at once (let them rest, but not for too long).

Heat a large flat griddle (tawwa) over a high heat (then drop to medium).

Take a filled round and roll it out to around 8 inches diameter.

Use the glass to wet the griddle with oil.

Place the flat round onto the hot oil - put more oil on to the dry side - and turn it over. Push the dhal around for a few seconds and turn again. It should start to swell. Turn again and push to stop in burning - allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.

If you find one with a hole, block the hole to allow the steam to inflate the pouri.

Keep the cooked pouri warm in a tea towel.

(the rounds need to be well sealed to make sure that none of the dhal escapes).

Any unused dhal mixture can be frozen or used for soup.

Photos showing the whole process are here

Pesto Pasta

This is a pesto which is more dominated by the taste of the mushrooms rather than the pesto as is usual. The pesto is a very smooth one and does not contain any cheese.
It can be eaten cold, slightly warm or hot. Slightly warm is probably the best. Forgive lack of measurements but I tend to be wildly enthusiastic over garlic.

Ingredients

Garlic
Red Onions
Flat Mushrooms (e.g. Portabellini)
Sacla Chargrilled Aubergine Pesto
(optional) Cauldron Beech Smoked Tofu (or some sort of vegetarian sausage, e.g. frankfurter)

Pasta (we use Waitrose Organic Wholewheat Fusilli if we can get it)

(optional) pinch of italian herbs

Method

Start the pasta boiling and then race it to the finish...

Finely chop the garlic and onions.
Saute the onions, then when they are slightly translucent, add the garlic.
Chop the mushrooms into large pieces and add.
Add some black pepper, some salt (or can add salt afterwards) and a pinch of italian herbs if desired.
Let the mushrooms cook until water comes out of them.
Chop the tofu into 2cm squares and add to the mix so it heats up.

Strain the pasta when it is done and put it into a big mixing bowl (good to serve in this too so you don't have to transfer it). Add the sauted vegetables and the pesto and mix up.

Very good with some West Indian Pepper Sauce (what isn't?!)

Cough and Cold Comfort

Here is a West Indian traditional cold remedy but omitting the rum!

Chop up ginger (however much you like, but you could do about an inch to make a lot you can have all day) and put into a saucepan. Add two or three cloves, and a piece of cinnamon bark. Add water, bring to the boil and then simmer (or just turn it off and wrap a few towels around it so it stays hot and stews).

After a while, just take out some of the liquid, heat it, and sweeten it to taste (I don't sweeten mine any more which makes it more tooth friendly to be sipping all day), and then just sip away.

You might want to tone down the amounts if you find it tastes too strong.

I think its so virulently anti-bacterial I can't imagine anything living in it, so I don't worry about putting it in the fridge, but am happy to leave it out overnight and reheat some in the morning.

I've noticed my aunt making this (sometimes called Ginger Tea) to 'clear the air' after making curries. So there is often a pot of it on the stove and they drink it as a digestive.

Sink your teeth into this

Looks can be deceiving when it comes to cake. Paul's Chocolate Moelleux. I can't say it loud enough as I shiver anxiously in the queue, eyes on the display, so much is at stake. The world could end, it wouldn't matter, I would have this cake!

Not corrupted by icing or murdered by raisins and nuts, it stands alone, brown and unassuming, even somewhat unattractive. The first bite is a revelation; this cake has managed to embrace the extremes; sweet but with a hint of cocoa bitterness, soft but nicely crusty on the sides, crumbles and melts in the mouth at the same time. A little goes a long way, but even a whole cake wouldn't induce nausea.

Great choice for any occasion, especially if you need to fool anyone about your baking skills. This cake has such a home made, just out of Mom's kitchen oven taste, that you could get away with it!