Milky Arab Cookies

My daughter and I made these cookies for Raya recently. They are so soft, it melts in your mouth. Just 4 ingredients. One of my favourites.

Milky Arab Cookies

Ingredients

500gm All-purpose flour

250gm Castor sugar

200gm ghee

1½ cup Milk powder

Directions

Pan-fry the flour in a dry wok on slow heat until the colour turns slightly yellowish. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

While it is still warm, add ghee and sugar then mix with a wooden spoon until it starts forming a dough. Form dough into balls of preferred size.

Roll each ball gently to coat them well in milk powder then put in a small baking paper cup.

Keep in a tight lid container.

Mini Sausage Bun (Pig In a Blanket)

I got this recipe from my cooking class a few years back. Made this last week and my children ate the entire thing in a matter of 2 days.

Mini Sausage Bun (Pig In a Blanket)

Ingredients

250gm All purpose flour

140ml fresh / full cream milk

2 tbsp margarine

2 ½ tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp dry / instant yeast

½ tsp fine salt

12 pcs sausages – halved / 24 cocktail franks

Directions

Combine the flour, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add milk and margarine to the dry ingredients. Using the mixing paddle attachment, mix it on low spead for a minute. Add salt.

Then replace the mixing paddle with the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough on low speed for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it’s too wet then sprinkle in a little more flour. The dough should be a litte tacky to the touch.

If you do not have a mixer, then you can mix the ingredients together and knead them by hand.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large greased bowl to proof. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and let it stand in a warm place for 45 minutes until it doubles in size.

Punch down the dough a few times and divide it into 24 equal portions. Gently pull the dough to stretch it out into a strip or a long sausage.

Take a strip and wrap it around the sausage pieces. Pinch the edges of the dough together and place it in a greased baking sheet about 2-inch apart.

Let it rest again for another 30 minutes till dough is puffy.

Preheat oven to 180C and bake for 12-18 minutes until they are golden.

Brush the top of the bread with margarine as soon as it comes out of the oven to give them a shiny glaze.

Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.

The Al-Fattahs Lamb Soup

Finally got this recipe posted to the blog! This soup is sooo satisfying. It’s my go-to whenever Hubs and my son craves for soup – it means comfort food to them.  

The Al-Fattahs Lamb Soup

Ingredients

6 lamb shoulder chops

¼ large yellow onion - loosened into individual layers
5 Cardamoms - bruised
1 Cinnamon sticks
3 Star anise
3 liters Water
4 pcs Carrots - medium cubes
3 pcs Yellow potatoes - medium cubes
5 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Spice paste

4 inches fresh Ginger – peeled
6 cloves Garlic – peeled 

3 tablespoons Coriander powder
1 tablespoon White pepper
1 tablespoon Black pepper
3 teaspoons Fennel powder
3 teaspoons Cumin powder
2 teaspoons Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Nutmeg powder

Garnish Ingredients

2 shallots – peeled, sliced and fried
1 stalk fresh Cilantro sprigs - chopped
1 Lime - wedged into 4 (optional)

Directions

Clean the meat and put in a pressure cooker. Pour in the water, close and cooked for 45 minutes.

Blend together the ginger and garlic until smooth.

In a heated pan with oil, stir fry the cardamom, star anise and yellow onions until fragrant. Toss in the spice paste and sauté until the oil separates.

Pour in the fried paste into the pressure cooker. Add in the carrots and potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil then allow to simmer until the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Add seasoning. Garnish with cilantro and fried shallots.

Skim off the fat that rises to the top with a large spoon before serving.