Sfouf - Semolina Tumeric Cake

Sfouf is a Lebanese almond-semolina cake. It is made from semolina flour flavored with tumeric, sugar, and pine nuts or almonds.  This recipe calls for ground aniseed, which I was skeptical about at the beginning but it does add to the cake itself a very nice taste.

This is the first time I bake this cake, and I was surprised it does not contain eggs! So it is an egg-less cake which people that do not eat cake can do!  

Also, something different about this cake is the use of tahini to “butter” the tray or cake tin. It gives the edges a beautiful crunch and nuttiness. For an authentic experience, do not substitute the tahini with butter, trust me, it tastes great!

Sfouf - Semolina Tumeric Cake

Ingredients

2 cups semolina flour (ferkha in lebanese)
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp Turmeric (Curcuma)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp aniseed (ground)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups milk (or water) - I used milk
2 tbsp Tahini (sesame paste)
Sesame seeds, sliced blanced almonds or Pine nuts, to garnish

Method
 
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

In a bowl, mix semolina, flour, turmeric, baking powder, and aniseed. Add oil and stir to make a paste.

In a separate bowl, melt sugar in cold milk. Add gradually to the flour and spices paste and mix using an electric cake mixer.

Grease the baking dish with Tahini and pour batter. Make sure it’s flat. Sprinkle with sesame, pine nuts or decorate with almonds. I used almonds here.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden-brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Cut in pieces. Serve with tea or coffee.

ENJOY!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Who doesn't love Chinese food? We do.  I am sure you do as well, maybe not all (like us) but some!.. How about some Sweet and Sour Chicken? The tangy flavor that lays in between sweet and sour, just as its name says, is a delicious dish! the added pineapple makes it taste tropical and exotic.  I love fruit in main dishes..

This was the first time I tried this recipe, including the sauce, which I thought at first to buy it ready, but then I was like I should try it!  I was skeptical at first for the quantity of sugar it takes in, now we know why it is sweet, and was surprised that apple cider vinegar was used to brake in the sweet taste.  

Forget take-outs or even going to a Chinese restaurant and try this quick and effective go-to recipe for when you want to enjoy this classic at a fraction of the cost.

         

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size chuncks)
Salt and pepper
2 cups flour
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 eggs (beaten with a fork)
oil (for frying)

1 ½ cup sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoons garlic powder

Vegetables

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 orange pepper, sliced

1 onion, cut into wedges/sliced

1 can of cut pineapples

Method

In a bowl mix flour, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. In another bowl beat the eggs. Dip chicken pieces first then the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture and then again in the flour mixture.

Fry in oil in a wok or in a deep fryer at 350 degrees in batches until golden brown. Drain on a tray, if you want use kitchen paper towels.

Place chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour half of  it over the chicken and toss to coat. Bake for about 10 minutes at 200ºC, flipping them every 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile cook your veggies. Put a little oil in a pan and stir fry them. Bring the remaining sauce

to a simmer in a small pot and let thicken about 8 minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Mix the chicken and veggies together and add the pineapple and stir slowly so that the chicken pieces don’t break.  Serve over white rice. 

ENJOY!

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

This pumpkin creamy soup is simple and delicious, slightly sweet in taste; smooth in texture and beautifully yellow in color, will invite your diners with a pleasing fragrance and the warm golden hues of autumn. Filled with anti-oxidants and vitamins and gentle on the tummy, this is a warming soup that helps strengthen your immune system. Simple but delicious, this is a perfect soup to serve on a cold fall day, and it's also a great way to use up any pumpkins that aren't turned into jack-o-lanterns.

Wonderfully comforting soup, let me tell you..

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

1 kg pumpkin flesh, cubed
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika
1 litre of chicken stock
salt

ground black pepper
half cup of cream

Method

Cut the peeled and seeded pumpkin into chunks, finely chop the onion.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, onions and stir. Fry gently for about five minutes, then stir in the cubed pumpkin.
Add the stock, season with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the pumpkin has softened.

Pureé the soup in a blender of hand processor until smooth. Once before serving, pour in the cream.

Or if you want you could leave the cream for when its served, people can serve it with a dollop of cream and croutons (optional). 

ENJOY!