When I get asked to review stuff from Ozeri, I know the product will be good! This time I received their awesome Fresko Duo Salt & Pepper Grinder.

Kiedy Ozeri wysyła mi produkt do zrecenzowania, wiem że mnie nie zawiodą. Tym razem dostałam ich super praktyczny podwójny młynek do soli i pieprzu Fresko Duo.

If anyone still remembers, a while ago I wrote an amateur series on halal and haram foods. 

So everyone knows that alcohol and pork (and pork products like gelatine) are forbidden for Muslims' diet. But apart from that, there are a few ingredients that are quite as important in making food products OK to eat. 

A while ago I've been sent the Green Earth Frying Pan from Ozeri, to test and share with you. I must say I wanted to get my hands on it for a while now, so I was really happy to receive a message that I'm gonna get it ;) Afer our laptop's hard drive dying, here I am finally reviewing it!

Niedawno dostałam do przetestowania patelnię Green Earth od firmy Ozeri. Przyznaję, że już od jakiegoś czasu miałam ją na oku, więc ucieszyła mnie wiadomość że patelnia do mnie jedzie ;) Po tym, jak padł nam twardy dysk, w końcu recenzja!

Seabrook Crisps are celebrating National Crisp Sandwich week, and they are looking for the best crisp sarnie recipe! When I saw this announced by the Tots100 team, I didn't have to think twice ;)

Tuna and sweetcorn is probably our favourite sandwich filling. I think it was actually the Hubby who first introduced me to the crisp sandwich idea - we would buy sandwiches in town, get packet of crisps to go with them, and then open the sandwiches up, stuff them with crisps and eat like that. Now tuna sandwich without some crisps is not the same ;)

I'm a little bit behind with it, but here's this week's Great British Bake Off challenge!

This Wednesday we saw contestants make variety of savoury biscuits, and here are mine - cheesy biscuits with black onion seeds. Buttery, but with a strong kick of chilli.

I think I've never mentioned that before, but my Hubby works in Center Parcs Woburn Forest :) As an employee he is eligible for a free day pass to visit any of the parks! 

A while ago we made a plan to both have the weekend off and initially we planned to go to the seaside, but then Hubby got a chance for a day pass for the Woburn Forest, so we decided to go.






(Beware - it ended up being a very lengthy post ;))

Seriously, where did that one year go?

It's first day of summer today, and we certainly feel like it! Sun is out, it's getting hotter and hotter.

It's a season of light lunches! This salad is inspired by my recent favourite one from M&S, that I tend to eat for my lunch when I'm at work.

Pierwszy dzień lata zdecydowanie na taki wygląda! Słońce świeci, temperatura rośnie z godziny na godzinę. 

To zdecydowanie czas lekkich posiłków! Tę sałatkę podpatrzyłam w Marks&Spencer, ostatnio jest moim ulubionym lunchem w pracy.

I just love the themed weeks in Lidl. Last time I went shopping there was an Asian week going on, and while I only went in to get some bananas for Adam, I left with dragon fruit!

Uwielbiam tematyczne tygodnie w Lidlu! Niedawno mieliśmy tydzień azjatycki. Wstąpiłam po banany dla Adasia, a natknęłam się na pitaję, której koniecznie musiałam spróbować!

Wow, I didn't realise it's been nearly a month since my last post! Naughty blogger!

Well, it's been a bit hectic recently. 

My maternity leave is drawing to an end (on 20th exactly), and it's been time to think about returning to work. Rent isn't gonna pay itself ;)

But, to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to going back to my old job. I had spent 5 years in there, stuck in pretty much same place with no room to grow. 

So a while back I've applied for a new job in the Airport Security. Initially I was a bit apprehensive, thinking maybe it's not exactly for me, but after talking to some friends that already work there, I thought it's worth giving it a shot. Surprisingly I got a call from them pretty quickly, went to an interview... and I must have said something smart, because they hired me on the spot! 

That just meant I needed to complete a two-week intensive classroom training with not much time to spare for anything else. Even though we didn't really do much, getting out to work, 9 to 5 for those two weeks was quite exhausting, as I got out of this sort of routine of leaving the house in set times. Plus there was a LOT theory to take on, so mentally I was just exhausted.

How was it to leave my baby?

Luckily, he's very easygoing little fella. It wasn't the first time that we needed to leave him (fortunately Hubby's lovely aunty agreed to have him) so I wasn't too worried. It actually made me feel a bit bad, but I pretty much enjoyed getting away! My mum asked me if I was missing Adam or called to check up on him... Well yes, I did miss him. But I wasn't concerned, I assumed that if something was going terribly wrong they would give me a ring.


Now we're pretty much back to the old routine. The best thing about my job is that I'm working as bank staff - I get to choose which days I'm working on, so basically I only work like 7 days out of the whole month in May (that reminds me that I need to send out my schedule for next month in the next couple of days ;)). It's perfect - I still get to spend an awful lot of time with my boy, Hubby is off in the afternoons so we have some family time too, and when I work boys are absolutely fine on their own (I actually think it's brilliant that they get some boys-only time).

At least it gives me some time to blog too ;) Time to get back on track! I need to kick myself on that lazy ass and do everything I postponed for too long.

image source: http://firstthingsfirst.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/no-alcohol-15.jpg

http://www.grybow.pl/f/s/166/7622/MIASTO/Informator_miejski/no_alcohol.jpg

On Sunday Hubby decided he fancied fish. So I made him some ;)

Pakora is a fried snack of South Asian cuisine. Ingredients are dipped in batter made with gram flour (ground chickpeas flour) and deep-fried. Usually served as a snack or a starter. You can make them with vegetables, paneer, chicken, fish...

W niedzielę Mężuś zdecydował, że ma ochotę na rybkę. To mu zrobiłam ;)

Pakora to przysmak z kuchni Azji południowej. Składniki zanurzane są w cieście z besanu (mąki z ciecierzycy) i smażone na głębokim oleju. Serwowane jako przekąska lub przystawka przed głównym posiłkiem. Możecie przygotować je z warzyw, sera paneer, kurczaka, ryby...

Czemu "Halal Mama"? Bo na naszym stole ląduje tylko jedzenie halal. Ale co to dokładnie znaczy? Podstawy możecie znaleźć w podstronie what is "Halal"? u góry strony, ale teraz trochę bardziej szczegółowo.

Pewnie wiecie, że muzułmanie nie piją alkoholu i nie jedzą wieprzowiny? Ale czy to wszystko?

Cóż - jest całkiem sporo składników żywności, na które w swojej kuchni muszę uważać, gdyż są haraam - zakazane. Takich składników muszę unikać. Ale, chociaż można pomyśleć że coś przez to tracimy, w sklepach dostępnych jest wiele zamienników.

Będzie to krótka seria na temat składników haraam i o tym, na co je zamienić w halal kuchni. Jeśli więc czytają to "starzy" lub nowi muzułmanie, ktoś z muzułmańskim małżonkiem/partnerem, ktoś kto ma gościć muzułmańskich znajomych albo ktoś zwyczajnie zainteresowany tematem - mam nadzieję, że taki mały przewodnik się przyda.

(Zaznaczam: Nie mam żadnej profesjonalnej wiedzy na tematy żywieniowe, wszelkie informacje są efektem moich własnych dociekań.)

Why "Halal Mama"? Because there's only halal food on our table. But what exactly does it mean? You can read the basics in the what is "Halal"? tab on top of the page, but let's get into some details.

You probably know that Muslims don't drink and don't eat pork, right? But is that all?

Well, there's more to it - there are quite a few ingredients that I need to be careful with in my kitchen. They are haraam - forbidden, foods and ingredients that need to be avoided. But, while some people would think that Muslims are missing out on certain foods, there are many alternatives available. 

I'll make this a small series of posts on haraam ingredients and how to replace them in halal cooking. So, whether you're an "old" or new Muslim, have a Muslim spouse/partner, cater for some Muslim friends or just being curious, I hope this little guide will help.

(Please note: I have no professional knowledge myself, all the information comes from the research.)

I've had savoury muffins on my mind for a while now. They make a great breakfast, instead of bread or rolls - just cut in half and spread some butter, yum!

Już od jakiegoś czasu miałam ochotę na wytrawne muffiny. Są świetne na śniadanie, zamiast chleba czy bułek - kroimy na pół i smarujemy masłem, pycha!

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Place the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug beat the eggs, then add milk and oil, mixing well. Add the liquid to the flour and mix until combined. Add the tomato purée and mix well. Chop the tomatoes in small pieces and add to the mix. Spoon the mixture into muffin tray lined with paper cases and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake in preheated oven in 180C for 20-25 minutes.

(Next time I'll also add some cheese into the cake mix :))

Składniki:

• 280 g mąki pełnoziarnistej
• 1 łyżka proszku do pieczenia
• 2 jajka
• 150 ml mleka
• 4 łyżki oleju
• 3 łyżki koncentratu pomidorowego
• 2 pomidory
• sól i pieprz
• starty ser do posypania

Przygotowanie:

Mąkę z proszkiem do pieczenia umieszczamy w misce. W osobnym naczyniu rozbijamy jajka, do których dodajemy mleko i olej. Dodajemy płynne składniki do mąki i mieszamy do uzyskania gładkiej masy. Dodajemy koncentrat pomidorowy i dokładnie mieszamy. Doprawiamy solą i pieprzem. Pomidory kroimy w małe kawałki i dodajemy do ciasta. Nakładamy ciasto do formy wyłożonej papilotkami, posypujemy startym serem i pieczemy w 180C przez 20-25 minut. 

(Następnym razem dodałabym sera również do ciasta :))

Although it's looking more and more like the spring, we still get these cold, gloomy, rainy days (well, it's England after all ;)). One thing that always works? A bowl of hot soup. This one is creamy, slightly sweet, sour and spicy. Perfect winter warmer.

Chociaż za oknem coraz bardziej wiosennie, wciąż zdarzają się zimne, ponure i deszczowe dni (w końcu mieszkamy w Anglii ;)). Co zawsze poprawia nastrój? Miska gorącej zupy. Ta jest kremowa, nieco słodka, kwaśna i pikantna. Idealnie rozgrzewająca.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 very ripe plantains 
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 50 ml tamarind paste
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander to garnish

 I love quiche. My favourite is filled with tomatoes and broccoli, with some cheese.

Uwielbiam quiche. Dla tych, którzy nie wiedzą - to tarta z warzywnym lub mięsnym nadzieniem, zalanym śmietankowo-jajeczną mieszanką. Moje ulubione wypełnione jest pomidorami i brokułami, z dodatkiem sera.

I love almonds and cherries together. This almond cake was on my mind for a while now, since I saw the recipe in the old Polish recipe book I once took from my mum. It didn't quite make it to the blog before Valentines, as planned, but it's good for any other occasion too.

Uwielbiam połączenie migdałów i wiśni. To ciasto chodziło za mną już od jakiegoś czasu, odkąd znalazłam przepis w starej książce kucharskiej, którą kiedyś zabrałam z Polski. Ciasto nie zdążyło na bloga przed walentynkami, jak początkowo planowałam, ale nadaje się i na inne okazje.

Even if we ever wanted to say otherwise, Adam is undeniably our child. Stubborn and short-tempered.

You know these scenes from toy stores, when a kid throws a tantrum because parents said "no" to some of their demands? Well, we get that too - about food.

Seriously, I didn't know that a 7 months old baby can already be so full of character. When Adam wants something, he will make sure he gets it. He's not really that interested in expensive toys or anything, but when it comes to food...

If we want to eat something spicy, or something not really suitable for a baby, I always make sure that Adam either gets a separate portion, which he could eat, or that he eats first, so I won't feel guilty about eating while he's hungry. Yet it's still hard to keep this boy happy!

I know it's also important for him to participate in family meals, but as long as he's not able to feed himself with a spoon and one of us needs to do it, we spend more time feeding Adam than eating our own food. There is a way - giving him couple of chips, piece of chapatti/naan or even his baby biscuit will keep him satisfied for a bit, unless there's something REALLY interesting on our plates. Sometimes, if we feel there's nothing we can share with him, we just give him something suitable, and put him in his cot to occupy himself. But he will stand up and whine, and when I say "no, you can't have it"... Oh God. That's the tantrum I mentioned at the beginning. He will cry so hard and scream so loud, that eventually we always give in.

Well, at least he enjoys food, right? Some people struggle to feed their kids, some babies have food allergies or intolerances... At least I know that Adam will eat pretty much everything he's given. Preferably from Mummy's or Daddy's plate ;) 

It's all especially challenging, as Adam is discovering his vocal abilities. What started of as a little bit of "ba-ba" or "ma-ma", is turning into a scream more and more often. Especially when he wants something - whether he's hungry, sleepy, drops a toy which he can't reach or just gets excited. But yeah, mostly when he's angry seeing us eating and not sharing with him.

Silence is golden, and you only truly understand that when you have kids ;)

Can't wait for when he grows up, starts demanding other stuff and throws a tantrum to my "no"...

Oh well, it's time for some screaming now, and for me to work out what Monster wants this time.

Another sad and rainy day. Hubby is not well, so he's stuck in bed whole day. Little Mr is tired too, as we had a bit of a late night after yesterday's dinner out with friends. So, while they both snore away, I got down to do some planning.

On some days, when I have a moment for myself, I open post editor and think I'm gonna write a post. Then I just sit, stare into the screen and can't think of anything. So, having some time, I got out my notebook and started writing stuff down.

Honestly, it's a great thing to do. Relax, think of everything that's happening or is going to happen in our lives. Adam is growing, he will reach some milestones, there will be birthdays, travels, playing, going out... Life in a mixed family is an enormous field of topics, they just need the right time to be harvested ;)

I also wrote down a long list of foods I aspire to make. I often find myself wondering what interesting dish I could make to put on the blog? Writing them down will help me plan - I can make a plan to cook specific dishes, get my ingredients and never again get stuck - it's just too often that I'd love to make something, but I miss just one key ingredient, aarrrghh! Now that I transferred my ambitions to paper, I can plan what and when I want to make, get my shopping done and get going :)

One day, when I was trying to make macaroons, I needed some lavender sugar. I went shopping, found it, but thought it's pretty pricey. Keeping in mind that I still have a little jar of lavender from my Alchemical Larder, I had a closer look and I decided to make my own lavender sugar at home. And then I thought, why not make cinnamon and vanilla ones too? These flavoured sugars are SO easy to prepare, and they make great addition to your pantry. 

Któregoś dnia próbowałam robić makaroniki, do których potrzebowałam lawendowego cukru. Poszłam na zakupy, nawet taki znalazłam, ale cena mnie trochę odstraszyła. Pamiętając, że wciąż mam w domu słoiczek lawendy ze Spiżarni Alchemika, dobrze się przyjrzałam cukrowi ze sklepu, po czym postanowiłam zrobić swój własny w domu. Przy okazji pomyślałam, czemu nie zrobić od razu cynamonowego i waniliowego? Cukry smakowe są bardzo łatwe w przygotowaniu, a są świetnym dodatkiem do domowej spiżarki.

For lavender sugar mix about 1/2 teaspoon of lavender in 200 g sugar. Leave to infuse for at least 24 hours before use.

Aby otrzymać cukier lawendowy, do cukru dodajemy ok. pół łyżeczki lawendy. Przed użyciem cukier odstawiamy na przynajmniej 24 godziny w szczelnie zamkniętym pojemniku.

For cinnamon sugar use 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for 200 g sugar. Add one whole cinnamon stick and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours. You can re-use the cinnamon stick for the new batch once your sugar is finished.

Aby otrzymać cukier cynamonowy, do 200 g cukru dodajemy łyżeczkę zmielonego cynamonu i jedną laskę cynamonu (moje są duże, jeśli macie malutkie, to można dać więcej). Odstawiamy do zaromatyzowania na przynajmniej 24 godziny. Laski cynamonu możemy użyć ponownie do przygotowania kolejnej porcji cukru.

For the vanilla sugar add 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways, to your container. As with cinnamon, the vanilla pod can be re-used until its aroma remains.

Aby otrzymać cukier waniliowy, do pojemnika z cukrem dodajemy laskę wanilii, przeciętą wzdłuż na pół. Podobnie jak cynamon, wanilię możemy użyć ponownie, dopóki zachowuje swój aromat.

Preparation:

Heat up one tablespoon of sesame oil in a pan. Stir fry the chicken, until slightly brown and cooked through. In a bowl or jug mix the honey, soy sauce and one tablespoon of sesame oil (if the sauce is too sweet to your liking, add more soy sauce or a splash of vinegar). Once chicken is cooked, add the honey sauce and sesame seeds to the pan. Cook on low heat until most of the liquid evaporates and you're left just with sticky sauce coating the chicken. Serve with rice or noodles.

Składniki:

•  500 g piersi z kurczaka
• 50 ml płynnego miodu
• 2 łyżki sosu sojowego
• 2 łyżki oleju sezamowego
• 1 łyżka nasion sezamu

Preparation:

Heat up the milk, bringing to the boiling point. Take off the heat and add the chocolate broken into pieces. Stir well until the chocolate is fully dissolved. Serve topped with whipped cream.

(don't worry if a layer of chocolate separates, like on the pics - just stir)

Składniki (dla 2 osób):

• 400 ml mleka
• 150 g białej czekolady
• bita śmietana do podania

Przygotowanie:

Podgrzewamy mleko, doprowadzając do wrzenia. Zdejmujemy z ognia i dodajemy połamaną na kawałki czekoladę. Dokładnie mieszamy, aż czekolada całkiem się rozpuści. Podajemy z bitą śmietaną.

(jeśli, jak na zdjęciu, odseparuje się warstwa czekolady, wystarczy wymieszać)

Some time ago I mentioned that Adam shares the bed with us (click). After reading countless forums and blogs, seeing how other parents make their babies sleep in their own cots from the beginning, I wanted to do the same, but then we gave up. I mean I tried, but then winter came, our house is not exactly the warmest place, and whenever Adam woke up at night his tiny hands felt like ice cubes. No matter how well he would be covered, as soon as his hands came out of the blanket, that's it. Then we both felt guilty, that while we're happily snuggled in our bed, with big thick duvet, our poor little baby is freezing. So we would put him to sleep in his cot, then he would wake up after few hours, we would find he seems to be cold, and he ended up sleeping between us. Slowly we just gave up putting him in a cot altogether, just have him in the middle of our bed straight away.

But obviously the cheeky monkey is growing. And he's moving. A LOT. My/his favourite pregnancy pillow is not exactly helping - I find myself struggling for space. It's all well, that he (pretty much) sleeps through the night, but it would be nicer if he could do it in his own cot, right?

It's high time for Mummy to take action.

Well, we're taking things slow.

Couple of nights ago, when we were going to sleep, and Adam decided it's still play time, I said "enough".

We turned off the laptop, switched off the light, put Adam down and lied down ourselves. At first he was slightly confused, started searching for us in the dark. Then he started wriggling and babbling. Once he got up, I put him back down and lied down myself. Just said "mummy's sleeping, daddy's sleeping, baby's sleeping" and nothing else. No talking, no encouraging a play. After few times of Adam getting up and me putting him down, he calmed down. I could see in the dark that he's looking at me, but he stayed put. Moaned a little bit more, and then just drifted away. I'm not sure how long it took, but definitely shorter than when he's cuddled to sleep.

I repeated that yesterday. It took exactly 11 minutes, from switching the light off till Adam peacefully asleep.

We always struggle, as Adam refuses to sleep until late. No mater how long we would cuddle him, sing, whisper, do whatever - it's rare that he would sleep and let us have some time to watch a movie or something. It's especially hard if he takes his afternoon nap too late and wakes up in the evening, when ideally he would have his bath, milk and start getting ready for bed. But with this method he seems to understand better when it's bedtime. I guess if we keep doing that earlier every day, we could make him sleep early and possibly have some quiet time for ourselves later (we have one of this plugs for using 2 pairs of headphones, got us through watching LOTR with Adam happily asleep one time, although it was rather late ;)). 

I hope that if I teach Adam to fall asleep without a cuddle, in a while I'll be able to move him to his cot and teach him to fall asleep there.

Fingers crossed! I'll post an update on this soon :)

You know these days, when you're absolutely stuck for the dinner idea? Happened to me yesterday - I had a piece of chicken and no clue what to do with it. Luckily we always have a bag of frozen veggies, for the days like this. And there's always some pasta, milk and cheese. Decision: chicken pasta bake!

Znacie te dni, kiedy brakuje wam pomysłu na obiad? Miałam tak wczoraj - przede mną kawałek kurczaka, a w głowie pustka. Na szczęście, na wypadek takich dni, zawsze mamy w zamrażarce paczkę warzyw. Do tego w domu zawsze jest jakiś makaron, mleko i ser. Decyzja: makaronowa zapiekanka!

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Dice the chicken breast and stir-fry, season with herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Once chicken is cooked, add the vegetables and cook together for about 5-10 minutes, until they soften up. 

In a separate pan melt the butter. Add the flour, stir well and cook for couple of minutes until golden. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to boil, season and gently simmer for 2-3 minutes. Set aside, add grated cheese and stir well until cheese melts. 

Combine the pasta, chicken with vegetables and the sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle with some more grated cheese

Bake in 180C for about 15-20 minutes.

Składniki:

• 500 g piersi z kurczaka
• 300 g makaronu (kokardki, muszle, świderki)
• 500 g mrożonych warzyw (u mnie mieszanka śródziemnomorska)
• 50 g masła
• 2 łyżki mąki
• 500 ml mleka
• 150 g sera
• sól i pieprz do smaku
• zioła prowansalskie

Przygotowanie:

Makaron gotujemy według przepisu na opakowaniu. Kurczaka kroimy w kostkę i podsmażamy, przyprawiając ziołami, solą i pieprzem. Gdy kurczak jest całkiem ugotowany, dodajemy mrożone warzywa i gotujemy razem ok. 5-10 minut, aż warzywa zmiękną. 

W osobnym garnku rozpuszczamy masło. Dodajemy mąkę i podsmażamy przez kilka minut. Stopniowo dodajemy mleko, ciągle mieszając. Doprowadzamy do wrzenia, doprawiamy solą i pieprzem, po czym gotujemy na małym ogniu 2-3 minuty. Zdejmujemy z ognia i dodajemy starty ser, dokładnie mieszając.

Makaron, kurczaka z warzywami i sos mieszamy w naczyniu żaroodpornym. Całość można dodatkowo posypać z wierzchu startym serem. Zapiekamy w piekarniku nagrzanym do 180C przez ok. 15-20 minut.

Ponieważ na halwa puri składają się trzy potrawy, wersje językowe dziś osobno.

Halwa Puri to tradycyjne pakistańskie śniadanie. Tutaj jednak jadłam je tylko raz, w czasie Eid - przygotowanie, zwłaszcza dla większej ilości osób, jednak chwilę zajmuje, więc nie jest to coś, co przy obecnym trybie życia da się serwować codziennie. Na halwa puri składają się: cholay - curry z ciecierzycy, słodka sooji halwa z semoliny i puri - placki smażone na głębokim tłuszczu.

CHOLAY

Składniki:

Przygotowanie:

Na rozgrzanym oleju podsmażamy cebulę na złoto-brązowy kolor. Dodajemy pastę czosnkowo-imbirową i podsmażamy parę minut, po czym dodajemy kurkumę, garam masala, chilli i czarnuszkę. Dokładnie mieszamy i podsmażamy przez kolejne 2-3 minuty, po czym dodajemy pomidory. Gotujemy przez ok. 15 minut, aż pomidory zmiękną - w razie potrzeby dodajemy wodę, aby sos się nie wygotował. Gdy pomidory będą prawie rozgotowane dodajemy odsączoną ciecierzycę i dokładnie mieszamy. Przyprawiamy solą i pieprzem, po czym gotujemy aż ciecierzyca zmięknie.

HALWA

Składniki:

• 1/2 szklanki semoliny
• 100 g masła / masła klarowanego
• 1 szklanka cukru
• 2 szklanki wody
• 4-6 nasion kardamonu
• 1 łyżka esencji kewra
• garść rodzynek, migdałów, pistacji

Since this meal consists of 3 separate recipes, this time English and Polish version will be posted separately.

Halwa puri. Traditional Pakistani breakfast, consisting of cholay - a chickpea stew, sweet sooji (semolina) halwa and puri (poori) - deep fried flatbreads.

CHOLAY

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Heat the oil in the pan. Fry the onion until golden brown, then add the garlic&ginger paste. Fry for couple of minutes, then add the turmeric, garam masala, chilli and kalonji seeds. Stir well and fry for another 2-3 minutes before adding chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender - add water as necessary to avoid them drying out. Once the tomatoes are soft, add drained chickpeas and stir well. Add salt and pepper and more water if necessary, then simmer over low heat until the chickpeas are soft.

HALWA

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup semolina
• 100 g butter/ghee
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 4-6 cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp kewra essence
• handful of sultanas, almonds and pistachios