Favorite Recipes

Asalaam alaikum wahramatullahi wabarakatuhu. Due to popular demand, I am making this post as a couple of my favorite recipes that were shared to me by one of my dearest friends and mentors, Aisha. I apologize for the different font sizes in advance, cut and paste did it. I also wrote it to be friendly for my American friends, so please, if you are from a place that has your own version, I'd love to see it! I always love trying new recipes!

Tahini and Tomato Chicken

I got this recipe from my dear friend from Riyadh, KSA, and sister in Islam, Aisha, a few months before she passed away. It was also her aunt’s recipe and I’m happy to share it with you. 

*Also, the number of chicken pieces is doubled while the measurements for the rest of the ingredients are for single so you can either decrease the amount of chicken to 3 pieces or double all of the rest of the ingredients (I double them because everyone loves this recipe they usually have seconds).*

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts, pounded thin

1 ½ tbs olive oil

1 med onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tbs fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

3 med tomatoes, finely chopped

1 ½ tbs tomato paste

1 tbs tahini (sesame paste, I think some grocery stores carry it with their ethnic food section but I got mine at a middle eastern/halal store. If you want info on the closest halal shops to you, left me know. I have an app that can look them up per location lol)

1 tbs Aisha’s spice mix recipe (I’ll include this next but it can also be made with kebsa spice mix, also found premade at the middle eastern store)

1 tsp curry powder

Dash of salt and ground pepper

½ tbs rose water (middle eastern store)

Chopped fresh parsley

1 1/3 c. water

Instructions

Pound chicken breasts thin, season with salt and pepper

Heat some oil in a pan to medium and cook chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side

In a separate pan:

Heat oil and onions, stir until they’re brown

Add ginger, garlic and spices. Cook until fragrant (this part doesn’t take that long before they smell amazing)

Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, tahini, rose water and water. Simmer 10-15 minutes over medium heat

Add chicken back in and parsley. Simmer 20 more minutes

Serve with basmati rice and naan

*You can also play with the amount of spice to get to the heat that you prefer.*

*Basmati rice can be found at Walmart or pretty much any grocery store. I get the kind that has microwave directions as well as stove top because sometimes I would rather let a machine do some of the work for me lol. Also, you can buy premade naan frozen at the halal store but I’ve never seen it in any regular stores or you can make it from scratch if you want. I’ll include the recipe I use when I make it from scratch.*

Aisha’s Spice Mix Recipe

I recommend having a mason jar with a screw top lid to store this in because it makes a lot but you can use any jar or bowl that has a lid to fit. Just be sure to label it. (You don’t have to call it Aisha’s though..you can call it whatever you want).

Ingredients

 ½ c. whole black peppercorns

¼ c. whole coriander seeds

¼ c. cassia or cinnamon bark (I used cinnamon since I couldn’t find cassia here)

¼ c. whole cloves

1/3 c. cumin seeds

2 tsp whole cardamom seeds

4 whole nutmegs or Allspice

            **Nutmeg is considered haram (illegal/bad) in some parts of the world. If you’re in a place that doesn’t sell it or you’d rather stick to the totally halal, substitute for equal parts Allspice**

½ c. paprika

Instructions

Combine all spices except nutmegs (Allspice if you’re using) and paprika in a spice grinder (or you can use mortar and pestle to grind them up but the spice grinder is SOO much easier) and grind to a fine powder

Grate nutmegs/Allspice and blend with paprika, then mix with the rest of the spices and blend well.

Naan Recipe (courtesy of about.com)

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast

2 tbs sugar

¾ c warm water

1 ½ c all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

¼ c ghee (can be found at some grocery store but I got mine at the halal store)

            Or vegetable shortening

3 tbs plain yogurt

Melted butter for brushing

Directions:

Measure ¾ cups warm water in a measuring cup. Add sugar and yeast. Allow yeast to soften and stir until yeast is dissolved. Cover measuring cup with a towel and allow yeast and water to froth for 5-10 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water, yogurt and ghee (or vegetable shortening) and begin to knead for 5-10 minutes until a dough forms.

Place dough in bowl coated with oil and turn dough around to evenly coat. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400. Divide dough into 10-12 pieces and roll out on floured surface into circles. Place rolled out dough on greased cookie sheets or baking stone and brush with melted butter.

Cook in oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and puffed up.

Serve naan immediately or store in pantry or freezer.