So, if I am being totally honest with you guys, I hadn’t tried Shakshuka before 2019. Ya! IT took me THAT long to try a Mediterranean classic living in the Middle East. How ironic is that! But when I did, I became a loyal fan instantly. Saudi Champagne, Shakshuka, and Arabian Nachos are my favorite finds here in the ME.

What is Shakshuka?

A traditional Shakshuka is a North African/Middle Eastern one-skillet dish made with a spicy tomato stew and poached eggs.  On my quest to find the best Shakshuka, I found that every restaurant had its version of a good Shakshuka. And tbh, I liked pretty much allll of them in a way. Naturally, I am going to share different versions with you over time…because why not! But today I thought I’d start with the basic, authentic, most delicious one!

Pronounced “SHAk-shooo-kah”, the word comes from Arabic, meaning “all mixed up” or “shaken”. This dish is my egg favorite since 2019! .

I mean it’s eggs, it’s a high-protein, delicious, guilt-free meal! Paired with a good sourdough, you have yourself a post-workout meal! Also, eggs for dinner, you guys, make that a thing.

Ingredients

• Eggs – Star of the dish. Use good-quality fresh large eggs.
• Tomatoes – Another core element of this recipe. Choose ripe, juicy red tomatoes. As an alternative, you can use peeled canned tomatoes as well. I’ve made this recipe with tomato puree and finely chopped tomatoes. Both work excellently!
• Seasoning – Salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and garlic.
• Bell pepper and onions
• Garnish – Simple parsley would do. To take it up a notch, spread out some feta cheese in the mix.

How to make Shakshuka

I’ve put together all the steps in a simple pictorial for you to see how easy this is to make.

Step 1: Add oil to a skillet. The prepping of this dish starts with chopped onions and garlic sautéed in that oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2: I like to take the onions to a slightly golden color, and then add chopped red bell peppers. Saute for a minute.

NOTE: The size of the bell pepper chunks is completely up to you. You can go as fine or as chunky as you like.

Step 3: Add tomato puree, spices, and seasonings to the skillet.

Step 4: Cover the skillet with a lid and let the tomatoes cook for 10 minutes or until most liquid evaporates.

Step 5: The tomato base is ready when most of the water has evaporated and you see some oil separation on the sides.

Step 6: Use a ladle to create 4 wells in the tomato base by pushing the tomato base aside. Break 4 eggs right into the wells. Cover the pan again.

NOTE: After oil separation, make sure the tomatoes are a little watery at this point and not too thick. You can add a little more water (about 1/4 cup) if you feel your tomato base has thickened too much.

Step 7: For a runny yolk, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. For well-cooked eggs, cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 8: Season eggs with salt and black pepper. Garnish with parsley and/or feta cheese chunks and serve.

Get your toast going, and serve your Shakshuka garnished with dill or parsley and feta cheese on top. I have had my Shakshuka with Labneh, and I tell you, that combination has blown me away!

Top Tips

• The shakshuka is served directly in the skillet it is cooked in. So remember to choose the “nice” skillet from the cabinet when you make it.
• Always sprinkle salt and crushed black pepper on top of the eggs as well once they are done. Otherwise, the eggs might end up tasting bland.
• The right consistency of the tomato base is like that of a curry. Use this as a benchmark to decide if you need to add more water or increase the heat, and reduce the water from the tomato base.

Variations

• Add mushrooms to the Shakshuka base, it works so well!
• You can increase your fibre intake by adding some veggies to the tomato base too, like carrots, celery, or green beans.
• Top off the eggs with chili oil and crushed red chilis to up the heat.
• Thyme and oregano are great options for aromatics.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also like

Print

Shakshuka

Typical Mediterranean spicy eggs, cooked in a bed of tomato sauce with onions and garlic

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 420kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1/2 a bell pepper diced
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 big tomatoes chopped fine almost paste like in a chopper with a little water – or 1 cup of canned tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt + extra to sprinkle
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder + extra to sprinkle
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder Zeera powder
• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder dhania powder
• A little feta cheese and chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

• In a skillet pan, add oil, chopped garlic, onion and bell pepper and saute at medium heat.
• Once the onions turn translucent to light gold, add tomatoes and spices
• Add water, cover the skillet pan with a lid and let the tomatoes simmer for 10 to 15 mins at medium flame.
• Remove the lid and stir the tomato gravy. Most of the water should have evaporated by now.
• Make 4 depressions in the tomato gravy and break the eggs into those depressions.
• Reduce the flame to low and cover the skillet with a lit and let the eggs cook for 5 mins.
• Turn off the flame after 5 mins. Sprinkle salt and black pepper all over the egg.
• Garnish with feta cheese and parsley. Serve with toasted bread.

Notes

• The shakshuka is served directly in the skillet it is cooked in. So remember to choose the “nice” skillet from the cabinet when you make it.
• Always sprinkle salt and crushed black pepper on top of the eggs as well once they are done. Otherwise, the eggs might end up tasting bland.
• The right consistency of the tomato base is like that of a curry. Use this as a benchmark to decide if you need to add more water or increase the heat, and reduce the water from the tomato base.
• You can add veggies or mushrooms of your choice to the tomato base to make it more nutrient-dense. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 372mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 553IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Easy Shakshuka Recipe appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

What is Sooji ka Halwa?

Halwa means “sweet” in Arabic, and the same in South Asian culture. Halwas can be made from carrots, eggs, or nuts. Sooji ka halwa is made with fine semolina. There is more than one type of halwa that can be made with Sooji. There are Sooji bars and caramelized Sooji halwa. This halwa recipe is of the dhaba-style halwa that is commonly eaten in desi brunches.

Sooji ka halwa is a pet favorite in every brown household and one of the easiest Pakistani desserts to master. Ironically, we South Asians eat it for breakfast with puris (fried bread), aloo tarkari (potato curry) and chanay(chickpea curry). But of course, on occasions, we’d consume it as is, which is a dessert.

Ingredients

You need very few ingredients to make this recipe

• Semolina
  I use fine Semolina for Sooji ka halwa as a personal preference. Coarse semolina will taste pretty much the same, differing only in a more grainy texture that it will have.
• Ghee
  Ghee is the main fat used in all Pakistani halwas. You can use good quality butter if you don’t have ghee.
• Cardamom pods – The green cardamom is the Western equivalent of Vanilla essence. You’ll find it in most of the desi desserts. It adds aroma and a subtle flavor characteristic of Pakistani/Indian food.
• Full-fat Milk powder – This secret ingredient at the end of the halwa makes all the difference between a good and an EXCELLENT halwa. It adds depth of flavor to the halwa without any excessive liquid. If you have none, use evaporated milk or heavy cream instead.
• Food color – The restaurant-style suji halwa has a characteristic amber-yellow color. I use regular powder food coloring (which I use for biryani) for this halwa. You can use bloomed saffron too, or skip coloring entirely if you like.
• Other aromatics (optional) – This recipe doesn’t need it but some people like adding rose water, or saffron to the halwa.
• Garnish – Nuts! Any halwa is incomplete without a good garnish on top. Chop or slice your favorite nuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc, or add in whole as well.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to make Suji ka halwa?

Traditionally, this halwa is made by preparing a sticky sugar syrup separately and roasting the semolina separately. But through trial and error, I realized, hey it can be wayyy simpler than that! Here it is, my one-pot Suji ka halwa.

I’ve put together all the steps in a simple pictorial for you to see how easy this is to make.

STEP 1: In a thick base cooking pot, add ghee and cardamom at medium heat.

STEP 2: Reduce the heat to low and add semolina.

STEP 3: Roast the semolina till it absorbs all the ghee. Now saute for 5 mins making sure the semolina doesn’t burn.

STEP 4: Add 1/2 cup of water to the semolina and saute until fully absorbed.

NOTE: We don’t want semolina to change its color to brown (that gives you a different kind of Suji halwa). So avoid over-roasting for more than 5 minutes.

STEP 5: Add another cup of water, stir well to avoid clumps.

STEP 6: Let the semolina fully absorb the water and break any large clumps if you see any.

STEP 7: Add the remaining water.

STEP 8: Add sugar.

STEP 9: Add orange food color.

STEP 10: Stir to combine everything well.

STEP 11: Cover the pot and let it simmer at medium heat for 5 mins. Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 mins.

STEP 12: Uncover and stir the halwa around for about a minute.

STEP 13: Add milk powder. Stir for another 2 minutes.

STEP 14: Turn off the heat, and sprinkle chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts.

NOTE: When you stir your halwa at the end, you’ll notice that it leaves the sides of the pot and sticks together cohesively. That’s how you know your halwa is done.

Serve your halwa warm. Top it off with almond shavings or pistachio crumbs and serve with either puri in breakfast or as a dessert.

Expert Tips

• This is a very forgiving Sooji halwa. If you do a taste test at the end, and you feel like its not as sweet as you like, simply add more sugar, and cook for another 3 minutes.
• You can also add more food color (if you are not happy) in the end by mixing color in a little bit of milk and drizzling it all over.
• Sooji halwa always thickens up as it cools down so if you feel your halwa is too runny, just wait it out. And avoid the urge to cook it down more. We also want the halwa to be a little runny to be eaten with puris.

Frequently Asked Questions

I posted this recipe on Instagram and tiktok first, which is great! because now I can put up questions here that I generally go with this recipe.

More Desi Desserts for you to try

I respect the time, ingredients, and effort you spend on cooking. On my part, I’ve tested and tried my recipe over 20 times before giving it to you, these dessert recipes are fool-proof.

Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

Print

sooji ka halwa

A traditional Pakistani / Indian sweet semolina halwa or pudding, eaten as a dessert or paired with puris (fried bread)

Course Desserts

Cuisine South Asian

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 278kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 1 cup semolina sooji
• 1/2 cup ghee or clarified butter
• 4 to 5 whole green cardamom
• 4 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar or to taste
• 2 tbsp full fat milk powder
• yellow food color optional

Instructions

• In a thick base cooking pot, add ghee and cardamom. Keep at medium-low heat on the stove for 2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and add semolina. Roast the semolina till it absorbs all the ghee. Now roast for 5 mins making sure the semolina doesn't burn or change color. If it starts to change color sooner than 5 mins, proceed to the next step immediately.
• Add 1/2 cup of water to the semolina and saute until fully absorbed.
• Add another cup of water, stir well to avoid clumps, and let the semolina fully absorb the water.
• Now add the remaining water, food color and sugar. Mix to combine everything well.
• Cover the pot and let it simmer at medium heat for 5 mins.
• Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 mins.
• Stir the halwa around for about a minute and add milk powder. Stir for another 2 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, and sprinkle chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts.
• Suji halwa is served hot with breakfast or as dessert.

Notes

• Milk powder is the secret ingredient creating depth of flavor. If you have none, use evaporated milk or heavy cream instead.
• This recipe doesn’t need it but some people like adding rose water, or saffron to the halwa.
• We don’t want semolina to change its color to brown (that gives you a different kind of Suji halwa). So avoid over-roasting for more than 5 minutes.
• This is a very forgiving Sooji halwa. If you do a taste test at the end, and you feel like it’s not as sweet as you like, simply add more sugar, and cook for another 3 minutes.
• You can also add more food color (if you are not happy) in the end by mixing color in a little bit of milk and drizzling it all over.
• Sooji halwa always thickens up as it cools down so if you feel your halwa is too runny, just wait it out. And avoid the urge to cook it down more. We also want the halwa to be a little runny to be eaten with puris.
• This halwa stays fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheats in the microwave very well.
• You can freeze the halwa for up to a month. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 5mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g

The post Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina Pudding) appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

It’s pretty hard to make my family eat healthy. With the exception of Tangy Lentil Oats, and now these Skewers, I have to improvise every frikkin time I want them to eat better. But skewers, my family loves! Like my chicken shashlik skewers are a top family favorite for low-carb nights. Things we do for love I swear.

I loveeeee that this recipe works with literally any hard veggie I like. I use it on days when I kinda wanna do a fridge clean-up. #iykyk

Ingredients and Substitutes

You probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. Here’s what you need:

• Vegetables – Feel free to use any vegetable you like. This is the perfect time to utilize that produce in your pantry you’ve been ignoring. I went with potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and carrots. I’ve also tried the recipe with sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, and tomatoes.
• Dry spices – You need paprika, black pepper, salt and garlic powder. Add a pinch of white pepper powder to add that extra kick.
• Sauces – You need a couple of pantry staples to make the sweet and tangy sauce. Oyster sauce, ketchup, vinegar, honey, and sesame oil.
  • Skip sesame oil if you don’t have it.
  • Oyster sauce substitute: equal part combo of soy sauce and bbq sauce.
• Garnish – Sesame seeds add such a great crunch, texture, and flavor to the skewers. To make it extra nutritious, top it off with flax seeds or pumpkin seeds.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

Instructions

I’ve put together all the steps in a simple pictorial for you to see how easy this is to make.

STEP 1: Prepare the glaze/sauce by mixing all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

STEP 2: Chop all your vegetables into 1/2-inch squares.

STEP 3: Peel and cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Put it in a pot along with salt and vinegar.

STEP 4: Parboil potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes or until the knife can cut through a piece.

PRO TIP: Boil your potatoes with salt and vinegar. The vinegar will help your potatoes to remain firm even if you overboil them by mistake. 

STEP 5: Toss all the vegetables and potatoes in a bowl.

STEP 6: Season it with spices.

STEP 7: Thread the vegetables onto wooden or metal skewers.

STEP 8: Place the skewers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and grease well. Grease the top of the skewers with oil and bake in a preheated oven at 220 C or 425 F for 7 minutes. Flip the skewers, glaze with sweet sauce, and bake for another 5 minutes.

STEP 9: You can also grill these on an outdoor grill or a stove top at medium-high heat. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes on each side and glaze with oil while it’s cooking. Towards the end of the cooking, glaze with the sauce right there on the pan.

STEP 10: Once your skewers are baked/grilled, glaze with leftover sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds as garnish.

EXPERT TIP:

• If you are using wooden skewers like me, soak them in water for 20 minutes before using, this prevents the sticks from burning while on an open flame.
• Glazing the skewers with the sauce while its ON the grill/pan creates a very nice deep flavor. Some of the glaze gets cooked and sticks onto the kebabs and when you glaze it later oh la la la ! This step isn’t a must but definitely something to try.
• If you are afraid some of the vegetables you have chosen aren’t going to cook properly in 15 mins, you can boil them for a bit with the potatoes to be sure.
• Adding sesame seed as a garnish adds a great layer of texture and taste. You can also opt for other seeds like flax, or pumpkin.

Pairing Suggestions

I absolutely love serving these as is, when I serve them as an appetizer. If you want to make these for brunch or high tea, you can use little toothpicks instead to make them look super cute!

These kebabs go so well a side with this Chicken Malai Boti Pulao. I’ve made them as a starter during my Indo-Chinese theme dinners, and it’s always gone within minutes. When my man embarks on his “I-don’t-eat-junk-anymore” phase, I make these veggie skewers and serve them with my hot and sour soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

More vegetarian recipes you’ll enjoy

Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

Print

Sweet Sour Vegetable Skewers

A nice and easy, healthy appetizer, made by marinating vegetables in spices and glazing them later on a grill pan.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Fusion Food

Diet Halal, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 sticks

Calories 35kcal

Author Wajiha

Equipment

• 18 bamboo or metal kebab sticks

Ingredients

FOR SKEWERS

• 3 medium bell peppers cut in squares
• 2 large potato peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
• 2 large onion cut in 1/2 inch squares
• 1 teaspoon salt while parboiling
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Oil or butter for grilling

Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder zeera
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

FOR SAUCE

• 2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoon vinegar
• 3 tabkespoon ketchup or tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

Sauce

• Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and form a uniform mixure. Set aside

Skewers

• Parboil the cut up potatoes for 2-3 minutes in 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp vinegar.
• Drain the water from potatoes and allow them to cool down.
• Toss all the cut up vegetables in a bowl along with potatoes.
• Add seasoning to the vegetables and mix well.
• Thread the vegetables on to sticks or skewers in any order you like.

Cooking the vegetable kebabs

• Grilling/pan frying.

  For stove top, use a grill pan and heat it at medium high heat. Add a little oil to grease the pan and add the skewers one by one. While on the pan, glaze the skewers with the sweet sour sauce and oil. Flip over the skewers after 4 minutes. Now glaze this side with the sauce as well and finish cooking after another 3 minutes.
• Baking/Air frying

  Preheat the oven at 220℃ or 425 ℉. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease with oil. Place the skewers on top and spray cooking oil on top. Baking for 7 minutes, then bring out the tray and flip the skewers over. Glaze with sweet sauce and bake for another 5 minutes.
• Once baked/grilled, use the left over sauce and drizzle it generously all over the skewers. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Notes

• If you are using wooden skewers like me, soak them in water for 20 minutes before using, this prevents the sticks from burning while on an open flame.
• Feel free to use any vegetable you like. This is the perfect time to utilize that produce in your pantry you’ve been ignoring. I went with potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and carrots. I’ve also tried the recipe with sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, and tomatoes.
• You can marinate the vegetables and thread them overnight to grill the next day. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1stick | Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 969IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.2mg

If you still need a healthy fix, click here to browse through the healthy recipes on the blog.

The post Sweet And Sour Grilled Vegetable Skewers appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

What is Pakistani Mocha Latte?

A Mocha Latte is a flavored drink that combines coffee and chocolate together. It is often confused with MOCHA, which a high quality coffee bean from Yemen.

If you’ve read my post about Pakistani Whipped Coffee, then you know the origin of whipped coffee. A Pakistani Mocha Latte is just a twist on the regular whipped coffee which is made with sugar, water and instant coffee, beaten together to make a frothy milk texture. Mocha means coffee plus chocolate. And that’s really what this recipe is! Adding a little chocolate to the classic whipped coffee! But of course this one’s warm, unlike Dalgona (read more on the differences here.)

Ingredients for Whipped Mocha Latte

• Instant coffee powder – So if you’ve made whipped coffee before, you know it needs instant coffee. No other kind of coffee is going to work for this. You can use any brand of instant coffee.
• Water – Warm to hot water is ideal to make the perfect whipped coffee! This is the small amount of water that you will need to whip up your coffee.
• Sugar – You can use regular sugar or sugar alternatives as well. Sugar substitutes include: brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners like Stevia. Keep in mind, that white sugar gives the best results but you can still get a pretty good amount of air in your coffee with sugar substitutes as well.
• Cocoa powder / Hot chocolate Mix – Regular and Dark cocoa powder, both will work perfectly well for this recipe. I personally like making this recipe with cocoa powder, but you can use a hot chocolate mix powder instead. Keep in mind, that hot chocolate mixes are already sweetened, so you will need to adjust your sugar accordingly.
• Cream – Mixing cream with cocoa or hot chocolate mix adds a layer of depth and smoothness to the mocha latte. You can use any cream you have at hand. Double, whipp, fresh, canned. You can also use non-dairy cream substitutes like cashew or coconut cream.
• Milk and water (half and half) – Once your mocha coffee base is ready, you can decide what you want to pour into it. Take equal parts of hot water and milk for this recipe. You can also do full milk if you want, or 3:1 milk and water ratio as well. You can also use non-dairy options instead.
• Chocolate (optional) – If you want to create a stronger chocolate flavor, you can even add a few tablespoons of grated chocolate in the mix. Any chocolate of your liking will work just fine. I didn’t use any this time.

How to make Desi Mocha Latte

STEP 1 – Whip the coffee

All you have to do is put almost equal parts of sugar, coffee and hot water in a mug and whip it up. You can use a milk frother to do this. If you are making a big batch, you can do the same step with an electric beater and use a large bowl instead.

STEP 2 – Make it Mocha

Now you are going to add your cocoa powder and cream into the whipped coffee and simply stir to combine. IF you want your coffee to taste more “chocolatey”, you can also add some chopped chocolate at this point. I’d suggest to go with some dark chocolate variety.

STEP 3 – Assemble

Warm up some equal parts milk and equal parts water. Pour it over your whipped mocha coffee and stir to mix well.

STEP 4 – Make it fancy

If you want, you can also add some whipped cream or marshmallows on top to give you hot chocolate feels. And then dust with some cocoa powder.

FAQS about Whipped Mocha Latte

Can I make a big batch of Mocha Coffee?

Yes, you can bulk prepare the whipped mocha coffee for a larger gathering. Just drop 2 tablespoons of mocha coffee mix in every mug when you are ready to serve, and pour your milk on it.

Can I make this Pakistani Mocha Latte into Iced Mocha ?

Absolutely. Of course that makes it Chocolate Dalgona. But besides the nomenclature, you can use cold milk and ice instead of hot milk.

How long can the whipped coffee stay in the fridge?

You can bulk prepare whipped coffee and keep it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days easy. Just make sure the bowl is covered properly with a lid or cling wrap.

How to make a lite version of the Pakistani Mocha Latte coffee

• Use sugar alternatives like Stevia, honey or coconut sugar. Or skip sugar altogether
• Go dairy free for cream and use cashew cream or coconut cream instead.
• Use nut milk, oat milk or soy milk instead of regular milk
• If you are cutting on caffeine, use the decaf instant coffee option.
• Use dark cocoa instead of hot chocolate mix

Other similar recipes for you to try

Pakistani whipped coffee
Apple Cinnamon Latte
Date and Melon Shake

Print

Pakistani Whipped Mocha Latte

A twist on the classic Pakistani Whipped coffee, made with chocolate, whipped coffee and hot milk.

Course Drinks

Cuisine South Asian

Prep Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 6 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 140kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1 tsp sugar see notes
• 1 tsp cocoa powder or hot chocolate powder (see notes)
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk

Instructions

• In a cup, add instant coffee, sugar and 1 tbsp of hot water. Use a milk frother to whip the coffee up until light, and fluffy. This will take about 2 to 3 mins.
• Add cocoa powder and cream. Use a spoon to mix everything together briefly.
• Pour a mix of warm water and milk. Stir to combine. Top it off with more cream, chocolate or instant coffee powder.

Notes

• You can use sugar alternatives like honey, stevia or coconut sugar.
• If you use hot chocolate mix, instead of cocoa powder, reduce the level of sugar by half.
• To make the recipe dairy free, use nut milks and coconut cream or cashew cream instead.
• You can use decaf coffee powder as well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 73mg | Sugar: 5g

The post Pakistani Whipped Mocha Latte appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

What is whipped coffee?

Whipped coffee is basically just coffee, sugar and water beaten vigorously to add air into the coffee. The coffee eventually turns a lighter “coffee color” and becomes fluffy and airy. You add this to your milk and water or half and half, and have a rather spectacular latte ready.

The whipped coffee goes by so many names; we’ll probably be here for another 4 minutes if I start listing all of them! The most popular one these days is “Dalgona coffee” which obviously my mom wasn’t amused by when I told her about it and here’s why. Growing up we just called it phitti hui coffee (meaning beaten coffee) since it was made by beating a spoon against a mug to give some air into the coffee.

So who is the real OG of whipped coffee?

Of course a year ago, tiktokers made whipped coffee go viral, which was basically just Dalgona Coffee, popular in South Korea. But whipped coffee has been around for wayyyyyy longer than that. It’s also known as Frappe in Greece, other than our “phitti hui coffee”. Our friends across the border call it an Indian Cappuccino. I also want to take this opportunity to mention that my mom calls it Desi coffee 😛

How is Dalgona coffee different from a Pakistani Latte

Lots of confusion around the internet revolving around this question. It’s simple. Dalgona coffee is served with whipped coffee on top of iced milk. Whereas a Pakistani latte is served as a standard warm drink by pouring milk on TOP of the whipped coffee.

Ingredients For Pakistani Latte/Phitti hui coffee

• Instant Coffee – The whipped coffee only works with instant coffee powder. You CANNOT use the regular ground coffee because it needs to be brewed before you can have it. Lots of instant coffee brands are available these days, the most commonly found is Nescafe, which is the one I use.
• Sugar – I’ve made this recipe with all kinds of sugars; brown, white, castor and coconut. And it works and whips up perfectly with all of them. If you are cutting out sugar from your diet, you can use a sugar alternative as well or skip it altogether. The results maybe a little different and the coffee may not whip up very stiff, but you’ll still get a decent amount of air in the coffee.
• Water – Warm to hot water is ideal to make the perfect coffee! It can also work with cold water but it will take longer to whip up.
• Half milk and half water – Once your coffee is whipped, you can decide what to pour in it. Ideal combination is equal parts of water and milk. You can also use nut milks instead of regular milk.

How to make Pakistani Latte

STEP 1 – Whip the coffee

All you have to do is put almost equal parts of sugar, coffee and hot water in a bowl and whip it up. You can use a milk frother to do this, or an electric beater or a stand mixer. Of Course you can go old school and use a spoon and use the whisking motion to beat air into the coffee, but I’d rather skip the arm workout tbh.

STEP 2 – Assemble

Drop the whipped coffee at the bottom of your mug. Now warm up some equal parts milk and equal parts water. Pour it over your whipped coffee and stir to mix well. Crush some instant coffee granules on top of your coffee and viola. Enjoy

You can also bulk prepare the whipped coffee for a larger gathering and keep leftover in the fridge.

Tips on making the best whipped coffee

• Use hot water for faster results while whipping the coffee
• Use an electric beater or a milk frother to beat air into the coffee rather than beating it by hand.
• Scoop the whipped coffee in the mug first and THEN pour your half and half over it. Use a spoon to mix the whipped coffee to allow the whipped coffee to infuse with milk and water
• Use a bowl to whip the coffee rather than a mug, more area will allow air to be incorporated better and quicker

How long can the whipped coffee stay in the fridge?

You can bulk prepare whipped coffee and keep it in the fridge for 5 to 6 days easy. Just make sure the bowl is covered properly with a lid or cling wrap.

How to make a lite version of the Pakistani Whipped coffee

• Use sugar alternatives like Stevia or coconut sugar. Or skip sugar altogether
• Use almond milk or soy milk instead of regular milk
• If you cutting on caffeine, use the decaf instant coffee option.

More Drink Recipes to try

Apple Cinnamon Latte
Date and Melon Shake
Lemon Ginger Iced Tea
Saudi Champagne

Print

Pakistani Latte / Indian Cappuccino

A South Asian style of whipped coffee served over warm milk and water.

Course Drinks

Cuisine South Asian

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 41kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

single serving

• 1 1/2 tsp sugar or according to taste
• 1 1/4 tsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp hot water

Multiple servings (15 servings)

• 1/2 cup instant coffee
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup hot boiling water

Instructions

Single Serving

• Add coffee, sugar and hot water in a mug. Whip it with a milk frother, hand beater or manually with a spoon. Beat it for about 3 to 4 mins. The coffee will become light and air and create soft peaks.
• Warm some water and milk.
• Pour the water plus milk over the whipped coffee. Stir to mix coffee with liquid.
• Crush some instant coffee on top and serve immediately.

Bulk preparations

• Add coffee, sugar and water in a large bowl and use an electric mixer or a stand mix to beat the coffee. Beat the coffee for 5 to 7 mins or until you get soft peaks of coffee mix.
• Drop 2 tablespoons of the whipped coffee into each mug.
• Pour hot water and milk mix over the whipped coffee. Stit with a spoon. Add more whipped coffee or sugar if needed.
• Crush some instant coffee on top and serve.
• You can also serve whipped coffee, milk, sugar and water separately to allow your guests to create their own lattes.
  

Notes

• You can use full milk instead of milk plus water.
• You can add more sugar according to taste
• The bulk whipped coffee can last in the fridge for upto 5 to 6 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Sodium: 1mg | Sugar: 10g

The post Phitti hui Coffee – Pakistani Whipped Coffee appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

Bonus: Perfect for those “breakfast for dinner” kinda days too!

Easy step by step khageena

Khageena or egg bhurji is one of those very upfront, no-brainer recipes. So even if you aren’t familiar with Indian or Pakistani style of cooking, you will still nail it!

Typically prepared in a wok, khageena can also be made in pan. It’s a little heavy on the onions which gives it that texture and bite!

You start by sauteing the onions in a little oil and allow it to turn translucent.

Once your onions turn translucent, you add in green chilies and all the spices. Pakistani or Indian spices are raw and strong. So you need to let it cook or temper it in the oil for about a minute or two before proceeding to the next step.

Add finely chopped tomatoes and let it cook for about 2 mins. Most khageena recipes don’t use tomatoes. But my family recipe includes 1 small tomato in the scrambled eggs, and I looooove the slight acidity it adds to the whole dish.

When your tomatoes are softened up, ever so slightly, add your eggs and chopped coriander.

TIP: Always break eggs separately in a bowl to check if they are ok and have no brown spots in the egg whites.

After adding eggs, slowly stir through the eggs with a spatula for a minute or 2 or until the eggs looks cooked and you can see oil on the sides.

Serve hot with toasted bread, parathas or buns!

Some Khageena FAQs

Can I add more veggies to this scrambled eggs recipe?

Absolutely! The most complimentary veggies to add to this recipe are spinach and fenugreek leaves. You can skip the coriander and add another green of your choice. You can also add shredded carrots.

Is this recipe too spicy?

That is a subjective question. But I’d say by someone who eats spicy food, that this dish is NOT that spicy. But you can skip the green chilies the first time you make it, just to be safe.

How do I add more seasoning?

Never over season this dish, the spices and salt can get strong very quickly. So I’d say stick to the measurements mentioned in the recipe card, and if you feel like its not spicy enough or seasoned well, then you can a bit of salt or red chili flakes after the eggs are done.

Can we eat the khageena later?

All cooked eggs like this scrambled eggs or shakshuka etc are best eaten fresh. But you can refrigerate it overnight and eat it the next day. I wouldn’t keep it in the fridge any longer than that.

Can I make this recipe in less oil?

One of the key ingredients in this recipe is the quantity of oil. My personal suggestion would be to use the exact quantity, and remove the eggs on a kitchen towel that would allow to soak up any extra oil. But if you really are on a calorie budget, you can decrease the oil levels, however, it will definitely alter the taste a little bit.

Other Egg/Breakfast recipes

Shakshuka
Aloo ki tarkari (potato curry)
Chickpea curry
Easy soft Pancakes
Khara masala keema (breakfast mince)
Date and Melon Smoothie

Print

khageena

Khageena is a Pakistani dish that is essentially a spicy scrambled eggs recipe eaten for breakfast with flatbreads. It is also known as anda bhurji or egg bhurji in India

Course Breakfast & Brunch

Cuisine South Asian

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 367kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 medium onions slices
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 green chilies cut into smaller pieces
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander chopped finely

Instructions

• Break 3 eggs in a bowl and set aside.
• Add oil in a pan along with sliced onions. Saute the onions for 3 to 4 mins at medium flame, or until they turn translucent.
• Add in your green chilies, spices. Saute for another 2 mins.
• Add tomatoes and allow it to soften for 2 mins.
• Add the eggs in the pan and let it sit for 2 mins before mixing with a spatula.
• Cook the eggs for another 2 mins and add chopped coriander. Mix well.
• Drain all the excess oil on a towel paper and serve the eggs with paratha or bread.

Notes

Remove the green chilies if you don’t eat spicy food a lot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 279mg | Sodium: 132mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 8g

The post Khageena – Pakistani spicy scrambled eggs appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

You don’t need to sit and spent an entire day in the kitchen rolling out parathas to freeze. You can simply use the leftover roti/chapati dough every other night and use it to freeze parathas. I roll out 1 or 2 parathas every time I have said leftover atta. And before I know it, within a month I am looking at a stack of fresh homemade 30 40 parathas, which btw is a LOT! and perfect if you are meal prepping for Ramzan (Muslim fasting month)

FAQS

Can you freeze fully cooked paratha?

Fully cooked parathas usually don’t do well in the freezer and somehow or the other, their taste, texture and softness doesn’t last. Unfortunately my friends, I’d have to say NO to this.

Is frozen paratha good for health?

The parathas you get in the store are normally made from the same dough they make puff pastries from. This is because, they need a large quantity of fat to keep commercially produced parathas soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Even if they offer you whole wheat options, they are still giving you a ton of butter with it. Since paratha is something us brown folks consume on a regular basis, buying the store bought ones might not be such a good idea. Ofcourse, the one you freeze yourself at home is wayyyyy better, infact its nutritious! Using good quality organic ghee, and wholemeal wheat flour, your homemade parathas can be a good source of Vit B, fibre and good carbs. Plus no added preservatives is always a bonus

How long can I freeze the parathas for?

They can last upto 2 months in the freezer and sometimes 3. Beyond that, they might be subjected to freezer burns because alas, we aren’t using a truck load of butter/ghee in them, so the shelf life is limited.

Can I use oil instead of ghee?

You can most definitely use oil instead of ghee, but then opt for freezing method 2 for better results. (see under freezing section)

Ingredients

• Chakki Atta (Wholemeal wheat flour) – Chakki Atta is the best option to make parathas or rotis and is the choice of flour in most brown households for all types of flatbreads. It is definitely more nutritious than all purpose flour. Please note, Chakki Atta is different from the regular whole wheat flour you get in American grocery stores. So if you want to make authentic parathas, look for chakki atta specifically. You can find them in Asian grocery stores.
• Salt – Goes without saying but your parathas need seasoning too. A few pinches of salt ar enough to add flavor to your flatbreads.
• Water – Room temperature or lukewarm water works best for kneading the dough.
• Melted Ghee (clarified butter) – We are going to need ghee in the dough as well as while rolling and folding the parathas. I prefer using melted ghee because you end up using less this way. Since so many steps involve applying layers of ghee, you will end up using more than a tbsp per paratha is you use solidified ghee. If you want, you can use oil too, but the results may vary with it.

Prepare Dough

For preparing the dough, you can use a stand mixer with the hook attachment or simply do it by hand. There’s a small video tutorial at the end of this post too!

Start with flour, salt and melted ghee. And allow the ghee to spread evenly throughout the dough. Then slowly starting adding water until your flour is fully combined. You are NOT kneading at this point. Simply allowing all the flour to soak up water and form a dough. It may seem crumbly or not smooth, which is fine! Trust the process!

Cover the dough with cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 to 40 mins. This allows the gluten in the dough to be activated and makes kneading much easier.

A well rested, cold dough is easier to work with and gives you a
good paratha/roti texture.

Take out your dough from the fridge and now knead it for about 5 to 6 mins with your fists. You will eventually get a uniform smooth dough, that springs back a little when you poke it. Now you can decide to roll out the parathas straight away or keep the dough back in the fridge, where it can last for 5 days.

Instructions

Rolling out Parathas

STEP 1 & 2– Divide your dough into smaller segments and make small dough balls from your dough. Coat with lose flour before placing them on the countertop.

STEP 3– Flatten the dough balls by pressing them with the palms of your hand. Flatten them as much as you can with ease. Sprinkle more flour on the dough discs if they become too sticky. Use a rolling pin to flatten out one dough disc into a medium disc shape. The shape doesn’t need to be perfect. Just a rough round shape is good enough.

STEP 4 – Use a brush and cover the surface of the disc with ghee. Sprinkle some lose flour on top of the ghee and start folding as shown in the pictures below

STEP 5 & 6 – Lift one edge of the disc and fold towards the centre. Now do the same on the opposite side to form a burrito.

STEP 7 – Use the brush and cover the surface of the exposed top of the paratha and sprinkle some lose flour again.

STEP 8 – Bring in one of the open ends of the paratha towards the centre and bring the other to overlap the first one to form a square.

STEP 9 & 10 – Coat the square dough with flour again and roll it out to form a square paratha. Sprinkle lose flour again if the dough becomes sticky. Parathas are thicker than rotis when rolled out.

How to freeze paratha

There are 2 methods to freeze parathas, you can use whichever one you find easier. For both methods, you will needs sheets of butter paper or wax paper, and a ziplock bag or an airtight box.

METHOD 1 – FREEZING RAW PARATHAS

In this method, you simply brush some melted ghee on either side of the rolled out paratha and place them on a sheet of wax paper. Add another layer of wax paper and layer the rolled out parathas this way Keep the tray in the freezer to turn the parathas solid. Once they harden up, transfer them into a ziplock bag and store for upto 2 months

METHOD 2 – FREEZING SEMI COOKED PARATHAS

Another approach is to half cook the paratha before freezing. Heat a pan and cook the paratha on one side long enough to see the color of the paratha change on top. When that happens, remove the paratha and keep on the side to cool down. Stack the parathas with wax papers in between each paratha and since these aren’t delicate, you can directly put them in a ziplock bag and freeze (for upto 2 months)

Cooking Frozen paratha

You don’t need to thaw frozen parathas. Simply place the solid paratha on a hot pan and brush a little ghee on all corners. Flip over when the top changes color. Brush ghee on this side too and flip over when the bottom gets nice golden brown color all around.

Enjoy with your favorite curries, kebabs.

Expert Tips

• Make sure your ziplock bags are sealed properly. You can use a box or a zipper bag to store your parathas but it needs to be airtight. The freezerburn from being exposed in the freezer is real and will make your parathas hard when you make cook them.
• Always use oil or ghee in the dough when making frozen parathas.
• Sprinkling flour on ghee while folding the paratha gives it better layers and makes it flaky.
• Label your bags with dates of when you started adding parathas to it, so that you have a rough estimate of when your parathas will expire.
• You can prepare a big batch of parathas to freeze together all in one go or do it in increments, every other night when you are making fresh parathas, just roll out 1 or 2 extra and freeze!
• On those lazy days, bring out some frozen dam keema (slow cooked beef mince) or frozen chicken curry from your stock, pair it with your frozen parathas, and you have to hardly spend 10 mins in the kitchen max to serve food.

Similar Tutorials

How to make crispy fried onions for curries
How to make Chili oil

Print

How to freeze parathas

Parathas are fried flatbreads from India / Pakistan. Follow these instructions to make parathas from scratch and freeze them for future use

Course Side Dish

Cuisine South Asian

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 parathas

Calories 237kcal

Author Wajiha

Equipment

• 1 Rolling Pin
• 11 sheets of wax papers
• 1 ziplock bag or airtight container

Ingredients

• 3 cups Chakki Atta Flour wholemeal wheat flour see notes
• 2 tbsp melted ghee clarified butter for dough + 3 tbsp for layering
• 1½ cup warm Water or as needed.
• 1/2 tsp salt
• more ghee needed if cooking on the spot

Instructions

• In a bowl, add flour, ghee and salt. Mix well.
• Now add water gradually and knead the dough as you go. You can do this manually by hand or use a stand mixer with the hook attachment.
• Once your dough is mixed, don’t knead any more. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl, cover it and refrigerate for about 15 to 20 mins.
• Bring out the dough and now knead for 5 mins with your fists. Knead till you get a smooth dough.
• Make small dough balls from your dough. And keep placing them on a surface that has been sprinkled with flour.
• Flatten the dough balls by pressing them in the palms of your hands. Flatten them as much as you can with ease. Sprinkle more flour on the dough discs if they become too sticky.
• Use a rolling pin to flatten out one dough disc into a medium round shape.
• Use a brush and cover the surface the rolled out dough with ghee.
• Lift one edge of the disc and fold towards the centre. Now do the same on the opposite side.
• Your paratha should look like a log right now. Use the brush and cover the surface of the exposed top of the paratha.
• Bring in one end of the paratha towards the centre and bring the other to overlap the first one to form a square.
• Dust the square dough with flour and roll it out to form a square paratha
• TO FREEZEMETHOD 1 – RAW PARATHA
• In this method, you simply brush some melted ghee on either side of the rolled out paratha and place them on a sheet of wax paper.
• Add another layer of wax paper and layer the rolled out parathas this way
• Keep the tray in the freezer to turn the parathas solid.
• Once they harden up, transfer them into a ziplock bag and freeze.

METHOD 2 – HALF COOKED PARATHA

• Heat a pan and cook the paratha on one side long enough to see the color of the paratha change on top.
• When that happens, remove the paratha and keep on the side to cool down.
• Stack the parathas with wax papers in between each paratha and since these aren’t delicate, you can directly put them in a ziplock bag and freeze
  
• COOKING
• You don’t need to thaw frozen parathas. Simply place the solid paratha on a hot pan and brush a little ghee on all corners.
• Flip over when the top changes color.
• Brush ghee on this side too and flip over when the bottom gets nice golden brown color all around.
• Serve with your favorite curry or kebab.
  

Notes

• Chakki atta or wholemeal wheat flour is different than regular whole wheat flour, you can find it in Asian grocery stores. Most bags also have pictures of roti or paratha on it.
• If you don’t want to roll out parathas straight away, keep the kneaded dough back in the fridge where it can last upto 5 days
• Your frozen parathas can last 2 months.
• IF you want to use oil instead of ghee, go for method 2 of freezing.
• You can use any other folding method than the one mentioned in the this post as well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 179mg

The post How to make Frozen parathas at home appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

What are Cheese Chicken Kababs?

“Kabab”, which is spelled in many difference ways ( kebap, kabob, kebob, or kebab) simply means piece of meat or vegetable thread onto a skewer and grilled. It is a traditional style of cooking in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and South Asia. In South Asia, kababs also refers to patty style appetizers, like spinach and potato cakes.

The chicken cheddar kebab is a fusion variation of its traditional counter part : The chicken seekh kabab. They are made with mince and shaped into long kababs on skewers. Usually made on an open grill, you can get the perfect results at home on a stove top.

Traditionally, when “cheese” is used in Indian and Pakistani food, it is usually Paneer i.e Cottage cheese. Whenever European style cheeses are used in Desi cooking, it automatically becomes a style of fusion food. Although, most mainstream Indian Pakistani food now, use European style cheese in a lot of recipes.

I was going through my recipes and realised I haven’t made any traditional skewer style kababs for the blog, which is ironic because we make SOME form of kebabs almost every week! So here it is, in all its glory and simplicity the chicken cheddar kababs.

Ingredients you need to make the kebabs

Here are the 12 ingredients you will need to make Chicken cheddar kebab, plus some notes on ingredient selection.

• Ground Chicken – I’ve used chicken mince from my local store but you can make your own by adding boneless chicken into a food processor, which is better in any case. For using other types of meat, read the FAQS below
  
• Coriander and Mint leaves – Substitute mint leaves with more coriander if you don’t have any or the other way round. If you are one of those who don’t like coriander, substitute with parsley.
  
• Red and Green chilies – The red and green chilies I’ve used for this recipe are called “Indian Chilies” or “karhayi”chilies in Pakistan. Theyare mild as compared to Serrano or Bird’s eye chilies. I’d recommend using Jalapenos if you can’t find these. You can also use Red bell peppers instead. Ofcourse, if you can’t find any, skip the red chili altogether and add more green instead.
  
• Onions and garlic – I’ve used red onion for this recipe, but use any that you have at hand. To keep the moisture minimum, I’ve used chopped garlic instead of paste. You can use garlic powder too if you want too.
  
• Powdered Spicesand Seasoning
  • Paprika – You can substitute with Kashmiri lal mirch if you want
  • Blackpepper – Bring out the perfect balance of spices in this recipe.
  • Garam masala powder – This bring out the earthy flavor of the recipe. Use Allspice powder instead or skip it entirely
  • Salt – Adequate amount of salt is important to bring out the flavor in your recipe. Remember, when seasoning kababs, you are also seasoning all the additives, like eggs and herbs etc. which is why don’t be stingy with that salt.
    
• Cheese – For this recipe, you need non-stringy cheese with a mild flavor of its own. I’m using mild English Cheddar because that’s what my family likes. Feel free to use any according to your taste. Sharp Cheddar, Emmental and Monetery Jack are all excellent options! (See more about cheese selection in the FAQS section)
  
• Egg – The egg helps in adding a little binding and tenderness to the kebabs.
  
• Breadcrumbs – All good kababs need “fillers”. These are ingredients that give body to the kebab while avoiding shrinkage, that happens when you grill any kind of mince meat. Homemade or store brought, both breadcrumbs work!
  
• Oil – You only need oil for panfrying, air frying and coating your hands while shaping the kababs.

How to make and shape Cheese Kababs

Click Here to watch steps in a Reel I made for these kebabs

STEP 1 – Make the kabab mixture/dough

• To do so, you simply chuck all your herbs and onion into a food processor and process until its nice and finely chopped.

• Then you need to squeeze out all the water from the mixture. I wear gloves while doing this, because my skin is senstitive to garlic. You can also use a nutmilk bag or a cheese cloth to do this.

• Add the herb mixture and all the other ingredients in a bowl and knead them by hand. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment would also do the job.

• I add cheese last so that it gets less time while being kneaded. This avoid cheese to soften up from the heat of our hands.

STEP 2 – Shaping the Kebabs

• To divide the mixture into equal portions, use a tablespoon or an icecream scooper. Scoop out small portions on to a plate.

PROTIP
I find the easiest way to shape these kababs are when they are cold. So after portioning, I stick the plate in the freezer for about 15 mins before shaping. This makes the mixture firm and easy to handle

• To shape the kababs, grease the palm of your hands with oil so that the mixture doesn’t stick. Shape them into thick cigars by squeezing and rolling them in your palms.

• Then you insert a skewer on one end of the kabab.

NOTE:
I am using a makeshift skewer aka straw for this step. You can use the regular metal ones or wooden sticks too. I shape the kebab around the straw some more and pull it out. IF you are
using a wooden or metal skewer, you can also leave the kababs on it and grill it as is.

• Shape all the kebabs, pull out from the straw and prepare to pan fry.

STEP 3 – Cooking the kebabs

• I panfry these kebabs at medium heat for 3 to 4 mins, tossing and flipping for even browning.

NOTE:
Avoid overcooking the kebabs as it will lead to dry hard kebabs and burnt cheese.
Chicken mince cooks very fast, don’t worry about it being raw.

Best Cooking Method for Chicken Kababs

In order of the best results:

1. On an outdoor charcoal grill – This is usually how restaurants make skewer kababs.
2. On the stove – Pan-frying or grilling is the best indoor way of making these, in my opinion
3. In an Air-Fryer – Less oil than pan frying, but similar results taste and texture wise.
4. In the Oven – Easiest to do, but definitely not as tender as the pan-fried ones

FAQS

Can I make this recipe with any other meat?

Sure! You can make this recipe with beef, lamb or mutton. You will need to add 1 inch chunk of ginger in your herb mix. And your grilling / pan frying time would increase to 6 – 7 mins. DO NOT skip the skewers for beef kebabs, as it can shrink a lot without it. I would say this, beef kababs require a special set of instructions and tips that would go beyond the scope of this post but hopefully I should write one soon on just Beef cheese kababs.

Why does my cheese melt and burn in the pan?

When I posted this recipe on Instagram, most of you have had this issue with other cheese kababs recipes you’ve tried. This is something you can’t avoid completely. There will be some oozing whenever there is cheese incorporated in kabab and when the kabab has no coating. But we can minimize it by a LOT

1. Using Pre-Shredded Cheese
   
   Pre-shredded cheese packs you get in stores are actually better for this recipe! Those packs use corn flour to coat the cheese strands and this helps in stabilizing your cheese while frying and not ooze out and burn
   
   IF you are shredding cheese yourself at home, coat them with 1/2 tsp of cornflour and freeze before using for the kababs for BEST results! You can apply this tip for any recipe kabab recipe that uses shredded cheese in the mixture.
   
   
2. Avoiding Over-browning or Overcooking
   Most of the time, if you are pan frying the kababs longer than needed, the cheese WILL melt and ooze out regardless of how good they were coated with cornflour. Make sure you are not cooking them longer than instructed.

Can I make the kababs without egg?

Some of my readers avoid consuming egg so I’ve tried the recipe for you all without eggs too. You can skip the egg and add an extra half onion instead for similar results.

Can I freeze Chicken Kebabs? And for how long?

Yes! Absolutely! To freeze the kababs, pan fry them for 2 mins or until they change color. Let the kababs cool, transfer them into ziplock bags and freeze for upto 2 months. Freezing the kababs raw is not such a good idea, because they leach out moisture that way and you end up with dry kebabs when you fry them eventually.

Can I shape the kababs without the skewers?

The hole provides an airvent. When you grill the kebabs, they shrink towards the pan, which makes the hole bigger but overall preserves the shape of your kebabs. You can still shape the kebabs without a skewer but you might see minor reduction in size of the kebab once cooked.

Why does my kebab become sticky and hard to handle?

One answer – Moisture. If your mixture is holding a lot of moisture, it will become difficult to handle and shape. Here are a few things that help

• Ground the chicken yourself from a breast or thigh fillet instead of buying mince.
• Squeeze out water from the herb mixture to reduce overall water content
• Freeze the kebabs for a few minutes before shaping.
• Last resort is to add more bread crumbs to increase binding.

Serving Suggestions

These kababs are a meal on their own honestly! I love the fact that they are so uni-cuisine. The flavors are so neutral that they go well with everything! Here are a couple of my favorite pairing

• A simple kebab platter with Mint Chutney, and sliced onions on the side
• Serve with boiled rice and lentils for lunch.
• Serve with masala dal and roti or flat bread.
• And My personal favorite! for kebab wraps with more cheddar, onions and lettuce and a tortilla to go with
• You can also always go simple with a side salad.

More Recipes like this

Print

Chicken Cheddar Kabab

Soft and tender skewer chicken kababs made with simple spices, herbs and cheddar

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Fusion Food

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Freezing time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 51 minutes minutes

Servings 16 kababs

Calories 125kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 500 gm chicken mince
• 1/4 of a bunch of a cilantro pack coriander
• 1/3 cup mint leaves
• 3 whole Indian Red chilies see notes
• 3 whole Green chilies see notes
• 1 small onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 2 teaspoon blackpepper powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder See notes
• 1½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 120 gm (see notes)
• Cooking Oil for coating and grilling

Special equipment

• Skewers / BBQ sticks / Drinking straw

Instructions

• Making kebab mixture
• In a food processor, add cilantro, mint leaves, onion, garlic, red and green chilies. Process until they are finely chopped.
• Wear a glove and squeeze all the liquid out of the chopped mix. You can also use a nutmilk bag or a cheese cloth to do this. Discard the liquid.
• In a bowl, add the chopped mixture and all the remaining ingredients except oil and cheese. Mix or knead to make a uniform kebab mixture.
• Add cheese at the end and mix until fully combined.
• 
  Shaping the Kebabs
• To divide the mixture into equal portions, use an icecream scooper or a tablespoon. Place each scoop of mixture on a plate.
• Put the plate in the freezer for 15 mins and then take it out for shaping
• Pour 3 to 4 tablespoon oil in a cup and use some to grease the palm of your hands.
• Take a portion of mixture and use the palm of your hands to roll it into a rough cigar shape.
• Insert a thick skewer (or straw or wooden bbq stick) through one tip of the cigar and bring out on the other side.
• Use the palm of your hands to perfect the shape of the cigars.
• Carefully remove the kabab from the skewer by sliding the skewer out and placing the kabab back on the tray.
• IF you want to cook the kababs with the skewers then leave the skewers intact.
• 
  Cooking the KababsOn the Stove (Gas or Electric)
• For pan frying, place a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. You can also use a grill pan.
• Add oil to cover the base of the skillet.
• When oil becomes hot (3 to 4 mins), add kababs to the pan without overcrowding it.
• Use a straight spatula or tongs to turn the kababs frequently, allowing all sides to turn golden brown evenly.
• Cook for a total of 5 mins.
• Transfer kababs to your serving dish once they are done.
  

In the Air fryer

• Line the airfryer tray with parchment paper.
• Place kebabs in a single layer and use cooking spray grease them.
• Air-fry at 200 C (400 F) for 3 mins.
• Then flip the kebabs and cook for another 3 mins.
• 
  Oven-Baked
• Preheat the oven to 200 C (395 F)
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, greased with butter or oil
• Place the kabab on the pan and place it in the middle rack of the oven. Turn on the top heat (broiler) on High (550°F/287°C).
• Bake for a total of 8 mins, flipping the kababs at 5 min mark.

Notes

• The fresh red and green chilies I’ve used are large and mild. You can use Jalapenos if you can’t find medium sized green chilies. You can also use a piece of red bell pepper if you can’t find red chilies.
• I have used mild English Cheddar, but you can use any that you like, Sharp Cheddar and Monterary Jack both go well with this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese is better for this recipe because those cheeses are covered with a layer of cornflour

Nutrition

Serving: 1kebab | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g

The post Cheddar Chicken Kabab appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

Melons are generally mildly sweet fruits and for this recipe Muskmelon and it’s varieties are the best. With so many different types of melons out there, it can be kind of confusing which ones to chose.

Any type of Musk Melon can be used for this recipe, depending on where you live. You can use:

• Galia melon (also known as Sarda in South Asia)
• Cantaloupes – this is the one I’ve used
• Persian Melon
• Christmas Melon
• Honey Dew
• Casaba

Other fruity drink recipes:

Apple Cinnamon Latte
Saudi Champagne

Substitutions and Remixes

Ingredient Substitutes

• Use nutmilks instead of regular milk if you are on a dairy free diet. You can also use Soy milk or rice milk if you have any nut allergies.
• You can also skip vanilla ice cream and use Greek yogurt instead for a more low-calorie alternative.
• You can use natural sugar syrups like agave nectar or maple instead of sugar and dates.

Spice up the Melon shake

• Pack more nutrient by adding just a little spinach to the mix.
• Sprinkle some roasted crushed flax seeds to add a slight crunch and nutrition to the drink
• You can also add more flavoring to the drink by adding 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder.

How long will the milkshake last for?

Well, if you taste it, it’ll be gone immediately! ok fine! Kidding. It can last for upto 2 days in the fridge. If you plan to drink it later, keep it in the fridge immediately.

Print

Date & Melon Shake

A sweet and delicious cooler made with melon, dates, milk and icecream

Course Drinks

Cuisine International

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 317kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 dates
• 1 cup of cut up melon cubes
• 1 cup of milk
• 4 ice cubes
• 2 scoops of regular vanilla ice cream additional 2 scoops for toppings
• Extra Sugar or honey to taste optional

Instructions

• If the dates that you are using are hard (like ajwa etc), soak them in boiling water for 15 mins before making the shake.
• De-seed the dates
• Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend till all the ice cubes are crushed.
• Taste to check sweetness. Add sugar or honey if needed.
• Serve in glass with additional scoops of icecream. Drink cold.

Notes

Use soft sweet variety of melon for this shake for best results.

You can keep the shake in the fridge for 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 131mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g

The post Date & Melon Shake appeared first on Butter Over Bae.

Bonus: Ready within 30 mins!

This type of seasoning gives a very subtle flavor to the keema. It also has yogurt and steamed onions and tomatoes in there. We eat this for breakfast/dinner with paratha and yogurt. Also goes really with a dollop of labneh and khubs. Also, super versatile in its entirety: you can use the left over keema to make a rather kickass puff pastry filling or a samosa filling. My feelings for this is very similar to how I feel about Dam ka keema….GIVE ME MORE!

How to make Khara masala beef keema

Here’s an overall view of all the spices and condiments you will need to pull this recipe off. If some of the elements are missing, we can still work with it. I’ve given a list of substitute at the end of the post.

The 3 ground spices

This recipe needs 3 spices that are grounded (koota hua). This includes cumin, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. Use a grinder to grind cumin seeds and coriander seeds together coarsely. Grind black peppercorns separately or use a pepper grinder.

Cooking the keema (ground beef)

Don’t be overwhelmed with the extra number of pictures I took for you guys. It still takes only 30 mins 😛

For this recipe I’ve used chopped garlic instead of paste because that brown garlic bits complement the whole dish really well. I saute the whole spices and garlic for a bit in ghee and then toss in my meat. I prefer ghee for this recipe for the aroma it holds, but its perfectly fine to use oil instead.

Always let the meat cook a little bit first before adding spices. I alwayssss go on about it but trust me this is important! Evaporating all the liquid from the meat is important to get rid of smells from the meat.

After that, add in those beautifullll looking trio of white, red and green. The onions and tomatoes in this recipe aren’t going to be cooked all the way through like you do in a curry base. Instead, they are only going to be steamed for a bit, so that they are soft but still visible, and retain their individual flavors. Which is why we add it later and not at the beginning.

The yogurt goes in, along with the tomato, onion and coriander.

TIP: Make sure your yogurt is at room temperature and beaten properly to avoid curdling.

Mix everything together and cover the pot with a lid. Let all the water from the veggies and yogurt release and cook the meat.

It takes roughly about 15 mins for all the liquid to evaporate. When all the liquid from the keema evaporates, you will see oil/ghee separating on the side. This is when you cover the pot once again and let it simmer at really low flame for 10 mins. Called “dum pe pakana” in Urdu

Look at those gorgeous array of colors in that pot! For this recipe, the garnish comprises of ginger slivers, more coriander and lemon/lime juice. That added freshness from these ingredients make this recipe a hit almost instantly!

Serve it with your choice of flat bread, and yogurt on the side.

You can pair this gorgeous keema with a crispy aloo ki bhujia and parathas to complement the flavors and create a lovely breakfast spread.

Is it freezer-friendly?

ABSOLUTELY! Just hold the garnish, let the keema cool down and drop it in a bag to freeze. It can also last for upto 5 days in the fridge.

Alternates, Fixes and Remixes

Substitutes.

• Parsley can be used instead of coriander/cilantro leaves.
• You can also use canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes in emergency
• If you don’t have all the whole spices, you can use 1 tsp of garam masala powder instead.
• You can use any whole red chilies available. long or round. You can also use 2 tsp of red chili flakes instead if you can’t find whole red chilies.

Fixes

• The recipe is overall mild and not spicy (to us). But if you still feel it’s a little spicy, you can go ahead and add a little more yogurt to balance it out.

Remixes

• Swap grounded beef for any other that you like. Use chicken, or mutton or lamb.
• Use fresh fenugreek leaves or spinach leaves instead of coriander leaves.
• Add star anise and nutmeg to the whole spices.

Recipes you make like

Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

Print

Khara masala beef keema (whole spice beef mince curry)

An aromatic and mildly seasoned minced beef cooking in whole and crushed spices and yogurt.

Course Main Course

Cuisine South Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 632kcal

Author Wajiha

Ingredients

• 500 gm minced meat
• 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns freshly crushed
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• 3 large red onions or 3 cups sliced onion
• 2 cup chopped tomato or 3 large tomatoes
• 1 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves
• 1 cup beaten yogurt at room temperature
• 1/2 cup ghee / oil for cooking.

Whole spices

• 8 whole red chilies
• 1/2 stick of cinnamon
• 5 green cardamom
• 2 black cardamom
• 4 cloves

Garnish

• Julienne cut ginger
• chopped coriander
• Lemon juice

Instructions

• Grind coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a food processor or by a mortar pestle, set aside.
• In a large sauce pan or pot, add ghee, chopped garlic and all the whole spices (except red chilies). Saute at medium flame till the garlic turns golden.
• Then add mince meat and break the meat with a spoon. Saute the meat till all the liquid from the meat evaporates and it changes color to brown.
• Reduce flame to low, and add salt, crushed black pepper, grounded cumin coriander mix, and red chilies. Break the red chilies with hand to release seeds before adding.
• Add onions, tomatoes and coriander along with yogurt. Mix everything well and cover the pot/pan with a lid. Increase the flame back to medium high. Let it cook for 15 mins.
• Check to see if the all the water from the vegetables and yogurt has evaporated.
• When all the water evaporates and you can see oil seperating on the sides, reduce the flame once more to low and cover the pot. Let the keema simmer for 10 mins at low flame.
• Garnish with lemon juice, coriander and thin ginger slices.
• Serve with naan, paratha, khubs or bread with a side of yogurt.

Notes

This curry is definitely not a spicy one. Atleast not to your palates. If you still feel its spicy for you, then add some more yogurt to balance it out.

Don’t skip the lemon juice and ginger in the end, it balances out all the bitter spices in the recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 985mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 18g

The post Khara masala beef keema – Whole spice ground beef curry. appeared first on Butter Over Bae.