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Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
05/29/02 at 05:34:35
[slm]


Here's the deal...I'm tired of eating tuna fish.   Don't get me wrong, tuna is a good, clean food high in protein but a brother can only take so many tuna fish sandwhiches before he starts thinking he's a shark or something.  

I would really appreciate some simple meals which are high in protein, don't take much time to prepare, and (preferrably) taste decent.  I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to cooking (others would probably beg to differ  :D )and I can follow directions but I definitely need some help.  

Can any of the resident cooks help a brother out?

Jazak Allahu Khairan for any help you can give me.
05/29/02 at 05:58:49
dirt
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
Kathy
05/29/02 at 09:50:22
[slm]

What kind of meat do you want recipies for? and what kind of nationality of food?
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
05/29/02 at 10:00:18
[wlm]

All kinds of halal meat will do.  Beef, lamb, chicken, fish, hmm....just about anything.  I'm not really picky.  I prefer the leaner cuts of meat though.  I don't really like fatty stuff.

And I'm not picky at all when it comes to a nationality or style of food.  I am an equal opportunity food consumer.  From spicy to bland I can usually find enjoyment in just about everything.  Except for brussel sprouts.....I don't  see how people can eat those things.....ugh.  :P

So all in all I'm pretty much open to just about anything as long as it doesn't take forever to cook and is relatively healthy.  I don't like making elaborate meals when I'm just cooking for myself.    

05/29/02 at 10:01:31
dirt
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
eleanor
05/29/02 at 10:15:14
[slm]

okay here's something really easy..

take some chicken wings or legs...

say "bismillah"

remove the skin (or not? it's up to you..) and make a slice into the flesh on each side with the knife

get a little bowl and mix up some salt, chilli powder and oil

slice a few potatoes, chop an onion into rings, chop up a zucchini...or any other veggies that take your fancy...

put the chicken and veggies into an oven proof dish/tray

get your hands all messy by rubbing the oil mixture all over everything, rub it well onto the chicken and into the cuts you made

stick the whole lot in the oven at about 180 deg. for about 25 minutes, until everything is done (ie, until the potatoes are soft enough to eat and the chicken is golden brown and crispy..)

eat it all up, with some bread

:) :) :)

Guten Appetit :)

wasalaam
eleanor
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
abdulqadr
05/29/02 at 10:15:42
[slm]
Try pasta or noddles its quick and simply to boil, sauces are ready available..
help me get through my uni days
[wlm]
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
05/29/02 at 10:21:01
[slm]

No no no, AbdulQadr.....I think you misunderstand.  I'm looking for meals which actually  contain meat AND are well balanced.  Yeah, I cook a lot of pasta and it's getting just as boring as the tuna.  I need some recipes that resemble a real meal and not a college microwave special.    :D

"get a little bowl and mix up some salt, chilli powder and oil"

Okay but I need exact measurements for this stuff if you have them.  Also, what kind of oil?

Jazak Allahu Khairan
05/29/02 at 10:24:58
dirt
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
mwishka
05/29/02 at 12:18:32
brother dirt?? how can i call you that??  might have to be just bro....

i can give you names of as many good cookbooks as you like (oh, i'm not muslim, but i love to eat and to cook....), but i need some sort of orientation to the type of recipes yu're looking for:  just the basics, so you define the rest of the dish yourself?  the complete and to the letter type of recipes?   foods of a certain ethnicity or type?  i know you said you don't discriminate, but it's hard for any of of us to tell you everything we know how to make - the right books can do that for us, though!

as for your comment on brussels sprouts - very sad.  it sounds like you've only eaten frozen ones or bought them in a sealed container and didn't pick out your own.  if you want to taste how good they can really be, go to a store with a bulk produce section, and pick out only the tiny ones which are heavy.  like ALL vegetables, the younger they are, and the heavier they are, the more taste and nutrition they have.  (don't buy anything large - it's overgrown to make someone more money because produce is sold by weight.  once vegetables go beyond the young stage, they have less flavor and nutritional value.  ever eaten a big old woody carrot and said "this is FOOD??  blleeeccchhhh....!"

as for how best to prepare brussels sprouts?  guess what madina friends?  fry em lightly in butter in cast iron!  (hee hee)

mwishka

Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
05/29/02 at 23:11:58
[slm]

Okay, I really mean it when I say I have no preference for a specific type of food.  I have Pakistani friends, Arab friends, and friends from all over the place.  I like all the food their families make.  Insha'Allah if I'm ever married, my wife will be blessed in this regard.  :D  I'm not saying she HAS to cook of course.....actually, I enjoy cooking as long as there is someone else besides just myself to enjoy it.  Food tastes better with company.

My main priorities are meat dishes and they must be simple to make.  I don't like spending more than thirty to forty minutes on cooking when I'm the only one enjoying it.  Forty minutes is really pushing it.  I'm talking time spent in the kitchen.  If it takes twenty minutes to physically prepare and I have to leave it in the oven for an hour or something, I'm okay with that.  Does that make sense?  

As long as the dish meets those two requirements, I'm down with anything you can throw my way.

[wlm]
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
UmmWafi
05/30/02 at 00:00:01
[slm]

Ok brother, some quick recipes.

[u]Celery snippets[/u]

Get some nice young celery sticks and split them individually. Cut each stem into 2 inches long bit.

Boil some eggs.  Mash the eggs with some mayonnaise, cut capsicums, diced onions, and srpinkle some lemon juice.

Fill the stems with the egg mixture and...tadaaaa.....eat. Sounds simple but yummy AND filling.

[u]potato balls[/u]

Boil some potato and mash em.

Fry some mince meat with sliced onions, mixed vegetables (diced carrots, peas etc..they sell in packets) and add pepper till fragrant.

Mix the meat mixture with the mashed potato and make balls (slightly bigger than golf balls) tightly. (simple just squeeze em in your hands like playdoh...make sure u squeeze hard so the balls don't crack when fried).

Beat some eggs in a bowl (u can use a fork with this heh heh). Roll the balls in the egg and then fry em in deep oil.  Eat with salad.

Celery dish takes only 10mins to prepare and potato balls take 20mins top.

PS MWISHKA....this is unhealthy but I melt cheese and pour em over fresh young steamed brussel sprouts and yummmmmmmm
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
mwishka
06/02/02 at 11:10:13
bro dirt - ok, now i get it, but i'm kind of with bro hanif, i think it was:  we can call you bro mountain, it's nice...

you said you wanted to cook meat. i'm vegetarian, but i want to suggest some cookbooks to you:

(a couple of these have been suggested here elsewhere...where was that?  someone getting married who couldn't cook, i think.  akhwat, maybe?)

one of my all-time favorite cookbooks is
       the book of middle eastern food by claudia roden
another good one:
      couscous and other good foods of morocco by paula wolfert
a vegetarian cookbook with a nice variety of recipes (you can put meat in them, or just enjoy them as they are!):
       world of the east vegetarian cooking by madhur jaffrey

i've suggested these particular ones because you said you want real meals.  each of these books has fairly easy to follow instructions, and great tasting results.  i know that you said you wanted well-balanced meals that are healthy and contain high protein, and i've just given you tons of recipes to sort through in these books, but what i see is that you need to build your cooking skills, anyway.  the best way to do that, so that you get to a point where you don't need recipes or instructions to make wonderful and delicious variations on any food you ever come in contact with is, yep, to follow recipes.  if you only cook things that others have made and give you all the hints and secrets and tips and shortcuts, you'll be able to make lovely things to eat, but you didn't develop your own analytical thinking to do that - you didn't assess as you were making something how it was going to turn out, and how to change it at any point where it needed changing.  and you didn't learn to look at a recipe or listen to a list of ingredients and know what it would produce, and how to modify it to meet your own tastes (or the tastes of your to-be-wife, whom you WILL be cooking for when you get all this skill in hand, right??   ;)  )

so, with all of that in mind, what i recommend is that you go to the very very basics of meat preparation, so that you can make whatever you like.

here's a really basic and great cookbook that has good and clear instructions for how to select, store, handle, cut, and prepare meats.  this is not a halal cookbook. so if any kind person here can suggest a substitute basic book, please do.....

the american woman's cookbook  
     this is an old cookbook from i think the 1930s, but to tell you how good it is, i saw it in a brand new edition in a bookstore like barnes and noble or borders.  the copy i have i bought used, and it's pre-world war II.  now, let me tell you a secret (ok, it's not a secret, it's more of a tip...) about cookbooks issued during world war II:  they have wartime sections in them, meaning they have great listing of substitutions (rationing, you know) and ways to fix up lesser cuts of meat to make them nice, and other things like that that can be quite useful.

i want to tell a funny story about this cookbook:  my aunt had it, and used it a lot.  i really liked it, so when i saw it at our library fair's booksale (used booksale to benefit the library) i was thrilled.  it was the same wartime version my aunt had had.  i felt so lucky to find it!  one day, i went to look up a pleasant little recipe i loved from my aunt's cookbook, for applesauce spice cake.  the page was torn out!  what!?  who tears pages out of their cookbook??  wow, somebody must have been addicted to that cake.  i was sad.  though i could basically remember how to make the cake, i did get the real recipe from my aunt.  a couple of years later, i was at another used booksale, and i found a newer version of the book, after the war.  heee heee...i'd get my applesauce recipe back....  i bought the book.  got home, went to the page -- you're not going to believe this...it ALSO was torn out!  i really really laughed - that was just too much of a coincidence to believe!  i looked through both books - that was the only page torn out of either.  so now i have an extra cookbook that i bought for one recipe (why didn't i check at the yardsale?? i don't know...), and somewhere in the world are at LEAST two people addicted to that cake!  (it IS moist and delicious and a dependable recipe, i have to admit.  but addictive?  i don't know.........)

mwishka  
06/03/02 at 13:46:42
mwishka
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
Marcie
06/02/02 at 11:50:19
[color=Teal] [slm]

Hey, Mwishka if the recipe is that good then share it please.  I'm always looking for good desserts.   :D Brother Dirt,  I promised sis Tara that I would post some recipes in the same thread that sis Mwishka is talking about.  Insha'allah by the end of the week I'll have time to do it so check there.

As salamu alaykum
Marcie[/color]
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
mwishka
06/02/02 at 18:09:02
um, sis marcie.......i just went to get it and the recipe is missing!!  :o

:-/

i' don't know WHAT could be going on here.... twilight zone, maybe?

ok, i'll give you a couple of other ones for now.  unfortunately.......a lot of my own recipes start with something like  "12 eggs",.....or, "1 qt. yogurt, 1 qt. H2O",  ( < YES, i confess i write that in recipes.....),....or for bread "8 qt.s H2O", .....or, for soup "6 cauliflower"...   see what i mean??   :D  
(i used to be a baker.  and have done meals for conferences.....   i wanted to give sis kathy a recipe for turnovers, but it makes.....81.  then forgot to look for it, to cut it down....)

BUT, not ALL of my recipes are like that!

ok, here's a REALLY quick and easy cake:

apple cake:
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. oil (guess what i use?)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. diced apples
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

350ºF, either 9" square pan or loaf pan

sugar, eggs, + oil, vanilla

then apples

sift flour (this is if you're using whole wheat pastry flour) with salt, b. soda, cinn. nutm.

fold

grease, flour pan

45 min.
(do you need more directions than that?  sort of shorthand, i know....)

oops..have to go.


here's a curry powder recipe:  (it's the shortest "recipe" i have in this pile!  others later...)


curry powder (everyone has their OWN favorite, no doubt...)

1T coriander
1T turmeric
7T cinnamon
1T cayenne
3T mustard
3T ginger
2T allspice
7T fenugreek

ok, time for one more - also not a dessert...but really quick and easy!

squash pie:

use a frozen shell, bake it.  fork holes in it, or put a layer of dry beans to cover the bottom, will keep it from puffing while it bakes empty.

5C squash (winter squash, cooked, mashed - i almost left out this detail....hee heeee guess it seemed obvious...  acorn or butternut work good.)
1/4 c. butter
sauteed minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt

fill baked shell with hot squash.. is ready to eat.  i like to make a big star on top with paprika -- very loooovely...


oh, cooking the squash:  
you can bake it (slice lengthwise, face down on cookie sheet, 30 min.s or more if big.  350ºF.  leave seeds in, they come out in a glump when cooked.  you can also now eat them if you like.  have to wash strings off in that case.)

or you can chop it into big cubes and boil or steam it - but it's tricky peeling it hot, though the peel comes right off.  i usually bake it, but if it's summer i'm more likely to boil it.  i drop the chunks into a pot of cold water, and work fast to get the peels off...ayyayaayyaayyyaayyyayyyy  is the sound coming from the kitchen....

must go.

mwishka
06/03/02 at 15:16:42
mwishka
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
06/02/02 at 18:59:23
[slm]

You guys are the best!  If you have any more good recipes, don't hesitate to share them.  You'll be helping a bachelor out who's tired of eating tuna and noodles.  Think of it as a duty to the Ummah....That's right, you wouldn't want a strong young muslim man to become weak due to malnutrition would you?   :D

Jazak Allahu Khairan for everything.

[wlm]
06/02/02 at 19:00:03
dirt
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
se7en
06/07/02 at 00:24:33
Cashew Chicken   :-X (yummy chinese recipe)

Ingredients    
1 (12 ounce) jar apricot preserves
1/4 cup prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup coarsely chopped cashews


Directions    
1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2)  Combine the preserves, mustard and curry powder in a large skillet and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until preserves are completely melted and smooth.  
3)  Place cashews in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip chicken breasts in skillet sauce, then roll in nuts to coat and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  
4)  Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes. Boil any remaining sauce and serve on the side with the baked chicken.  
06/07/02 at 00:53:13
se7en
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
se7en
06/07/02 at 00:50:42
se7en's "when mom makes me cook" recipe


Skin and clean some chicken pieces.. and then take a fork and stab 'em real good ;D (this works especially well if you've had a stressful day :P)  the poking allows for the chicken to really soak up the marinade you're going to make...

In a bowl, mix an egg or two, some turmeric, coriander, salt, black pepper, etc (whatever spices you want, basically) and a little bit of lemon juice.  Then put the chicken pieces in the bowl and let them marinade.  [] and come back in half an hour.

(an alternative to making your own marinade is to buy the "tandoori paste" they sell at indo-pak groceries.  the directions for marinading are right on the bottle.)

Then, place the pieces in a tray and add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to it.  cover with aluminum foil and bake for like 45 minutes.

Because you're already using the oven, you might as well bake some other stuff too :)  You can cover a flat tray with aluminum foil, oil it a little, and then lay out some frozen french fries, onion rings, steak cut potatoes, etc.. to bake for about 15-20 minutes.  They still taste good and are slightly more healthy than deepfrying in oil :)

serve chicken with rice or naan.. [] and enjoy  :-X
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
eleanor
06/07/02 at 09:37:13
[quote author=se7en link=board=kabob;num=1022664876;start=0#14 date=06/07/02 at 00:50:42]
Because you're already using the oven, you might as well bake some other stuff too :)  [/quote]

that's what I do too - stick in anything "bakeable" basically... :-X

Another recipe for brother dirt:

baked onion turkey schnitzel (slices of turkey breast)

you need:
4 slices of turkey breast [uncooked] (or alternative chicken breasts, skinless)
1 packet of onion soup
200 ml of cream (a little tub is usually enough)

Mix the soup with half the required amount of water. Add the cream and mix well.
Put the turkey/chicken in an ovenproof dish, pour the mixture over it and bake in the oven at about 180°C until the meat is done and the sauce has thickened and boiled.
Eat with pasta/rice.

Enjoy  :-X

wasalaam
eleanor
06/07/02 at 09:37:56
eleanor
;)Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
muslimah_bham
06/11/02 at 01:13:50
[slm]
brother dirt i have two words for you, CHICKEN KORMA, yum yum yum
you need to find out how to cook this dish, and please pass it on to me ;)
cos me dont know how to cook this, but i hope to learn about it one day
so if the is anyone out there who knows how to cook this deliciuos meal
please do share
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
Marcie
06/13/02 at 11:37:46
[color=Teal] [slm]  Brother Dirt,

Here's a recipe for you.  I know that it takes longer than you would like.  Just read a book while you are waiting.   8)

Bismillah

Walaiki salam, this is my very favorite dish: Lebanese chicken

you will need a 9x13 baking dish, glass dish is the best, boneless chick brst, 3 large baking potatoes or 6 small potatoes, 3 tomatoes, 1 onion, minced garlic, salt, olive oil, margarine, 3 lemons.

combine in a big bowl, cubed potatoes & tomatoes, chopped onion, 2 large spoonfuls of minced garlic & salt to taste, mix up.

cut chicken how you prefer & lay in bottom of baking dish.

melt in a pan, 1/2 stick of margarine, 3/4 cup of olive oil, & the juice of 3 lemons, or you can use 1 lemon & a package of lemonade koolaid.

pour potatoe mixture over chick, then pour melted mixture evenly over that. cover w/foil & bake @ 450 for 25min, then reduce heat to 425 for 15min, then reduce to 400 for 10 min, then reduce to 350 for another 10 or 15.
[/color]
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
fiza
06/16/02 at 08:13:30
CHICKEN FAJITAS.

- INGREDIENTS.

* CHICKEN CUBES(BONELESS) HOW EVER MANY LBS IS SUFFICIENT TO U.( approx 4 6 ppl u need about 500g of chicken breast)
* OLD EL PASO 'FAJITA DINNER KIT' ( YELLOW BOX INCLUDES 8 FLOUR TORTILLAS, SEASONING MIX N SALSA SAUCE.) U MAY ONLY NEED ONE DINNER BOX AND THE REST OF THE TORTILLAS U GET DEM  SEPERATE IN PLASTIC PACKETS. JS SAYING 8 FLOUR TORTILLAS.
* 2-3 ONIONS. DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH UR COOKING.( HOWEVER PUTTING MORE ONIONS GIVES A RICHER FLAVOUR)
* 1 CAPSICUM PEPPER.
*2 TEASPOON GARAM MASALA
* 2 TEASPOON CORRIANDER POWDER
*SALT
2 TEASPOON QUMIN POWDER.(JEROO POWDER)
*3-4 GREEN CHILLIES BLENDED.
*2-3 TABLESPOON SAUCE.( THE SAUCE ....CUMS IN A BOTTLE PICTURED BELOW.EITHER ONE. WHICH EVER ONE IS SUITABLE 4 UR LIKING.
*OIL
*GRATED CHEESE
* LETTUCE FOR THE SALAD.
U ALSO NEED FOIL.


METHOD OF COOKING.


In a wok shaped pot pour littel amount of oil. not too much n not to little.
then slice onions thinly and the capsicum pepper and stir it in with the oil mixture.
let the onions redden slightly and then put in the chopped chicken cubes.
sprinkle the qumin powder on top and cover the pot and let the meat cook for about 10-20 mins.

after the chiken has been cooked u put the remaining spices in......the chicken seasoning that comes in the yellow box,corrainder powder, salt, green chillies(blended). let this simmer for a little while longer then add in the sauce.

stir the mixture throughly and then leave aside. remove the tortillas from the packing and wrap in a foil backing and place either in a microwave or heated oven for only 5- 7 mins. dont let the tortillas go brown and chrispy. just till they are soft and flexible enough to roll.the microwave method is easier just read the instructions on the packet.

after heating up the tortillas take each one individually and place on a flat surface and then take at least 2 teaspoon of the chicken mixture and place it on one side of the fajita. do this for all the tortillas.
before rolling the tortillas sprinkle abit of cheese on top of the mixture.
then roll each fajita tightly. and place them in a oval dish oven proof and place them in the oven for about 10-20 mins. keep cheking to see if the bottom layer of the fajitas have not gone brown n chrispy.

..serving suggestions......

to eat with freshly cut lettuce as a side serving.

happy eating
xxxxxxxxxxx

fiz
[]
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
muslimah_bham
06/17/02 at 00:14:24
[slm]
hmmmmmmmmm still no chicken korma
doesnt anyone  know how to cook it?
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
AyeshaZ
06/17/02 at 13:55:18


Asalamu alykum,

he he chiken korma.... i guess i have to get the recipe for you now :)  he he have you heard of Shaan masala's use them they are awesome.. But por favor never put the whole thing in.. :) I was telling my friend about biryani and she cooked it w/ the help of her husband and they put the whole box in cause it said so on the box and additional chillies.. Oh man she called me and told they put the whole thing of yogurt and still was spicy.. Never ever follow the directions of the shaan masala box  :D
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
tq
06/17/02 at 16:04:27
Assalamo elikuim Sister
Inshallah I will post Chicken Korma recipe. I make without  measuring the ingredients ( just andaza= estimate :) ) so i have to really think before posting it otherwise I will be writing "add a little of corriander powder"  a dash of turmeric powder :)
Also it takes a little time cause you have fry the onions and then take them out and fry the ingredients(till roghan) then add chicken  adn later grind the fried onions and mix them with yougurt adn then add to the chicken and wait for roghan i.e till the oil becomes goldenish and  comes up (I hope i am making any sense - :) )
Inshallah i will try(kids summer break has started!!) to post soon
Wasalam
tq
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
muslimah_bham
06/17/02 at 18:47:56
[slm]
jazakallahkhair
my mouth has already watered at the thought of chicken korma.
i cant wait to try and make the dish myself , instead of buying it from my local take away.
Re: Anybody here know how to cook?
dirt
06/20/02 at 06:28:05
[slm]

You are all awesome!  Jazak Allahu Khairan for all of the cool recipes!  And please keep them coming, I still need help.  With your help maybe I could be a [img]http://www.plauder-smilies.de/person/chef.gif[/img]

[wlm]


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