Saucy White Fish

1 Kg Fish, sliced and cleaned (6 – 8 slices) or 6 – 8 fillet fish.

Combine the following ingredients:

125 ml Fresh Cream
3 teaspoons ground green chillies
4 teaspoons ground garlic
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground, black pepper

- Marinate fish in above ingredients for +/- 1 hour.
- Lay out in oven tray.
- Arrange blobs of butter over fish and bake in preheated oven 180 degree C, for +/- 25 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare sauce as follows:

125 ml fresh cream
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground, black pepper
2 teaspoons ground garlic
3 tablespoons butter

- Allow sauce to cook in a pot until it thickens.
- Pour over each slice of fish and garnish with parsley.
- Serve immediately.

This fish goes very well served with garlic and parsley potatoes

Tiramisu

Serves 4 -6
Ingredients :
1 Cup boiling Water
1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
2 Boxes Boudoir biscuits
125ml Fresh cream
2 Tbsp Icing Sugar
250g Mascarpone Cheese
Cocoa for sprinkling

Method :
Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water.
Dip contents of one box of biscuits into the Liquid and line a square or rectangular pie dish.
Whip cream with icing sugar until stiff, then fold in Mascarpone.
Spread half of this mixture over the biscuits.
Repeat the process with the remaining biscuits and the cheese mixture.
Sprinkle cocoa evenly over the top,using a sieve.
Refrigerate before serving.

Feel like eating something Haram

Do you ever feel like eating something Haram? eat-halal.com's founder & editor gives a first hand account.

I stood in the soup aisle in the supermarket. I had been having cream of mushroom for the last week or so as a part of lunch, and Alhamdulillah, it was okay, but the taste wasn’t all that great. I was looking for an alternative. Maybe cream of vegetable or just tomato vegetable. A fancy can of Campbell’s soup with chicken or beef (can’t recall) caught my attention. It looked delicious. Plus, for all my life, I had only bought vegetable prepared soups. Perhaps, only for once, I could try a delicious meat soup? The thought crossed my mind for a few short seconds. My mind tried to justify this potentially enormous error in judgment. “It’s not pork,” I told myself. “Some Muslims just eat any meat (as long as it’s not pork) anyway”. “I’ll just try it once.” “It’s not THAT much of a big deal, is it?” Thankfully, I snapped out of this misguided state of mind after a few seconds, and didn’t buy the product. I picked up a pack of instant tomato vegetable soup instead, and was soon on my way.
As I reflect back at those few moments, I can only praise Allah (SW) that he didn’t let me fall prey to my desires. 
 
  “It’s not pork,” I had told myself. So what? Pork is not the only thing that is prohibited. Allah (SW) has said: “Eat not of (meats) over which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. That would be sinful (fisq).” (Surah al-An’am; 121) 
“They ask you what is lawful for them (as food). Say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure and what you have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah. Eat what they catch for you and pronounce the name of Allah over it.” (Surah al-Ma’idah; 4) 
“Why should you not eat of (meats) on which Allah’s name has been pronounced?” (Surah al-An’am; 119)
“And there are cattle on which, (at slaughter), they do not pronounce the name of Allah, a fabrication against Him. Soon He will requite them for what they have been fabricating.” (Surah al-An’am; 138) 

How do we know that the pronouncement of the name of Allah is meant to be at the time of slaughter and not at any other time? Jundub ibn Sufyan al-Bajali (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that: “Once we offered some animals as sacrifice with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Some people slaughtered their sacrifices before the Eid prayer. When the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) completed his prayer, he saw that they had slaughtered before the prayer, so he said: “Whoever slaughtered before the prayer, should slaughter another animal (sacrifice) in place of it, and those who did not slaughter until we prayed, should slaughter by pronouncing the name of Allah." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 5500) 
Rafi’ ibn Khadij (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “if the killing tool causes the blood to gush out, and the name of Allah is pronounced, then eat (of the slaughtered animal).” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 5498)  The two hadith above show a direct correlation between slaughter and the pronouncement of the name of Allah, at the time of slaughter.
 
“Some Muslims just eat any meat (as long as it’s not pork) anyway”
Just because some Muslims do something, it doesn’t make it any less unlawful or severe. Whosoever does something, he/she will be held responsible for it by Allah (SW). The punishment given to me for a given act will not be lowered just because I had followed what somebody else was doing simply because I felt like doing it (unless Allah decides to forgive me).
 
 
  “I’ll just try it once.” “It’s not THAT much of a big deal, is it?”
Of course it’s a big deal! Breaking even the smallest of the orders of Allah (SW) even once, is a big deal, and should be considered to be as such. Allah, Most High, has said: 
“O people! Eat of what is in the earth, Halal and Pure, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, for you he is an open enemy.” (Surah al-Baqarah; 168) 
“Eat of that which Allah hath bestowed on you as food lawful and good, and keep your duty to Allah in Whom ye are believers.” (Surah al-Ma’idah; 88)

In fact, it is such a big deal that the dua’as (supplications) of a person whose diet is Haram may not accepted by Allah (SW). This means that if our diet is Haram, our calls and requests to Allah (SW) could go unheeded! (May Allah protect us. Ameen)
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Allah the Almighty is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the Messengers, and the Almighty has said: “O Messengers! Eat of the pure things and do right”. And Allah the Almighty has said: “O you who believe! Eat of the pure things We have provided you.” Then he (Allah bless him & give him peace) mentioned (the case of) a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the heavens (saying): “O Lord! O Lord!” —while his food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can he be answered!” (Sahih Muslim) 

Now that we know the importance of eating Halal, let’s try to eat Halal - all the time. If we’ve knowingly eaten Haram before, this is a good time to make sincere repentance to Allah (SW), and to promise Him that we’ll never do it again (Insha-Allah). “O you who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him.” (Surah at-Tahrim; 8)

May Allah forgive us and guide us onto the right path. Ameen.

Cod Fish Cakes

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb of cod fillets
• 2 medium-sized russett potatoes
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point oil such as canola oil, for frying

Method

1 Boil and mash the potatoes, set them aside.
2 Boil the codfish until it flakes easkly. Drain and flake the fish with a fork. Be sure to remove all bones.
3 Mix the flaked fish, the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients together well by hand. If the mixture is too crumbly, add another egg. If too sticky, add some more bread crumbs.
4 Form the mixture into cakes and fry them on medium high heat in a skillet coated with oil, until nice browned on one side, then flip them over and continue to cook until well browned on the other side.

Chicken Zucchini

Ingredients

4 pieces of lean skinless chicken breast 

1 cup raw Zucchini 

2 table spoons of any kind of shredded cheese 

1 raw onion 

salt 

pepper 

oregano

Method
Pre-heat oven to 450
Cut Zucchini and Onion into slices
Arrange Chicken breast onto non stick baking pan
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano
Sprinkle cheese onto chicken
Arrange sliced Zucchini so that its covering the chicken
Arrange onions onto Zucchini
Bake for 30 minutes covered

Lamb Kofta Manchurian

Ingredients:
The Kofta:
450 gms - freshly minced lamb
1 tbsp - ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp - garlic, finely chopped
2 - green chillies, finely chopped
½ cup - spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp - soya sauce
1 tsp - black pepper powder
1 tbsp - vinegar
2 tbsp - flour
2 tbsp - cornflour
½ cup - spring onion leaves
cornflour for dusting
oil for deep frying
salt to taste
The Manchurian Sauce:
2 tbsp - garlic, chopped
3 tbsp - ginger, chopped
3 tbsp - celery, chopped
1 - medium red onion, chopped
½ cup - spring onions, chopped
In a bowl:
2 tbsp - oyster sauce
½ tsp - ajinomotto
1 tbsp - red chilli paste
1 tsp - white pepper powder
1 tbsp - vinegar
1 tsp - sesame seeds
1 tbsp - cornflour, dissolved in � cup water
1 ½ cups - lamb/chicken stock
2 tbsp - oil
2 tbsp - coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method
To make the koftas:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the kofta in a bowl and knead for 2-3 mins.
2. Refrigerate for 30 mins.
3. Shape into walnut sized balls and roll in the cornflour.
4. Heat oil in a wok. Deep fry the koftas till golden brown.
5. Drain and keep aside.

To make the Manchurian sauce:

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a wok.
2. Add red onions and saut� for 30 seconds.
3. Add ginger and garlic and celery. Saute for another 30 seconds.
4. Now add the chopped spring onions and saut� for further 30 seconds.
5. Add the sesame oil and stir.
6. Add the contents of the bowl.
7. Add stock and when it starts simmering, add the ingredients mixed in the bowl.
8. After 30 seconds, add the koftas.
9. Simmer for 30 seconds and stir in the cornflour solution.
10. Check seasoning and add salt.
11. Add chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Chicken Kiev

Ingredients:

100g (3 ½ oz) butter, softened
2 garlic cloves, crushed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 tbsp plain flour
1 egg, beaten
150g (5 ½ oz) fresh breadcrumbs
sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Prepare Ahead:

The flavoured butter can be made up to 1 day in advance and chilled.

Preparation:

1 - Place the butter in a bowl and stir in the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form into a block, wrap in cling film, then chill until firm.
2 - Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of cling film; pound them flat using a rolling pin.
3 - Cut the butter into 4 sticks and place one on each of the breasts. Fold the other side of the chicken up and over the butter, enclosing it completely.
4 - Season the flour with salt and pepper. Keeping the chicken closed, dip each piece in the seasoned flour, then in beaten egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly.
5 - Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F). Fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes depending on size, or until golden brown.
6 - Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot.