Chicken Mole Recipe Chicken mole is a delicious Mexican recipe using the most exotic and flavorsome combination of Mexican chilies in conjunction with dark chocolate and spices. Mole chicken is a festive dish of Mexico served at any special occasions, be it birthday, weeding or family get-together. It is fair to say that I am obsessed with Mexican cooking. Believe me, I am no expert at it, but just love experimenting. Last weekend, after visiting a modern contemporary Mexican bistro and sampling so many tasty finger-food style dishes accompanied with just one too many Mojito - I decided to make this recipe the next day! Serve this dish alongside freshly made guacamole, rice, bean, tortilla and tomato salsa. Happy Cooking! P.S this recipe feed 5-6 amigos. So adjust the ingredients to your requirement or freeze the extra. Ingredients - Chicken 2 kg chicken cut into serving pieces 1 onion - chopped 1 garlic - chopped Salt - seasoning Oil or lard Toasted white sesame seeds & fresh coriander to garnish Ingredients - Mole Sauce 6 Ancho chillies ADD TO CART 4 Pasilla chilliesADD TO CART 4 Mulato chillies  ADD TO CART 1 drained can of chipotle in adobo sauce - seeded and chopped ADD TO CART 2 onions -roughly chopped 2 garlic - roughly chopped 450g of tomato - peeled and cut into quarter 1 stale tortilla (or 1/2 piece of stale bread) - torn into pieces 50g sultanas 115g ground almond 50g white sesame seeds ADD TO CART 1/2tsp coriander powder ADD TO CART 1 tbsp of Ceylon cinnamon powder ADD TO CART 1 tsp of anise - ground ADD TO CART 1/2 tsp of black peppercorns whole ADD TO CART 4 tbsp of oil/lard 40g unsweetened bitter dark chocolate 25g soft brown sugar - you may need some extra 1 tsp of salt - extra salt of seasoning   Method Put chicken pieces into a saucepan large enough to hold them in one layer. Add onion, garlic and salt. Cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 35-40 minutes. Remove the stalk and seed from all chilies. Tear the chili pods into pieces and soak in a small bowl of boiling water for 20 minutes until soft. The chilies should be covered with water. In a food processor, add the soaked chilies and 1/4 liquid along with all other ingredients. Process to a fine paste. Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan with cover. Remove the chicken pieces from stock liquid and add to the pan. (remember the oil will be splattering, so have the lid nearby to cover immediately) Once the chicken pieces are lightly browned, remove from saucepan and set aside. To the same saucepan, add the homogenized mole paste with the remaining oil. Saute, whilst stirring, for 15 minutes until fragrant. Now add 475ml of chicken stock to the mixture. (make it up with water if necessary). Add chocolate, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat until the chocolate is completely melted. Then stir in sugar and cook for further 5minutes. Add the chicken to the mole sauce ensuring it is immersed in the sauce. Cover and cook on low heat for another 30-45 minutes until all the flavors have come together and chicken is cooked. At the final stage, adjust the sugar and seasoning. Garnish with the fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds. Nush-e-Jan! (Enjoy!)  

Israeli Moghrabieh I absolutely love grains and pulses anytime of the year in particular during the cooler months. Israeli Moghrabieh or giant couscous as you may know it, is a much loved traditional dish of Middle- East exhibiting in many cuisines such as Israeli, Lebanese and Palestinian. Moghrabieh in Arabic translates to a dish from Maghreb. Making couscous is like an art... thinking of different ways of making this blank canvas (or should I say bland canvas) into a master piece. Adding a bit of sour yellow from Preserved Lemons with a hint of red from the tangy crushed Sumac berry. Then mixing it through with the green and vibrant colour of dried dill and fresh mint. That's why I'd like to think of Moghrabieh or couscous in general as a feasting dish to be shared in huge platters with family and friends. Not only it's easy to cook-up but more importantly is visually appetizing. This dish served along side my favorite lamb tagine (recipe here) is a crowd winner at all my gatherings and parties. Enjoy creating, sharing and indulging! Ingredients 2 cups of Moghrabieh ADD TO CART 4 cups of water 2 tablespoon of Persian ghee ADD TO CART 2 tablespoon of rose water ADD TO CART 2 tbsp of finely diced preserved lemons ADD TO CART 1 tablespoon of dried dill ADD TO CART 1 tablespoon of Persian Sumac ADD TO CART 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint 1 tbsp of salt 1 clove of garlic - bruised Pinch of salt and pepper 1 tablespoon of olive oil Method In a heavy based pot on high heat, add moghrabieh, water, salt and garlic. Bring to boil for 10-15 minutes. Then simmer for further 15 minutes until moghrabieh is cooked. Drain excess liquid and discard the garlic. In a serving platter, combine all other ingredients. Add cooked moghrabieh and toss through well. Serve with lamb tagine or your favourite middle Eastern stew. *** Cooking Tip *** the heat from moghrabieh will melt the persian ghee, so make sure to stir through thoroughly. Nush-e-Jan! (Enjoy!)

Flour Tortillas - principle food of the Aztecs is a delightful and simple recipe enjoyed by everyone across the globe. Tortillas can be made from stone ground white corns (Masa Lista) or Yellow Corn (Masa harina) or from plain flour. The following recipe uses the plain flour or bread flour. Ingredients - 230g Plain flour. Extra flour for dusting - 60g butter or margerine -goo pinch of salt (1/2 tsp) -100ml of water Method Combine the flour, salt and butter. Then add water slowly while mixing until the dough starts to come together. then lightly dust the bench with extra flour and start kneading the dough until smooth smooth. then divide the dough into 10-12 equal size balls. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes  to 1 hour. Dust a work surface with flour. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hands. Then using a rolling pin roll out to a round tortilla about 10-15cm rounds. Use an old heavy base frying pan and heat on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot enough, place the rolled out tortilla and cook for one minute each side. You will see the tortilla puffs up with small brown spots appearing. this is a good sign. Place in a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with Beef Chilli Con Carne. Fresh Cream. Salads. Avocado.

Rose & Pistachio Couscous I absolutely love flamboyance with minimal effort during a busy time of the year. I think about food all the time. I am constantly thinking of ways to create something spectacular, visually appetizing that gets my guests and loved ones starting a conversation at a gathering. After all that's what food is all about.... right?! What is even more satisfying for me is the background sounds of ooohh, ahhhh and yummmm by the guests at the table. The passing of platters, the talking of flavours... the simple joys of life! This recipe I am about to share with you has been a crowd winner at all my gatherings and parties. Enjoy creating, sharing and indulging! Ingredients 250g couscous - cook according to packet instruction 2 tablespoon of Persian ghee ADD TO CART 2 tablespoon of rose water 4 tbsp of Barberries - rinsed ADD TO CART 3 tablespoon of Persian Slivered Pistachio ADD TO CART Handful of Persian Rose Petals ADD TO CART 1 tsp finely chopped Preserved Lemons ADD TO CART Pinch of salt and pepper 1 tablespoon of butter   Method Prepare the couscous as per packet instruction. Fluff the cooked couscous with persian Ghee to evenly coat the couscous Heat butter in a small saucepan. Add rinsed barberries. Saute for 1 minute until plump. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cooked barberries to the couscous. Mix well. Serve in a white platter. Nush-e-Jan! (Enjoy!)                    

Asian Indian Pantry Spices The key to making wholesome and comforting curries starts with your ingredients. Spices are quintessential to cooking any Asian or Indian curry dishes. Okay - you may ask what brings this up?! well it all started last Sunday. Whenever I am overwhelmed with a task in hand, such as painting our house which is not the funnest job to do, I find myself doing the oddest clean-up ever! Last Sunday I decided to go through my huge pantry spices, re-jar, re-label and re-arrange. Whilst lovingly going through my collections, I remembered that once a customer asked me "what are the spices you could never do without?!" At that instant, all I could say was "Oh My God, I couldn't imaging not having ALL my spices... " With this memory flash whilst having a giggle or two to myself, it dawned on me that this question is quiet serious! Too serious in fact! Which one of these spices do I choose? How excruciating! After much deliberation I narrowed the collection to 50, 30 and finally 15 MUST-HAVE-SPICES. I tried really hard to narrow it down even further.. but I had to stop myself with all of this non-sense and finish off pantry clean-up and get back to what I really needed to do - painting our laundry which is three weeks going now! No discredit to all the other amazing spices out there - but here is my pick of the range. With this note; how is your pantry spice collection? How many could you forgo?   Asian and Indian Pantry Spices Turmeric Powder Cumin Seeds Whole Coriander Seeds Whole Cloves Whole Green Cardamom Whole Black Peppercorns Fennel Seeds Fenugreek Seeds Black Mustard seeds Garam Masala Curry Powder - single roasted and mild Saffron 1g Nutmeg Whole Nigella Seeds Ceylon Cinnamon 35g ADD TO CART Collection of these 15 spices packed in 50g quantity for only $44.95     Fresh Spices and bits and bobs you may need Onion Garlic Ginger Red and Green Chilli Ghee ADD TO CART Yoghurt Coconut flour ADD TO CART Besan flour ADD TO CART Curry Leaves ADD TO CART   Spicy Cooking Tips Roasting your wholes spices is an important first part of curry making. You will be amazed how this simple and quick process would make a difference to the overall flavours of the dish. Dry roasting is to wake up the spices by activating the essential oil. Heat a heavy based pan on medium heat Add your wholes spices - continuously stir to avoid burning the spices as it will make your curry bitter Remove from heat and remove from the pan to stop the roasting process

Goan Pork Curry I absolutely love hearty comfort food in winter. A good curry makes everything okay and today calls for a comforting Goan pork curry. A lot has been happening.... we have sent off our first order to a Netherland gourmet store...... My team and I have been busy shipping off our online orders across Australia including regional Australia and New Zealand.... And on a personal note; It’s been two long months of house renovation with no where near finishing. The rain definitely doesn’t help leading to more delays. Frankly it has been much joy cooking out of boxes....but I keep telling myself it will be all worth it at the end. Back to important recipe sharing : This curry recipe is an accidental invention or should I say Experimentation.... And this surprisingly delicious curry is definitely worth sharing with you. Enjoy creating, sharing and indulging!   Ingredients 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds ADD TO CART 2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds ADD TO CART 1 generous teaspoon of cardamom powder ADD TO CART 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder ADD TO CART 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder ADD TO CART 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorn ADD TO CART 6 cloves whole ADD TO CART 5 dried whole chillies ADD TO CART 1/3 cup white vinegar 1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar 6-8 clove of garlic - finely chopped 1 large onion - chopped 1 tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon of salt - add more if required 40g of Persian ghee ADD TO CART 40ml of rice bran oil 700g of free range pork- cut into 3cm cubes Method Dry fry the spices and red chilli in a fry pan for 2 minutes until well fragrant. Grind the spices using pestle and mortar or spice grinder to a fine powder. Then mix this powder with vinegar, brown sugar and salt to form a paste. Heat half oil & in a saucepan, add onion and fry until golden. Add garlic and ginger and fry for further 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a food processor with 2 tablespoon of water (add more if required) to form a smooth paste. Heat the remaining ghee and oil. Add pork cubes and cook until well browned. Add the onion paste to the meat along with the vinegar and spice paste. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring. Add 1 cup of hot boiling water to the meat mixture. Bring to a rapid boil and then simmer to cook for 1-2 hours. Serve with Persian Cumin rice and natural yoghurt. *** Cooking Tip *** you can cook this dish in slow cooker on very low heat for 4-5 hours. May need to add more liquid as required. Nush-e-Jan! (Enjoy!)

Persian Ghee & Sour cream Pastry. Pastry Ingredients  - 200g chilled Persian Ghee - 250g plain flour - 130g sour cream - pinch of salt   Pastry Method  1. In a food processor pulse the flour and Persian Ghee until it looks like course breadcrumb. 2. Add sour cream and continue to pulse until a dough starts forming into a ball. 3. On a flour dusted bench top/board, shape the pastry into a rectangle and wrap with plastic film and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. 4. Roll the pastry out to 3 mm thick and cut into circle. Place into the pie mould and then rest in fridge for further 20 minutes.  

Tandoori Curry Recipe Tandoori curry recipe a classic Indian curry made the easy way. It is no surprise to anyone that I love Indian curry and above all I love playing around with different spices to create an awesome home-made curry. Although I don't like to brag about this....once in a while I also like to cheat my way through recipes... and with the busy week before the Easter break, my motivation for cooking was at its lowest yet I wasn't quiet prepared for a take out curry. Admittedly, the stock in my fridge wasn't inspiring either. Luckily, I had some dorper lamb meat, half a pumpkin and a jar of the Spice Library tandoori paste to make a fuss free curry. And this is how my cheat Tandoori Lamb Curry came to fruition. Serve this dish with a traditional Indian Bread (recipe here) Love to hear your thoughts... feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy! Watch the video Here   Ingredients 3 tbsp of the Spice Library Tandoori Paste ADD TO CART 1 tablespoon of coconut oil 2 tablespoon of Persian Ghee ADD TO CART 1 tsp of cooking salt – extra for seasoning 2 tomatoes – roughly chopped 1 red shallot – finely chopped 1 clove of garlic – minced 1 tsp of fresh ginger – minced 1 green chilli – roughly chopped 1 tsp of cumin seeds ADD TO CART 1tsp of fennel seeds ADD TO CART 1 cinnamon quill ADD TO CART 10 cloves ADD TO CART 10 peppercorns ADD TO CART 4 green cardamom pods ADD TO CART 1 cup of pumpkin and potato - roughly chopped 350g Lamb meat (you can substitute this with beef or chicken pieces if desired) Boiling water - enough to just cover the curry mixture Persian Cumin Rice - side dish ADD TO CART Method Heat Persian ghee and coconut oil in a heavy based non-stick pot (23cm-25cm diameter) over medium heat until starting to smoke. Add the whole spice seeds and fry whilst siring until fragrant. Add shallots, garlic, ginger and green chilies and fry to slightly brown. Stirring continuously allows for the flavors to evolve and bind together. Then add tomato and meat and salt. Stir well to combine. Saute for 10 -15 minutes. Then add Tandoori paste. Combine well and saute for further 10 minutes. Now stir through the vegetables. Followed by boiling water. Cover and cook for 60-90 minutes on low heat. The long cooking time will allows the dish to come together. Adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chilies and fresh shallots and herbs. Serve this dish with Persian Cumin Rice or traditional Indian Bread

Homemade Banana Cupcakes. Do you also feel guilty of throwing away the sad looking bananas on your fruit platter? I know I do. So it was time to get creative.... this recipe proved to be a great success. Best of all quick and easy. Banana Cupcakes (makes 16) Ingredients - 125g softened butter - 165g soft brown sugar - 2 happy eggs - 225g self raising flour - 1 tsp of mixed spices - 1/2 tsp bicarb. soda - 1 cup (full) of overripe banana - 120g sour cream - 60 ml full cream milk Method 1. Preheat oven to 180C (fan forced). Line 16 holes of muffin tray with paper cases. 2. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl (electric mixer is much easier) until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. 3. Add mixture (Dry) sifted to the above mixture. Then fold through banana, sour cream & milk in two batches and mix gently. 4. add the mixture to the cases only filling 1/4 of the case. Bake for 20125 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Once ready. stand for 5 minutes before before removing the cupcakes out of the muffin tray. Icing Ingredients -60g cream cheese - 30g butter - 1 1/2 cups icing sugar - sifted - 2-3 tsp of lemon juice - Brewed saffron (or can use yellow coloring)   Method 1. beat cream cheese with butter until light and fluffy. 2. Gradually add in the sifted icing sugar. Followed by lemon juice and saffron (or food coloring). 3. Ensure the icing mixture is homogenous and smooth. Using a piping bag - pipe this icing in small batches over the cooled banana cupcake.  

Persian Zucchini Kuku I absolutely love this vegetarian Kuku. The Persian word Kuku translates to Frittata. This dish is an absolute favourite snack or quick lunch in Iran. The perfect summer serving. Every household have their representation of this dish. My mother always used to prepare the herby kuku full of her fresh garden herbs. Being prevailed to start my own organic garden recently - I am constantly thinking of ways to use the beautiful harvests from my garden. Also to use the abundant of eggs I receive from my two gorgeous chooks, Lola and Leilah. This recipe I am about to share with you can be a perfect starter or cold lunch wrapped in pitta bread. Add fresh rocket and Persian feta on top... and enjoy! Enjoy creating, sharing and indulging! Ingredients 1 large zucchini - coarsely grated 1 large tomato - finely sliced and chopped 1 carrot - grated 1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley - 1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander 1 tbsp of chopped fresh sweet basil 1 tsp of chopped fresh mint 3 happy eggs 4 tablespoon of Persian ghee ADD TO CART 1 table spoon of Advieh Spice Blend ADD TO CART 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper  ADD TO CART 1/2 tsp of salt 1/2 lemon Method Prepare the  fresh ingredients. Rinse fresh herbs and spin dry before chopping. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is aerated (light and frothy). On medium heat, add ghee or oil to a small non-stick fry pan. Add mixture to the pan. Cook on one side for at least 15 minutes.Then  cover with aluminum foil & cook on low heat for further 10 minutes until the bottom layer is golden. Remove the foil, place a plate on top of the pan and invert the Kuku onto the plate. Transfer the uncooked side to the pan (face down) and cook for further 10 mins on low/medium heat until golden or a tester comes out clean. Top up the kuku with fresh rocket and feta. Serve with warm pitta or Turkish bread. You will notice that there is no picture of the cooked dish.... unfortunately the hungry household members got to it before my camera did :) Nush-e-Jan! (Enjoy!)