The Silk Road Café’s Afternoon tea with a twist.

INGREDIENTS

To serve 4

Vegetable

1 cup cooked mung dall beans

3 potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 ½ courgette, sliced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, pepper, cinnamon and salt. Turn the heat on low and allow the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add  the mung beans to the sauce.

Add oil to a pan and gently fry, separately, the courgette and potato until each vegetable is softened but not brown.  Dry them on some kitchen paper.

For the white sauce you need to melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 2 min. Add all the milk and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Allow sauce to bubble gently for 2 min. Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper and egg.

Now assemble the Mousakka. In a deep baking dish spread half of the tomato mung bean sauce over the bottom.  Add the slices of courgette and potato. Spread the remaining half of the tomato and mung bean sauce on top.

Finish the mousakka off with adding the white sauce. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees and cook for 15-20 min until golden brown on top.

Tomato sauce

½ lb ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbls tomato puree

1 tbls extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp fresh or dried oregano

½ tsp ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

White sauce

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

INGREDIENTS

To serve 4

200 g chickpeas, soaked over night & drained

1 handful of finely chopped parsley

3 cloves crushed garlic

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 finely chopped white onions

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 handful of finely chopped fresh coriander

Handful finely chopped dill

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of pepper

½ sesame seeds

Olive oil for deep-frying

Place the drained chickpeas in a food processor and blend.

Add the parsley, garlic, cumin, onions, salt, nutmeg, coriander, baking powder and pepper. Blend until it has a fine consistency.

Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes.

Form the mixture into 8 small balls. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on each falafel and fry them in olive oil until brown and crispy.

Serve with hummus and harissa

Silk Road Café note:

You do not have to use olive oil to fry the falafels. Any vegetable oil is suitable.

INGREDIENTS

To serve 4

½ kg of diced lamb (leg or shoulder with minimum amount of fat)

 1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil

 5 cups cold water

 ½ tsp ground nutmeg

 2 bay leaves

 3 whole black pepper

 ½ onion

 ½ tsp salt

Step 1:

 Heat oil in a pan and fry the diced lamb for 3-4 min till its brown. Add cold   water, nutmeg, bay leave, black pepper, onion and salt and bring it to the   boil. Simmer under a lid for 30 min. Then drain the water from the lamb but   keep the stock. Set the lamb aside.

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp ground ginger

 ¼ tsp chili powder

 2 tsp curry powder

 3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

 2 onions (finely chopped)

 2 tsk tomato puree

 3 whole tomatoes (finely chopped)

 ½ tsp cumin powder

 1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil

 Stock from the lamb (approx. 4 cups)

 ½ tsp salt

Step 2:

 Heat oil in a pan and add all spices, garlic and onion. Fry them for a few min.   Add tomato puree and 4 cups of lamb stock and bring to the boil. Add a lid   and simmer for 30 min.

 Step 3:

 Add sauce mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of cooked chickpeas

 Salt and pepper

Step 4:

 Add the sauce and lamb to a pan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 15   min. Then add the chickpeas and check the flavour – if needed add a bit of   salt and pepper.

Serve the lamb curry with rice

INGREDIENTS

To serve 4

1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 tbls olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp saffron

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbls tomato puree

100 gram dates, pitted and halved

2 oranges cut into wedges (with skin on)

50 gram flaked almonds

2 tbls chopped fresh coriander

METHOD

Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, ginger, paprika, saffron and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and stir. Marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the fridge.

Fry the chicken, including the marinade, onion, garlic, chili, tomatoes, tomato puree and brown sugar in a pan.

Transfer the chicken into a tajien (or oven proof dish) and add the dates and almonds.

Bake in the oven at 140 degrees for 2 hours. Add the slices of orange and bake for another 1 hour.

 Sprinkle chopped coriander over the tajin and serve with couscous and roasted vegetables.