Today Saudi Arabia celebrates 87th National Day while we celebrate the 5th year of knowing each other and it is a never-ending journey. It is an occasion worth a sweet dish, but you know me, I am savoury-toothed, so I have a simple and unique Saudi Sambosa recipe using mung beans and minced meat. I came across this recipe during Ramadan and had made a small batch then. We loved it so much that I made these again for the blog for Saudi National Day.

In the current global situation, every country has its own battle but somehow Saudi has always been highlighted for negative reasons by false media. Struggles are real but that does not stop the people from living and sharing their great talents across all fields. I have grown to love the people and the talented Saudi ladies I meet over social media who helped me change my perception. With that note, I am sharing a Saudi recipe of Samosa or what they call, Sambosa which can be easily re-created in any kitchen as there are no fancy spices.

So you see, if you are not into deep frying, you can always make a healthy sandwich. :-)

The recipe is adapted from Arabic Flavor authored by Amal Al Shoomi

Saudi Sambosa | Mung Bean and Meat Samosas

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1. Wash and soak the mung beans for 30 to 40 minutes or overnight. 
2. Pressure cook with water on a medium flame for 4 to 5 whistles or until cooked. You can choose to cook it in a pot too. Ensure to boil off excess water or drain it. 
3. Heat ghee in a pan and add the chopped onions. 
4. Saute until onions turn golden 
5. Add the minced meat and stir until browned and cooked. If using lamb or goat, it may take more time and so add very little water and cover and cook if required. 
6. Stir in the cooked mung beans, chopped leek, salt and spices. 
7. Cover and let it cook for another 5 minutes
8. Open and ensure there is no liquid or too much moisture. If there is, open and cook until they dry up
9. Next, stuff each samosa sheet with one tablespoon or little more of the filling and fold into triangles. Keep the sheets and stuffed samosas always covered to prevent drying. Use a flour paste to seal the wraps. At this point, you can freeze some of the samosas in a freezer box. 
10. Deep fry the samosa triangles in enough oil turning sides till golden brown. 
11. Serve immediately with a hot cup of chai! 

I have already shared this recipe of Luchi over Instagram, but I thought it is must-have on my blog considering how often I make them now. :-) And also because I have a Potato Masala recipe, a puffed bread recipe should be there too. :-P

A few years ago I thought Luchi was another name for Poori and I am sure there are people out there who make Luchi and call it Poori because not everyone is a food blogger. :-D

So for those seeking knowledge, Luchi is a deep fried puffed bread like Poori and is part of Bengali Cuisine. While Pooris are made with wheat flour and deep fried in oil, Luchis are made with all purpose flour or maida and has a copious amount of ghee or oil in the dough.

Luchi Poori | Deep Fried Puffed Indian Bread 

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1. Combine flour, salt and ghee in a large bowl
2. Rub the flour with both your hands until it resembles crumbs. 
3. Gradually, add the water and use a circular motion with your fingers to incorporate the water into the flour and make a dough
4. Knead the dough in the bowl or on the counter for 5 to 8 minutes or so to make a tight and smooth dough which is not sticky. 
5. Coat the dough ball with some oil and cover it completely and let it sit aside to rest for 10 to 20 minutes. 

1. Divide the dough into equal balls (depends on your kadai size) I made a 3-inch diameter Luchi Pooris and got around 15 to 20 
2. Heat plenty of oil in a kadai until very hot. 
3. Take a ball of dough and spread some oil on both sides and roll it out to a 3-inch circle
4. Repeat the same process to roll out the rest of the dough balls and keep them separate and covered
5. Start to fry by first testing the oil. Pinch a small piece of dough and drop it in the oil. If the dough sizzles up to the surface right away the oil is ready.
6. Slide in the rolled out Luchi Poori into the hot oil and immediately splash some hot oil over the top of it with a slotted spatula. This helps in kick start the puffing of the bread. You can also try and gently press down on the Luchi Poori for a few seconds with the back of the spatula to puff it up.
7. Flip over and cook the other side until golden brown.
8. Drain and remove the luchi poori and place it in a basket with paper towels.
9. Serve hot with Potato Masala, Cholar Dal or Kosha Mangsho, etc. 

NOTES:

• Kneading and bringing the dough to a soft, non-sticky texture is imperative
• Don't roll the dough too thin
• Never use flour to dust and roll the dough to avoid the oil. If the dough is sticky, then knead it again but don't omit the oil before rolling 

Finally, the weekend is here! I so look forward to Thursdays because F comes home early which means I have a good company for my evening chai time! 

Gothambu is the Malayalam word for wheat and Kachiyathu means tempered. Now, this clearly doesn't do justice to the other main characters that make this drink drinkable. :-) Actually, this is a three milk hot drink; wheat milk, dairy milk and coconut milk, while the coconut milk is entirely optional. Tres Milk Hot Drink would have been a fancy title for this very popular staple Malabar drink :-P

My mom makes Gothambu Kachiyathu or similar hot drinks like Badam milk, Thari Kachiyathu (semolina based) etc. as a mid-day breakie, especially when we are the only two at home. It is also usually prepared during Ramadan because it has all the good things like grain and milk which will keep you full for a long time.

Nowadays, this kind of warm drinks is my lunch options on weekdays when I am too lazy to cook just for me. I am not sure if you have noticed, I have begun to consciously eat and not skip any meals as I learnt skipping meals is one of the factors causing my weight gain. I said one of the factors... I have to address the rest. I know.

INGREDIENTS

Gothambu Kachiyathu sets as it cools and would be like a pudding if refrigerated.

Temper:

1. Heat ghee in a separate small pan or kadai and add the cashews and fry till golden. Remove each cashew and add it to the hot drink
2. Next, fry the raisins till it puffs up and add them to the pot. 
3. Lastly, add the chopped shallots and fry until golden brown. Add it to the hot wheat milk drink along with the tempered ghee. 
4. Stir well and close the lid for the flavours to infuse
5. Serve in a bowl or mug or tumbler 
6. Refrigerate the remaining if any. 

Semolina Mango Yoghurt Cake with Mastic 

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1. Place a flat pan on low to medium flame and place the pressure cooker over the pan to preheat 
2. Grease the loaf pan lightly and line the pan with baking paper with excess extended on either side so we can lift up the cake once done. 

1. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients like the fine semolina, sugar, cardamom, baking powder and crushed mastic
2. Gradually add the oil and mix well. 
3. Next, fold in the mango puree and yoghurt and mix until homogeneous. Let the batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes. 

1. Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan and garnish with the chopped pistachios.
2. Place the pan in the pressure cooker, close with the lid, without the weight and bake on a medium flame for 20 minutes. Then reduce the flame to low and bake another 30 mins and check the doneness every 20 minutes with a toothpick in the centre. Mine took almost an hour and more. 
3. You can check with a toothpick or touch the centre of the cake and if it is firm, then it is done. Remove the pan immediately and lift off the loaf with the help of excess baking paper and let it cool on the counter. 
4. Slice and serve