Hot, new flavours for Ramadan

Baked chicken balls Makes 12-15 meatballsDeliciously cheesy meatballs, these taste great on their own or served with accompaniments like pasta, rice, fries pap or tea.Ingredients3slices white bread, torn into small bits (1 cup)1/3 cup of milk, preferably skimmed2 small onions, finely chopped1 tbsp finely grated cheese1small garlic clove, minced1large eggHalf kg of minced or ground […]

Baked chicken balls
Makes 12-15 meatballs
Deliciously cheesy meatballs, these taste great on their own or served with accompaniments like pasta, rice, fries pap or tea.
Ingredients
3slices white bread, torn into small bits (1 cup)
1/3 cup of milk, preferably skimmed
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated cheese
1small garlic clove, minced
1large egg
Half kg of minced or ground chicken (preferably chicken breast)
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1-2 tsp. chilli flakes (dried pepper) (optional)
1-2 green chillies chopped (optional)
2 tbsp. ketchup
Oil for greasing the pan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C with a rack in the middle.
In a small bowl, soak the bread in milk until softened.
Meanwhile, preheat a medium skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened for about 6 minutes. Cool slightly. Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk, and then discard milk.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg, then add the chicken, tomato paste, parsley, cheese, onion mixture, chilli flakes, green chilli and the bread. Mix well and form 12-15 meatballs with your hands.
Lightly spray or oil a baking sheet and place the meatballs in it. Squeeze a little ketchup on top of each meatball and spread with a teaspoon.
Bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Semolina Pudding
Serves 4
A very simple, light and delicious pudding that is quick to make and perfect for a refreshing after-meal dessert.
Ingredients
500ml whole milk
2 heaped tbsp. fine semolina
5-6 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla essence
A few drops of red food colouring
1 scoop of vanilla ice-cream (optional)
Crushed nuts for garnishing
Instructions
Mix the semolina in some of the milk to form a thick paste. Pour the rest of the milk into a pan; add the sugar and red food coloring (just enough to turn the milk a nice pink color). Bring to a boil and then add the semolina paste and the vanilla essence. Keep the heat on low and simmer gently while stirring until it thickens. This should take about 5-8 minutes to reach the consistency of custard pudding.
If you prefer it thicker, simply mix some more semolina in a bit of milk and add it in, simmer some more. If you want it thinner, add a bit of milk and boil for a bit. Keep in mind that the pudding will thicken some more as it cools in the fridge once it is done.
Turn off the heat, add the scoop of vanilla ice-cream and stir until it has melted into the mixture. This adds some extra richness and flavor to the pudding. Now pour the pudding into serving bowls, garnish with nuts and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
Serve and enjoy watching guests come back for more!

Savoury crepe
Serves 8-10 Crepes
A crepe is a type of very thin pancake made from flour, eggs, sugar/salt, milk and butter. Crepes can be either sweet or savoury, depending on personal taste or for what meal they are being prepared.
These are savoury ones, perfect for a light Iftar/ dinner, and the best way to use up leftovers because just about any filling works beautifully in these soft and delicious wraps!
Ingredients
1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
A drop of garlic paste (optional)
1 tbsp. chopped coriander
1 chopped red or green chilli
Oil or butter for greasing the pan
A saucepan, preferably non-stick (about 8”)
Ingredients for Chicken Marinade
250gm boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 tbsp. yoghurt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
A pinch of red chilli powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
Other Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
Sliced stir-fried mushrooms (optional)
Boiled potato cubes (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper powder
1 chopped green chilli
2 tbsp. chopped coriander
Instructions
First, prepare the Filling
Marinate the chicken strips in the marinade ingredients for at least 30 minutes. Then grill or fry the chicken until done (takes about 3 minutes per side) and slice into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Next, heat the butter, fry onions until soft then add the flour, salt and black pepper. Add the milk, cook until it thickens, mix in the cooked chicken (and cooked mushrooms/potatoes if you are using them) add chopped green chillies and coriander leaves. Turn off the heat.
Crepes preparation
Mixing of all dry ingredients, put the flour, chopped chilli, chopped coriander and salt in a mixing bowl and give them a quick stir using a whisk to combine the ingredients and aerate the flour.
In a small jug, pour the milk, water and eggs. Whisk them together.
Make a well in your dry ingredients and gradually pour the wet ingredients whilst whisking until you have a thin batter. Lastly, add the melted butter and drop of garlic paste and whisk until well incorporated.
You can now use the batter right away or cover and rest it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This batter can keep perfectly for up to 2 days if refrigerated. Remember to give the batter a quick stir before using.
To cook the crepes, heat your frying pan on medium heat until very hot. Put a few drops of oil or butter and swirl it around or wipe it with a kitchen towel to have a thin coating of oil on the pan.
Scoop about a 1/4 cup (use a measuring cup if you have one) of batter and pour it on the hot pan. Grab the handle and swirl the pan around to distribute the batter evenly and as thinly as possible. Set the pan back on the heat and cook for about a minute or less. Once the bottom of the crepe is slightly browned and cooked, flip it over and cook the other side.
Remove the ready crepe on a plate and wipe the pan with a drop of oil in preparation for the next one. Repeat the procedure until all the crêpes are done and ready.
Roll some of the filling in each crepe and serve warm.