During Covid19, many dads throughout the globe have been inspired to whip up tasty meals for the whole family and these three dads are no exception!

Meet Muhammad, Arnold and Jim – three of Qatar’s talented home cooks with a passion for preparing and sharing great food. Now with more time at home, these dads have taken the opportunity to get back into the kitchen, learn recipes and discover new family favourites.

Pre-COVID19, many families were busy with school runs, traffic jams and long working hours. No doubt the current pandemic has taught one golden rule – time is precious and it’s important to make the most of the current situation at home with our loved ones.

So let’s get back into the kitchen with these three wholesome, nourishing recipes for the whole family.

Happy Father’s Day!

Name: Muhammad Nasir- husband to Fawwazah and father to Huda 10 years and Yusuf 7 years

Occupation - Digital Marketer

Country of origin - Sri Lanka

Recipe name - Banana Muffins - A quick and simple muffin recipe that I always whip up whenever we have overripe bananas. My kids love these for snacks and devour them pretty quickly.

Why is this recipe one of your family favourites? It’s easy to make and no bananas are wasted in this recipe. As an added bonus, my kids get to enjoy all the muffins they want.

Has Covid19 changed the way you cook at home? This pandemic has certainly changed the way I cook. In fact, I have spent more time cooking for the family than when I did back in my home country Sri Lanka.

Recipe: Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 large bananas, mashed

¾ cup white sugar

1 egg

⅓ cup butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray or use paper liners.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
4. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Scoop the combined mixture into muffin pans.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven. If you are making mini muffins, then bake for 10 to 15 minutes, and if large muffins, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Follow Muhammad Nasir on Instagram @moawesomesauce and Facebook @moawesomesauce

Name: Arnold Mathias – husband to Nyrine and father to Anushka 3 years

Occupation: IT Professional

Country: India

Recipe name - Chicken & Mushroom Puffs - Delicious puff pastry squares filled with chicken, mushrooms and a cheesy sauce. Can be served as a tasty snack with afternoon tea or serve it with salad and a beverage for a substantial meal.

Why is this recipe one of your family favourites? My family (especially my 3-year-old mini-me) loves to munch on something every few hours in between meals. This dish keeps her busy as she gets to help Dada with folding the pastry squares, scoring the pastry and brushing the egg wash. The dish comes together fairly quickly in about 20 minutes since the stuffing can be prepared and refrigerated in advance.

Has COVID19 changed the way you cook at home for your family? I experiment more often now than before. Baking is not only reserved for my spouse now - we are involved in the process as a family. The little one gets to score slices of bread or throw some raisins and walnuts into the cake mix and this helps take her mind off from insisting on going out to the playground. All (flour-dusted) hands are now on deck to bake bread.

Recipe: Chicken and Mushroom Puffs

Ingredients

1 packet puff pastry (10 slices) thawed

2 tbsp white sesame seeds (optional)

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 small onion chopped

1 chicken breast, thinly sliced and diced into chunks

1 handful button mushrooms, diced

1 handful of chopped curly parsley (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon plain flour

120ml milk

1 handful grated cheese (cheddar or gouda or any other you prefer)

1 egg - beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to the puff pastry instructions on your packet (Usually around 20 minutes of pre-heat at 200C should suffice).
2. Warm up the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes on medium heat.
3. Add chopped onions and saute for 3 minutes until translucent.
4. Add the chicken and mushrooms. Season and pan fry for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
5. Throw in the chopped parsley and mix well for a minute.
6. Remove from the heat.
7. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat the butter over low heat.
8. When melted add the flour and stir quickly and constantly with a wooden spoon.
9. After a few minutes, slowly add the milk a little at a time. You should end up with a thickish white sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and seasoning.
10. In a bowl, combine the chicken mixture and the sauce. Cover and set aside to cool down. This filling can be made ahead 24 hours in advance if required.
11. Remove from packaging and separate the puff pastry squares from each other.
12. Place the squares on a sheet pan or baking tray lined with baking paper.
13. Brush the edges lightly with beaten egg.
14. Place about 1tbsp of the cooled down filling on the pastry and fold to form a rectangle. Gently press the edges down to stick or crimp the edges with a fork (as shown in picture).
15. Score the pastry if needed.
16. Brush all over with beaten egg.
17. Sprinkle sesame seeds if you wish to at this point.
18. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 200C, or use your puff pastry packet for guidance.
19. Serve warm with ketchup or any dip of your choice.

Follow Arnold Mathias on Instagram @arnoldmathias and on Facebook @arnldmths

Name: Jim Varghese George – husband to wife Beulah Christopher and father to Valerie Rae George 3 years

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

Country of origin: India

Recipe name- Pancakes with Maple Pecan Sauce - light and fluffy pancakes with a warm, nutty pecan sauce.

Why is this recipe one of your family favourites? I am usually up and away before the rest of the family have let the warm sunlight stir their senses and weekend breakfasts are dad’s jam. Few things awaken your senses better than the smell of malt, toasted pecans and warm caramel in the air plus fresh-ground Colombian coffee beans (this may be a close second, but I digress). To me, this recipe embodies family, home and that gleaming joy in the eyes of the ones you love…. the bare necessities of life.

Has COVID19 changed the way you cook at home? One of the first things that we figured to keep sane in a “stay-at-home” situation was to share responsibilities. We took it upon ourselves to cycle and share tasks, including cooking. With many cooks in our home, we’ve experimented more. We have more time to plan a meal and express our culinary ideas. It has kept us busy and made our days interesting.

Recipe: Pancakes with maple pecan sauce

For the Maple Pecan Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup pecan nuts

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt (skip the salt if you are using salted butter)

Method

1. Roughly chop the cup of pecan nuts into smaller chunks for a more uniform crunch
2. Add the pecans to a skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, for about 5-7 minutes. Keep your eyes on them and stir frequently to prevent burning of the nuts. Turn off the heat and keep them aside till they are ready to be added to the sauce.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
4. As the butter foams add the toasted pecans and stir to coat the nuts with the melted butter.
5. Mix in the salt, if using unsalted butter.
6. Add the maple syrup and heat until it simmers for about 3-4 minutes.
7. Stir and leave aside to cool while you prepare the pancakes.

For the Pancakes

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour is a healthier alternative)

2 tbsp malted milk powder (Horlicks is ideal)

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup Laban + 1/2 cup Milk (OR) 1 ½ cup Buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp melted butter

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix using a whisk or a fork.
2. Separate the yolk from the egg white.
3. Using a handheld or electric mixer, beat the egg white till firm peaks form and set aside.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients i.e. laban, milk, melted butter along with the separated egg yolk.
5. Add this wet mix of ingredients to the dry ingredients.
6. Using a whisk stir gently. Do not overwork the batter, some pockets of flour are perfectly fine, overworking the batter will only make it dense.
7. Now, add the beaten egg white into the batter and gently fold into the batter using a whisk or spatula being careful not to deflate the air in the egg white.
8. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Grease the pan with cooking spray or butter. Ladle the batter onto the pan and cover the pan for about 3-4 minutes to allow the steam generated to keep the pancake moist and fluffy.
9. Lift open the cover and once you can see that the edges are beginning to dry, and bubbles have started to form around the edges, gently flip the pancake and continue to brown the other side for another minute.
10. Repeat with remaining batter.
11. Serve with a knob of butter and warm maple pecan sauce.

Follow Jim Varghese George on Instagram @jimbygeorge

What have you been cooking at home? Let us know in the comments section below!

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