Welcome back to our Qatar Home Cooks series! Each week we will feature two talented home cooks with a passion for whipping up delicious meals in their kitchen.

Qatar is a nation of food lovers with an amazing range of citizens from across the globe. With so many top-notch cooks at home right now, we thought it’s time to share some tried and tested recipes that you can try too.

So let’s take a peek into the kitchens of two of Qatar’s talented home cooks to see what’s cooking.

Name: Sandra Pais

Country: India

Occupation: Business Analyst

Has Covid19 changed the way you cook at home? Yes, it has very much changed the way I cook. Now I try to cook fresh food daily and in limited portions. I check on the nutrients and use good oils in my cooking. Like many people, I am experimenting with new dishes. I’m very happy with the end results and good reviews from my family. Some things I would like to continue post-COVID-19 are cleaning and properly storing the food and other supplies to avoid wastage. We are looking into limiting the amount of junk and sugary food during weekends to be replaced by special homecooked meals

What is your dish? Indian Borage (Indian Mint) or Beetroot Paratha (Indian Flat Bread)

Why have you chosen this dish? Firstly, I am proud of this recipe as it is one of my own creations. The Indian Borage has been abundantly growing in my humble kitchen garden and knowing its goodness, I did not want it to go to waste (We use Indian Borage to treat colds and flu symptoms such as runny nose/throat irritation/chest congestion). Also, because the paratha not only tastes good but it is packed with goodness.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp carom (Ajwain) seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp asafetida
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups semolina
• 4 cups Indian borage (mint)
• ½ cup regular mint
• 1 cup coriander leaves
• 4 – 6 green chillies
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger

Method

1. Boil 2 cups of water on medium heat.
2. Add cumin seeds, carom (Ajwain) seeds, turmeric, asafoetida (hing), coconut oil, salt to taste.
3. When the water boils add 2 cups of semolina (sooji). Mix and remove immediately from the flame. Cover and let it cool completely. This will take 2-3 hours.
4. Chop the Indian Borage (Indian Mint), regular mint, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger. (Alternatively: Replace Indian Borage & regular mint with 2 cups of grated beetroot)
5. Knead the semolina mix until it softens and add chopped items. Add wheat flour if needed. Knead to form a soft dough. This dough mix can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week. Take 2 lime sized balls and roll into a flatbread. Trim the edges & pan fry with ghee or coconut/peanut oil. Done.

Instagram: sandra_twinkle; Facebook: Sandra Pais

Name: Gill Johnson

Country: New Zealand

Occupation: Full-time mum, part-time cook, tutor, painter

Has Covid19 changed the way you cook at home? Covid19 has created more family time and getting together over the dinner table. It’s important at this time especially with bedroom-dwelling teenagers so my cooking has shifted to cooking more family meals. I use more pantry ingredients, buy vegetables and fruit in bulk and fill the freezer with home-made sauces, pesto and chutneys. I’m also enjoying having more time in the kitchen and experimenting with different recipes – so I spend a lot of time re-creating dishes that I used to order at restaurants. I spend lots and lots of time baking.

What’s your dish? Malaysian Mee Goreng (a popular stir-fried noodle dish).

Why did you choose this dish? I love street food and spent a year living in Indonesia and Malaysia. Mee Goreng is my ultimate comfort food. Take a good quality noodle with simple seasonings and throw pretty much any vegetable or protein in there, stir fry it over a real high heat and you have a bowl of slurpy goodness!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 grams of fresh egg noodles (or dried noodles cooked in boiling water – until almost cooked but still a bit firm – they will finish cooking in the wok)
• 2 chicken breasts, poached and sliced
• 250 grams of shelled and deveined prawns
• 100 grams of fried tofu (optional)
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup sliced cabbage
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced
• 3 pieces of bok choy, cleaned and sliced
• ½ red capsicum, sliced
• a handful of snow peas
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ to 1 tablespoon of chilli paste (sambal oelek)
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

Method

1. Mix the soy sauce, sweet soy, pepper and chilli paste together. Set aside. (If you can’t get the chilli paste, use siracha, and for the sweet soy, just replace with normal soy sauce and add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce once mixed).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium to high heat. Pour in the whisked eggs and cooked for a minute, flip over and cook for a further minute, remove from pan and slice into strips.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a minute, add prawns and cook until pink.
4. Add the noodles and the sauce and stir-fry over high heat for another minute, add in the chicken, tofu and vegetables and fry until the vegetables and noodles are cooked, this will only take a minute or two. Remember to constantly move everything around the wok.
5. Add the egg strips and squeeze on the lime.
6. Serve in bowls, sprinkle on the coriander and if you like it really spicy add some chilli flakes.

Instagram: @gill.cooks FB: Gill Cooks Blog: www.gillcooks.com

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

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Kim Wyatt

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