Sweet Potato Muffins

• 2 cups wholemeal flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more if you prefer a stronger taste)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup  butter – melted
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit)
2. If using a silicone muffin tin, you don’t need to do anything. If you’re using a traditional tin, either grease it or line it with muffin liners.
3. Mix up the dry ingredients in one bowl.
4. In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil with the mashed sweet potatoes.
5. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined and all the flour has been moistened.
6. Fill your muffin cups to about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. You can serve these with a glaze (recipe below)
7. Makes about 18 muffins for me.

Once cooled these can be frozen
Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons butter – melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over warm muffins.

Arabic Meat Pies

1 Sfiha Dough recipe

Meat Filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground lamb or beef
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled seeded, chopped, and drained
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mint
• 1 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses (reduce unsweetened pomegranate juice to by two-thirds)
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsps mixed spices (2 parts allspice, 1 part cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and cumin)
• salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients well.
2.  Pre-heat oven to 375°F. 
3. Divide the dough into 24 balls and roll out on a lightly floured surface. 
4. Roll thin 15-20 cm circles. 
5. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of meat mixture evenly over the pastries and arrange on a lightly greased baking tray.
6. Bake until dough and meat are fully cooked. I usually deep fry these (that's how my friend's mom use to make them) then place in a 350°f oven until they were cooked through.
7. Serve with laban and lemon wedges. Yields: 24 pies 

Sfiha Dough

• 6 Cups All-purpose flour
• 2 cups Yogurt, plain and unsweetened
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
•  2 tsp Honey
• ½ cup Warm Water
• 1 tsp Baking Powder 

1. Add the honey and dissolve to the water. Add yeast and let bloom, if necessary.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. 
3. Add olive oil and mix. Add yogurt and yeast. 
4. Add enough warm water to make a ball that holds together.
5. Knead vigorously for 10  minutes. 
6. Rub 1 T Olive Oil in the bowl and roll the dough ball in it to cover the dough. 
7. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 – 1½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Miso and Sweet Vinegar Dressing

Makes about 1 cup

• 2 Tbsp Sake
• 3/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp. White Miso Paste
• 1/4 Cup plus 3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Sugar

1. Put the sake in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat to burn off the alcohol.
2. Boil rapidly for 1-2 minutes then reduce to low. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients and still well with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is the consistency of thick cream. 
4. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar. 
5. Store in the refrigerator and use within a month.

Sweet Red Miso Marinade

• ¾ cup mirin
• 2 cups red miso
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• Splash of sake

1. Bring the saké and the mirin to a boil in a saucepan on high. 
2. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol.
3. Turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste. 
4. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar. 
5. Stir constantly to ensure that it doesn’t burn, and the sugar is completely dissolved. 
6. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 
7. Refrigerate.

Suggested marinating times: Fish – 2 to 3 days; Shrimp and Scallop – 4 hours; Chicken – 1 day, overnight; Beef – 1 day, overnight

Sushi Vinegar

Prepared sushi vinegar is available in most supermarkets, but homemade is tastier and more economical.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

• 1 1/4 cups of Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsps. Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt

 Put ingredients in a non-aluminum saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Allow to boil rapidly for 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature. Keep refrigerated in a glass jar.

Sanbaizu

Sanbaizu means "three times". Equal amounts of sugar and soy sauce are combined with 3 times as much rice vinegar. This is mainly used on seafood salads.

Makes about 1 cup.

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/8 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar, mix well to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Keep refrigerated and use within 4 weeks.

Savoury Sweet Vinegar Dressing

This dressing goes well with deep-fried dishes and strongly flavored foods.

Makes a bit more than 3/4 of a cup

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 3/4 tsp Bonito Flakes

Put the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, add bonito flakes and leave to cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towel or coffee filter into a glass jar. Discard the fish flakes. Seal and store in the refrigerator, use within a week.

Eggplant with Ginger Ponzu

• 2 eggplants
• 4 tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
• 8 tbsp ponzu dressing

Prick the eggplants with a fork or bamboo skewer to prevent them from exploding in the oven.

Line a baking tray with a sheet of foil, lay the eggplants on the foil and bake for 20 mins. or until they are soft, turning them 2 or 3 times. Meanwhile chill 4 small plates.

Remove the eggplants from the oven and let them cool down enough to handle. Holding the top, insert a bamboo skewer just under the skin and slide it along the length of the eggplant - the skin and flesh should separate easily. Roughly chop the eggplants and divide among the chilled plates. Chill for 30 minutes or until needed. Put a tablespoon of the grated ginger in the centre of the eggplants, drizzle with the ponzu dressing and serve.

Ponzu Dressing

This is a light and tasty salad dressing.

Makes approx. 1 1/4 cups

• 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Yuzu Juice or Lime Juice
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsps Soy Sauce

Put all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to combine. Keep refrigerated and use within a week.