Mama's Macaroni

I love making pasta with an assortment  of different shapes, so as to make it  appetizing for my children . The most relished collection of dried  pasta  at home  is the conventional type :  spaghetti (thin rods) and  Macoroni , (tubes) .  I find it  irresistible to stack countless packets of dried ones in the  cabinet , so  I may try out the  new dish that I  might have seen  on the  previous day on “Fatafeat’ , a popular Middle Eastern Food Channel.

My Children love pasta in general, but get divided when choosing the condiments that go with the pasta. The four have a penchant to eat it according to their respective taste buds, which obviously vary. Eventually they end up settling with the  most  common dish , ‘Mama ‘s Macoroni’ which is  applicable to everyone. ” Mama’s Macaroni” –is   my own specified pasta  dish - the name in particular was familiarized by my children.This particular one   is also a  favorite amongst the family and  I can tag it as the ‘most cooked’ dish during  the holidays and festive season.

 Ever since my younger daughter gave up  eating cheese, an absolute condiment in  pasta,  I had to find an alternative. And  was n’t I lucky enough  to  have found it sooner. I couldn’t have found anything better than coconut cream as the substitute.  It’s absolutely delectable with pasta. Although traditionally pasta  is  cooked to the dent,  my children  prefer it flexible and  very  tender .In view of that I have adapted that method  when  cooking  pasta.The recipe I have posted today is made with macoroni, the tubed shaped pasta . And   for my vegetarian  daughter, I skip the meat and add par boiled carrots and zucchini .

^Enjoy!

^{Mama's Macaroni}

^{( Ingredients)}

A packet of macaroni (500 gm packet)

1 1/2 lbs beef ( you can substitute with chicken)

2 large onions chopped

4-5 green chilies (remove seeds if you prefer less spicy)

A small pod of garlic

1inch ginger (or a little more)

1-2 teaspoons of Cummin seeds

1-2 teaspoons of curry powder

1-2 teaspoons pepper or according to your palate

Salt to taste

2 cubes  beef/ chicken stock 

Ghee/butter

1 cup thick coconut milk  or 3-4 tablespoons of coconut milk powder added to a cup of hot water ( * or you can stir in the milk powder straight into the cooking pasta- if you use this method please add  a cup of water  into the pan when  the  pasta is being cooked with the other ingredients.)

For garnishing; 

(optional)

Cheese

Coriander leaves/ parsley

Directions

Boil the macaroni with a little salt (drain it and set aside). Wash & cut the beef into medium sized pieces. Boil the beef with 2-3 cups of water- with a little pepper & salt. Once done set aside (don’t throw the excess liquid).

Pound the ginger, garlic, green chilies & the Cummin seeds (set aside).

In a large pan, heat 2-3 tablespoon of ghee/butter, stir in the chopped onions and when it begins to get soft & translucent, put in the rest of the pounded ingredients (garlic, ginger, green chilies & Cummin seeds). Keep on stirring it you get that aroma (don’t let it brown).

Put in the curry powder and the pepper and give it a good stir. Add the boiled beef with the excess liquid into this sautéed mixture and cover the pan with a lid & cook for 10 minutes. Next add the boiled macaroni. Mix in the  stock cubes. Cover and cook for further 10-15 minutes. Pour in, the cup of coconut milk or the milk powder( If you intend to use the powder ,follow the instructions given * )

 Remember the meat stock cube is already salty, so add  salt only if it’s necessary.  Let it simmer for a while .Transfer in to dish and garnish with chopped coriander/parsley.

 (Ready to serve  for about 8-10 persons)

Or if you still fancy it with cheese

Transfer this cooked pasta into a baking dish. Grate cheese on top of the pasta and bake in a hot oven until the cheese begins to melt .Remove from oven & garnish with chopped coriander leaves/parsley (optional)

 (P.S. You can adjust the spices according to your taste bud.)

Of Sons, Buns And What Not....

My children are still on holiday. School reopens here ( Saudi Arabia ) after the Ramadan.Ramadan,is the month in which the Muslims refrain from eating and drinking, from dawn till evening.As it is considered the holiest month for the Muslims, we take extra time to pray and read the Quran ( our holy book ).And thats the main reason for being away from the computer.

Even though I had decided to lay my hands off the computer for a while ,I cannot resist ranting about the excitement happening in my house . My two young sons are fasting,with a lot of motivation and support from the daughters, who have been duly following the one month obligatory ‘fast ‘, since the last few years ,And it’s wonderful to see the two girls encouraging. The children are keeping me fully occupied making me prepare their favourite food for iftar. ( the time to break the fast). Hence the other reason for the short break from cybernet.

My husband and I didn’t strictly impose on our sons to fast , as its not advisable at this age and as also children under the age of puberty are exempted from fasting.It took all of us by surprise at their endeavour. May God accept their fasts …

From the beginning of Ramadan ,I have tried my hands at various recipes . Even though sometimes it doesn’t exactly turn out as I like them to, I am happy that I did try. Until quite recently , the buns that I made never raised but hunched into disastrous flops.. But all of it changed this Ramadan, watching Jamie Oliver demonstrate the recipe for bread dough on the cookery channel. I seized the opportunity to follow the instructions carefully. From that time on I have been happy with my baking . Furthermore every one is enjoying ! Hurrah!! to Jamie Oliver and to the buns!

Another much preferred I made this time for Ramadan is - a dish with pasta and meat , topped with cheese . I have still not given this dish a name ,So my children call it ‘Mama’s Macoroni’. In fact , most of the time, I do make something with pasta, because the children love it, But this is one favourite that I enjoy cooking, even though it takes a lot of my time and effort. I make an attempt to try out various recipes, to satiate my family’s taste buds..And silently , I blush when I get a rating from my children, my  best culinary critic .