Chicken in Almond Sauce

Ingredients for Chicken in Almond Sauce:
Boneless chicken breasts 4
Almond paste ¼ cup
Butter 3 tsp
Garlic chopped 5-6 cloves
Onion chopped 1
Button mushrooms 4-5
White sauce ½ cup 
Tomato puree ¼ cup
Tomato ketchup 2 tsp
Olive oil 2 tsp
Capsicums (different coloured if available) 3
Salt to taste
Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp

Method:
Heat butter in a pan. 
Add onion, garlic, and sauté. 
Add mushrooms and continue to sauté. 
Add chicken pieces and continue to sauté. 
When the chicken is lightly coloured, add white sauce and mix. 
Add tomato puree and tomato ketchup. 
Mix and cook for a minute. 
Add almond paste and a quarter cup of water and mix well. 
In another pan heat olive oil. 
Add the capsicums and sauté. 
Add salt to the chicken. Sprinkle nutmeg powder, mixed herbs and black pepper powder. 
Add sautéed capsicums to the chicken mix and serve hot.

Chocolate Almond Cake

Ingredients for Chocolate Almond Cake:
For Caramel Topping:
Melted unsalted butter 6 tbsp
Melted unsalted butter for pan
Packed brown sugar 3/4 cup
Honey 1/4 cup
Slivered & toasted almonds 1-1/4 cups

For Cake:
Flour 1-1/4 cup
Cornflour 1 tbsp
Cocoa powder 1/2 cup
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter 1/2 cup
Sugar 1-1/2 cups
Eggs 3
Buttermilk1 cup
Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Method:
Prepare the topping: 
Generously butter a 10-inch round nonstick cake pan. 
Pour 6 tablespoons melted butter into the cake pan and swirl to coat the bottom; sprinkle in brown sugar. 
Drizzle honey over sugar and sprinkle evenly with almonds. 

Prepare the cake: 
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. 
Beat butter until fluffy. 
Add sugar and continue mixing. 
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. 
Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. 
Add half the buttermilk, continue mixing, and add vanilla. 
Pour the batter into the pan. 
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set in the center and springy. 
Run a knife around the edge of the pan and immediately invert the pan onto a serving platter. 
Let it sit with the pan still on top for 5 minutes so the caramel can soak into the cake a bit, before removing the pan. 
If the topping is sticking to the pan, warm the pan surface over a low burner to loosen the caramel and then pour it over the cake. 
Let cool completely.

Chocolate Almond Cake by Zarnak Sidhwa

Almond Soup

Ingredients for Almond Soup:
Almonds 20-25
Butter 1-1/2 tbsp
Cloves 5-6
Onion (chopped) 1
Carrot (chopped) 1
White sauce 1 cup
Milk 2 cups
Salt to taste
White pepper powder 1/4 tsp
Fresh cream 1/2 cup
For White Sauce:
Butter 2 tbsp
Flour 2 tbsp
Milk 1 cup
Salt a pinch
Black pepper a pinch
Milk to thin the sauce

Method:

To make the white sauce:
First melt butter, add in the flour.
Toast it and add the salt and black pepper.
Remove from stove and add the milk. 
Keep aside. 

Soak the almonds in warm water for half an hour. 
Peel and slice half of them into thin slivers. 
Toast them till golden. 
Heat the butter, add cloves, onion and carrot and sauté till translucent. 
Add the remaining half of the almonds and sauté for a few minutes. 
Add one cup of water and boil for five minutes. 
Strain and make a puree of vegetables and almonds. 
Dilute the white sauce with milk or water and mix it with the puree. 
Put in a pan and heat. 
Bring it to boil, reduce heat, add cream and simmer for five minutes. 
Adjust salt and pepper powder. 
Garnish with the toasted almond slivers and serve hot.

Almond Soup by Zarnak Sidhwa

Zarnak's wardrobe for this episode was sponsored by Ali's Aplic Collection.

Anjeer Halwa

Ingredients for Anjeer Halwa:
Dried figs 200 gms
Ghee 3 tbsp
Almonds (blanched, peeled and powdered) 1/2 cup
Powdered milk 1/3 cup
Sugar 4 tbsp
Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

For the garnish:
Slivered almonds 2 tbsp

Method:
Cook the figs in boiling water for about 3 to 5 minutes. 
Drain and puree them in a food processor. 
Keep aside. 
Heat the ghee, add the powdered almonds and sauté 2 minutes. 
Add the pureed figs, milk powder, sugar with 1/2 cup of water and cook till the sugar has dissolved, stirring continuously. 
Add the cardamom powder and mix well. 
Serve hot, garnished with slivered almonds.

Sooji Badam Halwa

Ingredients for Sooji Badam Halwa:
Roasted semolina 1/2 cup
Almonds 2 cup
Ghee 6 tbsp
Sugar 1-1\2 cup
Milk 2 cups
Saffron a few threads
Green cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Method:

Roast the almonds. Reserve few for garnishing and coarsely powder the rest. 
Heat the ghee and roast the semolina till light brown. 
Add the almond powder and continue to sauté for two or three minutes. 
Add the sugar, milk and saffron. 
Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, till the sugar dissolves and the mixture attains the consistency of halwa. 
Add the cardamom power and mix well. 
Remove from heat, decorate with the reserved almonds and serve hot.

Sooji Badam Halwa by Zarnak Sidhwa

Orange Almond Torte

Ingredients for Orange Almond Torte:
Ground almonds 1 cup
Unsalted butter ½ cup
Sugar ¾ cup
Eggs (separated) 2
Egg 1
Orange juice 2 tbsp
Almond essence 1 tsp
Flour ½ cup
Orange zest 1 tbsp
Salt ½ tsp

For Almond Orange Glaze:
Icing sugar 1 cup
Orange juice 2 tbsp
Almond essence ½ tsp
Salt ½ tsp

Method:

Cream butter and add sugar. 
Add in egg. 
Add in the 2 egg yolks. 
Add orange juice, almond essence, ground almonds, flour, salt and zest. Beat egg whites separately and gently fold in. 
Pour batter in a greased and lined 9”spring-form pan. 
Bake at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes or until cake is golden and a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. 
Let cool in tin and then remove from tin. 
Cool completely on a wire rack pour the glaze on top and let set. 
Serve in wedges. 

For the Almond Orange Glaze:
Mix icing sugar, add in orange juice, almond essence and salt. 
Set aside.

Orange Almond Torte by Zarnak Sidhwa

Zarnak's wardrobe for this episode was sponsored by Ateeqa's Couture.

Chocolate Almond Marble Cake

Ingredients for Chocolate Almond Marble Cake:
Softened butter 180 gm
Caster sugar 225g
Almond essence ¾ tsp
Baking powder 2 tsp
Plain flour 180 gm
Ground almonds 75g
Eggs 3
Milk 2 tbsp
Cocoa powder 3 tbsp
Hot water 3 tbsp
Chocolate chips 100 gm
Icing sugar to dust 30 gm

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
Stir in the almond essence. 
Mix the baking powder, flour and ground almonds. 
Beat in one egg at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture in between. 
Repeat until all three eggs have been added, then fold in the remaining flour mixture and stir in the milk. 
Spoon half of the cake batter into a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa paste. 
Add the chocolate chips to the other half of the mixture. 
Add spoonfuls of each of the batters alternately to the greased bundt tin and drag the handle of a teaspoon through the mixture to create a marbled effect. 
Bake at 180 degrees C for around 40 minutes and then test the cake to see if a skewer inserted into the deepest part comes out clean. 
Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, dust the cake with a little icing sugar.

Chocolate Almond Marble Cake by Zarnak Sidhwa

Zarnak's wardrobe for this episode was sponsored by G I R L I E.

Badam Paak

Badam Paak
Ingredients

Almonds ground ½ kg
Khoya 1 kg
Sugar ¾ kg
Ghee ¼ kg
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder ½ tsp
Rose water ¼ cup

Method

Heat half the ghee, add in the ground almonds and khoya and let cook. 

Add the remaining ghee a little at a time once thick, add in sugar, nutmeg and cardamom powder and rose water. 

Cool and refrigerate. 

Can also be set in a greased thaali or tin and cut in squares.

Badam Pak by Zarnak Sidhwa

Batasa

Batasa (very hard crispy biscuits)
Ingredients

Flour 2 cups
Unsalted butter ½ cup
Salt ½ tsp
Sugar ½ tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Almonds chopped 1 tbsp
Warm water ½ cup

Method

Mix all of the above ingredients to form a ball of dough. Allow to stand for 15 to 30 minutes.
Roll into small balls and lay them on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 160 degrees for 30 minutes, then lower temperature and at 150 degrees for
3 hours. Now turn off the oven and leave batasa in the hot oven for another 3 hours. Remove from oven and cool, store only when completely cold.

Batasas by Zarnak Sidhwa

Badami Murgh

Ingredients for Badami Murgh: 
Chicken 1 kg
Oil 2 tbsp
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Ginger 1 inch piece
Green chilies 6 – 8
Coriander leaves ½ bunch
Salt 1 tsp
Almonds blanched and ground 10-15
Yogurt 1 cup
Garlic sliced and fried to garnish
Boiled egg to garnish

Method:
Grind green chilies, ginger, garlic, coriander, using little water, heat oil, add chicken and sauté, add green ground masala, water and salt and let cook, when chicken is half done add the curd and almonds. 
When chicken is done, dish it out and add the sliced and fried garlic, top with boiled egg and serve.

Badami Murgh by Zarnak Sidhwa

Almond Macaroon Cake

Ingredients for Almond Macaroon Cake:

6 oz caster sugar

6 oz butter

5 oz flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 oz almonds ground (not blanched)

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

For Macaroon Topping :

2 egg whites

4 oz caster sugar

3 oz almonds, ground (not blanched)

½ tsp almond essence

Method :

For the cake, beat butter, sugar, eggs and fold in flour and baking

powder, almonds ground and essence. 

Pour in a greased and lined 6” tin and bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes or till done. 

Remove and put topping and re-bake. 

For the topping:

Mix egg white, caster sugar, ground almonds in a pan and cook till thick.

Keep stirring constantly.

Add essence and mix till bubbles appear, cool slightly. 

Pour on the cake and bake at 150 degrees C for another 15 minutes or till a crisp macaroon layer is formed on top.

Almond Macaroon Cake by Zarnak Sidhwa

Spanish Almond Cookies

Spanish Almond Cookies by Zarnak Sidhwa

Creamy Stuffed Dates

Ing :
10 oz dates, pitted
2 oz cream
4 oz chocolate
2 oz almonds, whole blanched

Method :
Boil cream. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stir till it melts. 
Let it cool and thicken. 
Put mixture in a piping bag and pipe in the cavity of the pitted date. 
Top with a whole blanched almond. 
Refrigerate and serve. 
Makes 48.

Creamy Stuffed Dates by Zarnak Sidhwa