The ‘real’ Spice Island spice cake
By Vanessa Arena, www.olivesandlucinda.com
To make this cake I have adapted a basic sponge recipe by introducing soft brown sugar in place of a proportion of the usual superfine (caster) sugar. The balance is designed to give the cake a nice, rich and grainy brown-sugar appearance, while still keeping the mixture sponge-like and light in texture. With regards to the amount of spice you might wish to add, the amounts I suggest here give a good flavor, but this is using reasonably fresh spices. If yours have been sitting in the cupboard for a while, perhaps consider using a little more. This cake stores very well, and will taste fresh for up to five days after it is made if kept in an airtight container.
6 ounces (170 grams) butter, cubed and at room temperature
3 ½ ounces (100 grams) soft brown sugar
2 ½ ounces (70 grams) superfine (caster) sugar
3 free-range eggs
6 ounces (170 grams) self-rising (self-raising) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 vanilla pod
3 tablespoons of milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. I do this by cutting a rectangle just as wide as the base of the tin, but longer than you need to cover the base and long sides, so that there is a parchment overhang of approximately 2 inches (5 centimetres) over each long side of the tin. When you come to lift the cake out, the overhanging sections can serve as handles. Not having to line the ends of the tin with paper saves time and the problem of having to fold or cut the paper to fit—instead, a small amount of butter to grease the exposed ends of the tin will suffice.
Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to fully incorporate after each addition. Sift in the self-rising flour and baking powder. Gently mix everything together until the flour is fully incorporated. (The mixture should be soft but quite thick at this stage.)
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the whole cloves to a fine powder. Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods by splitting the pod open at the bottom and popping the black seeds out. Discard the empty pods and add the seeds to the ground cloves in the mortar and pestle, continuing to grind until these are also reduced to a fine powder. On a clean cutting board, make an incision along the length of the vanilla pod, and, using a small knife, scrape the black seeds from inside the pod. Add the vanilla seeds to the cake batter, along with the ground cloves and cardamom, and the ground cinnamon.
Add the milk to loosen the batter slightly, and mix gently until the spices are distributed and the milk is incorporated.
Pour into the prepared tin, and bake for 35 minutes or until the cake has begun to come away from the tin at the sides.
Cool slightly on a wire rack before serving warm, with some ice cream for dessert, or enjoy with tea in the afternoon.
Ginger beef samosas
By Vanessa Arena, www.olivesandlucinda.com
Though I’ve used the familiar name ‘samosas’ to describe these meat-filled triangles, in Zanzibar they are more likely to be called ‘sambusas’, an amalgam of the Arabic term ‘sambousek’ and the Indian ‘samosa’. Either way, the outcome is an entirely addictive little deep-fried parcel of spicy meat that it is almost impossible not to eat too many of.
If my experience is anything to go by, samosas seem to be a bit of a Zanzibari staple. They are available everywhere (with a special commendation to the selection at the airport departures lounge), are offered with an incredible array of fillings, and are usually accompanied by a large choice of sauces. My favorite sauce may have been the hot pili pili mbuzi, a local fluoro-green concoction in a Tabasco-style bottle. Lime pickle is also delicious on the side, as is green mango chutney, or, of course, the classic mint yogurt sauce. Each has its own merits, so perhaps it’s better not to restrict your options and to set up a little condiment buffet to go with your samosas.
Makes approximately 24 medium-sized samosas
For the samosas:
1 pound 7 ounces (650 grams) ground (minced) beef
4 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
1 brown onion, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ¼-inch (3-centimetre) piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 small lemon
12-piece packet of frozen parathas (usually available in Indian grocery stores)
¼ cup all-purpose (plain) flour
3 tablespoons water
For the yogurt dipping sauce:
8 ½ ounces (250 grams) thick-set natural yogurt
1 small bunch of mint
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
To deep-fry:
Approximately 60 fluid ounces (1.75 litres) sunflower or canola oil
Begin to prepare the filling by crushing the coriander seeds to a powder using a mortar and pestle. Combine this with the cumin and garam masala, and lightly toast the spices in a dry pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes until they become fragrant. Once sufficiently toasted, set aside.
Next, heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole dish over medium heat. Fry the grated onion until it has begun to color slightly, before adding the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Stir everything around occasionally, and keep a close eye on things to ensure that the garlic does not begin to stick and burn. When everything has begun to cook and take on a golden color, turn up the heat to high, and add the beef (along with a little extra oil at this stage if the pan has become dry), breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as you fry. Once the beef has begun to brown, add the toasted spice mixture and continue to fry until the meat is well browned and cooked through—approximately 10 minutes in total.
At this point the mixture should be quite dry and rubbly. If you still have some liquid in the pan, continue to cook until this has evaporated completely. Lastly, add some salt, and a grind of pepper to taste, before turning off the heat and squeezing in the lemon juice. Cover the pan and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
While the filling is cooling, make the yogurt dipping sauce by blending the mint in a food processer with a few drops of oil until it forms a paste. Add the yogurt and lime juice, then blend for a further few seconds until everything is well combined and you have a nice green-flecked sauce. Add salt and mix through. If you’d like to add a little more lime juice (and think the consistency can stand the extra fluid), feel free to do so at this point. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl, and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
When you are ready to assemble the samosas, take the parathas from the freezer and allow them to thaw for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a dry frying pan over medium heat.
Next, take the first paratha from the packet and lightly brush a small amount of oil over all over its surface using a pastry brush. Then, take a second paratha from the packet, and over one surface of this, use your hand to sprinkle a light dusting of flour. Finally, place the oiled surface of the first paratha directly on top of the floured surface of the second.
When the pan is sufficiently hot, carefully heat the conjoined parathas until they begin to round at the edges, and the edges of the bottom disc seem to lift slightly from the pan. Use a spatula to flip and heat the other side.
When both sides are cooked and lightly golden, remove from the pan and place back on the bench. Carefully peel the two discs apart (the oil and flour should have ensured that they do not stick to each other) and slice each disc in half. What you’ll have now is 4 semicircular samosa wrappers ready to be filled.
(By cooking the discs together like this, we are trying to ensure that the outer surfaces will become dry, making the dough-wrapper easy to handle, while the inner surfaces remain uncooked and sticky enough to be helpful in sealing the samosa once the meat is inside.)
To assemble the samosas, combine 3 tablespoons of flour with a little water to make a sticky paste. Place a semicircle of dough uncooked side facing up on your worktop. Position this so that the flat or cut side is facing to the right (that is, inward), and spread a small amount of the flour paste along the bottom half of the rounded edge of the wrapper.
Now fold the top of the wrapper down so that a small triangle extends slightly over the cut edge. Bring the bottom part of the wrapper up to meet it to form a cone shape with two short ‘bunny’ ears, and then press to join along the seal where you have spread the flour paste.
Fill the cone with the beef mixture, then, to seal, dab a little more flour paste onto the inside of the bunny ears. Fold the ears over to join to the opposite side of the cone and press down to seal. Continue until you have rolled, filled and folded the rest of the samosas.
Next, heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan. (Note that the oil should not come more than halfway up the saucepan to avoid it bubbling over.) Test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a square of bread or excess samosa wrapper: if the oil immediately forms small bubbles around it, and colors the bread within about 30 seconds, then it is at the right temperature.
Deep-fry the samosas in batches of three until they are golden brown in color. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 140 degree Fahrenheit (60 degree Celsius) oven until you have finished frying and are ready to serve them alongside the yogurt dipping sauce, mango chutney, lime pickle, hot pili pili mbuzi, or whatever else you’ve managed to gather up!
Omani halwa
By Jaleela Banu, www.cookbookjaleela.blogspot.com
Since 1920, the Omanis have prepared this authentic sweet during feasts and Eid celebrations. Halwa is a fundamental part of daily life in Oman, often served at special occasions like weddings, funerals, or other social gatherings. It is the standard food when greeting guests, regardless of class or social distinction, along with Arabic coffee, which is known as qahwa.
Serves 9
1 tablespoon ghee (or butter)
1 ¾ ounces (50 grams) cashew nuts, chopped
1 ounce (25 grams) almonds, chopped
17 fluid ounces (500 millilitres) water
6 ounces (175 grams) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cardamom powder
3 ½ ounces (100 grams) cornstarch (cornflour)
a few drops of red food coloring
1 ¾ ounces (50 grams) butter
1 tablespoon saffron
3 tablespoons rosewater
1 ounce (25 grams) pistachio flakes
In a wide, nonstick pan, heat the ghee (or butter) and fry the cashew nuts and chopped almonds. Set aside.
Make the sugar syrup by adding the sugar and ½ teaspoon of the cardamom powder to 10 fluid ounces (300 millilitres) of the water in a saucepan, and boiling for 5 minutes.
Put the remaining 7 fluid ounces (200 millilitres) of water into a bowl and add the cornstarch and red coloring, and mix well.
Add the colored cornstarch mixture to the sugar syrup, stirring continuously until there are no lumps.
Then add the butter, saffron, rosewater and 1 teaspoon cardamom powder, and stir continuously until combined.
Finally, add the roasted cashews and almonds, and stir well.
Grease a slice tray with ghee. Pour the halwa into the tray and let it cool. Garnish with pistachio flakes. Cut into desired shapes.