Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Shurba





I love shurba, its origins from arabia especially Yemen but also consumed in
East Africa and is a very healthy dish but it really takes time to cook the traditional way. So, I have improvised it using Quakers old fashioned oats( Original - wheat) and use ground beef or chicken instead of meat with bones. Takes approximately 30 minutes depends on how much you cook. And has carbs, protein as well as vitamins in it. It is usually consumed in Ramadhan when we break the fast or as a starter. I often have it as a main course or when I'm down with the flu. And I prefer it thick.

Ingredients:
1.5- 2 pound ground beef/chicken
Quaker oats old fashioned 2 cups
1 carrot grated
1 bell pepper
jalapeno( if you like your soup- chili)
ginger/garlic/cilantro paste(as desired)
other spices: cumin powder, whole cumin, curry powder, black pepper,
crushed red pepper,oregano, mint (your own preference)
3 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice and salt for seasoning.
5 cups of water (or more)

directions:
1.defrost the meat put it in a heavy pot, add
ginger/garlic/cilantro paste and let it brown together. Then add
other spices to season the meat with 1/2 cup of water. Let the meat
cook.
2.Separately, cook the quaker oats as directed. I use the microwave option
as its quicker.
3.Blend the carrot, bell pepper, jalapeno with the cooked quaker oats
and 2/3 of the cooked meat and 1 cup of water. (Depends on preference I like having
1/3 pieces of meat to munch).
4.Transfer the blended mixture to the pot, add water to the consistency you like (2 cups will be enough).Let it simmer then add the vinegar/lemon. It shouldn't be very thick and its ready to serve.

Bon apetite/ afiyet olsun

Variations:
1.Some people like it with onions - so slice the onions thinly and
fry them separately and later mix it into the cooked shurba.
2. You can add 1-2 more cups of oats, it will balance out the meat. Can add an extra carrot and bell pepper too. I like my version because is has more meat.
3. You can blend the whole cooked soup and it would look like this.

2 comments:

  1. I've been looking for this recipe for soooo long!! Is this the recipe for shurba that people eat during Ramadan?? Please let me know!!! Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Seattle Montessorian,
    Yes, it is a version of it!! The ramadan version is more basic vegetables are not added apart from the onion and they use barley or Haleem Wheat (You can get it at any of the Indo-Pak or Muslim stores). You cook the meat till it pulls apart then you add the barley to it and let it cook together... this process can take hours so you need to cook it on medium heat for 2-3hrs. This version also needs to be watery so you will be adding alot of water.

    The recipe I shared above is my modified version and it's quick to cook with the added veges to it. As I had written I like it thicker but when I make it in Ramadaan I add more water to it so it can be light on the stomach.
    Ramadaan Mubarak!!

    ReplyDelete

 
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