Omani recipes collection

[RAHEN]

Cakes

CAKES

BANANA CAKE - Bananas are one of Oman's favorite fruits. There are a number of varieties that grow here as well as many imported varieties, but bananas go ripe very quickly in the summer heat. Here's one of our favorite recipes for using those very ripe bananas.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of softened (or melted) butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups smashed very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of white flour
1 rounded Tablespoon baking powder
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. When it is well mixed, add the mashed bananas.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, beating a little after each addition.
Pour into a lightly greased and floured 9" x 13" cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
VARIATION 1: Add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts.
VARIATION 2: For a chocolate swirled cake – divide the batter in half. To one half add 1/4 cup baking cocoa. Spread the plain half of the batter into the baking pan. Spoon on the cocoa batter and swirl with a knife. Bake as per instructions.
VARIATION 3: For a chocolate banana cake – add 1/2 cup of baking cocoa to the batter with the flour. Bake as per instructions.

ORANGE-DATE CAKE
Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine or butter (room temperature or melted)
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (or substitute white sugar)
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1 egg
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
powdered sugar (optional)

In a mixing bowl beat the margarine with the sugar. Add about half of the flour, the orange peel, half of the orange juice, the egg and the baking powder. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the remaining flour and orange juice. Then, stir in the nuts and dates.
Pour batter in a lightly greased and floured 9" by 13" cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool the cake. Sift powdered sugar over the top, if desired. Then, cut and serve.

ORANGE-VANILLA CAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup of white flour
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
1/3 cup of powdered milk
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of orange juice
2/3 cup of vegetable oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and powdered milk. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar, until well mixed. Add the orange juice and mix well. Add the oil and vanilla and beat again. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating between each addition. Beat for another minute or two minutes. Pour into a 9" x 13" greased and lightly floured cake pan and bake at about 350 degrees F until a toothpick or knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
VARIATION: Sprinkle sesame seeds on top before cooking. Or reserve 1/3 of the batter and mix it with 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. Swirl the chocolate batter over the vanilla batter and bake as instructed.

JUZ AL-HIND CAKE - "coconut cake"
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of white flour
1/2 cup of farina ("khabeesa" or "Cream of Wheat")
1/3 cup of sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons of baking powder
1 cup of desiccated coconut
2 eggs
1 cup of prepared milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or pineapple flavoring
FOR THE SYRUP: 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water
Make the Syrup: Mix the 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl mix the flour, farina, sugar, baking powder, and coconut. In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until well mixed. Pour into a 8" x 11" lightly greased cake pan and bake at about 350 degrees F until a toothpick or knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If the top is not already a golden brown, then broil the top for a minute or two to achieve this color.
Remove from the oven. Over the hot cake, pour the cooled syrup. Leave to cool, then serve.

APPLE-FILLED CAKE
Ingredients:
3 cups of chopped, peeled apples
2 cups of sugar
4 Tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups of white flour
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/3 cup of butter or margarine, soft but not melted
2 beaten eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of white flour
In a saucepan combine the apples and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes until the apples are tender. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar and the cornstarch. Stir into the fruit mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook two more minutes. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl stir together 1 cup of the sugar, the 3 cups of flour, the baking powder, and baking soda. Reserve 4 Tablespoons of the butter. Add the rest of the butter to the flour mixture and "cut in" until it resembles fine crumbs. Combine the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spread half of the batter into an 9" x 13" cake pan. Spread the fruit mixture over the batter. Drop the remaining batter by rounded Tablespoons over the top of the apple filling. Do not spread it. Leave it in mounds (evenly spaced) on top of the filling.
On the side, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the 1/2 cup of flour. Cut in the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Sprinkle over the cake. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

[RAHEN]

Cookies Or "biscuits"

COOKIES OR "BISCUITS"

DATE-FILLED COOKIES
Ingredients:
3 cups of all–purpose white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
8 ounces of pitted dates, cut up
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl mix the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until it is all well combined. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Divide dough into four parts and refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile, make the Filling: In a small saucepan combine the dates and sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the mixture has thickened – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and walnuts. Cool completely.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, one part at a time, 1/8 inch thick. With a floured 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter (or the bottom of a glass), cut out cookies. Re–roll trimmings and cut. Using a spatula, place half of the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Spread 1 teaspoon of filling over each cookie. Cover with another cookie. With a floured fork, seal the edges firmly. Also, prick the center of the cookie once with the fork.
Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, cool and enjoy!
VARIATION: use date paste ("medluke" or "mamroosa") mixed with chopped walnuts in place of the filling.

COOKIE PRESS COOKIES - Cookie press cookie-makers are on sale here in most of the shops selling kitchen goods. My family likes these cookies. So I make them pretty often, and I get more requests from friends and guests for this recipe than any other. So here it is for all to see:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of margarine or butter (at room temperature, but not melted)
3 1/2 cups of white flour
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract or pineapple extract

In a large bowl, stir the margarine or butter until soft and light, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the flour and all of the other ingredients and beat until well combined. Then stir in the remaining flour.
Put some dough in the cookie press. Force the dough through the cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet (a large, flat, metal pan used for baking cookies). Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 8 or 9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are firm but not yet brown. Remove from the oven and carefully place cookie on a wire rack to cool. (The kids will love to help you make different shapes with the cookie press!)

DATE-NUT COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of butter (at room temperature)
2 Tablespoons of (prepared) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 beaten eggs
2 1/4 cups of white flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of chopped, pitted dates
1 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts are great!)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well mixed. Add the milk, vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar-egg mixture. Lastly, stir in the chopped dates and nuts.

Drop rounded teaspoons full of dough about 2 inches apart unto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven or until the cookies' edges are lightly browned. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Enjoy

[RAHEN]

Cake/cookie-like Bars

CAKE/COOKIE-LIKE BARS

BASBOOSA - syrupy-sweet cake-like bars (makes a 9" x 13" pan)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semolina, farina or Cream of Wheat
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup liquid butter or margarine
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or canned thickened cream)
1 tsp. pineapple flavoring or vanilla flavoring (optional)
almonds, pistachios or cashew nuts (optional)
In a large bowl mix the semolina, coconut and baking powder. Knead in the liquid butter until it is well blended. In a blender (or with a mixer or hand beater) blend the eggs, sugar, yogurt and flavoring. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Stir with a spoon until combined and pour immediately into a 9" by 13" ungreased cake pan. If desired, decorate the top of the batter with the nuts so that there will be one nut in the middle of each piece (which is cut when removed from the oven) or sprinkle a little coconut on top instead. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done and nicely browned. Over the hot cake pour cool syrup (recipe follows). Allow to sit to absorb the syrup (a half an hour is good). Cut, eat and enjoy!
Syrup- In a small saucepan combine and boil for about 5 minutes: 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar and (optional) the juice of half a lemon.

LEMON BARS - makes a 9" x 13" pan
Ingredients for the crust:
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (if unavailable locally, make by grinding sugar in the coffee grinder)
2 cups of white flour
dash of salt

Ingredients for the filling:
1/4 cup of white flour
2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs (5 Omani store size eggs), beaten
6 Tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
To make the crust, combine all of the ingredients well. Press into a 9" x 13" cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 14 minutes or until light brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
To make the filling, mix all of the ingredients until well combined. Poor over the cooled crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle the top with more powdered sugar or drizzle on glaze. Cut into bars and serve.
GLAZE: Stir together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of (prepared) milk.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES - makes a 8" square pan
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of melted butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup of white flour
1/2 cup of cocoa (chocolate cocoa powder)
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Blend melted margarine, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the egg mixture. Mix until well blended. Spread in a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of the pan. Cool and cut into squares. Enjoy!

OATMEAL DATE BARS - makes a 9" square pan
Ingredients:
1 cup of white flour
1 cup of raw oatmeal
2/3 cup of packed brown sugar (or 1/2 cup regular sugar plus 1/4 cup of date syrup)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup of butter or margarine, softened
1 cup of packed, chopped pitted dates, 1/2 cup of water, and juice of a lemon
(or 1 cup of date paste and 3 Tablespoons of butter)
1/3 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
Make the filling by boiling the dates with the water for about 5 minutes or until bubbly and soft. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and nuts. (Alternatively, heat the date paste with the 3 Tablespoons of margarine and nuts.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Press 2/3 of the flour mixture in a 9" x 9" baking pan. Spread the filling over it. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture over the top. Very lightly press the top. (You want the top to be flaky, so press only to help the crumbs stick on once cooked.) Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden. Cut into squares and serve warm or cool.

OMANI WEDDING SQUARES - so named since they are now a common sweet at weddings
Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
2 cups full cream powdered milk (or NIDO)
1 cup of powdered sugar (or sugar ground in a spice or coffee grinder)
2 cups of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Pour into an ungreased 9 inch by 13 inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until very lightly browned. Cut immediately into small squares upon removing the pan from the oven.
VARIATION 1: Top with nuts (whole almonds, cashews, or pistachios, or half walnuts) placed about 1 cm apart, and then cut squares so that each piece has a nut in the middle.
VARIATION 2: Add 1/2 tsp of Almond flavoring with the vanilla.

VARIATION 3: Mix half of the batter with 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Spread the regular half of the batter in the cake pan. Top with chocolate batter. Bake