Feast on Middle East treats this Diwali

New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) So much about Diwali is about food. Its about eating, feasting and celebrating with delicious, home-cooked food. But producing exciting new, exotic recipes during this festive time can be challenging -- and so we decided to make life easier for you!

Add an Arabic twist to your usual Diwali with these quick and simple recipes flown in from Dubai by Alie El Bourji, at Asateer, Atlantis, The Palms.

Delectable yet effortless and bursting with flavour, these recipes are sure to leave your family and guests eating out of their hands.

1. Stuffed cabbage rolls with meat and rice

   Ingredients:
   1 kg cabbage leaves separated

   For the stuffing:
   400 g ground lamb
   150 g Egyptian rice rinsed and dried
   50 ml vegetable oil
   7 g cinnamon
   5 g white pepper
   10 g 7 spices
   10 g salt

   For the sauce:
   50 ml lemon juice
   30 g garlic cloves
   5 g dried mint
   5 g salt
   8 g garlic minced

   Method of preparation:
   Wash the head of cabbage and remove two layers of the outside leaves
   Pit out the large stem from the bottom of the cabbage, will help the leaves get separated easier.

   To separate the leaves, simmer the entire cabbage head in a large pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes while carefully turning it over to ensure exposure to all its sides.
   As you remove the leaves, keep deepening the cut at the core so that the other leaves also fall from the core as they soften.

   Remove the stems of the boiled leaves and cut the leaves into squares

   Mix the ground lamb, rice, 25 ml vegetable oil, cinnamon, pepper and salt and combine well.

   Spoon a small amount of the stuffing in the middle of each square cabbage leaf in straight line. Roll the leaf twice or three times, and make sure to tuck in the ends so the stuffing does not spill out.

2. Um Ali ice cream

   Ingredients:
   1.134 ltr fresh milk
   344 ml fresh cream
   84 g milk powder
   274 g dextrose
   100 g granulated sugar
   12 g stabilizer
   52 g trimoline
   250 g assorted Baklawa
   50 g pistachio
   50 g raisin chopped
   25 ml rose water

   Method of preparation:

   Hand blends the milk, cream, milk powder and dextrose until smooth.

   Put into a pan and bring to40C. Whisk in the sugars and stabilizer.

   Bring up to 85C, then take off the heat and cool as quickly as you can.

   Put into the fridge for 6-12 hours.

   Put into an ice cream machine according to instructions.

   Add very finally chopped baklava, raisin, pistachio, and fold into ice cream mix by
   spatula, and put in container, store in the freezer.

3. Sticky dates pudding

   Ingredients:

   For the pudding:
   280 ml water
   260 g dates paste/dates chopped
   12 g baking soda
   260 g sugar
   88 g unsalted butter
   240 g cake flour
   176 g eggs

   For the sauce:
   250 g granulated sugar
   75 g unsalted butter
   300 g cream

   Method of preparation for pudding:
   Mix water, dates, baking soda, and sugar; bring to boil and mix well.

   Add the butter and flour; mix well until they are merged and lastly, add the eggs.

   Prepare the aluminium cup and spray with cooking spray; arrange aluminium on the baking tray and pour the mixtures till about half of the cup is full.

   Bake in an oven of 175 C for about 9 minutes.

   Remove from the oven and chill.

   Method of preparation for sauce:
   Bring sugar and cook it until it becomes caramel or golden brown, add butter, stir until merged.

   Add cream and stir slowly; bring to boil until the entire mixture unifies.

   Serve:
   Take the date sponge and cut into wedges or crumble it in a bowl, and pour hot sauce over the top.

   Put on the serving bowl and reheat, or put in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving scooping vanilla ice cream on the top.