Marinade

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

In a non-reactive bowl, prepare the marinade. Combine the rice vinegar, peanut oil, soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Sauce:

I-tablespoon black bean sauce

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil

4 dried red chilies remove stems and cut in halves

1/2 -inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced, smashed

I garlic, smashed

1 green onion, cut the white part into 1/2-inch pieces, julienne the green parts

1/4 cup deep-fried peanuts

2 tablespoons chicken stock plus I-tablespoon cornstarch, mixed together to make slurry

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

Over high heat, in a wok, bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir fry the chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the ­chilies turn dark Add the chicken and stir-fry for I to 2 minutes, until golden in color,

Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts. Thicken with the slurry and continue to cook until glossy. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienne green onions.

*Food enlivens the spirit and enthusiasm for people'"

KNAFI-BIL JABAN (Ricotta Cheese Delight)
Contributed by: Sr. Hala Bazzi

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Ricotta Cheese (or use half Ricotta & half sweet, white, unsalted cheese sold in Mid-Eastern stores)
2 cups sugar
1 package of shredded (or Knafi) dough
1 cup unsalted butter
chopped or ground pistachios, for garnish

For the syrup, you will need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
couple drops of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp rose water

Method of making 1 Basic Syrup recipe:
Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 10 or 15 minutes or until slightly viscous. Before removing from heat, add rose water and let syrup come to a boil. Remove from heat and cool.

Method for making Knafi:
Grind the shredded dough in the food processor until it becomes very small pieces. Put the shredded dough in a skillet and flip the small pieces with a wooden spoon on a low heat until golden yellow (do NOT brown it!) Alternately, you can toast the dough with 3/4 cup butter and omit brushing the butter over the dough as the recipe states (below).

In a bowl, combine cheese (or cheeses) and sugar. (Or you can use a food processor.)

Place half of the dough on a generously buttered 10 x14" pan; gently press dough over the bottom of pan. Brush the dough with butter (omit this if you cooked the dough with butter). Spread cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Top with remaining half of the dough, spreading evenly and gently. Brush the top dough generously with butter (again, omit if dough was cooked with butter). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees for one hour or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and while hot, pour COLD syrup all over the baked Knafi. Sprinkle some ground pistachios on the top for decoration (garnish). Cut into squares and serve.

Knafi may be eaten hot or cold. "Sahtayn" to you all! This literally means "Two healths to you!" It's what we Lebanese say upon completion of a meal. I will end my recipe with a quote from our famous writer and poet, Khalil Gibran:

"If you bake bread with indifference,
you bake a bitter bread that
feeds but half man's hunger."

KHANDWI
Contributed by: Salma Mulla

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Besan (Chick-pea or Gram Flour)

2 heaping Tbsp plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)

1/2 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp citric acid (limbu na phool)

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir in about 3 1/4 cups water to make a light batter. Use a whisk to form a smooth consistency.

Cook this batter over medium heat, stirring all the time, until the batter thickens (it should resemble the consistency of "Ugali" or thick porridge). Remove from heat and using the back of a wooden spoon, quickly spread the batter thinly on the back of a cookie pan or any baking tray (any form of shape will do e.g. oblong, rectangle, etc…) Using a knife or pizza cutter, make a horizontal cut, dividing the cooked "dough" into half. Then make vertical cuts to form thin strips (see diagram below).

Slightly wet your hands with water and roll up each strip of "dough". Cut each roll to form pinwheels or Khaandwi. Place these on a serving plate and sprinkle some desiccated coconut all over.

Make Wagar: Heat about 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add 3/4 tsp mustard seeds (raay). When these have "popped", add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 5-7 curry leaves (limbdo), 1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, and a couple of red and green chilies, sliced. Pour this wagaar over the Khaandwi.

Enjoy!