Cheese Kubuz

Cheese Kubuz

This is my usual breakfast way back when I was in Abu Dhabi, I can have this almost everyday in the office not because it is my favorite but because it’s the quickest I could have. I am not having breakfast at home for some reasons, okay I admit I am lazy on mornings, so I’m having it in the office. Sadique, the office boy, knows what to buy for me from a nearby bakery. It’s “cheese kubuz” Little did I know that I am gaining weight because of cheese, but I wasn’t that conscious of its fat content. Anyway it is very tasty. Now I’m missing it and making it at home.

I often make flat breads and store them in a tightly sealed plastic in the fridge. I also use the same flat bread for making shawarma. So when laziness kicks in, either hubby or me just grab some and put cheese, pop it in the oven for 5 minutes, sprinkle with salt on top, then that makes a breakfast with a mug of coffee, (without sugar for me please).

Kubuz, Arabic bread, or Chinese pan cakes, whatever they call it, for me it is simply “flat bread” Normally, its dough is made of flour,water,salt and yeast. The dough rests for about an hour so it takes at least 1 hour and half to make it. But I’m fun of shortcuts especially when I’m quite hungry and can’t wait that long. I don’t see much difference with what I’m making at home with the one that from the bakery. Since I don’t rise the dough, I don’t use yeast. I use flour, salt, and warm water. Simply 3 ingredients. I use warm water to develop more gluten from the flour rapidly than that of room temperature.

How to make flat bread?

To make flat bread:
1 cup flour (sifted)
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup warm water

Mix salt and flour in a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon water at a time while mixing until it forms rough dough. Add water if it’s too dry, this depends of the strength of the flour you are using, add more water if necessary. Knead the dough in a floured flat surface for about 3 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Form dough into sausage shape and cut 1 inch thick. Form each into a small ball and flatten with a rolling pin.

Crabmeat sandwich with sesame seeds

Crabmeat Sandwich with sesame seeds

I am a fan of Ainsley Harriot and saw him doing this in one of his TV shows. He used shrimp, but I don’t have fresh shrimps. So I settled with crab meat in sticks!

Ingredients:
Sliced sandwich bread
Crabmeat sticks
1 egg white
Dried sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon butter
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Slice the crabmeat sticks finely and place in a food processor or blender. Add egg white, salt & pepper and blitz until fine. Spread the mixture into sliced sandwiches. Run with the back of the spoon to flatten the mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds and press with the back of the spoon.

Heat oil and butter in a pan and place the bread with crab mixture facing down. Cook for 2 minutes and turn to toast the other side. Don’t be tempted to add oil to avoid greasy sandwich.

crab sandwich

Sandwich Mini Towers

Sandwich Mini Towers

Ingredients:
Sandwich
100 g. Light cream cheese
1 can Fish Pâté
1 T. Chili sauce

Preparation:

Remove crusts of the sandwich. Mix chili sauce with cream cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture in one side and fish pâté on the other side of the sandwich. Put them together to assemble towers. Cut sandwich into quarts.