|
Healthy living is a breeze when you go liquid and pack the fresh nutrients you need into a glass. All you need is a little of whatever you fancy in the way of fruit and spices, along with some ice, a cocktail mixer, and a hand blender. The idea came from visiting an exotic North African hideaway Saharaween after a night out at The Comedy Theatre in Panton Street, London. The restaurant, run by three young men from Algeria, is just a few metres away. The colourful interior of the restaurant matches the good looks and flavours of their perky non-alcoholic drinks. Fired up with energy after these colourful offerings, we supped late on some of Mo Oundhammou’s delicious tagine dishes. There is an appealing range of vegetable and couscous dishes alongside other traditional tagines, starting at £20 for two courses.
An ideal light supper might include Chorba soup (recipe overleaf ), a light tagine, then lemon torte, delectable North African pastries or Crepe Berber – laced with honey and almonds. After this, you might call for one of Saharaween’s multi-flavoured Arabian Shisha pipes and while away another hour or two over shots of coffee with friends.
Rose des Sables
(adaptation)
Ingredients:
6 fresh blackberries, 1 for garnish
6 fresh raspberries, 1 for garnish
50 ml prune juice
50 ml apple juice
soda water
15 ml sugar syrup
15ml fresh lime, crushed or squeezed
4-5 ice cubes
1 dessertspoon of soda water for fizz
1 dessert spoon of raspberry syrup
Mint sprigs to garnish Method:
Squeeze or crush the lime into cocktail blender, add five each of the crushed raspberries and blackberries, the ice, prune juice, apple juice, and sugar syrup. Shake well. Pour the ingredients into a tall, chilled glass. Lastly, stir in soda water and gently pour over a spoon of raspberry syrup to deepen the colour. Garnish with a raspberry and strawberry, and a mint sprig or two. Serve with a brightly-coloured straw. Ouha
(adaptation) Ingredients:
1 whole fresh passionfruit
8 cubes of fresh mango, crushed
2 tablespoons of fresh pineapple juice
2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons of cranberry juice
15 ml sugar syrup
15ml lemon juice, strained
1 dessertspoon of soda water for fizz
1 slice of orange for garnish Method:
Pour the pineapple, orange, mango and cranberry juice to a cocktail blender, the seeds and juice of the passion fruit, the ice and sugar syrup. Blend well. Pour the ingredients into a tall, chilled glass. Lastly, add soda water and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of orange and serve with a brightly coloured straw. Freshness of Souk Ingredients:
4-5 fresh blackberries, 1 for garnish
4-5 fresh raspberries, 1 for garnish
15ml fresh lime, crushed or squeezed
50 mls of cranberry juice
20 mls of strained lemon juice
15 ml of sugar syrup (To make 2 pints of sugar syrup, add 10 dessertspoons of sugar, boil up with 2 pints of water, and cool.)
4-5 cubes of ice (in summer, less in winter)
1 dessertspoon of soda water for fizz
A splash of orange blossom water Method:
Squeeze or crush the lime into cocktail blender, add six crushed blackberries, the ice, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. Shake energetically. Pour the ingredients into a tall, chilled glass. Lastly, add orange blossom water, soda water and stir gently. Garnish with a raspberry and blackberry, a slice of lime, and serve with a brightly-coloured straw. Trouang Cocktail Ingredients:
15 ml sugar syrup
15 cubes fresh pineapple, crushed Slice of fresh pineapple
A small finger of fresh ginger
15ml lemon juice, strained
15ml fresh lime, crushed or squeezed
A handful of fresh mint
10 ml plum juice (Plum juice can be bought from some health shops or made by stewing plums with sugar and water.)
4-5 ice cubes
A clove of anise and mint to garnish
1 dessertspoon of soda water for fizz
1 dessertspoon of mint syrup Method:
Crush orange and ginger together into cocktail shaker, add crushed pineapple, the mint, squeezed or crushed lime and lemon, sugar syrup, plum juice , and the ice. Shake vigorously until the mint is bruised. Pour the ingredients into a tall, chilled glass. Stir in soda water, and gently pour a dessertspoon of mint syrup on top of the drink. This will trickle down to give a marbled effect. Garnish with a slice of pineapple, and anise. Serve with a brightly coloured straw. Minty Sahara
(adaptation) Ingredients:
A handful of fresh mint
15 ml sugar syrup
15ml lemon juice, strained
15ml fresh lime, crushed or squeezed
50 ml pineapple juice
50 ml orange juice
4-5 ice cubes
1 dessertspoon of soda water for fizz
1 dessertspoon of mint syrup
(Make a simple mint syrup by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes; cool. Place in a covered container with 6 or 8 bruised mint sprigs. Refrigerate overnight.)
Slices of orange, lemon, and lime for garnish Method:
Add mint, crushed lime and lemon, sugar syrup and ice to a cocktail shaker. Blend well until the mint is bruised. Pour the ingredients into a tall, frosted glass. Add soda water, and stir, then gently pour a dessertspoon of mint syrup on top. This will give a marbled effect as it trickles down into the drink. Garnish with orange, lemon and lime slices on a cocktail stick with a cherry. Serve with a straw. Chorba Vegetable Soup Ingredients:
2 1/2 litres of vegetable stock
1 carrot, cut into rounds
3 small courgette, washed, trimmed and cut into chunks
1 bunch of coriander – about 25 grams, chopped and saved for garnish
4 fresh tomatoes, quartered
150 grams tomato paste
1 half glass of vegetable oil
1 handful of dried wheat
Juice of 1 lemon, strained and saved for garnish
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet paprika Method:
Sweat the carrot, courgette, and tomatoes in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes. Add the spices, and stir for 2 minutes until the paprika is incorporated into the mixture. Add the tomato paste, and stir. Slowly add the stock and stir. Add the dried wheat, and bring soup to the boil. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Finally, add the chopped coriander to the soup. Serve hot in soup bowls, with a little fresh lemon juice added to each dish. Garnish with a sprig or two of coriander and serve with warmed pitta bread. |