Samira El Khafir

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Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Samira El Khafir

Masterchef Australia Finalist
Foodie, Travel, Author, Educator
Where there is food, there is love.

28/02/2026

No buttermilk. No egg. No long marinating. Just crispy, juicy fried chicken

Ingredients
2kg chicken pieces (on the bone) – pat dry
Season GENEROUSLY with your favourite spices (I used Cajun)
Keep extra seasoning aside
Flour Mix:
3 cups plain flour
1½ tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp spice mix + salt
Mix well and set aside.
Spiced Water:
Ice-cold water (add ice if needed)
2 tbsp spice mix
2 tbsp cornflour
Mix until combined.
Coating Method:
Flour → Water → Flour
Press flour on well, shake off excess
Rest on wire rack 15 mins (helps coating stick)
Optional: double coat for extra crunch
Fry:
Heat oil to 170°C
Fry until golden, crispy, and cooked through (time varies by chicken cut)
Rest on wire rack (not paper towel!)
Finish (Game Changer):
2 tbsp spice mix in a bowl
Add 1 ladle hot frying oil → mix (blooms spices!)
Brush fried chicken with the spiced oil

26/02/2026

🍪 Decadent Stuffed Cookie Bake
Ingredients
250g butter, softened
1 cup soft brown sugar
½ cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup cornflour (cornstarch), heaped spoon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Toppings of choice: chopped chocolate, choc chips, pretzels, etc.
Fillings: chocolate, pistachio paste, Biscoff, etc.
Method
Cream butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Add eggs and whisk until fully combined.
Fold in flour, cornflour, baking powder, and baking soda until a thick dough forms (it should hold its shape).
Fold through your chosen mix-ins (chocolate, pretzels, etc.).
Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Divide into 4 large balls. Flatten the centre, add your filling, then seal and reshape.
Place onto a lined baking tray (4 large cookies per tray).
Chill again for 1 hour, or until ready to bake.
Bake at 180°C until golden and crisp on top.
Rest for 20 minutes before serving. Smash, scoop, and enjoy with ice cream or on its own

25/02/2026

Super taste healthier snickers. Dates stuffed with peanut butter and chopped cashews with a pinch of Celtic salt. Dunked in chocolate just delicious .

24/02/2026

Leftover granola? Turn it into magic, Just mix with melted chocolate, spread, set, and snack away

23/02/2026

My dough didn’t rise… but my blood pressure did.

21/02/2026

Stop abusing your pomegranate, this is how to peel it open.

20/02/2026

Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini (Kousa Mahshi)

What you need:
12–15 small Lebanese zucchinis (or medium if that’s what you have)
2 cups rice, rinsed really well until the water runs clear
500g fatty lamb or beef mince
1 tsp salt
½ tsp Baharat (Arabic seven spice)
¼ cup ghee
2–3 tbsp pine nuts
2–3 garlic cloves
3–4 fresh tomatoes (blended or finely chopped)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 heaped tsp dried mint (for the sauce)
Extra dried mint + garlic for soaking
2 tbsp oil
Water (enough to fill pot halfway)
Method
1️⃣ Cut the tops off the zucchinis and core them nice and thin. Soak in water with dried mint and a few crushed garlic cloves for a few hours (or overnight), then rinse well.
2️⃣ In a bowl, mix the rinsed rice, mince, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp Baharat.
3️⃣ Fry the pine nuts in the ghee until lightly golden, then pour everything straight over the rice and mince. Mix well.
4️⃣ Stuff the zucchinis lightly, only about ¾ full. Do not pack tightly so the rice has room to expand.
5️⃣ In a large pot, heat oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, then fill the pot halfway with water. Season with 1 heaped tsp dried mint and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil.
6️⃣ Add the stuffed zucchinis, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
7️⃣ Check one zucchini by slicing it down the centre. If the rice is cooked, remove all the zucchinis from the pot so they don’t collapse.
Serve warm with plenty of the tomato broth on the side — it doubles as the most delicious soup.

19/02/2026

I can't not wait to eat one of these tonight. Butter filled dates. If you are a butter lover, then this is a must try.

18/02/2026

Because sometimes, the unhealthy version just wins 🤷🏻‍♀️

16/02/2026

Snack smart: protein-packed energy balls that live happily in the fridge or freezer. 🙌

14/02/2026

Thin, crispy lahma manoush. One bite, and you’re hooked.

Ingredients (6 manoush):
500g plain flour
275–290ml warm water
7g instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
1½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Method: 1️⃣ Mix water, sugar & yeast → rest 5 mins
2️⃣ Add flour, salt & olive oil → mix to a firm dough
3️⃣ Knead 6–8 mins until smooth (not sticky)
4️⃣ Proof 45–60 mins until doubled
5️⃣ Divide into 6 balls, rest 20 mins
Ingredients
400g lamb mince (or beef, but lamb is most traditional)
1 small onion, very finely minced
1 ripe tomato, very finely diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Lebanese seven spice (baharat)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

You can chop your Ingredients or blend like I did this goes back to personal choice.

Method
Mix everything together thoroughly until the mixture becomes soft and spreadable.
It should look slightly wet — this keeps the topping juicy when baked.
Assemble & Bake
Preheat oven to 230°C (very hot).
Divide dough into 6–8 balls.
Roll thin into small circles (traditional manoush size).
Spread a thin layer of meat mixture evenly over each one.
👉 The topping should be thin — not chunky or piled high.
Bake 8–10 minutes until:
edges are lightly golden
meat is cooked
base is crisp underneath
Bake on lowest rack or pizza stone if possible for authentic bakery texture.

12/02/2026

Simple prawns. No fuss. No extras. Just good olive oil, garden veggies, warm spices, and getting your hands a little messy
Sometimes the most beautiful meals are the ones you don’t overthink.

Shell-On Spiced Prawns
Ingredients:
• Raw prawns, shell on
• Good quality olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1–2 yellow peppers, sliced
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ¼ tsp salt (plus extra to season at the end)
• Fresh coriander
• Lemon wedges
Method:
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Sauté the onion until softened.
Add cherry tomatoes and yellow peppers and cook until slightly blistered and fragrant.
Add the prawns (shell on for ultimate flavour).
Sprinkle over paprika, cumin, black pepper, Kashmiri chilli and salt. Toss well.
Cook just until the prawns turn pink and opaque — don’t overcook.
Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Finish with fresh coriander and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Eat with your hands. Peel. Dip in the juices. Mop up with bread if you must.
This is what simple cooking should feel like.

Address

Melbourne, VIC

Website

https://Linktr.ee/samiraelkhafir, https://www.sevenrooms.com/events/ahNzfnNldmVucm9vbXMtc2VjdXJlchwLEg9uaWdodGxvb3BfVmVu

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