People are paying an increasing amount of attention to their lifestyles over the past decade and so emerged the demand for air fryer recipes. The change included people changing sleeping habits, increasing levels of activity and paying attention to their diet. In the era of Instagram and healthy living conscious eating has evolved from a mere hashtag fad into a necessity. If you enjoy your tasty treats but want to eliminate hearty levels of oil, then an air fryer is just the gadget you need. This is especially relevant in Dubai, a city that’s dealing with a diabetes epidemic.
To illustrate some of it’s benefits an air fryer enables low-fat meals to be conjured up in a moments notice. You can discard the need to add oil to your meats and vegetables and saves your self the time of waiting by the stove for it to heat up. Although there are some oil that you can add, be sure to read your manual for information on the same. Your cooked meal can contain up to an astounding 80% less fat. An instruction manual is provided despite the process being fairly simple. The gadget helps you eat healthy and is simple to clean. So, whether you are on a budget and do not want to eat out or are paying extra attention to your nutrition to lose weight an air fryer could be your best friend.
Most companies will provide an air fryer recipe book to help you get started however, here are 7 dishes popular in Dubai that you can make using an air fryer.
Related: Best Air Fryer in UAE [2021]
Chicken Shawarma in an Air Fryer
Perhaps the most popular dish known to people outside the UAE, thus making it one of the must-try air fryer recipes. Chicken Shawarma can be viewed as extremely fatty with the constant lathering of oil and rich mayonnaise commonly seen. This recipe makes 12 servings of shawarma at 222 calories per serving offering you 17g of protein and just 6 grams of fat (without the pita bread).
- Simply slice up 8 chicken breast pieces finely.
- Take two tablespoons of ketchup along with 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic and yogurt.
- Then mix it up with one tablespoon of the following: shawarma seasoning, dried oregano, paprika, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon.
- To this add half a cup of light mayonnaise and you can choose to add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Marinate the chicken in it overnight.
- While cooking place it in the air fryer at 180c for 15 minutes while stirring it at regular intervals.
- Choose to add the shawarma to the pita bread, choose a whole wheat variant or simple forego the added carbohydrates.
Falafel in an Air Fryer
If you are a vegetarian or simply enjoy a good falafel you can whip it up in little-to-no time.
- First soak 1 cup of dry chick peas in water for 24 hours and ensure the water is not hot.
- Next rub the chick peas with your fingertips to remove the skin.
- After rinsing and draining them place the peas on a dish towel.
- Grab a good food processor and whirr the chickpeas with 1 ½ cup of cilantro without the stems, 3/4th cup fresh parsley without stems, 1 small red onion diced into a paste.
- Then place the mixture in a container and add 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon of ground coriander, cumin, and sriracha.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and leave the mixture covered for approximately an hour.
- Now set the air fryer to 190c and add ½ teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4th teaspoon of baking soda to the mixture.
- Gently mix it all and roll even sized balls and flatten them out. Spray the patty with cooking spray and cook for 10 minutes.
Baklava in an Air Fryer
If you have a sweet tooth and appreciate an accompaniment with your coffee then this eastern Mediterranean classic air fryer recipe is right for you.
- For 12 servings toss 207g of chopped pistachios with 207 g of chopped walnuts with one tablespoon of ground cinnamon and place them aside.
- Next unroll 1 filo pastry approximately 9-10 ounces and trim it to fit your heat proof baking dish.
- Cover the trimmed sheet with a damp cloth as you work to ensure it does not dry out.
- Place two sheets of filo and brush the top layer with melted butter and repeat until you have 8 such filo layers all buttered up. About 260 grams of butter should suffice.
- Add 2 spoons of the nut mixture on top, add two more sheets of filo along with some more butter and nuts again.
- Repeat this 6-8 times or until you run out of space or filo.
- Cut it into pieces of your desired shape all the way down and bake for about 25 minutes at 180c until golden.
- Prepare the syrup by boiling 260ml water and 207g caster sugar until it dissolves.
- Add 8 spoons of honey and 1 lemon peel.
- Simmer for 20 minutes before letting it cool and discard the lemon peel.
- Once the baklava is ready pour the cooled syrup over and serve.
Crispy Hamoor
Crunchy bites without the added calories. This guilt-free indulgence is perfect for those who enjoy seafood.
- Select sizable Hamoor fillets as they need time to crisp well.
- Combine you seasoning ingredients in a Ziplock bad and shake them up which are ¾ cup fine cornmeal, ¼ cup flour, 2 teaspoons of old bay, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Clean and rise your fillets and while still damp toss them into the bag until covered in seasoning.
- Remove fillets and place them down and allow excess flour to fall off.
- Oil the bottom of your fryer and place the Hamoor slices in and be sure to space them out as adding too many slices will cause your fish to steam and not fry.
- Cook at about 205 degrees C for 10 minutes. Open the basket and spray the side facing upwards before flipping the fillet and cook for another 7-10 minutes.
- It is important to adjust your cooking times based on the thickness of your fillet slices.
Halloumi fries
This air fryer recipe is perfect for anyone who loves cheese and doesn’t want to give up tasty treats while living a healthier life. Plus, vegetarians can enjoy this and the non-vegetarians certainly wont mind.
- Firstly, mix up 2 tablespoons of flour with a large pinch of paprika, salt, and black pepper on a plate using a fork.
- Then slice the block of halloumi into large portions about 8 should suffice and coat it in the dry mixture.
- Set your air fryer at 200 degrees C and spray the basket with oil to ensure that the fingers don’t stick to it.
- Place the fingers inside for 15 minutes and flip them at the 7-minute mark.
- Remove and serve hot with a dip of your choice
Grilled chicken kebabs
Trying out a new diet? Love kebabs? Dislike oil in your meals? Search no further, this air fryer recipe is low carb and high in protein making it deal even if you are on a ketogenic diet.
- Cut 16 ounces of chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and place into a seal able plastic bag or bowl if you intend on marinating it.
- For the marine add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chicken seasoning, 1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning and leave overnight in the refrigerator.
- Then skewer the chicken and layer it with sliced pieces of ½ a green pepper, ½ red pepper, ½ yellow pepper, ½ zucchini. ¼ red onion and choose to add baby/ grape tomatoes.
- Spray the skewered condiments with cooking oil.
- Place the skewers on the grill and at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes on each side.
Lamb Kofte
Craving some grilled meat with an aromatic infusion of spices? This low-fat recipe may be just for you.
- Choose a ground meat of your choice including beef, chicken or lamb.
- Toss 1 tablespoon of oil, 1-pound lean beef or lamb, 1/4th cup chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon diced garlic, 2 tablespoons of kofta kebab spice mix, and a teaspoon of salt all in a blender and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Skewer the meat or simply roll it up into equal sized portions.
- Then place them in the air fryer at 190 degrees C for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle a little chopped coriander before serving.
Without further ado, browse through a number of Air Fryers of various sizes and designs. Choose one that suits your unique air fryer recipes needs. There’s a new air fryer release from the Black+Decker brand known as the Digital XL. Apart from this, we have the Nutricook Air Fryer 2 (AF2) and you’ve got to take a look at it. In the process, bring the flavours of Dubai to your kitchen! Begin your transition to a healthier lifestyle with these air fryer recipes without having to give up on your favourite foods.
