Sumayya Meraj

Well, peanut butter isn’t an easy thing to have at least for me. I find it dry and sticky. Literally, I found it so much dry that when I first tried it, I had to swallow my bread with water. Since then It took place in my dislikes. Until I tried its combinations with other spreads and I found it pleasing. If you have the same feelings for Peanut butter, if it chokes your throat and you have to swallow it with liquids, then try this combination sandwich and that’s how you can finish your Peanut butter jar before expiration while having a yummy breakfast. You need: 2 Bread slices, Apple Jam, Peanut butter. Apply Peanut butter on one slice and Apple jam on the other.  Stick both together. Sandwich is ready. 

Pakistan is a place of variety of foods. Here, most of the household cuisines constitute different kind of curries, thin or thick, having various methods to prepare. But few ingredients which are common in most of the recipes are onions, tomatoes, yogurt, chili, turmeric and coriander powder. Here I’m presenting a Pakistani version of stew. Stew is a dish which is cooked in water slowly and covered. If your taste buds like tangy, spicy, aromatic flavours then you’d definitely like it. 

Let's start:

Ingredients:

Chicken meat medium to small cut   1/2 Kg

Onions roughy chopped,  medium size 7-8 bits

Tomatoes roughly chopped, big sized 4 bits, medium 6-8 bits

Garlic chopped 4 cloves

Ginger julienne cut 1x1 inch piece

Green Chilies roughly chopped, big sized 6 bits, small sized 12-20 bits

Green chilies uncut 4 bits

(optional) Red chili flakes 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/8 TSP 

Salt to taste

Oil 1-2 cups

All Spices

Cloves 5-6 bits

Black pepper 8-10 bits

White cumin seeds 1 TSP

Black Cardamom 1 bit

Cinnamon sticks 3 bits

Method:

Put stove on medium flame. In a cooking pan, heat oil, add all spices, garlic and chicken. Saute for 20-30 seconds.

Add Onions, tomatoes, ginger, green chilies, red chili, turmeric, salt. Mix together and keep on medium flame for 20 to 30 minutes

Check if the meat is tender. Take out the chicken pieces and keep aside

Now put the flames high and cook remaining gravy until all ingredients become unified and forms a gooey texture. Add oil if required at this stage.

Finally, add chicken, remaining uncut green chilies, add 1/2 cup water, mix together, cover the lid and put on low flame for 5 minutes

Chicken Stew is ready to serve.

Serving:

Ingredients:

Green Chilies (Jalepenos/ Banana/ Anaheim/ Jamaican) 20-24 pieces

Khatai (soaked and boiled) 1 cup

Cumin seeds 1 TSP full

Optional - Red Chilli crushed 1 TSP

Salt to taste

Oil 1-2 TBSP

Method:

In frying pan heat oil on medium flame

Add cumin seed and fry for 10 seconds

Add remaining ingredients and cook until thick, nice and gooey texture is obtained.

Mark cut on one side of chilies and fill the cooked khatai in it, as much as you want. If you want less spicy, you can remove seeds from chilies.

When all chilies are filled, saute them in frying pan with little oil. Your chilies are ready to flaunt your lentils and pulses.

Serving:

Ingredients:

Soaked Tamarind - 1 cup

Green chillies - 10 pieces

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Salt - 1 TSP or per taste

Cumin seed - 1 teaspoon

Water - 1 cup or per thickness required

Method:

1) Separate seeds from soaked tamarind

2) In blender, combine all ingredients and blend until fine. Imli Chutni is ready.

Serving:

This sauce is served with lentils, pulses, different rice recipes, pakoras mainly.

Tips:

Ingredients:

Pre-soaked Moong daal (1 hour) - 250 grams

Green Chillies roughly chopped - 4-5pcs

Red chilli powder - 1 TSP

Turmeric powder - 1/8 TSP

Kasuri Methi (fenugreek leaves) - 1 TSP

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 TBSP

White cumin seeds - 1 TSP full

Salt to taste

Oil/ghee 3-4 tablespoon

Water 1 cup

Method:

In a pan heat oil/ghee on stove. It is preferred to keep flame medium.

Add cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds.

Add moong daal, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, kasuri methi, ginger garlic paste, add water and toss well. Put the lid and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Check timely if the pulse is tender and water is dried. Add water if further cooking required.

When cooked, Add green chillies and salt. Mix well.

Your Daal Moong is ready to serve.

Serving:

This meal is eaten traditionally with chapati, ‘Imli ki chatni’ and ‘khatai bhari mirch’ and ‘mix pickle’. Although you’re free to try new combos.

Tips:

Ingredients:

Pre-soaked Maash daal (2-3 hours) - 250 grams

Pre-soaked Chana daal (2-3 hours) - 1/2 cup

Red Chilli crushed - 1 TBSP or per taste

Green Chillies roughly chopped - 4-5pcs

Ginger julienne cut - 1 TBSP

Garlic roughly chopped - 2-3 cloves

White cumin seeds - 1 TSP full

Salt to taste

Oil 3-4 tablespoon

Water 1 cup

Method:

In a pan heat oil on stove. It is preferred to keep flame medium.

Add cumin seeds and red chillies and fry for 10 seconds.

Add maash daal and and add water. Put the lid and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Check timely if the pulse is tender and water is dried. Add water if further cooking required.

When lentils are cooked, Add green chillies, ginger and salt. Mix well.

In a separate frying pan, add ghee 3-4 TBSP and fry cutted garlic until golden. Pour it over prepared lentils. Your Daal Maash is ready to serve.

Serving:

This meal is eaten traditionally with chapati only, Although you’re free to try new combos.

Tips:

Ingredients:

Oil 3-4 tbsp

Chicken 1/2 Kg

Ginger Garlic past 1 tbsp

Onion 1 large

Green chili paste 4-6 chilies blended

Salt 1 tsp

Yogurt 3/4 cup

Black pepper powder 1 tsp

Coriander seeds roasted and crushed 1 tsp

White Cumin seed roasted and crushed 1 tsp

Tetra pack cream 4 tbsp

Ginger 2 inch piece julienne cut

Green chilies 2-3 bits

Coriander leaves 1/2 cup

All spice ground 1 tsp

Method:

Fry Onion and take out

Fry Chicken in the same oil until golden

Add Ginger Garlic paste, Chili paste and salt. Cook for 8 minutes

In a blender put friend onion and add Yogurt, black pepper powder, coriander seed powder, cumin powder. Blend altogether

Add this blend to Chicken. Cook until water dries

Now add cream, chopped Ginger, green Chilies, All spices. Put on a low flame for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Things we need:

Penne Pasta 300 grams

Cheddar Cheese 100 grams

Butter 1 Tablespoon

Milk 750 ML

Flour 1 1/2 tablespoon

Garlic cloves 2 fine chopped

Chicken cube half

Chicken chunks 1 cup

Salt to the taste

Black pepper 1 teaspoon

Mixed Italian Herbs 1 teaspoon

Carrot fine chopped 1 cup

Spring Onion fine chopped 1 cup

Mushrooms 1/2 cup

Black olives 1/2 cup

Method:

Boil pasta and set aside

In a cooking pan, Add butter and fry garlic in it

Add flour and saute until a yellowish color

Add carrots and onion, saute for a minute

Add milk, chicken cube, Chicken chunks and Cheese. Give it a boil. Also add seasoning that is pepper, salt and herbs

Add Pasta, mushrooms and olives. Mix well and serve.

Ingredients: 

Basmati or tota Rice 1 1/2 cups

Whole-fat Milk 3 litres

Khoya 250 grams

Sugar 2 cups OR to the taste

Cardamoms 10 -12 bits powdered

Kewra water 1 table spoon

Pistachios and Almonds flakes for garnish

Preparation:

Soak Rice in water for about 30 minutes.

Method:

Boil Milk. Crush the soaked rice with hands as better as you can.

Add Rice to boiling milk. Cook until the rice becomes most tender or until the kheer gets a texture of custard with prominent rice granules.

Now add cardamom powder, sugar and kewra water.

Crush khoya with hand and add to kheer. Mix evenly.

Dish out and garnish with Pistachios and almond flakes. let it cool in free space with a lid on.

Ingredients for Masala for 1 kg beef:

Red Chili Powder 1 tablespoon

Cumin Seed crushed 1/2 tablespoon

Black Pepper 1/2 tablespoon

Salt 1 teaspoon

Dalchini powder 1 teaspoon

Javitri powder 1/2 tablespoon

Cloves powdered 6-7bits

KhashKhash Poppy seeds 1 tablespoon

Bhuna Baisan (Roasted Gram flour) 1/2 cup

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and grind.

Ingredients for Bihari boti:

Prepared Masala

Beef pasandey cut or boti cut 1 kg

Yogurt 1 cup

Unripened green papaya paste 3 tablespoon

Fried and ground onion 2 tablespoon

Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon

Wood charcoal 3 bits

Oil 1/2 cup

Method:

In a big bowl take the beef, Add prepared masala, yogurt, papaya paste, fried onion, ginger garlic paste, mix well and keep aside for marination up to 4 hours or more.

After marination, in a cooking pan take oil 1/2 cup and add all the marinated beef in it.

Cook beef until all the things seems combined. The beef will start leaving water but it will need more water to cook well and tenderize. So add 2 cups of water and leave aside with closed lid.

After 30 minutes, open the lid and let the remaining water dry out. Water should be minimum and there will be a very thick gravy. By the side light the charcoals on flame.

Apply charcoal smoke with closed lid for 15 minutes.

Dish out in serving platter, garnish with coriander and onion rings. Serve with naan, chapati, or khubs.

Ingredients for fish fry:

Fish fillets 1/2 kg cut into medium sized pieces

Gram flour 1/2 cup

Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon

Red chili powder 1 teaspoon

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste 1 teaspoon

Water as required (to make a batter)

Oil for frying

Method:

Combine gram flour, salt, chili, turmeric, garlic and add water to make a thick batter. Coat fish pieces in this batter and deep fry.

Ingredients for katakat:

Fried fish (previously)

Onion 2 medium finely chopped

Green chili 8 to 10 bits finely chopped

Green coriander finely chopped 1 cup

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin Seed 1/2 teaspoon

Oil 4 tablespoon

Method:

Keeping flame medium, add oil to the pan and fry onion in it for 30 seconds

Add cumin seeds, green chili, coriander, black pepper and salt and fry for 15 seconds

Add the fried fish to it and saute for 1 minute. break fish into smaller pieces with the help of spoon and mix well such that everything is uniformly mixed.

Ingredients:

Finely grounded Beef 1/2 Kg

Roasted chickpeas 1/2 cup

Dried Kachri Powder 1 tablespoonful

Black pepper 15-20 bits

Cloves 7-10 bits

White cumin seeds 1 teaspoonful

Onion 2 Medium finely chopped

Yogurt 125 grams

Ginger Paste 1 tablespoon

Garlic Paste 1 tablespoon

Crushed Red chilies 1 tablespoon

Salt to Taste

Oil 1 cup

Charcoal 2-3 pieces

Water 3/4 glass

Preparation:

Combine the Chickpeas, red chili, cloves, black pepper, Kachri powder, cumin seeds, salt and grind to make a powder. Now Marinate the beef in it with garlic, ginger and yogurt for 1 to 2 hours

Method:

Add oil to the cooking pan and fry onion in it till yellow

Add the marinated beef to it and cook until beef is tender. Add water and let it cook on medium flame for 20 minutes with covered lid.

After 20 minutes your beef should be cooked but has water in it. Now saute until the water dries completely and oil appears.  By the side, light the charcoal by putting it on flames on second stove

How to smoke the beef? Now that beef is done, put off the stove. Now take few onion skins and arrange on the cooked beef such that if charcoal is placed on them, they will avoid mixing charcoal in the food. Now place charcoal on the skins and drop few drops of oil on them to make smoke and cover the lid. Let it stand for 5 minutes and remove.

Ingredients:

Potatoes 2 medium sized, peeled and dices to 8 pieces each

Tomatoes 2 medium sized, diced small

Onion 2 medium sized, chopped finely julian

Green Chili pepper 4 bits, stem removed

Green Coriander chopped finely 2 tablespoon ful

Beef minced 1/2 Kg

Oil 3/4 cup

Spices:

Red Chili powder 1 1/2 tablespoon full

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tablespoon full

Garlic paste 1 tablespoon full

(optional) Ginger paste 1 tablespoon full

Ginger chopped julian 1 tablespoon

Cloves 6-7 bits

Black pepper 9-10 bits

Salt 1 teaspoon full

Method:

1) In a cooking pan, add oil and fry onion in it till yellowish brown. Take out the Onion fried and keep it in freezer.

2) Mix the spices all together and add water to make a unifirm paste

3) Add this paste to the remaining oil of Step1 and fry for 5 minutes

4) Now add tomatoes and mince also and fry for 15 minutes

5) Grind the frozen onion. Now add onion, potatoes and green chilies and fry for further 10 minutes until the mince appears cooked

6) Now add half glass of water and cover the lid to cook. Meanwhile keep on checking the water content in the gravy. if its too thin, cook it further until half of the water dries.

7) Now add the chopped coriander, mix well and serve hot

Ingredients:

For Custard

Vanilla Custard Powder 3 tablespoons

Milk 1 liter

Sugar 125 grams

Vanilla essence 3 drops

For Khubani

Seedless dried Khubani(apricots) soaked in water for 2-3 hours 250 grams

Sugar 125 grams

Dalchini (Cinnamon) powder 1/4 Teaspoon

Ilaichi (Cardamom) Powder 1/2 Teaspoon

Shehed (honey) 1/2 cup

Method for Custard

Add 1 cup milk to the custard powder and dissolve well

In a pan keep the remaining milk to boil, add sugar and vanilla essence also

Once boiled, lower the heat and slowly start adding the dissolved custard and keep stirring and cook well until the thickness

Now take a bowl filled with ice and place another empty bowl on it. now pour the custard in the empty bowl

Stir custard to make it cool, and keep aside

Never put it in the fridge, it will drastically reduce the temperature and your custard will form curdles

Method For Khubani

In a heavy based pan, add sugar and keep on low heat. the sugar will start caramelizing. It’s color will turn brown.

Now add khubani, Ilaichi, dalchini and honey in it. Mix well.

Now add 1 cup water in it. Once it starts boil, cover with lid and let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Keep checking constantly and once it get thicker like gooey texture, put off the flame.

Serving

Ingredients (Brownie Cake)

Maida(all purpose flour) 1 cup

Eggs 4 bits

Oil/butter melted 1 cup

Iced sugar 1 cup

Cocoa Powder 1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence or Lemon Essence 2 drops

Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

1) Preheat oven on 180 degree C for 20minutes.

2) Take sugar, oil/butter, baking powder and essence in a bowl and beat well to make icing like texture.

3) In a bowl add eggs and beat with electric beater until a fluffy marshmallowy texture comes out.

4) Now add sugar+butter combo in beaten eggs and mix well with beater.

5) Also now slowly add flour and cocoa powder in the eggs and beat with hand beater/spatula until all flour is added and mixed well in the eggs such that to form very smooth texture WITH NO LUMPS!

6) Now grease your baking dice with some oil/butter and pour mixture. You can shake the pan to settle this mix. 

Leave 2/3rd of the space empty in the dice to let the cake rise.

7) Bake for 30 minutes. Now take out and check by inserting a knife in the center of the cake. if it comes out clean your cake is awesomely baked. Else you can keep it in oven for more 15 minutes.

8) After taking out, let it cool, slice it per requirement and enjoy with tea or coffee.

Ingredients (Plain Cake)

Keep every thing just as with brownie cake but one thing. Instead of cocoa powder add 1/2 cup additional flour and follow same recipe. 

Ras Malai is another popular Indo-Pak cuisine in desserts category. Soft dumpling prepared with whole-fat powdered milk, egg and flour dumped in a milk syrup with touch of cardamom and dry fruits. It is simple to cook but hard to resist thing. Lets go to the recipe.

Ingredients for syrup:

1 liter milk

2 cardamoms powdered

1/2 cup sugar

5-6 Pistachios crushed

Ingredients for Dumplings:

1 cup whole-fat powdered milk

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cardamom powdered

1 Egg beaten

Method:

1. Keep the 1 liter milk on flame in a sauce pan to boil. Add 2 cardamoms powdered and 1/2 cup sugar too. When boiled, lower the flame.

2. Mean while, in a separate bowl add powdered milk, flour, oil, baking powder, cardamom powder and mix well. Now kneed the dough with beaten egg. Only add enough egg to kneed the dough, do not add it all at once.

3. Now make equal small sized discs with the dough (of about 3 cm in diameter). Add these discs in the boiled milk and cook on medium flame for few minutes. The dumplings will be cooked in 2 minutes ideally. You can check if the dumpling is cooked by taking out one, pass knife through center of it. If knife goes smooth, its done.

Chicken Makhani Handi is eaten and loved by food lovers in Pakistan. This cuisine is mainly popular in Karachi “The City of Lights”. The mild creamy taste with buttery aroma are the main codes of its distinction among very popular Pakistani cuisines and makes it first preference for many desi foodies.

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken 1/2 Kg

2 medium Onions

3 medium Green chilies

White pepper 1/2 tsp  leveled

Salt to taste

Ginger Garlic paste 1 tablespoon

Cumin crushed 1 teaspoon  leveled

All spice (Garam masala) 1/2 teaspoon  leveled

Cream 1/2 cup

Butter 2 tablespoon

Yogurt 1 cup

Cashew Nut or Almonds 6-8 bits

Melon seeds 1 tablespoon leveled

Sesame seed 1 tablespoon  leveled

Poppy seeds 1/2 tablespoon  leveled

Coconut crushed 1 tablespoon  leveled

Oil 1/2 cup

4 green chilies and coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

In a pan, boil onions and green chilies for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, collect Cashews/Almonds, Melon seeds, Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and coconut crushed and grind all together. 

Now blend the boiled onion and chilies to make a paste.

In the pan add 1/2 cup oil, transfer this blend and fry for 10 minutes

Now add Chicken, white pepper, salt, ginger garlic, cumin, all spice, cream, butter, yogurt and the grinned ingredients(Cashews/Almonds, Melon seeds, Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and coconut) to the cooking pan and fry until chicken is tender

Check the thickness of gravy. If needed, add water to the required thickness.

Garnish with 4 green chilies and coriander, cover the lid and put on low flame for 1 minute.

Switch of the flame and transfer it in a serving bowl.

Here you go! your deliciously creamy Chicken Makhani Handi is ready which you used to have in expensive restaurants now home-made with same taste.