My Spicy Taste Buds

Italian Chicken Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 09:30:00 +0000

This is another one of my favorite cold Pasta salad recipe, it’s super easy to make, and has the perfect blend of sweet, sour and savory. You can eat this flavorful and colorful its own, or serve it as a side dish. To make this salad more delicious, remember to keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two for the flavors to marinade. You can use any leftover roasted chicken you have or you can use boiled and cubed chicken, grilled chicken or bbq chicken, I used left over malai chicken tikka for this salad.

Ingredients:

1 packet spiral or bow tie pasta (500 gms)

400- 500 gm cooked chicken cubes

1-2 large green capsicum (thinly sliced)

3-4 tomatoes (deseeded and cut in thin strips)

1 large onion (finely sliced)

12-15 olives

½ cup SweetCorn

For dressing

2 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp red chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp celery salt

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Hand full of chopped fresh coriander

Method:

1) prepare the vegetables, cook the pasta in boiling water according to packet instruction, remove from heat, rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.

2) In a small bowl mix together all the spices. Take another small bowl add in the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, 2 tbsp of water along with spice mix and whisk it nicely.

3) Take another bowl, add in the pasta along with chicken, veggies and chopped coriander. Pour the dressing over the pasta and mix everything well. You can taste the salad and adjust the seasoning just in case it needs more salt.

4) It’s better if you make this ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 10-12 hours before serving.

Turkish Yogurt Soup With Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 12:25:00 +0000

This simple but delicious yoghurt based soup also known as Yayla Corbasi, is one of the most popular soups in Turkey, flavored with dried mint and paprika flakes. Traditionally long grain white rice is used in the recipe, but in this recipe, I have used bulgur wheat instead. I first came across this recipe while watching a cooking show on T.V and it immediately intrigued me, so I decided to give it a try without giving a second thought. It so amazing how the mild, plain taste of yoghurt is magically transformed into something completely different, delicious with the addition of garlic and red pepper flakes infused butter. Hope you would also give it a try once.

Ingredients:

250 grams cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1/4 cup bulgur wheat (or you can use rice)

1 cup full-fat plain yogurt

1 egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons finely chopped mint (Or use dried mint)

Lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

1) Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur wheat, cover and cook over low heat until barely tender, about 15 minutes.

2) Take medium sauce pan and bring the chicken stock to simmer. Take a large pot, whisk together the yogurt, egg yolk, and flour, now slowly add the heated stock, whisking after each small addition to incorporate. Heat to a simmer.

3) Add in the bulgur wheat and chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm over low heat.

4) Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in the garlic paprika butter on top, sprinkle with mint and serve with lemon wedges.

Chocolate Ganache Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:57:00 +0000

Brownies are often classified as fudgy or cakey, my favourite brownie is thick, fudgy, chewy, chocolaty, and rich. This recipe is so easy to make and taste wonderful, I have frosted the brownies, if you are a chocolate lover you will love these ganache brownies…

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups white granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

1cup unsweetened coco powder

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Ganache frosting:

½ cup cream

1 cup chocolate (you can use chocolate chips, or any chocolate of your choice)

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 C, Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish.

2) Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a bowl, add in the salt and mix nicely.

In a large sauce pan melt the butter over low heat, combine the butter sugar and vanilla in large bowl, beat in the eggs one at t a time, mixing well after each addition, until thoroughly blended.

3) Now gradually stir in the flour mixture in to the egg mixture until well blended but do'nt over mix it, stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the mixture in to baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

4) It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the tallest part comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Do keep in mind we have added chocolate chips in it, if you hit one with the toothpick it will have melted chocolate on it, so poke a couple of spots to make sure you are not hitting the chocolate chips. Remember not to over bake the brownies.

For Frosting:

While the brownies are baking you can make the ganache frosting for brownies.

Add cream in to sauce pan and bring to boil over low heat, as soon as the bubbles starts to appear, take the pan off the stove, add in the chocolate chips add whist until smooth.

Let it cool down until it gets slightly thick, Pour over brownies after brownies are cooled slightly. Let sit for about 1 hour, or in refrigerator until set, then cut and serve

Nan Khatai

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 16:37:00 +0000

Nan Khatai is a desi delicacy with a melt in mouth texture. These shortbread biscuits are equally popular both in Pakistan and India. I have wanted to bake and share this recipe since long, finally today was that day and trust me it will give you the taste just like the ones bought form bakery. Hope you will enjoy baking and eating these biscuits as much as I did!!!

Ingredients:

1 & ½ cup (195 gm) all purpose flour

½ cup (60 gm) gram flour (baisan)

¼ tsp salt

1 cup (120 gm) icing sugar

1 cup (227 gm) ghee (clarified butter)

1 cup coarsely crushed roasted almonds

1 tsp green cardamom powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 & tsp baking powder

1 egg yolk

Method:

1) Melt the ghee in a pan, and then put it in the freezer for ½ an hour.

2) In a bowl sift all purpose flour, gram flour, baking powered and baking soda so that there is no lump, mix it all nicely.

3) In a another bowl beat together the ghee, cardamom powder, salt and icing sugar until light and smooth (for 2-3 minutes)

3) Now gradually add in the flour mixture to the ghee mixtures and mix it, rubbing with your hands until incorporated. Add in the crushed almonds and mix together.

4) Preheat oven to 180-190 C, place rack in centre of oven.

5) Make equal size balls out of dough and flatten slightly, beat the egg yolks and brush the dough balls.

6) Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top of the cookies t start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-5 minutes.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:49:00 +0000

Sweet & sour chicken is a classic Chinese recipe packed with chicken chunks, vegetables and pineapple. It is among the most likes chinless recipes here in Pakistan. It’s a awesome recipe to make during winters and believe me it would tastes a lot better than the one we get in restaurants.

Ingredients:

For chicken:

200 gm boneless chicken

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup milk or water

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Oil for deep frying

For Sauce:

1 capsicum chopped in to squares

1 onion, cut in to squares

1 carrot peeled and sliced

2 slices pineapple chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1/4 tsp White Pepper powder

1 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 cup Tomato ketchup

2 tsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Vinegar

Salt-according to taste

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 pineapple juice

Oil- 2-3 tbsp

Corn flour (about 2-3 tbsp mixed in water)

Method:

1) Mix all purpose flour, salt, cream, baking powder and milk (or water) in a mixing bowl. If the batter appears a little thick then you can add a little more milk Coat all the pieces of chicken with the batter and keep them for some time.

2) Heat oil in a skillet, once the oil is properly heated put the marinated chicken pieces in slowly one by one. The flame of the gas must be kept really slow so as to prevent the pieces from roasting. A high flame may cook the marinated chicken only from outside and the inner part may remain uncooked. The chicken must be cooked till it turns light brown in colour. Once the chicken is done take all the pieces out on a kitchen paper.

3) To prepare the sauce, heat a little oil in a pan and add garlic paste in it and fry it until it turns light brown. Add in the chopped onions, chopped capsicum and carrot slices, fry for 2 minutes

2) Next step includes adding tomato ketchup, white pepper powder, pineapple juice, Soya sauce, vinegar, red chili flacks and salt. This should be cooked properly on medium flame for around two or three minutes.

3) When you see little bubbles forming in the mixture then it is considered to be cooked properly. Next add the pieces of fried chicken, pineapple pieces and stir the mixture properly with light hands to make sure that everything is properly coated.

4) Add a little corn starch mixed with some water and cook, (don't add it all at once, when the sauce starts to get thick turn off the flame. Serve plain boiled rice or garlic fired rice.

Achari Chana Pulao

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 09:02:00 +0000

I am sure the name of this dish has already tickled your taste buds, a recipe of chana pulao with a twist. All desi people love achars as an accompaniment with paraths, dal chawala, pulaos, even achar gosht is a favourite of many people. So I tried making a variation of chana pulao by adding achar and it was a hit, hope you will enjoy making it and eating it too.

Ingredients:

500 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 cups boiled chick peas (white)

2 potatoes (peeled and cubed)

¼ cup oil

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp black cumin seeds (shah zeera/kala zeera)

5-6 cloves

2 black cardamoms

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 Bay leaf

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chili powder/crushed red chilies

Salt (to taste)

2 green chilies chopped

2 tbsp of your favourite achar (I have used mixed vegetable pickle)

Method:

1) Take a large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking, plus chickpeas are also added so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown.

2) Add in the ginger garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add chopped tomatoes, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, turmeric powder and chili powder. Fry for some time then add the chick peas and cubed potatoes fry for 5 minutes.

3) Now add 3 cups of water and salt, Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much.

4) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first). Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.

5) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, spread achar over the rice, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. Cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita, kachomar salad.

Chicken Paratha Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 16:02:00 +0000

Chicken paratha rolls are among the favourite street food in Pakistan now days. Someone from my page asked me for the recipe of mayo garlic rolls some time back, so here it is, my apologies for posting this recipes so late. If you don’t want to go through to hassle of making parathas you can always use frozen parathas. Hope you will enjoy making it.

Ingredients:

For Chicken

500 gm boneless chicken (cut in small cubes)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp red Chili Powder

2-3 tbsp lemon Juice

salt to taste

4 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp cumin seeds (crushed)

A pinch of tandoori food colour

2-3 tbsp oil

Small piece of coal

For Parathas:

500 gm all purpose flour (maida)

2 tbsp ghee

Water to knead

For Assembling:

Garlic mayo or mint raita

Finely sliced cabbage

Sliced onions and tomatoes (you can your finely slices carrots in place on tomatoes too)

Method:

1) Make a paste by combining all the ingredients. Rub this paste on all the chicken pieces, and let the chicken marinate for an hour.

2) Knead the dough and keep aside for 20-30 minutes.

3) Put the chicken pieces along with all the marinade in a pan, and let it cook on low-medium heat, turning once or twice until the chicken pieces get done. It will take 5-10 minutes to get ready.

4) Put the coal over medium flame, wait until the coal is fully red and is covered by white ash. Put a small piece of aluminium foil in middle of the chicken pieces. Place the burned coal over it and put 2-3 drops of oil on it. Cover it at once with a tight fitting lid and put aside. Remove the coal after 5 minutes. You can also bake or grill the chicken.

5) Make medium sized balls out of dough and using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 8-9 inches wide and make parathas as you normally do

6) Now to assemble if you want to use mayonnaise just add 1/2 tsp garlic powder to ½ cup mayonnaise and mix well. Or you can use mint raita to spread on parathas . spread some salad over it. Place the chicken pieces in middle and roll the paratha. Repeat the same procedure with rest of the parathas and enjoy eating.

Homemade Bounty Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 09:51:00 +0000

These homemade bounty bars are so easy to make and taste just like the real bounty bars. This is the very first time I made these at home and the good thing about these bars is only a few ingredients are required and they are so easy to make. I promise you once you make these it will all be finished in no time. If you are a bounty chocolate lover do give this a try.

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded/flaked coconut

2/3 cup condensed milk

3 tbsp icing sugar

A few drops of coconut essence

15 oz cooking milk chocolate (room temperature)

Method:

1) Take a large bowl and add in the shredded coconut along with icing sugar, condensed milk and 3-4 drops of coconut essence. Mix it nicely until everything comes together, it will remain a bit sticky. I have used fresh shredded coconut, just in case you also want to use fresh coconut, remember to squeeze out all the water from shredded coconut before adding in the condensed milk and sugar.

2) With the help of your hands take almost 2 tbsp of mixture and form in to rectangle bars about 2 inches in length, make sure to press firmly so the rectangles will keep their shape. You can wet you hands for easy handling. You can also shape the mixtures in to small round balls. Makes about 12-14 bars.

3) Arrange the coconut rectangles/balls on a tray and put them in freezer for 20-30 minutes.

After the coconut rectangles bars have chilled it’s time to melt the chocolate.

4) You can use dark or milk chocolate. Cut the cooking chocolate in to small pieces and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it on medium power for 1 minutes, take it out stir it, then repeat in 15 seconds intervals until the chocolate is melted and becomes smooth and glossy.

5) Take the coconut rectangles/balls out of freezer, with the help of two forks dip one rectangle in to chocolate and roll it to cover all sides, remove the rectangle from chocolate with the help of forks and let the excess chocolate drop off. Arrange the chocolate covered bars/balls on a lined baking sheet. Let it set for a few hours and enjoy.

Cajun pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 May 2015 17:03:00 +0000

Combining pasta, chicken and cream is comfort food at its best..ad.d in the Cajun spices and this dish takes on a brand new taste. Cajun cooking comes from the native French-speaking Acadian descendants inhabiting Louisiana and parts of other Southern states. Bell peppers, onion and celery form the base of most dishes. Parsley, bay leaves, and scallions are commonly used, as well as garlic and cayenne pepper. Cajun cuisine as a whole has been called “more Mediterranean than North American”.

Ingredients:

200 gm spaghetti

2 boneless chicken breast (cut in to strips)

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion (finally chopped)

1 red bell pepper (sliced)

1 green bell pepper (sliced)

4-6 mushrooms (sliced)

1 green onion (chopped)

1 cup cream (heavy, single sour, whichever is available)

¼ tsp dried basil

3 tbsp tomato puree (use ketchup if you don’t have puree at hand)

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp ground black pepper

2 slices of cheddar cheese

For Cajun seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1& 1/2 tsp paprika

½ tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

3/4 tsp dried oregano

¾ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Stir together all the above ingredients until well blended then store in a air tight jar.

Method:

1) Marinated the chicken strips with 2 tsp of Cajun seasoning and a tbsp of vinegar, leave aside for 30 minutes.

2) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta and cook until done or as per packet instruction.

Now melt 2 tbsp of butter in a pan, add in the onions and sauté till they turn translucent, then add in the chicken and cook until done.

3) Add in the mushrooms, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and green onions, stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.

4) Reduce the heat; add in the cream, tomato puree, 2 cheese slices, basil, salt, black pepper and garlic pepper, heat through, let it cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat. (Now if you feel the sauce is too thick you can add ½ cup of milk or chicken stock). Turn of the flame and serve hot.

Note: For serving you can mix pasta in the sauce or serve the pasta and sauce separately.

Zarda

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 May 2015 17:05:00 +0000

Zarda is a traditional dish of Pakistan and is a favorite of many. It is made with rice cooked in sugar syrup and garnished with assorted nuts and dry fruits. My mom used to make the best zarda (may her soul rest in peace), although I never stood next to her and learned the art of making zarda but my mind captures the images of ingredients she used to add in zarda such as orange juice, a bit of yogurt, sliced and dried orange peel… cloves while boiling the water for rice and only added almonds, pistachios and raisins as dry fruits and nuts. Ami always used basmati rice but I have used sela rice instead (you can’t go wrong with sella). Good thing is after many trials and errors I am finally able to make zarda as good as ami used to make…. So here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

500 gm rice (best to use good quality sella rice)

¼ tsp yellow color

Orange peel (thinly sliced)

5-6 cloves

3-5 small cardamoms

¼ cup ghee

1/2 cup orange juice

350-400 gm sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp yogurt

A few drops of kewra essence

½ cup assorted dry fruits and nuts (raisins, almonds, pistachios, sliced coconuts, dried dates)

Petha methai (150 gm)

Method:

1) Soak sella rice for 4-5 hours. Soak almonds, dried dates and coconut slices in warm water for a few hours, then remove the skin from almonds, cut the dried dates in to thin slices and set aside.

2) Boil water with yellow color and cloves and 2-3 cardamoms. Once the water starts to boil add in the rice and cook till fully done, drain and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil and add in 2-3 cardamoms and orange peel, and stir it for a 2 minutes then add in the sugar and salt, add half cup orange juice along with 2 tbsp of yogurt in it. Mix it well till sugar dissolves (just 2-3 minutes).

3) Add in the boiled rice in it and cook on high flame. When water starts to dry up put then pan on tawa, sprinkle all the dry fruits, nuts and kewra essence on top of zarda, put the lid on and lower the flame and put on dum for 15- 20 minutes.

4) Uncover the pan, add in the petha methai (chopped in to bite size pieces) , mix everything up nicely, zarda is ready to be served.

Riz Bi Haleeb

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 17:10:00 +0000

Rice pudding is loved all over the world, and every country has their own way of making rice pudding with milk, rice and sugar as basic ingredients of the recipe. In Lebanon rice pudding is known as”Riz Bi haleeb”. This Lebanese dessert is not much different from Pak-Indo sweet dish “Kheer” , what makes it different is the addition of orange blossom water . This was the very first time I made it and it sure is going to be on my favourite for a life time now on ……

Ingredients:

2 liters Fresh milk

1/2 cup Rice (soaked in water for 2-3 hours)

8 – 10 tbsp of sugar (or to taste)

2 tsp orange blossom water (you can use ¼ tsp orange zest or 3-4 drops of orange extract as substitute)

1/4 tsp Salt

1-2 tbsp corn flour (I used vanilla custard instead)

Pistachios for garnish

Method:

1) Take a heavy bottom pan, add milk and let it come to a boil, once the milk starts to boil turn down the flame to medium-low and let it simmer.

2) Drain the water from rice and crush the rice with your hands, this will break one grain of rice in to 3-4 pieces, now add the rice to the milk and stir for a few minutes, add in the sugar and salt and cook on low flame till milk reduces to almost half and rice grains gets soft and mushy (Don’t forget to stir).

3) Cook for about 40-50 minutes on low medium flame, once the milk reduced to half, mix corn flour in some milk and add it to rice mixture along with the orange blossom water and stir for another 5 minutes or till the pudding has reached the desired consistency. It shouldn't be too thick or too runny; we just want to have medium consistency, as the pudding will also thicken slightly while it cools down.

4) Turn off the flame; allow it to cool down at room temperature, pure it in to a serving dish, Garnish with pistachios. It’s best to let it chill in fridge for 3-4 hours before serving.

Doodhi Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 12:23:00 +0000

I saw this halwa recipe on a cooking show and was much inspired by how easy it was to make. This recipe is not much known by many people in Pakistan as this halwa is delicacy made in only a few cities of Pakistan and that too of Punjab province. I am totally in love with this halwa, please do try it, I am sure it will become a keeper recipe for you too….

Ingredients:

3 kg Milk

2-3 tsp tatri/citric acid (you can also use 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar)

250gm -300 gm Sugar

100 gm Walnuts

50 gm sesame seeds

100 gm almonds

¼ tsp cardamom powder

3 -4 tbsp ghee

Method:

1) Add milk in a heavy based pan and bring it to boil. Once the milk starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium and add in tatri a tsp at a time (or start by 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar) until the milk curdles in to lumps and separates form whey, stir very slowly and with a light hand.

2) Now add in about 2 cups of water and let it cook on very low flame for about 3-4 hours, till all the water evaporates and the colour get light brown.

3) When the water dries up add in 3-4 tbsp of ghee, turn the flame to medium high and start frying the mixture, make sure to be very gentle while stirring, because we don’t want to break the curdled milk lumps. At this stage if you want to change the pan and transfer the mixture in to a karahi or wok you can do so.

4) Fry the mixture for 3-4 minutes and add in the sugar, remember to stir gently, once the water from sugar dries up, add in the almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, and cardamom powder.

5) Once the oil separates turn off the flame, take out the halwa on a greased trey and let it cool down 6-7 hours, cut in to desired shape and enjoy!!!

Chicken stroganoff

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 15:57:00 +0000

Stroganoff is a Russian dish of sauteed pieces of meat served in a sauce with sour cream, it has become popular around the world, with considerable variation from the original recipe. Although it’s mostly made with beef but i have used chicken, mushrooms and sour cream to create this classic comfort food.

Ingredients:

250 gm Boneless Chicken breast (cut in to 1 inch cubes or long strips)

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion (finely sliced)

Can of mushrooms (sliced)

1 tbsp plain flour

1/2 cup cream

2 tbsp vinegar

I tsp crushed garlic (2 cloves)

2 tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp paprika (or use ¼ tsp red chili powder)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried parsley

3/4 cup chicken stock

Method:

1) Melt butter in a pan add in the onions and saute till onions get soft, now add in the crushed garlic with chicken and 1 tbsp of flour and fry for 2 minutes. Add in the sliced mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes.

2) Now add in the chicken stock, salt, paprika, tomato puree, worcestershire sauce and let cook till the chicken gets done.

3) Add freshly ground black pepper, cream, vinegar, dried parsley and simmer for 5 minutes until sauce thickens, sprinkle serve hot with noodles or boiled rice.

Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:00:00 +0000

Doughnuts are popular all over the world; nothing is more scrumptious than a homemade doughnut. While not a healthy dessert but it sure is a wonderful occasional treat. My favorite is chocolate glazed doughnuts with a steaming cup of tea...

Ingredients For Doughnuts

2 &1/2 cups flour

3 tbsp milk powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp caster sugar

1 & ½ tsp instant yeast

3-4 tbsp melted butter or oil

½ cup warm water

For Chocolate Ganache:

¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

½ cup cream

Method:

1) Mix all these ingredients and knead it with warm water till the dough forms. Dough should be soft. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

2) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth, rub a bit of oil all over the dough, place dough in bowl and cover it.

3) Cover it with a kitchen towel and put it aside for an hour or till it doubles in size.

4) Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, now roll out the dough in to ½ inch thickness, cut with a floured doughnut cutter, set them aside and let them rise until they rise again , cover loosely with a cloth.

5) Heat oil in a deep fryer, now slide doughnuts in to hot oil, one at a time, turn them over as they rise to the surface, fry the doughnuts until golden brown, about a minutes on each side. Remember not to over crowd the fryer, removes from oil and drain on paper or a wire rack.

6) While the doughnuts are cooling, make ganache by heating the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat, put chocolate chips in a bowl, once the cream gets heated pour it over chocolate chips and let sit for a couple minutes, and then stir until chocolate is fully melted, and the ingredients are combined.

7) Dip one side of the doughnut into the ganache, and set on a cooling rack, chocolate side up. Dip the remaining doughnuts, and then sprinkle with sprinkles of choice or you can also leave them plain. Enjoy!!!

Seekh Kabab Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 09:02:00 +0000

I had some left over seekh kababs at home, so thought of using them in pizza. You can use any kind of toppings you like, I wanted to keep it simple so I have only used onion, tomato and capsicum along with a few olives. A friend from my Facebook suggested me to add cornmeal in pizza dough for soft, fragrant and crispy pizza crust, I would like to thank her for sharing such a great tip with me ;)

For Dough

2 &1/2 cups flour

1 tbsp milk powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 & ½ tsp instant yeast

3-4 tbsp oil

½ cup warm water

Method

2) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth, rub a bit of oil all over the dough, place dough in bowl and cover it.

3) Cover it with a kitchen towel and put it aside for an hour or till it doubles in size. Meanwhile you can prepare the sauce and the toppings and grease the pizza pan

4) Once the dough has doubled in size take it out of the bowl and punch it down. Then knead again for 2-3 minutes, roll it out and spread it on the pizza pan, again cover with a cloth and set aside for 30 minutes. (You can use little flour if you have difficulty in rolling it out.

5) Prick the dough with a fork and bake it for 7-8 minutes in a preheated oven at 180C -200C.

For Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

500 gm tomatoes (pureed)

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1 tsp red chili flakes

½ tsp black pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small bay leaf

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

½ tsp crushed fennel seeds

Method:

1) Melt butter with the oil in a pan; add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and transparent. Add the pureed tomato along with all the remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer.

2) Simmer for 30-60 minutes or till the sauce gets thick and turn off the flame. Remove the bay leaf before spreading the sauce on dough.

For Toppings:

1 small onion sliced

1 tomato sliced and deseeded

1 capsicum sliced

5-6 seekh kababs (sliced in to bite size pieces)

7-8 olives slices

Sliced green chilies or some jalapeno slices

1 & 1/2 cup of mozzarella and Cheddar cheese.

To Arrange:

Spread 1/3 cup of sauce over the pizza base, followed by 3 tbsp of Cheddar cheese, and then spread the seekh kabab pieces over, followed by sliced, onions, capsicum, tomatoes and olives. Sprinkle rest of the cheese over the toppings (you can also sprinkle some red chili flakes on top) and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (180C-200C). Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip: If you also want to add cornmeal in your pizza dough then for every 10 cups of flour you will add 1/1/2 cup of cornmeal.

Burfi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:16:00 +0000

Burfi is sweet delicacy of pakistan, it is served all year round but especially during the holiday season, wedding ceremonies and the religious festivals of Eid-ul- fitar and Eid-ul-adha . I have used Homemade Khoya to make nurfi, but you can also buy ready made khoya easily available from sweet shops around Pakistan…

Ingredients:

½ kg Khoya

250 gm Sugar

¼ tsp Cardamom powder

1-2 tbsp Ghee

A few drops of vanilla essence (optional)

Method:

1) Put Khoya and sugar and 1 tbsp of ghee in a wok and cook on a low flame, mixing continuously with a wooden spoon.

2) Cook till the khoya and sugar mixture liquidize keep cooking and cook until the mixture begins to boil.

3) Turn of the flame, add in the cardmom powder and stir the mixture vigorously with back of a spoon for 3-4 minutes (use ghotna if you have one), you will see the mixture starts to get thick, it’s perfectly fine.

4) Grease a tray 8x8 and spread the prepared mixture on top. And allow setting for atleast 10-12 hours in room temperature. (it will take longer time to set if you are making it in summer

Cut into squares and serve.

Note: you can make the above recipe is for plain burfi, if you like you can garnish the burfi with pistachios /almonds, or you can add in chopped pistachios and almonds, I have added in some ashrafian (candied fruit) and currants ( that you will do at the end when the mixture is ready to be poured on a greased tray)

Apple Hand Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:30:00 +0000

Apple pies are one of my absolute favorite, no matter if they are McDonald’s fried apple pies or homemade apple pies. These sweet, crunchy and buttery hand pies are wonderful to make and share with friends and family...

Ingredients for pastry:

2 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter chilled and diced

1/2 cup water

Method:

1) Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

2) Now start adding in water, a tablespoon at a time until mixture forms a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or overnight preferably.

For Filling:

2 large green apples

2 tbsp butter

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup white sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1&1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp water or more if needed

Method:

1) Peel and dice the apples, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, let it brown to a light golden color (about a minute).

2) Add in the apples, add in the white sugar, brown sugar and salt, cook and stir apple mixtures until apples are soften, mix in the water and cinnamon powder, continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until apples are soft and sticky. Turn off the flame and let it cool down completely. (if you like you can slightly mash the mixture to get thick apple sauce.

To make pies:

1) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface; roll the dough out to ½ inch thick and cut rounds with a large cookie cutter (4 inches in diameter).

2) In each round add about a tablespoon of the filling, moisten edges with cold water, fold in half and press edge with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. You can use a pie cutter if you have one, that’s what I used as it makes it much easier to shape and close the pie.

3) Now you have two choices you can either fry the patties of bake them in oven, I have tried both and both ways the pies taste awesome. If you want to fry the pies heat oil in a deep fryer and fry the pies a few at a time, 2-3 minutes on each side or until the crust gets golden brown.

4) To bake the pies you have to follow 2-3 extra steps, first preheat the oven to 200 degree C and mean while prepare the pies. Take an egg and whisk it nicely then brush the top of each pie with egg and sprinkle ¼ tsp sugar on each pie, cut 3 small vent holes on top of each pie. Bake until pies are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 30 minutes, let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Chana daal Bun kabab/karachi Bun Kabab

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:36:00 +0000

I have previously done a post on bun kababs made with shami kababs, today's post is again on bun kababs, but this time i have made it by using chana dal patty as filling. I got this recipe from a cooking show,where the chef called these "karachi walay bun kabab". I had never tried or tasted bun kabab made of chana daal patty before making these, good thing is the bun kababs turned out amazingly nice .... you can also freeze the daal patties for latter use :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Chana dal (soaked over night)
8-10 button red chilies
1 & 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5-6 garlic clove
1 inch slice of ginger
1 medium onion (sliced)
Salt (to taste)
2 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1&1/2 tsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)
1& 1/2 tsp chaat masala powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1-2 eggs
oil or ghee to fry
Buns as required
Onion slices
Lettuce leafs
Green chutney

Method:

1) Add daal along with button red chillies, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onions and about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let the daal cook until it gets tender.

2) Once its done, dry off the excess water if any on high flame. Add in the salt (keeping in mind the boiled and mashed potatoes we are also going to add in) and garam masala powder, and turn off the flame.Let the daal cool down slightly and grind in a food processor until smooth.

3) Add in the mashed potatoes, chaat masala and amchoor powder, mix the mixture nicely and taste to check the spices, make the kababs and keep aside. (if you fine difficulty in giving shape to patties, apply a little bit of oil, ghee on your palms)

4) Now whisk the eggs until frothy. Dip one patty in egg at a time and fry.

To make chutney:

1 cup yogurt
½ cup coriander leaves (chopped)
½ cup mint leaves (chopped)
3-4 green chilies (chopped)
Salt to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds

make the chutney by blending together coriander, mint, green chilies, cumin seeds and salt and then mix the mixture in yogurt.

To assemble:

1) Take a bun cut it from centre and toast with few drops of oil.

2) Then apply 1 tbsp of chutney on each side of bun, top one side of bun with daal petty, onion rings and lettuce (you can also use some tomato slices), cover with the top piece of bun.

3) Now over the hot skillet toast the bun for just a minute from both sides and serve hot with some extra chutney or ketchup on side.

Kabuli Chanay ka Salan / White Chickpeas Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 16:11:00 +0000

This is one the curries I personally like very much, and I also have my own particular way of eating it since my childhood days., Here’s what I do…I would make my roti….. tear it roughly in to bite size pieces in a plate… add some chickpea gravy… mix it… top it with thinly sliced onions, green chilies and a squeeze of lemon juice!!! You can serve this gravy with hard boiled eggs, or make it with potatoes, some people also love to have kabuli chanay with chicken too.

Ingredients:

1 & ½ cups white chickpeas (sufaid chanay)

1/2 cup oil (you can always use less oil)

2 medium onions, Chopped finely

1&1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

3 medium tomatoes (pureed)

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 & ½ tsp red chili powder (or to taste)

½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

7-8 black pepper corns

3 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

½ tsp garam masala powder

Salt – to taste

1 tsp fenugreek leaves (dry)

2 medium green chilies (chopped)

Fresh coriander chopped 2-3 tbsp

Method:

1) Wash the chickpeas under cold running water 2-3 times. Soak them in water for overnight. To boil the chickpeas first discard the water then transfer soaked chickpeas in to a pan, add 5-6 cups of water and bring the beans to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender

2) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat and add onions. Cook till onions turn light golden in colour. It will take about 4-5 minutes. Add in the cumin seeds, black pepper corns, cloves, cinnamon stick and ginger garlic paste. Mix well and cook it for a few minutes.

3) Add the pureed tomatoes turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Fry it well adding a few splashes of water when needed, once the masala is done (the raw smell of masala has gone)

4) Add the chickpeas, , green chilies and the water from boiled chickpeas. Mix well, lower the heat and cook it for further 30 minutes. Please adjust the consistency according to your desire. (if you feel it’s on the dry side you can always add some water in)

5) After 30 minutes, adjust the salt and spicyness add in the garam masla and coriander powder, dried fenugreek, and chopped fresh coriander, cover for 4-5 more minutes and then turn off the flame. chickpea curry is ready to be served.

Peanut Chikki /Peanut Brittle

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:37:00 +0000

A famous munching sweet snack… call it chikki…brittle… or gachak, different names of same thing. It’s usually made and enjoy during the winter season, but you can always make it in summer too. I always wanted to make chikki at home so it was my first time making it at home but the final results you are seeing are after a few trial and errors. In this particular recipe I have used peanuts, you can also use almonds, cashew nuts, or even make it with a mixture nuts.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup peanuts

¼ tsp green cardamom powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp water

Method:

1) Grease a baking tray or a plate with ghee and keep it aside.

2) If you are using roasted and peeled off store bought peanuts then there is no need of roasting and peeling it off again. You can use it directly. If not then roast peanuts in a heavy based pan on medium flame for 5 minutes, stirring continuously to avoid burning (if using peanuts with skin remember to remove the skin). You can even break the peanuts in to smaller pieces if you don’t want them whole.

3) Take a heavy bottomed pan or a frying pan, melt in the ghee/butter, then add in the sugar and salt along with 2 tbsp of water on medium-high flame. Keep stirring till the sugar changes color and turns light golden brown , takes about 6-7 minutes turn off the heat as soon as it turn light golden brown, add in the peanuts along with cardamom powder and mix it well.

4) Then spread it in the tray or cookie sheet. Use greased ladle or greased rolling pin and gently press them on the surface to spread them evenly. Make horizontal and vertical cuts with knife while the mixture is still hot, when cooled break in to pieces and enjoy. Store it in a air tight container.

5) I have made the peanut brittle with sugar and the plain one with jaggery as a friend asked for the plain gachak recipe. If you want to make chikki/brittle with jaggray then follow the method given below:

Add grated or chopped jaggry in a pan and stir continuously on medium-high flame until it dissolves, takes about 8 minutes, to check the consistency of jaggrey by dropping a small drop in a bowl/glass filled with water, wait for a few seconds if it becomes hard then it’s done, if it’s still soft and sticky then cook for some more time and check for doneness.

Note: I would advise you to make the plain chikki first without adding nuts, just to get an idea of the color and crunch you want.

Peanut Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:43:00 +0000

A delicious teatime snack, but difficult to limit yourself to just one. Without a doubt these cookies will leave everyone wanting more. You can make them as outlined in the recipe or try adding in some chocolate chip for an extra kick of flavor. I personally made half of them plain and in the remaining half of the dough I added some chopped chocolate bits…

Ingredients:

100 gm butter (room temperature)

130 gm crunchy peanut butter

100 gm caster sugar

100 gm brown sugar

115 gm flour

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2-4 drops of almond essence (optional)

Method:

1) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

2) In a separate bowl cream together the butter, brown and white sugar. Beat in the egg and essence.

3) Now gradually add in the flour mixture to the butter mixtures and mix until incorporated together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour.

4) When ready to bake preheat to 190 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.)

5) Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned. Take them out of the oven, let them cool down slightly then remove on wire rack.

Khow suey

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 16:39:00 +0000

“Khow suey” is a one-dish meal of Burmese origin. It is mostly made with curried chicken or beef and served with a coconut based sauce. It’s a considered as a part of “memoni cuisine” in Pakistan. I have to admit that before today I had never tried khow suey in my entire life, although I heard a lot about it on TV shows and always had a curiosity to cook it. To my surprise it tasted great, although it’s been a very different experience for my taste buds but I loved it. Khow suey is usually served in individual bowls. A portion of noodles topped with meat and coconut curry is added first, then each diner chooses from an array of garnishes.

Ingredients:

For chicken Curry:

½ kg bone less chicken (cut in to small cubes/you can also use beef or mutton of you like)

¼ cup oil

1 large onion (blended)

2 medium tomatoes (blended)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp red chili powder

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp garam masala powder

For coconut curry sauce:

5 tbsp gram flour (dry roasted in a pan)

1 medium onion (finelly chopped)

¼ cup oil

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tin coconut milk (or you can use coconut powder, follow the instruction on pack)

1& ½ cup yogurt

Accompaniments:

Spaghetti (1/2 pack)

Lemon wedges

Fried brown onions

Fried garlic (sliced and fried)

Red chili flakes

Chopped green coriander & spring onions.

Green chilies (slices)

2 eggs (hard boiled and chopped)

Fried Potato sticks

Method:

For chicken Curry:

1) Heat oil in a pan and add in the blended onions, fry well until the raw smell of onions have gone, next add in the ginger garlic paste and blended tomatoes along with cumin seeds, red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder, fry it nicely adding a few splashes of water when needed.

2) Once the masala is done and the raw smell of masala is gone add in the chicken cubes fry it well, add in 3/4 cup of water and let it cook till the chicken gets done. When the chicken gets done add in ½ tsp of garam masala powder and let cook for 5 more minutes on low flame. The gravy consistency should be a bit thick but not on the dry side. (for beef or mutton add a bit more water and cook till the meat gets tender)

For coconut curry:

1) Heat ¼ cup of oil in a pan, add in the chopped onions and fry them till they get translucent , add in garlic paste along with the salt, red chili powder, and turmeric powder, also add 1/3 cup of water, now fry the masala nicely.

Mean while add the dry roasted gram flour, yogurt and coconut milk and one cup of water in a blender and blend it till everything is mixed. (if using coconut powder add in 4-5 tbsp of coconut powder along with the gram flour, yogurt and 2 cups of water and blend everything.)

2) Once the masala is done nicely add in the blended mixture of yogurt and coconut milk and let the mixture come to boil, keep stirring. Once the mixture starts to boil lower the flame and let it simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Once it reaches your desired consistency turn of the flame and set aside. ( it shouldn't be to runny or to thick, we want a medium consistency)

For serving:

Boil the spaghetti as per the instruction on packet, drain and keep aside, when ready to serve you can either serve the chicken curry and coconut curry in separate bowls, or mix the both together and serve it in one bowl. To serve put spaghetti in a plate, top it with some coconut, then with some chicken curry, and then top it with accompaniments of your choice

Chicken yakhni Pulao

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 14:26:00 +0000

Chicken yakhni Pulao is one of Punjabi people's favorite dishes and a must serve on all occasions in Pakistan's Punjab province. It is called as “Yakhni pulao” as the rice is cooked in yakhni (chicken stock) infused with a blend of aromatic spices.

Ingredients:

For stock:

50o gm chicken pieces

5-6 cups Water

2 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seed

2 inch slice of ginger

2 medium onions (peeled)

6-7 garlic cloves

1 large bay leaf

1& 1/2 tsp salt

For Rice:

750 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 large onions (finely sliced)

1/2 cup oil (or you can use ghee for more flavor)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 cinnamon sticks

7-8 black pepper corns

6-7 cloves

4-5 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

1 tsp red chili powder/or crushed red chilies

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 & ½ tsp salt

2 medium tomatoes (chopped finely, tomatoes are optional)

2-3 green chilies chopped

Method:

1) For the yakhni/stock make a spice bag of fennel seeds, cumin seeds & coriander seeds, Put water 2 whole onions, garlic cloves and ginger, bayleaf and salt in a large pot along with chicken and let it cook till meat gets tender. Strain the chicken and the spices. Reserve the stock. Discard the spices by taking out the chicken pieces from it.

2) Take another large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown.

3) Add in the ginger garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt chili powder and tomatoes, fry it nicely till the tomatoes are dissolved (keep adding a few spalsehes of water every now and then) add the chicken pieces in, fry for 5-8 minutes.

4) Now add 4& ½ cups of stock and let the water come to boil. Taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much. (for every 2 cups of rice I usually add 2 & 1/2 tsp of salt)

5) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first). Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, and then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.

6) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. Cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita and salad of your choice.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 16:33:00 +0000

I have been a die-hard chocolate chip cookie fan ever since I tasted them for the first time. From past 2 years I was looking for a recipe that brings out the exact taste I like in cookies and finally I have found one, I have made many changes to the original recipe to bring out the taste I was looking for, I am adding two different shapes, once where I dropped spoonful ls on the baking sheet, and the 2^nd where I made round balls from batter and slightly pressed them before putting on baking sheet…

Ingredients:

125 gm plain flour

30 gm oatmeal (ground)

1/ 2 tsp baking soda

125 gm salted butter (at room temperature)

60 gm brown sugar

60 gm white sugar

30 gm milk powder

30 gm vanilla custard powder

1 egg (at room temperature)

½ tsp vanilla extract

185 gm semi sweet or milk chocolate chip cookies

65 gm chopped nuts (you can use, walnuts, pecan nuts, or hazel nuts)

Method:

1) In a bowl sift together all purpose flour, baking soda, milk powder, and vanilla custard powder, add in the oatmeal and mix nicely, In a another bowl beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar and egg until light and smooth (for 2 minutes), stir in the vanilla extract.

2) Now gradually add in the flour mixture to the butter mixtures and mix until incorporated, add in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips and mix together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour

3) When ready to bake preheat to 180-190 degrees C. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.)

4) Drop large tablespoon full 2 inches apart on to un-greased cooking sheet. (Use tbsp full for bigger and chewier cookies and tsp full for smaller and crisper cookies)

5) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned. Take them out of the oven, let them cool down slightly then remove on wire rack. (I bake my cookies for 18-20 minutes as i like them to be crunchy)

Tips:

If you are not able to find oatmeal then increase the quantity plain flour instead. (125 gm +30 gm)

If available use 60 grams of instant vanilla pudding instead of using milk powder and custard powder.

You can bake then straight away, skip the step of putting them in to refrigerator.

Start by baking a few cookies to see what size you exactly want to keep.

Cabbage & Potato Spring Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 13:33:00 +0000

My dad served as a government employee in national agriculture research council of Pakistan, it also had an officers colony built inside the boundary of research council, that’s where I have spent almost all my childhood , we lived there till my dad got retired from his job and we moved to our new home, This particular recipe was given to us by one of my dad’s colleagues daughter (they also lived in the same colony, a few houses away from us), it was an instant hit in our family, I remember me and my sister use to make dozens of these spring rolls along with the qeema rolls for my brothers to munch at odd hour hanger pangs. I hope you will enjoy these spring rolls as much as we do.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion (chopped finely)

1 tsp garlic paste

2-3 medium potatoes (boiled and cubes in to small pieces

3-4 cups shredded cabbage

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chicken powder

3-4 tbsp oil

Method:

1) Take a large pan or wok and heat the oil, then add in the shredded cabbage and stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes, add in the potatoes and mix the both, sprinkle chicken powder, salt and pepper, mix everything together and turn of the flame, take the pan off the heat and let it cool down completely.

2) In a small bowl mix together 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water to make a slurry, Open the roll wrapper package, cover with barely damp towel to prevent drying out. Take one wrapper at a time, add in 1 tbsp of filling, rolls them up as shown in diagram and secure with the slurry

3) Once ready you can fry them straight away, heat oil in a wok, once the oil is hot enough add in the spring rolls, remember not to over crowd the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, once they turn golden brown take them out on a kitchen paper, serve them with ketchup.

4) If you want to freeze spring rolls, freeze them just like this. If you don’t have a freezer this big, then line up the spring rolls on a plate, with plastic wrap between each layer and freeze. Once frozen, gather up all the spring rolls and put them in a freezer safe plastic bag. They have to freeze in a single layer, not touching. Otherwise, they’ll all stick together. Once they are frozen, you can store them however you want.

Note:

* In case you also want to add chicken in it, then use about 250 gms of minced chicken, In a large bowl, add in 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Add in the chicken and mix well. Let marinate for 10 minutes , Heat a wok or large s pan over high heat once hot add in 2 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Stir fry the ground chicken until browned. Remove browned ground chicken from wok to a bowl and set aside, add it to veggies once you take them off the stove.

* The best ways to defrost spring roll wrappers is to either leave them overnight in the refrigerator pr leave them on the counter for 30 minutes. Once the wrappers are defrosted, open the package and immediately cover with a barely damp towel or paper towel to keep moist. The wrappers will dry out and crack quickly if left uncovered.