This bhindi fry masala recipe is the easiest thing you will make! In different regions, it’s made differently. In Pakistan, bhindi fry (okra) is usually made with onion and tomatoes and spiced with staple spices that you will find in most Pakistani and Indian dishes.
Continue reading “Bhindi Fry Masala Recipe (Spiced Okra/Ladyfinger)”
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is one mysterious pasta! With barely any ingredients: olive oil, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, black pepper, parmesan and parsley, this spaghetti stands out! If you think Aglio e Olio ends up being bland for you, make this recipe and I promise you won’t regret it. It’s all about the ratio!
Presenting my authentic restaurant quality Chicken Karahi! This is different from my first Karahi recipe I shared many years ago, which was received really well. In this recipe, you will find me adopting a completely different technique. For my Special Chicken Karahi, I rely on tomatoes and a chutney made with cilantro, mint and green chilli. This recipe does not require any onions, so this Karahi is especially dedicated to all the purists out there who maintain that a traditional Karahi should ever use onions. Enjoy!
This stir-fry recipe will really come in clutch during those busy weeknights! I keep it simple with bell pepper and lots of basil basil but you can play around with any vegetable you really like. I highly highly recommend using oyster sauce for the stir-fry along with soy sauce to get that restaurant quality!
Continue reading “SIMPLE Chicken and Basil Stir Fry for Busy Weeknights”
Paratha is the ultimate breakfast pairing with eggs in most Pakistani and Indian homes. Mine was no different growing up. Come Ramadan, it was the only breakfast my family had during Sehri. I always asked my mom to make mine extra salty. But here’s the thing. I don’t recall ever thinking that paratha ought to be flaky, lachhedar and layered. Seeing mom coil the rolled dough on her palm and flatten it before pressing it flat and perfectly round with a rolling pin, I marveled at the process never once stopping to think why she was snaking the dough around like that. At that age, I didn’t realize that she was creating layers. I honestly never paid attention to the flaky layers. I just knew it tasted better than a chapati :p
Here is my take on the tradition nutritious staple!
Biryani is one of those sub-continental dishes whose complex flavors and aroma almost convince you that you may just never learn how to make it from scratch. I’d like to get it out of the way that Biryani, in general, has a relatively steep learning curve because the rice demands some TLC. You can’t just rake your fork through the rice like that. It has to be handled ever so gently and should retain a bite before you begin layering it with the Biryani chicken masala. Continue reading “Make Chicken Dum Biryani with HOMEMADE Biryani Spice Mix”
Mutton/Lamb Curry is such a rich dish! Eat it the next day and the flavors are even richer and more complex.
Growing up I had an aversion to the smell of mutton and refused to be in the kitchen especially on the three days of Bakra Eid when the women of the household were hovered over the stove, stirring a big pot of Mutton Karahi, while the men ushered in more freshly slaughtered cuts of meat. In retrospect, I think I borrowed that aversion from my eldest sister. (Have you ever adapted to someone else’s likes and dislikes without allowing yourself to develop your opinion and tastebud first?)
Today, this is the one dish I always order when I’m eating out at a Pakistani restaurant and go out of my way to cook in my own kitchen👩🏽🍳 And, ahem, can I just say that restaurant mutton or lamb karahi will always leave a little more to be desired?
Continue reading “Mutton Karahi | Restaurant Style Karahi Gosht- Slow Cooked”
The soup that’ll keep you warm and cosy this winter.
This recipe results in a thick, chunky cookie that holds its shape, is CHUNKY AF and so delicious. More importantly, chocolate chunks give it a gourmet look! You MUST TRY it!
It doesn’t get more authentic than this! I’m sharing the real deal. Peshawari Chapli Kebab! It’s the ultimate street food in Peshawar, Pakistan, and now you can quickly make this in your kitchen!
Continue reading “Peshawari Chapli Kebab | Ultimate Pakistani Street Food!”
Fun Fact: Growing up, I absolutely hated pineapples in cakes and it wasn’t until I was much older (18 to be exact) that I finally let go of my aversion and actually started eating pineapple. It was time I introduced this sticky sweetness on the blog.
I partnered up with Kitchen Mama to share this delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Their electric can openers are so handy and hassle-free! If you use canned food regularly for cooking and baking, you need one of these in your kitchen right now. You can shop their collection here. Continue reading “Pineapple Upside-Down Cake-So Easy!”
Ditch the cans and make homemade Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup!
Every once in a while you are presented with the crispiest, crunchiest Chicken Wings and you just can’t help but pat yourself on the back for doing a splendid job. But what if you weren’t really doing any job? What if you totally trusted an appliance to do the job for you. This appliance my friends is the infamous Air Fryer. I heard about it in the recent months so much and part me doubted its ability to do much. But when Cosori sent me their brand new Air Fryer that’s hit the market, I put it to the test. And I have totally converted. The results are fabulous. Just check the video if you want proof of how well this thing works! Continue reading “Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings”
Daal, not dull! Hah I tried.
It’ s a proud moment for this blog because I have finally mastered the art of cooking Daal. After many failed attempts (partly because I didn’t own a presuure cooker), I have finally nailed Daal Chawal. This recipe is a version of the one my cook in Pakistan used to make and is admittedly a tad spicier. I also took the liberty to deepen the color but don’t worry, I’ll share the more classic yellow daal very soon!
If you’re in the same boat as I was a few weeks ago, this is for you! Just get yourself a mini pressure cooker featured in this video and you’re golden!
Nothing says desi more than fingers dripping with curry! Allow me to bless your kitchen with my coveted chicken curry recipe. In the most traditional sense, you call this Boneless Handi. Handi is vessel (usually terracotta) in which this dish is traditionally cooked. But trust me when I say this, your favorite restaurant is not cooking their famous Boneless Handi in an actual Handi. I cook all my curries in a stainless steel saucepan or wok and absolutely love the curries that come out of those vessels.
I have already covered the basics of how to determine when the curry is done in my Chicken Karahi post. For me, the key to the most flavorful curry lies in 1) yogurt 2) red juicy tomatoes and 3) continuous stirring towards the end until the masala releases that orange-tinted oil. If you do not see the oil glossing the surface, your curry is not done. Let it continue cooking on medium to low heat. This recipe itself is not a huge departure from my Chicken Karahi recipe. Both require yogurt and both require a whole lotta stirring. However, in my Boneless Handi, I create the curry base prior to adding in the chicken. This is also the technique that is traditionally used to make Boneless Handi.
Welcome old and new friends! These gorgeous fudgy brownies have been alive on my channel for a few years. This is one of the first few recipes that I shot for my YouTube channel. Having created this blog much later, I didn’t add some of my earlier recipes. I’m slowly beginning to make some of favorite creations to add to my blog.
These fudgy brownies are a no-brainer. Remember, key to the fudge is melting chocolate and butter and then incorporating the remaining ingredients: eggs, cocoa and flour. Get your hands on the good kind of chocolate. It will truly up your brownie game! These brownies should not be cakey at all unless you overbake them. We’re not adding any leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder. Keep checking up on it in the oven and pull the pan out once a skewer inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs attached- ~30-35 minutes mark should do it but I’d recommend to start checking up around 25 minutes. Tend to these bad boys like you would a bad boy :p Continue reading “Fudgiest Brownies You Will Ever Make!”
Ever wondered why your Pound Cake always came out so crumby? The secret to making a Pound Cake that is fluffy and has a very fine crumb is to get all the ingredients at room temperature. This is truly the only secret! Butter should be soft because it just creams a whole lot better with sugar. Eggs should be out of the fridge at least an hour early (I soak them in warm water for 10 mins). And milk should not be chilled. If you have the patience for it, I’d say go ahead and sift in the flour because sifting helps to lighten it up. All your hard work will pay off when you slice into this Pound Cake.
A handy tip when you bake cakes: let the cake cool completely before slicing. Cakes need time to cool. If you slice into a cake fresh out of the oven, you run the risk of leaving crumbs all over your cutting board. Be patient. I also like to use a baking pan that has sharp corners. God knows it took me so long to find the right pan. Mine is from Chicago Metallic (no, this is not an ad.) I just really like how the cake turns out. The slices come out sharp and clean but a loaf pan with rounded corners is fine too.
You may be wondering if I have tried making Pound Cake with a leavening agent. I have actually, with a scant 1/4 tsp baking powder which indeed lifts the cake ever so slightly. To be honest, the result of that cake is just as good. However, a traditional Pound Cake relies on creaming the ingredients to naturally raise the cake without the help of a leavener. I like to keep things traditional every once in a while.
Every visit to Pakistan begins this way. Chicken Pulao. It’s the only dish I request my mom to make every time I board an Emirates flight back home. I seldom give mom due credit for her cooking, but for chicken Pulao, it would be atrocious to not award her some laurels. In my attempts to learn to make mom’s Pulao, I would carefully follow her steps but just never had the patience to replicate the exhaustive and involved cooking process. The rice is cooked low and slow in a seasoned broth. Mom makes Pulao with fresh chicken broth. And that my friends takes a bit more patience.
This recipe has no patience so I present to you a version that is almost as delicious as my mom’s if you’re pressed for time. Almost because we’re cheating our way to victory a bit, okay?
Let’s get started!
This soup takes me right back to the hospital room where my aunt is ladling her famous Chicken Corn Soup into bowls for the kids as we younglings excitedly watch another heavily pregnant aunt breathe through her labor pains on the hospital bed. We slurp the soup. The pregnant aunt heaves a sigh. That’s a really strange memory. This aunt was a “soup bearer” and would always bring a huge stainless steel pot with a giant ladle along with her to family picnics, dinners and funerals.
