Easy Recipes

Afghani Birriyani (Afghaane Biriyane) Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 kg. lamb meat on the bone, cut into large pieces.
- 5 cloves
- 1large cinnamon stick
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1tbsp. ginger paste
- 1 tbsp. garlic paste
- 8 cups water
- 3 cups good quality saila rice
- 3/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 large onion skinned and thinly sliced
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 8-10 green cardamoms
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and grated
- 1\2 cup green raisins
- 1\2 cup pine nuts

Method

Wash meat thoroughly under cold water tap. Place the meat, cinnamon, cloves, salt, water, garlic and ginger in a large heavy based sauce pan. Bring to boil and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Reduce the heat, cover and allow to boil gently for 40 to 45 minutes until the meat is tender.
Meanwhile, put the rice in a sieve and wash it thoroughly under running cold tap until the water runs clear. Soak in plenty of water for 11\2 hours. Drain in a sieve and let it stand for a minute or two.
Fry the nuts, raisins and carrots separately in 2 tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan. keep aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy based pan, add the onion and while stirring frequently fry for 3-5 minutes. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamoms, cumin, meat and 6 cups of stock, add water if necessary to make 6 cups. Bring to boil and add the rice to it. Carefully stir once. Cover and reduce the heat to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes. Gently stir the rice. (Do not stir to hard otherwise the rice will break.) Put a layer of carrot, raisins and pine nuts on the top of the rice. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to very low and allow to cook for another 7 - 10 minutes until rice is tender.
Fluff up the rice with a fork, then transfer it into to a heated serving dish.
Serve with Raita.

Ingredients

- 2 kg. raw mangoes
- 1\4 kg lemons
- 1\4 kg green chilies
- 1 kg. mixed vegetables such as carrots, peas, turnips and cauliflower
- 2 1\2 to 3 liters mustard oil
- 1\4 cup. salt
- 2 cups aniseed (saunf)
- 2 tbsp. turmeric
- 2 cup nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 2 cup fenugreek seeds (methre)
- 1\2 cup red chili powder or (according to the taste.)

Method

1. Wash and pat dry all the vegetables. Cut the mangoes into half, remove seed and then cut into 11\2 inch sized pieces. Cut the lemons into half and slit the chilies carefully into half, leaving them still held together at the stalk. Peel the carrots and cut them into 2 inches long sticks. Peel and slice the turnip. Break the cauliflower into medium sized floret. Remove the peppery covering of the garlic and leave them whole.
2. Divide the salt into two parts. Place mangoes, lemons, garlic and chilies in a large bowl, sprinkle one part of the salt, mix well , cover and leave to marinate over night.
3.Next day gently squeeze out all the water released by the vegetables, taking care not to squeeze the juice from the lemons.
5. Place the carrots, peas, turnip and cauliflower in bowl, pour vinegar over it and mix well. Keep aside for 2-3 hours.
6. Strain the liquid from the vegetables and bring to a boil, put the vegetables and cook just for 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and put them in a tray to cool completely.
7. Heat mustard oil to smoking point, remove from heat and leave it to cool. Mix all the spice ingredients and remaining salt with enough oil just to bind the spices.
8. Stuff the green chilies with the spice mixture. Rub gently the rest of the mixture over the mangoes, lemons and other vegetables.
9. Place the mango mixture in an earthenware jar, Mix thoroughly with hands.
10. Pour in the remaining oil. The oil should cover the vegetables by about 2.5 cm (1 inch).
11. Cover the jar with a muslin cloth and keep it in an airing place.
12. Stir the contents of the jar for the first two weeks at least once a day. Do this to ensure that all pieces are completely dipped in the oil.
Note: In most of the Pakistani pickles, salt and oil are used as preservatives.

Ingredients

- 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
- salt and freshly milled pepper
- 8 large slices of white bread

Method

Mash the eggs with a fork or place in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Transfer to a medium bowl, add butter and mayonnaise. Stir well with a fork to blend the ingredients. Season well with salt and pepper.
Spread 4 slices of bread with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Spread the remaining 4 slices with good amount of egg filling, top with the mayonnaise slices and press gently. Remove crust and cut each sandwich 2 into triangles.
Serve with french fries.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2	large eggplant, baigaan
1	medium Onions
2	cloves garlic (crushed)
1\2	cup bread crumbs
2	tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
1\2	cup cheese, grated
1\4	cup flour
1	teaspoon salt
1\2	teaspoon pepper
-	- bread crumbs for coating
-	- oil for frying
1	- egg, beaten

Method:

Spike each baingan and onion with a fork and hold it over the burner to char the skin or alternatively place them under a hot grill. Turn the baingans a few times to make sure that the skin is completely charred and the flesh is soft.
Place baingan and onion in a bowl and wait until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove the charred skin, cut off the stalk of baingan and finely chop the flesh. Remove the excess moisture from baingan by pressing the flesh between the palms.
Combine baingan, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, coriander leaves, cheese, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Shape into rounds of desired size. Dip kababs first in beaten egg, then coat with bread crumbs.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry 3-4 kababs at a time.
Serve hot.

This recipe serves 6 people.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes.

Serving Options:

Serve Hot Try Raita with this dish.

Ingredients

4 litter milk
- 1 kg sugar
- 10 g alum(phutkari)
- 1/2 tsp. saffron
- 10 almonds
- 10 pistachio nuts
- few drops of kewra essence

Method

Heat the milk in a deep pan over high flame to boiling point. Add the alum powder to curdle. Remove it from the flame quickly otherwise the cheese will become hard. Pour it into the muslin bag or a thin cloth & allow to drain water. Press the bag & leave to drain for several hours.
Add saffron powder in the paneer. Mix it well & make small triangular chum chum.
Boil sugar in 2 1/2 cups of water to prepare solution (aik tar ka sheera).
Carefully drop in the chum chumCook for half an hour over low flame.
Put the chum chum in a plate and make cream circles in their center. Garnish with sliced pistachio nuts and kewra essence.

INGREDIENTS

500g lean chicken or pork
1/2 cup ordinary milk
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 tbs yellow curry powder
2 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs Thai seasoning sauce
1 1/2 tbs cilantro seeds (coriander seeds)
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1 tbs turmeric
1/2 ts salt
chicken stock cube
barbecue sticks (bamboo)

How to Make Chicken Satay

Slice chicken thinly to form flat pieces for the skewers (not chunky) cooks quick - stays tender

Now you crush the coriander seeds to powder then add Garlic and Ginger and grind to a textured paste (not purée) traditionally a pestle and mortar is used, a blender can be used with care

Now mix all the ingredients together in a large bown and leave to stand for at least 3 hours

Cooking:

After the chicken has had 3 hours to marinade, thread them on to the Bamboo barbecue sticks so the meat is about 4-5 inches long and flat.
Place them onto a mature barbecue, turning regularly and basting them with coconut milk as you turn, this will give them a lovely flavor and colour when done.
Remove and serve hot for your guests, you can have yours as you’re cooking, afterwards the kids (adult males) can play sword fights with the sticks.

Note:

There are two side dish sauces that complete this recipe, we split them up because it makes it easier to follow. The sauces can also be used for other dishes.

Serving:

Serve with Khwanjai’s Satay Sauce (Nam Jime Satay) in a side bowl