Author Archives: Ayesha Haq

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About Ayesha Haq

A versatile chef ...

Dupatta Gali Lahore Pakora (Hawker Style)

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My favorite pakoras!!!!!! I remember when I used to shop at Liberty Market, Lahore (Pakistan), these pakoras were always on my “shopping snacks list”. I love street food and Thank GOD I don’t have any immune system issues. I can eat, drink, digest and sustain all this food easily, I never get sick after having them and whenever I go out for shopping (no matter what shopping; clothes, books, shoes anything) I always choose the markets with best street food.

The thing I like about these Pakoras is that they give veggies a lite coating of flour mixture, just to give an extra crunch and to hold them together which makes them lite otherwise Pakoras people make at home during Ramadan are just so dense and cake like. So here is the recipe……. enjoy!

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cup besan
  • 1 tspn baking powder
  • 1 tbspn yogurt
  • 2 large potatoes (cut into thin lengthways slices)
  • 8 – 9 green chillies chopped
  • 2 large red onions sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbspns red chilli flakes
  •  1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 cup spinach leaves (roughly sliced)
  • 2 tbspns whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • Some cold water ( ½ cup) to make the paste
  • 4 tbspns chopped fresh green coriander
  • Some chaat masala to sprinkle afterwards
  • Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

-In a deep mixing bowl combine besan with all the spices, green chillies, baking powder, coriander and yogurt and stir. Gradually mix in some cold water and make a medium consistency paste (not too thick like dahi bhalle mixture nor too thin like gram flour paste, just like pancake batter)

-Make sure the batter is smooth, no lumps of flour.

-Now add all your sliced veggies and mix with your hands.

-Keep aside for 30 minutes.

-Heat oil to 180 degrees Celsius. (I am sure that hawker does not have a candy thermometer 😀 but the oil should be hot enough that if you drop a tiny bit of the batter it should not sink to the bottom of the wok. The mixture should rise and splatter on the surface of the oil.)

-Now drop tbspns of the pakore batter into the hot oil and fry until the pakoras get crisp and brown. Take them out onto your wire rack or any strainer BUT NO PAPER TOWEL. We don’t want our pakoras to get soggy. So put them on anything that is 1 cm above the surface of your bench top and has holes in it.

-Sprinkle some chaat masala for extra kick and serve hot with tamarind sauce or mint chutney.

Cheese & Mushroom Omelette

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Say hello to the weekend!!!!!!!

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • Tasty cheddar 1 cup
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 tbspns milk
  • Some chopped Italian parsley
  • Some sliced champignons (tinned) / Fresh mushrooms sauteed in 2 tspns oil
  • 2 tbspns hot sauce (I used Tabasco, u can use any of your choice)
  • Some salt
  • 1 tbspn butter/ 2 tbspns olive oil to fry

Procedure:

-In a mixing bowl, crack 4 eggs; add milk and everything except the mushrooms and the cheese.

-Whisk well. Adjust your seasonings and melt some butter or heat some oil in the frying pan. Use a reasonable frying pan, non-stick and good sized.

-Pour over the egg mixture and wait until it spreads. Do not touch, flip or do anything at this point. Lt it spread and cook on low medium heat.

-When the edges start turning white sprinkle your mushrooms and cheese. Leave it for 30 seconds to a minute and then fold the omelette. Carefully flip it if necessary otherwise after some time remove from the plan onto your serving dish.

-Serve hot with toasted multi grain bread.

-Enjoy.

Chicken Koftay (Chicken Meatball Curry)

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Out of this world Chicken Koftay ……. Try and fall in love 😉

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR CHICKEN MEATBALLS

  • ½ kg chicken mincemeat
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 – 6 green chillies
  • 1 tbspn garam flour (besan)
  • 1 tbspn crushed ginger
  • 1 tspn crushed garlic
  • A bunch of coriander
  • Salt
  • Red chilli flakes
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • 1 tspn coriander powder
  • Oil for shallow frying

FOR CURRY

  • 1 onion sliced
  • 4 tomatoes chopped
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Some salt and red chilli powder
  • 1 bunch chopped fresh green coriander
  • 4 sliced green chillies
  • 1 tbspn fenugreek leaves
  • A pinch of carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 2 tbspns yogurt (whipped lightly with a fork)
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 tbspn crushed ginger
  • 1 tspn crushed garlic

Procedure:

-In a food processor grind onion, green chillies and green coriander.

-Mix it with chicken mincemeat. Do not put chicken mince in the food processor. Mix it with your hands in a deep mixing bowl. Add the spices and mix well.

-Make small – medium sized meatballs and keep aside. I will make around 12 – 14 meatballs. Wet your hands if necessary.

-Heat oil to medium heat and half fry the meatballs. Do not overcook or full cook, we are frying them just to keep them in shape, we want meatballs to cook in the curry and absorb all the flavours.

-Now in a cooking pan, heat some oil and add cumin seeds and bay leaf. When it begins to splatter, add onion and fry until its golden brown. Add tomatoes and all the spices except garam masala and fenugreek leaves.

-Mix well and cook on low heat until the tomatoes are mixed and lose in texture.

-Add yogurt and mix.

-Add fried meatballs and cook covered on low heat for 20 minutes or until the oil comes up to the surface. Add coriander, green chillies, garam masala and fenugreek leaves, give a last stir and serve hot with tandoori rotis.

Easy Mincemeat Pasta Bake

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Easy and fancy for busy chefs ……

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 500 gms mincemeat
  • 500 gms pasta (any bite size pasta, penne, macaroni,) + some salted boiling water to boil the pasta
  • 1 kg pasta sauce/ 2 cans Italian diced tomatoes + ½ kg chopped fresh tomatoes + your favourite herbs + some seasoning + ½ cup grated romano/ parmesan + 2 tbspns olive oil + 1 tspn minced garlic
  • 1 chopped brown onion
  • 1 chopped capsicum
  • 500 gms chopped button mushrooms

FOR TOPPING

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup cheddar
  • Some romano cheese
  • Some veggies if you like

Procedure:

-Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and minced garlic until it is translucent.

-Add mincemeat and break it into pieces. When it begins to change its color add canned tomatoes and chopped tomatoes along with everything mentioned in sauce contents otherwise use 1kg leggos/ passata/ dolmio pasta sauce.

-Let it cook for about 30 minutes if making your own sauce otherwise 15 minutes on low medium heat.

-Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes and then at the end add capsicum and remove the sauce from the flame.

-Add boiled pasta and toss. Put the entire thing in a rectangular pyrex baking dish and top it up with the cheese and veggies.

-Broil in a preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes or until the topping is hot, brown and bubbly. Take it out and serve.

 

Coconut Biscuits

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One of my favorite biscuits. I don’t drink tea at all but when I make these biscuits, I make myself a special cup of Tea to dunk these babies in …….

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup dried desicatted coconut
  • Few drops coconut essence

Procedure:

-Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to make a firm dough.

-On a greased baking tray, place tspn full of dough leaving 4 inches spaces between them.

-Bake in a preheated (180 degrees Celsius) oven for 12 – 13 minutes.

-Take out and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

-Serve with your favourite hot drink.

Achari Keema

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Good one 😉

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg beef mince
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 onion sliced
  • Some salt
  • Some red chilli flakes
  • ½ tspn turmeric powder
  • 1 tbspn crushed anar dana
  • 1 tbspns methi leaves
  • 1 tbspn fennel seeds
  • 1 tspn aamchoor
  • 1 tspn nigella seeds
  • 4 – 5 curry leaves
  • 2 dried round chillies
  • 1 tbspn crushed ginger

Procedure:

-Heat oil and fry ginger and curry leaves until golden brown. Add onion and fry until golden brown. Add mincemeat. Cook and break it into small pieces.

-Add all the spices and mix.

-Cook on medium heat until the water evaporates.

-Now add yogurt and cook on low heat.

-When the oil comes up to the surface garnish with some coriander and chillies and serve hot.