Author Archives: Ayesha Haq

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About Ayesha Haq

A versatile chef ...

Fried Chicken (My type of KFC)

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Hot n’ Spicy

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 2 kgs skinned chicken pieces
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 tbspn red chilli flakes
  • 1 tbspn onion powder
  • 1 tbspn garlic powder
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • ½ cup hot sauce (chilli sauce)
  • 1 tspn chicken powder
  • 1 tspn thyme
  •  1 tspn chives

FOR BATTER

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup corn flour

FOR COATING

  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • Some salt and pepper to season
  • Some chicken salt to season
  • Oil FOR FRYING

Procedure:

-Marinade chicken pieces in all the spices and sauces given above and refrigerate for 24 hrs.

-Now take it out, mix again, add eggs and corn flour and mix.

-Keep aside for 30 mins.

-Heat oil to 180 degrees Celsius.

-Now mix your coating ingredients in a plate. Take out one chicken piece out of the egg mixture, dredge in flour/ coating mix and keep aside on a tray until all the chicken pieces are coated.

-Deep fry the chicken pieces (4 – 6 at a time) for 20 minutes on medium heat.

-Take out on the cooling rack. Fry the second batch and then the third batch.

-Now serve hot.

No Bake Cheesecake with Strawberry Swirls

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Making cheesecake sounds difficult but trust me it is easier than making a normal flour cake, you don’t have to take care of baking powder, the rising of the cake, the icing and all other shit. All you have to take care about is its taste, smooth texture and setting and the best thing about “No Bake cheesecake” is that you don’t have to turn on your oven or anything else. It is simple, easy and lovely and when it is made with some fruity or berry flavour its yummmmmmmmmm…………..

I personally like strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, chocolate, coffee and mango no bake cheesecakes. So let’s get started with No Bake cheesecake with Strawberry swirls.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR FILLING

  • 250g cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia or weightwatchers) at room temperature
  • ¼ cup white sugar (granulated/ caster)
  • 1 tspn strawberry extract
  • 2 tbspns strawberry conserve or strawberry jam (at room temperature)
  • 240 mL heavy whipping cream

FOR CRUST

  • 250 g graham crackers (crushed in food processor or bashed with rolling pin)
  • 125 g butter (melted in microwave)
  • 2 tbspns brown sugar
  • 2 tbspns desiccated coconut

FOR TOPPING AND SWIRLS

  • 6 tbspns strawberry sauce or strawberry jam (warm)
  • Some fresh strawberries

Procedure:

-Line the base of a spring form pan with a piece of parchment paper and lightly grease the sides of the pan with non-stick spray or butter.

-Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl and mix. Put this crumby mixture in your spring form pan and press with your fingers to make the base of the cake. Make the base of about 1cm thickness. Refrigerate to set for 30 – 40 mins.

-Meanwhile, combine sugar and cream cheese and mix until the cream cheese and sugar are one. You can do this with rubber spatula, wire whisk or if you have a stand mixer then with the palette attachment. DO NOT USE ELECTRIC MIXTURE FOR THIS. WE DON’T WANT AIR BUBBLES IN OUR CAKE.

-Now add strawberry essence/ conserve/ jam/ sauce and mix again.

-Keep it aside until needed.

-In a separate bowl whip your cream with electric beater until soft peaks formed.

-Now mix in half of your whipped cream mixture in your cream cheese mixture with a spatula or wire whisk until its smooth. Now add rest of the cream too and mix again.

-Pour this mixture in your spring form pan over your cool graham cracker crust and make it even with  spatula. Drop 6 tbspns of strawberry sauce at different spots (1 tbspn per spot) on the cream cheese surface and run thru a sharp knife to make swirls. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT MIX THE CREAM CHEESE AND TOPPING TOGETHER AND DO NOT LET YOUR KNIFE SCRAPE/SCRATCH OR TOUCH THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST. Make gentle and even swirls to give pink and white color effect.

-Garnish with some fresh strawberries and refrigerate overnight or at least for 12 hours.

-Remove the spring form sides, slice your cheesecake and serve chilled. Ideal for fancy dinners or date nights.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Gaajar Halwa (Ayesha’s Kitchen Way) (The BEST)

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Gajar Halwa is one of the most popular and favourite desserts of South Asia, specially in winters as it is served hot rite from the wok and garnished with dry fruits. People serve this on special occasions like Eid, Diwali, Birthdays, Weddings, Home Dinners, Parties, etc.
It  is also known as “Mausam – e – Sarma ki Saughaat” (The Gift of Winter Season) in Pakistan. Mums make this for their children so they can consume the nutrients of seasonal vegetable, Carrot, which is also very good for eyesight and health.

Just imagine! In cold month of December, you and your friends are gathered in open air canopy for BBQ dinner and you get this hot, milky, sweet, cardamom scented carrot dessert………… wow!

Anyway, Its Summer in Pakistan and people are waiting for mangos so lets dedicate this recipe to our Australian mates! How about “Mausam-e-Sarma ki Saughaat forAussies”………….. 🙂

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Give it a go and let me know how you go with it.

Ingredients:

  • 250 gms home made khoya (recipe given below)
  • 1lt. full cream milk
  • ½ tspn cardamom seeds
  • ½ cup slivered almonds
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • ½ cup chopped pistachios
  • ½ cup cashew nut halves (unsalted)
  • 250 gms butter/ ghee
  • 1kg grated carrots
  • ½ cup sulatana
  • 250 gms sugar

Procedure:

-Take a thick bottomed deep pan and cook grated carrots in sugar and milk until the water of carrots and milk gets dry. This process will take around 20 – 30 minutes on medium heat.

-Meanwhile, for Khoya combine 250gms of full cream powdered milk and 250gms (1 cup) of thick cream and microwave for 1 minute. Take it out, mix and microwave for 2 more minutes. Allow to cool. Khoya is ready to put in stuff like kheer, gajar ka halwa, kajrela, etc.

-Now getting back to our Gajar ka Halwa, melt butter in a frying pan and fry sulatana until it is puffed up. Sauté other dry fruits and add this mixture to the carrot mixture. Mix and cook for 5 minutes on medium high heat.

-Now crumble khoya with your fingers and add it to your dish. (reserve 3 tbspns of Khoya for garnishing). Mix and cook for another 5 minutes.

-Take it out in your serving dish, garnish with some crumbled khoya, dry fruits, etc. and serve hot.

Mooli Wale Parathay

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One of my favorite breakfasts ………….

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR PARATHA

  • 3 cups wheat flour
  • 2 cups meda
  • Some water for kneading the dough
  • Some oil/ghee / butter for frying parathas

FOR FILLING

  • 1 large size white radish (peeled and grated)
  • Salt
  • Red chilli flakes
  • 1 tspn chaat masala
  • 6 tbspns coriander chopped
  • 4 tbspns green chillies chopped
  • 1 tspn chopped mint (good for digestion)
  • ¼ tspn carom seeds (ajvain)
  • 1 tbspn cracked coriander
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds (zeera)
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • ½ tspn turmeric

Procedure:

-In a mixing bowl, combine plain flour & wheat flour and add knead into a soft dough by adding water gradually. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

-Now make small balls of dough, 2 per paratha.

-Roll them flat with a rolling pin into a saucer size chapatti.

-Place 1 ½ – 2 tbspns of radish filling on one chapatti and cover it with the other one. Press the edges to seal.

-Flat with your palm and fingers and then use a rolling pin to plat the edges.

-Place the parathas on a hot griddle. After 15 secs or when it looks like it is half cooked flip the side and apply some oil. I use spoon to apply oil.

-Then flip the side and apply oil to the other side. Cook from both the sides until both are brown and good.

-Do the same with remaining dough and filling.

-Serve hot with anda, yogurt and achar.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Jalapeno Poppers

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One of my favo starter….. You can make it on your pizza and pasta party as an appetizer or as finger food on your weekend parties…….. it goes great with everythin and believe me your guests will love it ……

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 250 gms cream cheese ( a little bit colder than room temperature)
  • 250 gms finely grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 – 4 fresh jalapenos (deseeded and chopped) (if using marinated or preserved jalapenos, keep them out in a strainer for about 1 hr before chopping and adding to your mix)
  • 1 cup flour seasoned with some dried chives
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • Canola oil for deep frying
  • 1 cup bread crumbs seasoned with some chicken salt

Procedure:

-With a spatula/ fork or masher cream the cream cheese.

-Mix cream cheese & cheddar cheese with diced jalapeno.

-Roll small spoonfuls of the mixture into balls and dredge in flour, then dip in either lightly beaten egg.  Roll in bread crumbs and fry in oil until golden brown.

-Take them out and serve.

Chicken Chow Mein

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My recipe ……

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 375g packets of boiled chow mein noodles (I got it from my local Asian grocery store, if you don’t have any Asian grocery store then you can ask your local store for chow mien noodles and boil it as per instructions given on the packet)
  • 2 carrots julienne
  • 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
  • 1 ½ cups sliced green onion
  • 1 capsicum sliced (Optional)
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbspns soy sauce
  • 1 tbspn oyster sauce
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 sliced onion

FOR CHCIKEN

  • 2 chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
  • 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • Salt
  • 2 tbspns hot sauce/ chilli sauce
  • 2 tbspns dark soy sauce
  • 3 tbspns oyster sauce
  • Pepper
  • ½ tspn white pepper
  • 1 tspn ajinomoto

Procedure:

-Marinate chicken for 30 minutes.

-Prepare noodles as per the instructions given on the packet.

-Heat ½ cup of oil and fry onion until its golden. Add marinated chicken and fry until its white. Do not dry the sauce.

-Take it out in bowl with the sauce.

-In same pan, heat rest of the oil and add all the vegetables except the green onion.

-Sauté on high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add boiled noodles and mix. Add chicken with all the juices and cook. Add soy sauce, green onion and oyster sauce. Mix well and when the gravy is dry and the noodles look good, serve.