Author Archives: Ayesha Haq

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About Ayesha Haq

A versatile chef ...

Channay Ki Daal Gosht

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Chaanay ki daal gosht is a Pakistani recipe which is very popular in Pakistani Home cooking. Women make this dish on weekly basis because like this the family can consume the proteins of meat and nutrients of channa daal (gram daal). This is not a popular restaurant dish but believe me it comes out very tasty if you follow Ayesha’ Kitchen recipe ….

Daal Gosht

Ayesha's kItchen

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups channa daal
  • ½ kg mutton (cutlet or chop piece)
  • 1 big onion sliced
  • 2 tomatoes sliced
  • 2 tbspns ginger julienne
  • 2 tbspns grated ginger and minced garlic
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 piece of cinnamon
  • Few green chillies sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbspn red chilli powder
  • 1 tspn turmeric
  • 1 tspn chaat masala
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • Few peppercorns
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbspns lemon juice
  • 1 tbspn fenugreek leaves

Procedure:

-Soak channa daal for atleast 2 hrs before cooking.

There are two methods to make daal gosht,

  1. Using a pressure cooker,
  2. Without pressure cooker.

USING A PRESSURE COOKER:

-Combine meat, water, salt, onion and ginger garlic paste in a pressure cooker and cook it on low heat for 20 minutes.

-Carefully remove the lid of pressure cooker and add tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek leaves and oil and cook until very less water is left (around 1 cup).

-Now add channa daal and some more water (nearly 1 cup) and again pressure cook for 15 minutes.

-Carefully remove the lid and add chopped coriander, lemon juice, green chillies and chaat masala andserve hot with naan or chapattis.

WITHOUT PRESSURE COOKER

-Boil meat in salted water until its tender.

-Reserve the stock and keep aside the meat.

-Heat oil in a deep vessel and fry onion, ginger garlic paste and fenugreek leaves until they are brown. Now add turmeric and red chilli powder and mix well.

-Add boiled meat and fry in this masala for some time.

-Now add tomatoes and mix well.

-When tomatoes are a cooked, add daal and 1 cup of stock (remember the stock we are using already have salt in it, so be concerned about the salt) and 1 cup of warm water.

-Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes until the daal comes in rite consistency. (Rite consistency of Channa daal is that it is tender and well-cooked but in its shape).

-Add green chillies, coriander, lemon juice and ginger gulienne along with chaat masala and serve hot with naan or chapattis.

Papri Chaat

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Papri Chaat is a popular street food of South Asia, specially Pakistan and India. Both countries make them in different ways, Indians use curried chickpeas and raw ginger garlic paste in this recipe whereas Pakistanis use simple boiled chickepeas, this is the Pakistani version of Papri Chaat, do try this and make your day ….

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups homemade papri or market papri (broken into small pieces)
  • 1 ½ cups boiled chickpeas
  • 1 onion chopped (large onion)
  • 1 ½ cup yogurt
  • 1 tbspn sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 – 2 tbspns tamarind chutney
  • 1 – 2 tbspns mint-coriander chutney (optional)
  • 1 tbspn chaat masala
  • 1 tbspn chopped coriander
  • 1 tspn roasted ground cumin seeds
  • 1 cup boiled dice peeled potatoes

Procedure:

-Beat yogurt, water and sugar until they form a smooth textured mixture.

-In a shallow glass dish, lay a layer of 2 cups of papri, then chickpeas, then potatoes, then half of the onions and then spread the yogurt mixture.

-Garnish with the rest of the papri, coriander leaves, onions, cumin seed powder, tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney.

-Sprinkle some chat masala on top and serve.

Fish Pakora (Recipe 1)

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Fish Pakora is another wonderful recipe of Pakistan which is popular in home cooking during the Month of Ramadan. This pakora is not available on streets and stalls, people make them at home or some posh restaurants have them on their menu card. If you want to enjoy the best taste of Fish pakora, make it at home with fresh fish and fresh herbs and spices and I am sure you are going to love this recipe …..

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • ½ kg fish (Diced)(Rohu/snapper/hoki/sole)
  • 1 ½ cup besan (gram flour)
  • 2 tbspns lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tspn red chilli powder
  • ½ tspn cracked black pepper
  •  1 tbspns chopped mint leaves
  • 2 tbspns chopped coriander
  • 1 green chilli chopped
  • 1 tspn cracked dry coriander
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 tspn baking powder
  • Oil for deep frying
  • Some water for smooth batter ( ½ to ¾ cup)

Procedure:

-In a mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients (besan and baking powder) and spices and mix well.

-Gradually add water and make a smooth, lump free batter. Now the consistency of the batter should not be runny like water or thick like dough. Make it in between, something which is easy to handle.

-Now stir in chopped herbs and chilllies.

-Add fish chunks in this mixture and keep aside for 20 minutes.

-Heat oil to 190 degrees Celsius and put each chunk separately in hot oil for frying. Make sure your fish chunks do not overlap each other.

-When they look brown and cooked take them out on an absorbent paper and serve hot with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Achari Aalu (Potatoes in Pickle Masala)

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Achari aalu is my way of consuming potatoes…… People in Pakistan do make this dish but i dont know the recipe, this is my own recipe and its very quick and easy. Whenever I have made this dish, people have appreciated a lot, especially my sister. Do try this and enjoy the sour and spicy taste of Achari potatoes (potatoes in pickle masala) with pooris, naan, boiled rice or paratha.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 4 large potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • 1 medium potato boiled and mashed (no lumps)
  • 2 onions chopped in a food processor
  • 4 tbspns yogurt + ¼ cup water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbspn red chilli powder
  • 1 tspn nigella seeds (kalonji)
  • 1 tspn turmeric
  • 1 tspn tamarind chutney (optional)
  • 4 – 8 curry leaves
  • 1 tspn cumin powder
  • ½ tspn saunf (fennel seed) powder
  • 1 tspn garam masala powder
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 tbspn ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tspn fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
  • 1 doda mirch (dried red chilli, bird’s eye chilli)

Procedure:

-Heat oil and fry ginger garlic paste in it for few minutes. Now add chopped onions and cook until they are brown. Add kasuri methi and fry for another few seconds.

-Now add all the spices except nigella seeds and mix well.

-Add diced potatoes and stir. Now add yogurt, nigella seeds, curry leaves and mashed potato and cook it covered on medium heat until the potatoes are tender.

-Dish out and serve with hot pooris, parathas or saada roti/ chapatti.

Soojhi Halwa (Semolina Sweet)

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Soojhi halwa is a pakistani delicacy which is widely served with pooris (fried bread) and parathas in breakfast. This is a popular dish of Lahore and people over there are crazy about it on weekends and other holidays. It is also very popular during the Month of Ramadan as it is very energetic, filling and nutritious but if you are on diet please dont eat it, it is very fattening, but trying this lavish dish once a month does not make any difference…… Enjoy!

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR HALWA

  • 1 cup soojhi/ semolina
  • Few slices of coconut (thin slices)
  • 6 – 8 sultanas (kishmish)
  • 1 cup desi ghee

FOR SHEERA/ SUGAR SYRUP

  • Few strands of saffron
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups of water
  • 4 – 5 green cardamom

FOR GARNISHING

  • Few almonds, pistachios and sliced coconut

Procedure:

-Melt ghee and fry sultanas until they are puffed and dark in colour. (do not burn them).

-Add semolina/ soojhi and stir fry it until the soojhi is dark in colour. Do not left it unattended because soojhi get black very quickly.

-Now strain and ad sheera (sugar syrup) to it and mix well.

-When halwa is of rite consistency dish it out and garnish with some slivered almonds and other nuts.

-Serve hot with pooris, parathas or as a sweet dish.

Sabzi Keema

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This is my own invention…….. I love this dish because of its aromatic flavors and because it is low in fat and easy to cook. A very healthy start in the Month of Ramadan ….

Ayesha's kitchen

Ingredients:

  • ½ kg chicken keema
  • 1 big potato diced
  • ½ cauli flower sliced
  • 1 tbspn kasuri methi
  • 1 tspn ginger garlic paste
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tspn red chilli powder
  • ½ tspn cumin seeds
  • ½ turmeric powder
  • ½ cup coriander
  • 2 green chilllies sliced

Procedure:

-Heat oil and fry ginger garlic paste in it for 2 minutes on medium flame.

-Add chicken mince and fry until it is white.

-Now add all the other ingredients and cook it covered on low heat for 20 – 25 minutes.

-Serve hot with rotis.