Category Archives: Pakistani Mains

Tadka Chaawal (Tempered Rice) (Pakistani Style)

Tadka Chaawal (Tempered Rice) are very tasty and can be served with any thing, any curry or any daal, give it a try and make your day special …

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion thinly sliced
  • 2 big cardamoms
  • 2 – 4 pcs. Cinnamon
  • 1 dried red chilli whole
  • 4 – 6 black peppercorns
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 tbspn ghee
  • 4 tbspns olive oil
  • 1 ¼ cup rice
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • Some salt (to taste)
  • 4 cloves

Procedure:

-Soak rice for 8 minutes. Drain water and keep aside.

-Heat oil and ghee in a thick bottomed deep pan and fry whole garam masala and onion slices. When they are golden brown add water and let it come to a boil.

-Add soaked rice and salt and let them simmer.

-When very less amount of water remains cover it and cook on very low heat for 10 minutes.

-Stir and scoop. Serve hot with daal or Punjabi kadhi.

Outcome:

Tasty and versatile tempered rice are ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Soak rice in very less amount of water for 7 – 8 minutes. Not more than that.

-Add ghee for tasty and pleasant tempering.

Servings:

This will serve 4 persons easily.

Keema* Koyla* (Coal Tempered Mincemeat)

Coal tempered mincemeat is barbecue flavoured mincemeat which is usually served with chapattis, parathas or naan bread in Pakistani. It is one of the famous dishes of Pakistan, people usually serve it on small get togethers and parties …

Ingredients:

  • ½ kg mincemeat (goat/ chicken/ lamb/ beef)
  • An onion chopped
  • A tomato chopped
  • 2 green chillies slitted
  • 4 green chillies sliced lengthways (OPTIONAL)
  • ½ bunch coriander
  • Some ginger julienne
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ¼ tspn ginger garlic paste
  • Few cumin seeds
  • 1 tspn red chilli powder
  • ¼ tspn turmeric
  • Some salt to taste
  • ½ tspn garam masala

Procedure:

-Heat oil and stir fry onions until they are golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and tomato. Cook well on low heat. When tomatoes lose their stiffness add mincemeat and fry for a minute. Add water and all the spices and cook it covered on medium heat.

-After 10 – 15 minutes, when very less amount of water remains, place a big piece of onion or some dry paper and place hot coal on it. Pour some oil over it and immediately cover your dish.

-Remove from flame and keep it covered for 10 minutes.

-Remove coal and paper/ onion.

-Stir in some coriander and green chillies, scoop and serve hot with daal and chapattis.

Outcome:

Tasty coal tempered barbecue taste mincemeat is ready.

Tips:

Use non-stick pan.

Servings:

This will serve 2 – 4 persons easily.

Kofta Biryani (Meatball Biryani)

Kofta Biryani is a customised version of Biryani, mostly in Pakistan you get mutton biryani, beef biryani and chicken biryani, so I tried to make something innovative, so here is Kofta Biryani that can also be called meatball biryani. Do try this and I am sure that you are going to love this one …

Believe me this is the world’s tastiest biryani, I am eaing it rite now and the wonderful flavours that are coming are forcing me to eat it more, its lovely, do do do try this if you realy want to enjoy your day …

Ingredients:

RICE

  • 1 ½ cups of basmati rice
  • Water to soak and boil
  • Few drops of yellow colour
  • Few strands of saffron

FOR MEATBALL MASALA

  • 6 – 8 meatballs
  • Oil for frying
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • Few cumin seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 1 black cardamom
  • Few curry leaves
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • A piece of cinnamon
  • 2 – 4 cloves
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • 3 tbspns yogurt
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 4 – 6 tbspns homemade Biryani masala

Procedure:

-Boil salted water and add soaked rice. When they are 80 – 90 % cooked drain them and keep aside.

-Heat oil and add whole garam masala along with some cumin seeds. When they begin to splatter and onions and fry on low medium heat until they lose their stiffness.

-Add tomatoes and mix. When tomatoes are cooked add 1 tbspn of Biryani masala and mix. Add yogurt and rest of the Biryani masala and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

-Heat oil for frying and fry meatballs until they are slightly golden.

-Take them out on an absorbent paper and then add them to the curry.

-Do not use water in your curry.

-Mix and let them simmer. When gravy is pretty thick add rice.

-Add few drops of yellow food colour and a pinch of saffron strands and cover your dish with an airtight lid.

-Let it cook for another 5 minutes on very low heat.

-Lift and serve.

Outcome:

Tasty kofta Biryani is ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Serve immediately.

-Use non stick, thick bottomed deep pan to make Biryani.

-If using the normal stainless steel one then be careful while cooking it covered. Place you pan on a flat pan and then cook.

-Use lid that is airtight.

-For more detailed tips visit tips page.

-Click on the links to find out the recipes of meatballs and Biryani masala.

Servings:

This will serve 4 persons easily.

Narigisi Kofta

Nargisi Kofta is a famous delicacy of Pakistan, women over there used to do these kind of experiments but this was one of their successful inventions, people appreciated it and now this dish is often served on weddings or other occasions, do try them and let me know your remarks, if you cant understand anything please ask me, email me (About page) …

Ingredients:

FOR KOFTAS

  • ½ kg chicken/lamb/ beef mincemeat
  • Some salt
  • ¼ tspn turmeric powder
  • 4 – 8 dried red chillies (even 12 if you want really spicy)
  • 1 tbspn dried coriander whole
  • A small (1 cm) pc. Of cinnamon stick
  • ½ tspn nigella seeds
  • ¼ tspn carom seeds
  • 1 green cardamom pod
  • A pinch of garam masala powder
  • 4 – 6 hard boiled eggs
  • Oil for frying

FOR CURRY

  • ¼ cup oil
  • An onion chopped
  • A tomato chopped
  • ½ lemon squeezed
  • Salt to taste (keep in mind, meatballs also have salt in them)
  • ½ tspn red chilli powder
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • 1 lemon squeezed
  • ½ tspn funnel seeds (saunf) (powdered)
  • ¼ tspn nigella seeds
  • ½ tspn cumin seeds
  • 2 – 4 dried curry leaves
  • 1 big green chilli shopped
  • Few coriander leaves chopped
  • ¼ tspn methi dana
  • ½ tspn dry whole coriander
  • 2 – 4 cracked black peppercorns
  • Some water
  • 3 tbspns yogurt

Procedure:

-Combine all the dry spices given for meatballs in a spice blender and make a fine powder.

-Add this powder to mincemeat and mix well, use food processor if needed.

-Now very carefully, take some mincemeat and make it into egg sized balls. Now coat this mincemeat around boiled egg and deep fry in hot oil.

-When its golden brown in colour take it out and keep aside.

-Do the same with the remaining eggs and mincemeat.

-Now for curry, heat oil and add curry leaves, cumin seeds, cracked coriander and dried red chilli. When they begin to splatter add onions. Cook for some time and then add all the spices except nigella seeds, saunf and methi dana.

-Blend nigella seeds, saunf and methi dana in spice blender to make fine powder. Keep it aside.

-Now add tomatoes in the curry and mix well until they lose their stiffness, cook them on low heat.

-Now add water and let it simmer. Add yogurt, powdered masala and lemon juice and let it simmer for some time. Add fried koftas and with a spoon pour over the gravy on it.

-Cook on low heat for 2 minutes and then garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies and serve hot with chapattis.

Outcome:

Tasty nargisi koftas are ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-I like these koftas with simmered curry, if you want to make a bit gravy kind of thing, add 1 cup of water.

-Adjust salt and pepper according to your will.

Servings:

This will serve 3 – 4 persons easily.

Haleem

Haleem is a traditional pakistani dish, made up of beef and lentils, do try this and make your day …

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 litres water (15 glasses of water)
  • 500 gms of boneless beef
  • 100 gms of marrow bones

FOR TEMPERING

  • ½ cups oil
  • A large sized onion sliced thinly
  • 1 tspn garlic paste
  • Few curry leaves
  • A pinch of cumin seeds

FOR GRAINS

  • 1 cup whole wheat grains
  • ½ cup unsplitted oats
  • ½ cup gram daal
  • 4 tbspns moong daal*
  • 4 tbspns masoor daal*
  • 8 tbspn urad daal
  • 2 – 4 cups of water

FOR MASALA

  • 2 tspns chaat masala
  • Some salt to taste
  • Few curry leaves
  • 6 – 8 dried red chillies
  • ½ tspn turmeric
  • ½ tbspn dried coriander
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • ½ tspn garam masala powder

FOR GARNISH

  • Garnish platter

Procedure:

-Combine all the grains together and soak it for 24 hours.

-Combine all the ingredients given for masala except chaat masala in a blender and make fine powder.

-Heat 1 cup of oil in a thick bottomed pot and fry beef bones and meat for 10 minutes. Add powdered masala except chaat masala.

-Fry for another 5 minutes.

-Add soaked grains and 2 litres of water.

-Let it cook for 8 – 12 hours on very low heat, until the beef and lentils start decomposing. Remove bones.

-After 10 hours start stirring it, pressing them with stirring spoon.

-Meanwhile heat rest of the oil and fry curry leaves, onion and cumin seeds and when they begin to splatter add it to the gravy and stir.

-Add chaat masala, mix and serve hot with naan bread and garnish platter.

Outcome:

Superb Haleem is ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen
Ayesha’s Kitchen

Tips:

-Cook on low heat and stir it occasionally.

-After 10 hours, start pressing and stirring the whole thing.

Servings:

This will serve 8 – 10 persons easily.

Chicken Barbecue Pizza

Chicken Barbecue Pizza is a very aromatic pizza, very juicy and very tangy, try it and love it …

Ingredients:

  • Some barbecued chicken
  • One thin crust pizza dough
  • Some pizza topper
  • ½ capsicum sliced thinly
  • 1 onion thinly sliced in rings
  • ½ tomato sliced thinly
  • ¼ to ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 pinch of grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 – 6 tbspns pizza sauce
  • 2 tbspn olive oil

Procedure:

-Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

-Prepare a pizza crust, apply some olive oil on edges and then spread some pizza sauce on it. Sprinkle all the cheese and then place chicken and all the other vegetables on it.

-Top it with some pizza topper and bake For 15 minutes or until its golden or hot red.

-Slice and serve.

Outcome:

Tasty and lovely chicken barbecue pizza is ready to be served.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Preheat oven 30 minutes before baking.

Servings:

This will serve 2 – 4 persons easily.