Matar (peas) pulao

Matar pulao is a simple and easy to cook rice recipe. This aromatic dish is equally liked by children and adults. You can serve it for lunch  and dinner instead of biryani if you want to make a vegetarian rice dish.

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice 250 grams
• Peas 2cups
• Onion 1 medium(sliced)
• Oil 1/4 cup
• Ginger paste 1tsp
• Garlic paste 2tsp
• Cloves 3-4
• Green cardamom 2
• Black cardamom 2
• Cinnamon 1
• Black pepper whole 10-12
• Bay leaf 1
• Cumin seeds 1tsp
• Fried onion 1/4 cup for garnishing
• Salt 2tsp

Method:

1. Take a wide bottom saucepan and add oil to it.
2. Add onion slices to it and fry it till nicely golden brown.
3. Add peas to it and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add ginger garlic paste to it and fry it for 1-2 minutes.
5. Then add all the spices including cloves, green and black cardamoms, cinnamon stick, whole black pepper, cumin seeds, bay leaf and salt.
6. Fry for 1-2 minutes
7. Then add soaked rice to it 
8. Fry for 4-5 minutes
9. Then add 3 cups of hot water to it
10. Bring it to boil and cover it with lid till the rice are 90 percent cooked and no water is left in it 
11. Cook for another 5 minutes on low flame by covering the lid
12. Matar pulao is ready
13. Dish it out and garnish it with crispy fried brown onion.

Serve it with cucumber, raita,salad and shami kebabs

Tip of the recipe

*The good quality basmati rice

*the fresh peas

Aloo Methi Gosht

Ingredients:

Meat (Beef or Mutton)   500 grams
Onion   1 medium (finely chopped)
Potato   250 grams (cut it in 8-10 pieces)
Tomato   1 large ( cut in pieces)
Methi (Fenugreek)   250 grams
Ginger paste   1 tsp
Garlic paste   1.5 tsp
Salt   1 tsp
Red Chili Powder   1 tsp
Turmeric powder   1 tsp
All spice mix ( Garam Masala powder)   1.5 tsp
Oil   1/4 cup
Green chili   3
Coriander    For garnishing

Method:

1. Wash the meat thoroughly and remove excessive fat.
2. Take  a saucepan, put the meat in it and 4-5 cups of water in it and bring it to boil. Boil it for 10 minutes.
3. Discard this water and wash this meat. By doing this you can remove the excessive fat from the meat. If you don't want to remove the excessive fat, don't do this step and use the raw meat.
4. Take a saucepan and add oil to it.
5. Add finely chopped onion in it. Fry it till the onions turn nicely golden brown.
6. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for 1 minute only.
7. Then add meat in it. Along with meat, add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, 2 green chilies (cut into pieces) and tomatoes.
8. Fry this meat for at least 8-19 minutes till oil comes on the surface.
9. Add garam masala powder and 1/2 cup of water and cook on low flame until meat is tender.
10. Add Methi (fenugreek) leaves in it anf fry for 2-3 minutes.
11. Add potatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes and cover the saucepan with lid and cook on low flame for 10 minutes till the potatoes are cooked.
12. Dish it out. Garnish it with chopped fresh green or red chili and coriander leaves.

Serve it with Chapati or Nan and fresh Salad and enjoy this yummy and healthy dish.

Egg and potato curry

This egg and potato curry is very simple, easy to cook and full of nutrition. It requires less preparation and cooking time. You can entertain your family or guests by serving this curry in a very short period of time. It can be served with chapati, nan or zeera rice.

                            

INREDIENTS:

• Egg   4 (hard boiled and shells removed)
• Potato   250 grams (remove skin and cut               into 4 to 6 pieces)
• Onions   2 medium (grind it to make a                    smooth paste)
• Yogurt    1/2 cup ( beat it thoroughly)
• Salt   1 tsp
• Coriander powder   1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder   1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder   1 tsp
• Oil   1/4 cup
• Ginger paste   1 tsp
• Garlic paste   1.5 tsp

METHOD:

1. Take a saucepan and add oil in it.
2. Add the hard boiled eggs and fry them to a golden brown color.
3. Take the golden eggs out from the oil and keep them aside.
4. Add the onion paste to the same oil and saute it for 5 to 6 minutes.
5. In a small bowl make a thick paste of coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and ginger & garlic paste by adding a small amount of water of about 1/4 cup.
6. Add this paste to sauteed onion and fry it until the oil is seen on surface. 
7. Add yogurt to it and fry it for further 5-6 minutes  and add the potatoes in it at the same time and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook it until the potatoes are properly cooked and the oil appears on the surface.
9. Add the golden fried boiled eggs to this curry and cook it for further 5 to 10 minutes on low flame.
10. Dish this curry out and garnish it with coriander leaves and green or red chili.

Serve it with chapati, naan or zeera rice.

TIP OF THE RECIPE:

* Boil the eggs hard at least up to 30 minutes. 

*While boiling the eggs add 1/2 tsp of salt in water. By doing this you can remove the egg shells           easily.

Dahi Baray

Dahi baray is one the most popular snacks of Pakistan and India. They are little dumplings of lentils and then soaked into yogurt. It is garnished with various chutneys. dahi baray masala and papri as well.

INGREDIENTS:

For Phulki:

• Urad flour   4 tbsp
• Moong flour   4 tbsp
• Gram flour (besan)   2 tbsp
• All purpose flour   2 tbsp
• Baking powder   1.5 tsp
• Salt   1 tsp
• Oil   for frying

For Yougurt:

• Yogurt   500 grams
• Zeera   1 tsp (roasted and crushed)
• Salt   1/2 tsp
• Black salt   1 tsp
• Crushed red chili   1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (heeng)   1/4 tsp

Mix all these ingredients in yogurt and mix 1/2 cup of cold water to it

METHOD:

1. Mix all the bara ingredients i.e. urad flour, moong flour, gram flour and All purpose four, salt  and baking powder  with 3/4 cup of water to make a smooth paste. Beat it well.
2. Keep it aside for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in wok on medium flame and fry the baras by adding the batter to oil with a tablespoon. 
4. Fry from one side and then turn it on the other side until these turn golden brown.
5. Take these baray out and put them in a bowl filled with water and 1 tsp of salt in it.
6. Take this baray out of this salty water and at the same time squeeze these baray by putting between the palms of hands and pressing it. This way water comes out with the excess oil..
7. Arrange the baray in a serving platter.
8. Pour the yogurt mix on it.
9. Sprinkle with red chili flakes and chat masala on it.

Serve with papri

TIP OF THE RECIPE:

*  Do not heat the oil too much.

* Fry it on medium flame until the baras turn nicely golden.

* Soak for 10 minutes in water.

                         

Lahori Fish

This is a traditional dish of Pakistan. It is a crispy fried fish which is spicy in taste served with  tamarind chutney, salad and nan or chapati.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fish   500 grams 
• Crushed red chili powder   1 tsp
• Red chilli powder   1/2 tsp
• Coriander seed crushed (Dhania)   1 tsp
• Cumin seed crushed ( Zeera)   1 tsp
• Salt   1 tsp
• Ajwain (Carom seed   1/2 tsp
• Heeng ( Asafoetida)   1/4 tsp
• Ginger paste   1/2 tsp
• Garlic paste    1 tsp
• Gram flour (Besan)   1 cup
• Oil (for deep frying)   

METHOD:

1. Wash the fish thoroughly and keep it in a strainer to drain the water. After it place the fish on the kitchen towel for drying.
2. Then marinate the fish with salt, red chili powder, crushed red chili, crushed coriander and cumin seeds, ajwain, heeng and ginger and garlic paste.
3. After applying these spices on fish, marinate it for 2 hours.
   
4. Mix besan with half cup of water to make a paste.
   
5. After 2 hours coat this marinated fish with besan(gram flour) paste by pouring it on fish pieces.
   
6. Keep this fish for atleast 20-30 minutes for marination after adding gram flour paste for further penetration of spices in it.
   
7. Take a wok or a fry pan. Heat it on medium flame and then add oil in it.
8. When oil heats up, add fish in it and fry from one side until the fish turns golden and then turn it on the other side for frying.
   
9. When fish is fried take it out from the oil and place it on a kitchen towel to absorb the excessive oil from it.
   
10. Serve this Crispy Fried Lahori Fish with hot tamarind chutney, fresh salad and naan or chapati. Enjoy your meal with this yummy recipe!.

TIP OF THE RECIPE:

* Giving proper marination time to fish makes this recipe delicious.
* Fry it on medium flame for 5-6 minutes from each side until fish turns golden and crispy.
* Do not fry it on high flame

Eating balanced diet

It is very important to all of us to eat well for maintaining the health of out families because it helps us to build our minds and bodies. Balanced healthy eating is the fundamental of active living.

 Consume foods and beverages with the basic food groups. The basic groups are cereal group, meat group, dairy group and vegetable and fruit group. Prepare your food wisely so that it comprises of ingredients from all the food groups for example make rice with vegetables with a piece of grilled chicken and yogurt dip along with a bowl of fruit salad or any fruit of your choice. In this menu you find rice from cereal group, vegetables from veg group, grilled chicken from meat group, yogurt dip from dairy group and lastly the fruit salad from fruit group.

·        You have to consume 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables (dark green and orange coloured vegetables and starchy vegetables such as potatoes) each day for a 2000 calorie diet, adjusting the amount as needed.

·        Take 3 servings of whole grain equivalent to one ounce per day.

·        Consume 2 cups of fat free milk or equivalent dairy products each day.

·        Derive less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fat and less than 300mg of cholesterol per day.

·        Avoid trans fats (animal fats). 

·        Don’t cut fat totally from your diet as it is also required for our bodies to our work. Keep your total fat intake between 20-5 percent of calories with most fats coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.

·        Select fiber rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains each day and consume less than 2300mg (about 1 teaspoon of sodium i.e. salt each day.

So by selecting and preparing the food smartly and wisely you will able to work without getting fatigue and engage yourself in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well being and a healthy body weight. 

How to organize an easy kitchen

 How to organize an easy kitchen

Arrange your kitchen so that cooking and cleaning the kitchen will give you enjoyment rather than painful feelings.

1. Keep all the cleaning material near the sink 

           All the cleaning materials like dish washing liquid, sponge , scrubs and cleaning brushes for cleaning the stove tops must be kept in a cabinet near kitchen sink so that the cleaning work can easily be done.

2. Organize the utensils according to your need .

          Organize the utensils in a manner so that  you can cook  easily.. Cooking pots, saucepans, vok, fry pans must be in easy reach. The cooking ware used occasionally must be kept behind the daily used utensils.

3. Proper placement of cutlery and dinnerware

     Dinnerware, dishes and cutlery of daily use should be near the sink so that  all the  unnecessary movement could be avoided. 

4. Moving things around, so that what you need  should be in  your reach.

           Keep all the cooking implements, rubber spatula, cooking wooden spoon or whisk near the stove so that they remain in your arm’s reach to work easily

5. Create working counter

            Create a working counter so that cutting the meat and vegetables become easy. Keep all the knives and the cutting board, grater, cookie cutters, rolling pins, in a drawer below the counter for  a quick pick.

6. Create station for electronic machines

             Keep all the electronic machines like food processor, blender, coffee grinder, hand blender, sandwich maker, toaster and electric kettle on one counter so that working becomes easy.

7. Arrange pantry according to the need.

              Arrange the spices, cereals and pulses in  pantry according to your need. Put all your spices that are frequently used in unbreakable transparent containers so that you can see the spice from outside that you need. Keep all the spices containers in an easily memorable sequence. This makes your cooking  fast and easy so you can pick your desired thing even with your eyes closed. Don’t keep the spices near the stove because the heat from the stove will shorten the life span of the spice. Rather  keep the spice in a  cool place in the cabinet a bit away from the stove. Keep your rice,flour and sugar in  big transparent containers or in containers of different colors.

8. Stick with the place you've given for  each thing

           Assign a spot for everything in a kitchen and refrigerator. By doing this it become easier to see what is missing and what things are about to finish. With a quick glance in refrigerator and spices cabinet you can have all the information at once.

9. Organize refrigerator and freezer according to  yours needs.

            Put  every things in refrigerator and freezer on its own place and in  a covered container so that they will remain fresh.