LIFE IS COLOURFUL...MATAR PULAO IS COLOURFUL

Life is God's beautiful gift and we just get one chance to live it....treasure it, enjoy it...adopt some hobby, be it is cooking or baking, painting or writing, it brings pleasure and self-satisfaction. A picture is incomplete without a frame, embellish picture of life with some hobby, life will become even more meaningful. Donot waste precious moments of life, cherish them because they never will return.Life has many shades of colour, colours of love, sorrow, joy, success, failure...we are surrounded by colours, they are every where.

Like wise, our food also contains many colours. It is true that colours affect our mood, both mentally and phsically without our even realizing it. Colours and appeal of various foods is closely related. The eyes are the first place that needs to be convinced before eating. Imagine life without colours, AWFUL..huh??? I found something here, some interesting facts about colours and their effect on human behaviour.

I make matar pulao quite often, but this time did not forget to click a pic of it as it looked so inviting to me, green colour of peas and white coloured rice present such an eye soothing combination to me and finally I have decided to send it to Kamalika who is hosting this month's wonderful FIC :Delectable Combinations, started by sunshinemom.

This is also going to be a part of an event by Chaitra at Aathidhyam

INGREDIENTS

1 CUP RICE

HALF CUP FROZEN GREEN PEAS

1 MEDIUM ONION (SLICED FINELY)

2 CINNAMON STICKS

3-4 GREEN CARDAMOMS

5-6 CLOVES

6-8 BLACK PEPPERCORNS

2 BAYLEAVES

1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS

SALT TO TASTE

WATER

3 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Heat oil,add onion and fry till golden brown.

2.Remove witha slotted spoon and put whole spices in the same oil and saute for a few minutes.

3.Add green peas and fry for a couple of minutes.

4.Add rice, mix and cover it with enough water (approx 2 cups), close the lid and switch the flame to high.

5.When water dries and rice is done, switch the flame to low, keep it over a tava, still covered for 5-10 minutes.

6.Before serving sprinkle fried onions over it.

ARHAR OR TOOR DAAL

"Will you make toor daal for me today?" asked my hubby one fine afternoon, when we were in a grocery store to get some basic pantry items.

"Sure,why not", I replied back ... but actually had no clue about toor daal.. ( even tried to recall the names of daals, I happened to eat so far ), but after having a glance at the packet he was carrying in his hand, I soon found out that the daal he was talking about was actually arhar daal ( name commonly used in Pakistani households)

I love having variety of daals, with roti or rice or just as it is.For making toor daal I usually follow my mom's simple recipe.

This recipe is my entry to the first ever event I am going to take part...Yes, you guessed it right, I am sending this to apu who is hosting :"MY LEGUME LOVE AFFAIR TWELFTH HELPING" originally started by Susan here.

INGREDIENTS

HALF CUP TOOR DAAL
SALT TO TASTE
1/4 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER
1/4 TSP TURMERIC POWDER
1 TSP GARLIC PASTE

FOR TEMPERING

2 TBSP OIL
HALF MEDIUM ONION ( CHOPPED COARSELY )
1TSP CUMIN SEEDS
2 GREEN CHILLI

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Wash daal thoroughly with water three times and then place it in a pressure cooker.

2.Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garlic paste and enough water to cover the daal.

3.Place the lid of cooker and wait for three whistles, once done keep aside.

4.Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients for tempering and fry till onion turns light golden brown.

5.Immediately pour over daal, stir and serve hot.

I am also sending it to Shanthi who is hosting lovely winter recipes

PROUD TO BE A PAKISTANI!!! CHICKEN KORMA

Today's post is dedicated to Pakistan cricket team for their well deserved victory in T20 world cup 2009.Congratulations to the pakistani players who not only lifted the trophy but also the spirits of Pakistanis living in Pakistan and abroad. I am proud of my team for their brilliant performance. May this winning streak continues....

CHICKEN KORMA

korma is a South Asian dish, originated in Mughal era. It can be both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian. It is usually made by braising meat or vegetable in water, yogurt or cream, containing a mixture of spices which give this dish a unique flavour. Korma is a kind of dish which is served at special occassions. Here is the recipe for chicken korma which I made yesterday for dinner and served with matar pulao.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 LB CHICKEN

3/4 CUP OIL

2 MEDIUM ONIONS (SLICED)

1 CUP YOGURT

2 BAY LEAVES

6 CLOVES

5-6 GREEN CARDAMOMS

8-10 BLACK PEPPERCORNS

1 TSP BLACK CUMIN SEEDS

2 CINNAMON STICKS

2 TBSP GINGER/GARLIC PASTE

3 TSP CORIANDER POWDER

1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER

1 TSP GARAM MASALA

SALT TO TASTE

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Heat oil in a pan, fry onion till golden brown.

2.Take out onion with a slotted spoon and grind or mix with yogurt and keep aside.

3.In the same pan add bay leaves, cloves, black peppercorns, black cumin, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms and fry for a minute.

4.Add chicken pieces and ginger/garlic paste and fry till chicken turns colour.

5.Then add coriander powder, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and saute for 5 minutes.

6.Add half cup water and cover, when chicken till done.

7.Now add onion+yogurt paste and stir, turn off flame after 10 minutes.

8.Serve hot with rice or naan.

SPICY KEEMA WITH SHIMLA MIRCH

I prepared this dish a few days ago for dinner. I had some minced meat sitting in my refrigerator and I planned to make kababs out of it but my laziness and craving for a spice packed food dragged me into making this. I wanted it to be different from what I made each time so I started looking for the perfect recipe to satisfy my taste buds. After searching quite a few blogs and sites, I gave up on the search as I was running out of time. My husband usually gets back from work around 6:30-7:00 and it was already 5:30 so I decided to get started as soon as possible. When I stepped into the kitchen I had no clue how the dish would turn out!

I started by putting usual stuffs into it then I realized that I have got some leftover homemade seasoning which I made a week ago to sprinkle over grilled chicken (yes we are a proud owner of a grill, bought it recently, thanks to hubby's interest in grilling). I ended up putting so many spices in poor keema that I had to pen down the whole recipe as I tend to forget things pretty quickly!!

This was enough for both of us. You can also make this as a side dish and those of you who donot consume beef can use chicken instead. I gottago as my li'l princess is up!!
Here goes the recipe. Enjoy and do not forget to drop a few lines that how do you find the recipe.


INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb MINCED MEAT(WASHED,DRAINED)

1/2 CUP GREEN BELL PEPPERS(CUT IN STRIPS)

1/2 MEDIUM ONION(SLICED)

11/2 TBSP OIL

2 tsp GARLIC/GINGER PASTE

1/2 TSP CUMIN POWDER

1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER

1/2 TSP TURMERIC POWDER

1/2 TSP CORIANDER POWDER

1/2 TSP CHAT MASALA(I USED SHAN CHAT MASALA)

1/4 TSP BLACK PEPPER(FRESHLY GRINDED)

1/2 TSP SALT

2 BAYLEAVES

2 CINNAMON STICKS

1/2 TOMATO(CHOPPED FINELY)

2 TBSP YOGURT(OPTIONAL)

1 TBSP TOMATO KETCHUP

2 SMALL GREEN CHILLI(CHOPPED)

HANDFUL OF DILL LEAVES

HANDFUL OF DRIED FENUGREEK LEAVES(QASURI METHI)

HANDFUL OF CORIANDER LEAVES

GARAM MASALA(SPRINKLE IN THE END)

1 CUP WATER

1 TSP HOMEMADE SEASONING


TO MAKE SEASONING

1TBSP CORIANDER SEEDS

1 TBSP CUMIN SEEDS(SAFAID ZEERA)

1/2 TBSP MUSTARD SEEDS(RAI)

1/2 TBSP FENNEL SEEDS(SAUNF)

2 SMALL DRIED RED CHILLIES

1 TBSP GINGER POWDER(SONTH)

1/2 TSP CHAT MASALA

1/2 TSP GARAM MASALA

1/4 TSP SALT

1/4 TSP BLACK PEPPER POWDER



Dry roast coriander,cumin,mustard,fennel and red chillies in a dry pan over low heat and toast till fragrant.Remove from heat,cool add other ingredients and grind to a coarse powder.store in an airtight container(I used empty baby food bottle)and keep in a cool,dry place.Good to go for atleast a month.


STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Heat oil in a pan,add cumin seeds when starts to sizzle add onion and green chillies.

2.Stir occassionally,when it turns light brown add keema.

3.Wait for keema to change its colour to light brown,add all spices (except seasoning),ginger garlic paste,fry for a couple of minutes.

4.Add bell peppers,water,tomato,ketchup,yogurt,methi leaves and cook till keema is done.

5.When oil separates,garnish with dill and coriander leaves,sprinkle seasoning,mix and switch off flame.

6.Serve hot with rice or roti.

A SWEET START:CELEBRATING WITH A CAKE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

MAY YOU HAVE MANY MORE,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!


These birthday wishes goes to my wonderful husband and my sweet brother who happen to share their birthday (actually their b'day was on June 20th but due to some problems with my computer I could not post it until today).

I am a pharmacist by profession but these days I am a homemaker, taking care of a baby girl. Before marriage, I used to help my mom in the kitchen but never showed any enthusiasm in cooking. When I came to USA (2 years back) to join my husband, I also carried a bundle of recipes in my suitcase, some were the pages tore off from magazines or newspapers, others were the recipes jotted down on pieces of paper from the TV cooking shows and some cookbooks. I do not claim that I am a pro now but my cooking skills have improved over time and why not if u have a husband who is ready to eat anything (edible) u cook.... :):):):)

One day when I was looking for new recipes on internet, I came across some fantastic recipes on some beautiful blogs. I was not aware of food blogging at that time, as I explored further, I realized there were very few pakistani food bloggers on blogosphere. When I told my husband about it, he encouraged me to start a food blog of my own and even suggested its name (although I replaced 'S' with a 'X') & here I am with my very first post, I can't think of any other occassion to start "MIXCALCULATIONS" than this one.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Black forest cake is the perfect cake to embrace any occassion because of its rich appearance and taste. This was my first attempt and it was an instant hit. I followed this recipe from a Pakistani cookbook.

INGREDIENTS

4 EGGS(IF U HAVE SMALL EGGS THEN TAKE 5 EGGS)

1 CUP PLAIN FLOUR

3/4 CUP SUGAR

1 TEASPOON UNSALTED BUTTER

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

4 TBSP HOT WATER

1 TBSP COCO POWDER

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Preheat oven at 325F and grease a 9 inch round pan.

2.Sift flour,coco powder and baking powder together three times.

3.Beat eggs for 5 minutes then add sugar slowly(1 tbsp at a time)and beat for 10 minutes.

4.Fold all sifted dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture with a wooden spoon.

5.Dissolve butter in hot water and add to the mixture.

6.Pour the batter in the baking pan and keep in preheated oven at 325F for 35-40 minutes.

7.Check for doneness by inserting cake tester or toothpick or bamboo sticks.

8.Let the cake cool for 10 minutes then cut into three halves horizontally.

9.I didnt have 2 9"pans so I made 2 cake layers one by one.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING/DECORATING

8 Oz HEAVY WHIPPED CREAM TUB

DUNCAN HYNES CHOCOLATE FROSTING

CANNED CHERRIES

1 HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE BAR

FILLING/DECORATING CAKE

1. Beat 8 oz heavy whipping cream till soft peaks form, add sugar 2 tsp at a time and beat well.

2. Place a layer of cake on a serving plate,apply chocolate frosting ,place 2nd layer of cake.

3. Apply cream with a spatula or use knife,then grate chocolate bar,keep cherries and decorate it with cream.

As I am new in blogging any suggestions and feedbacks are welcome.Happy cooking and keep visiting "MIXCALCULATIONS".