Life 'n' Such

I forgot the name for this type of kofte / kebab. I have to ask Ulfet who taught me how to make these. They are so amazing, I think the name for this should be amazing kofte!

Ingredients:

ground meat (of your choice) 1 pack about 2 lbs or 1 kg
handful of dried parsley,
salt, red pepper, black pepper as per taste,
1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) powder,
1 egg,
bread crumbs about 1/2 to 1 cup, if you dont have bread crumbs you may use bread dipped in water, squeezing out all the water.
1 grated onion

Mix all the above ingredients, rather mash it with your fist for a good 10-20 times. The mixture should be too soft, or the kofte/kebabs will break.

To get the shape shown in the picture, Ulfet told me to first make a ball keeping one of your hands steady, and then rolling the mixture down with your other hand in a circular motion. This will make the kofte/kebab like little balls. To get the elongated shape, now roll your top hand in and out a couple times only. And then finally just pat the kofte/kebab down in the center. I should have pictures next time to show this action. Too hard to explain it.
Heat oil in a pan, and fry few kofte/kebabs at a time.

Thats it, you can eat these just like this or you can make another dish with this. Make a layer of french fries and on top arrange these kebabs. Drizzle a about half cup tomato sauce on the sides, cover the top with slices of fresh tomatoes, sprinkle a little salt and pepper and then cover and bake this at 350 deg F for about 25 minutes. Looks too pretty!

So you could prepare and keep the tray ready and bake before your guests arrive. Nice huh?

4 Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Recipes, Turkish | | #

My friend emailed me this invitation from Unicef.org, which promises to donate $5 on my behalf, if I click on the link my friend sent and sign up for the newsletter. Now dont you think this is an amazing opportunity for you to do something not just good, but in my opinion something extraordinary! And guess what, it takes only few minutes. So please dont procrastinate.
Also, anyone who wishes to be a part of this extraordinary event, just needs to click on the link below and sign up, just your name and last name and email. Thats it! Every person who does this, $5 will be donated for each and every one of you by anonymous donors.

http://friends.unicefusa.org/r/d93c90cc27e5102aa29c

Please, join me in making our world a better place for everyone.Thank you

No Comments | In: About me, Interesting stuff, Recipes | | #

Did you know salmon goes really good with mashed potatoes? I love mashed potatoes. Ulfet had given me the recipe loooong back! I had completely forgotten about it. And I made it again last week, along with salmon which we got from Sam’s Club.

Sam’s club had this seasoning on display, which is I think Rosemary and Garlic. The really sweet ol’ lady there was cooking them together. Me and Yasir liked it so much, we got a bag of salmon and a bottle of the seasoning.

For Salmon:

I asked the lady how she had cooked the salmon. She said she took a little olive oil and butter, and fried the salmon in it with the seasoning.

Another way to cook salmon is simply to fry it in oil, then when done sprinkle salt, pepper and a dash of lemon juice. Thats it, again Ulfet had told me about this……loooong back

To make mashed potatoes:

Ingredients:

boiled potatoes, (approx 1 medium per person)
butter, oil
salt, (optional black pepper, dry parsley)
couple tbsp of warm milk per potato

Method:

Mash the potatoes, mix the butter and oil in it; mash really well to get smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. Add the salt and milk to this (and pepper if you like); mix again.

To serve, put dollops of hot/warm mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley if you like.

Enjoy your meal, and ofcourse dont forget your vegetables/salads on the side. You could eat carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, boiled broccoli, boiled cauliflower etc. Its good to eat healthy sometimes, hmmm….

No Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Other, Recipes, Turkish | | #

Chinese food desi (‘desi’ is a term we have given to people, food, n stuff from our region; that is from southeast Asia) style is really good!!!

(the pictures are taken on Yasir’s Treo, not bad for a cell phone )

Fauzia’s baby Fadia is doing real good, thank God. We went to visit them, and she had cooked lot of stuff, but I loved the sweet and sour chicken she had made with fried rice. It was sooooooo good!

I dont have the recipe, but you all can drool at the picture, till I get the recipe from her.

No Comments | In: Food, Indian, Kashmiri, Other, Recipes | | #

If you are shopping for cool stuff at Ikea, and if you are a shopaholic like moi, and have been at it for hours; then I would suggest taking a little coffee break and having a couple of their amazing desserts from their awesome selection!

I would recommend two that are so gooooooood! One is the I love you gateau, which is layers of pure delight! It starts off with a thin layer of cake followed by a thinner layer of berries, again a layer of cake, then a thick layer of whipped cream or mascarpone cheese. All this is topped off with a pink fabric like layer which just falls over the whole thing. They sell a box of their desserts too in their cafetaria. (btw ‘gateau’ is cake in french)

The other dessert you must try are the chocolate or almond tarte or is it torte! I dont think I can describe anymore, as I have started drooling over my keyboard

If you dont believe me, then you simply have to go and try it at Ikea and decide for yourself.

No Comments | In: Dessert, Food, Interesting stuff, Other, Recipes, Shopping, deals n such | | #

This is what Pinar had cooked for when they invited me and Yasir. She said it took her about 3 hours to make the whole dinner. She had lentil soup for starters, followed by manta and chick peas in tomato sauce (ofcourse making the manta will need prep time before making the little shapes with dough). The main course was pilaf, green beans, and chicken cooked with some spices.

For dessert (I dont have the picture), she made baklava.

Now isn’t this menu perfect for a cool spring night? You take a look and see for yourself.

No Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Other, Recipes, Turkish | | #

One of my cats got attacked by a dog, and she died She was so beautiful. Well, we buried her in our backyard wrapped in a white blanket.

I just thought I should post a picture of her, because I cannot stop thinking about her. She was so cute, and funny and silly, very moody at times. But she was my favorite.

No Comments | In: About me | | #

The above picture shows chicken with vegetable pasta.

Iman made this in minutes, when we were at their house. I was zapped! It is so yumm yumm and it didnt take any time!

Iman used Shrimps but if you dont like shrimp, you could use chicken instead; just the cooking time would be longer then.

Ingredients:

shrimps as much as you like(frozen cooked shrimps; thawed as per instructions on the bag)
Pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, any kind you like)
water and olive oil for cooking,
oregano (at the end again)
steamed vegetables like carrots, peas, broccoli, again as much as you like
for marinade: lemon juice, grated garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and olive oil

Method:

First marinade the thawed shrimps with the listed ingredients. You may add as much as you like, be careful with salt and oregano (too much or too little of either is not good!). Marinate for like 30-45 minutes, more time if you are using chicken.

Cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the box. Steam the vegetables and keep on the side.

Finally, after marination, sautee the shrimps for a few minutes, then when the marinade is cooked, toss the pasta and the veggies in it. Mix and sprinkle more oregano on this if you like. Taste and add more salt if required.

Easy? I think so!

No Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Other, Recipes | | #

I just made this, with Tehsin giving me the recipe over the phone. Making daal is the most basic thing in India, it is commonly eaten with rice. It is an excellent source of protein and I think fiber too especially if you are vegetarian, or on a budget!

For some reason, I cannot make daal, either its too much water, or too little! Or the masala is not enough! I dont know, I am jinxed when it comes to daals! But I today it looks and smells fantastic, probably its good! I will update later if it tastes equally good too. Thanks to Tehsin, ofcourse!

Ingredients:

Tuar daal (or any lentils, like red lentils, chick peas split lentils etc), 2 cups (approx for 4-6 people )
1/2 tsp turmeric, (Turmeric is full of antioxidants, excellent for anti-aging)
1/2 onion, chopped,
1/2 or 1 small tomato chopped,
1 tsp cumin(jeera) whole,
4 cloves,
1 small stick cinnamon,
2 cloves garlic chopped,
1-2 green hot peppers (mirch) (like jalapeno, etc), just run your knife through it to make a couple slits
spice mix: 1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder), 1 tsp corriander (dhania) powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder (laal mirch), 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
almost 4 cups (or more) water and oil for cooking,
Method:

First pressure cook the lentils (daal) with the water and the turmeric. If you dont have pressure cooker, boil the lentils, till they are soft/cooked. Then at the same time, start preparing the masala. For this heat the oil in a little pan, add the cumin to this (they will make a crackling noise). Then add the cloves and cinnamon stick to this. Add the onion, sautee for sometime. Add the garlic and the green pepper. Fry till the onion is golden brown. Now add the spice mix to this. Fry for half a minute, add the chopped tomatoes. Fry till you see oil on the top. Stop cooking at this point, you might need to add a little water, approx 2-3 tbsp. When the lentils are boiled, add this masala and salt to it. Mix and give it a boil.

Thats it.
Eat with steamed rice.

Bon apetit! To simple food and a healthy life!

No Comments | In: Food, Indian, Kashmiri, Other, Recipes | | #

I love Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and this recipe, is just that! Mumtaaz Aunty made this for the last dinner party. Guess what, not only it contains tons of anti-oxidants, but, there is nothing else in here!!! So, its all natural, no added sugar dessert.

And it looks very pretty!!

Ingredients:

Strawberries, washed, and cut in slices, 1 cup
Blueberries, washed 1 cup
Blackberries, washed 1 cup

optional: grapes cut in halves, or toasted walnuts/almonds or raisins

Method:

Just mix the ingredients, and let it sit for 5-6 hours, before serving, in the refrigerator. The juice from the strawberries, sweetens the other berries.
Serve chilled!

Note: You could serve this with a dollop of whipped topping! Yummmm

2 Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Dessert, Food, Indian, Kashmiri, Other, Recipes, Turkish | | #