Life 'n' Such

Its Earth Day today, now does that not sound funny to you all? Should you not be concerned about your residence (the big picture here, not your little apartment, or your cozy little home) 24/7, 365 days?

After all, we are not dinosaurs. I would not want to suddenly cease to exist, and become fossil, (I mean untimely no, but when the time comes, sure, why not).

Well, happy earth day, baby steps we shall take, and one day we shall live in harmony with Mother Earth, (or is it Mother nature).

Take care!

2 Comments | In: Interesting stuff | | #

Hey y’all, I got it! I finally got it! The perfect potato fries which are not fried at all! How good does this sound. Yes, it is 2gud2btrue, but hey, I am tellin ya, its true! You wanna believe me, I know I know, fooled too many times, by not so true recipes!

But, I have seen these made with my own 2 eyes. And then ate them too, down to the last one, had to split it with the hubby. Grrr!!!

Ok, so here is the scoop, I mean the story behind how I got the recipe. Yasir’s great Mumtaz aunty and Qam uncle were visiting us the last few days. And I got the recipe from her. That’s it. I didnt have to beg, or steal it, she showed me how to do it. Now isnt that just great. I wish all people were like her, and shared they expert recipes and tips with us. Won’t the world be a better place?

Okay, enough of my story telling, back to the recipe:

Ingredients:

potatoes (4-5, washed thoroughly, and do not peel the skin off)
salt, red chilli powder, oil, bread crumbs ( I do not remember if she added a little garlic, have to ask her)

Method:

Cut the potatoes lengthwise to get wedges. Mix in the seasoning.

Preheat oven at 400 deg F, and then arrange the potato wedges in a single layer on a metal tray (coated with a non-stick cooking spray, I use Pam).

Bake around 25-30 mins. (You make bake additional time to make it more crispy).

That’s it. Now get your favorite movie, and have a good time!

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

Do you crave Chinese food, well, then Google the nearest P. F. Chang’s and get there for dinner tonight. Its AWESOME!!

I especially loved the dynamite shrimp and the lettuce wraps. And oh the dessert!!!! It was coconut pineapple ice cream, drizzled with creamy caramel, with banana spring rolls on the side. Sounds weird huh? But, you gotta taste it!! Its heavenly!!

4 Comments | In: Food, Interesting stuff, Other | | #

I don’t know if this is the recipe for sarson ka saag, but nonetheless, its an excellent recipe to make mustard greens.

Aunty Sara made this the last time, we had dinner with them. I loved it! This time when I visited her for tea, I asked her for the recipe, and its a very different recipe. Various steps are involved, like, boiling, squeezing, blending, and cooking. But hey, in the end its all worth the effort. (Actually it sounds like a lot, but, I guess, with fewer ingredients, and using a blender, the recipe is always easy)

Ingredients:

mustard greens (1 pack)
1 onion, couple cloves of garlic, few green hot peppers,
salt,
oil for cooking,
red dried chilli peppers,
mustard seeds

Method:

First boil the mustard greens, till they are tender (about 20 mins). When cool, squeeze out the excess water. Put it in the blender, and put the onion, garlics, and hot peppers with a little bit of the boiled water. Blend. Then in oil, heat the oil, and drop the mustard seeds in it. When they pop, add the red dried peppers and quickly add the pureed mustard greens.

That’s it, cook till you see oil floating on the top.

The recipe does not seem as bad.

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

Also called as ‘Red’ Chicken by Fadia and Ikram (Fauzia’s kids). This is so good, they want to eat red chicken everyday!

Mumtaaz Dar aunty made up this recipe (trial and error). Now it is perfected. Get a jar of Hot curry paste (the brand she used is Patak, but I am sure any brand will work)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Hot curry Paste
3 tbsp tomato sauce/puree,
2 tbsp tomato ketchup,
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste,
1 tbsp olive oil,
salt as per taste
chicken legs and thighs (about 12 pcs)
4 medium sized red skin potatoes (peeled and chopped lengthwise into 4 pieces)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then drop the potato and chicken pieces in it, and coat each piece with the marinade.

Marinate overnight, and bake at 400 degree F for some time, and then at 350 till the chicken is cooked completely. (you might have to toss the pieces around once while baking)

3 Comments | In: Appetizer/Snack, Food, Indian, Kashmiri, Recipes | tags: baked chicken, curry, potatoes. | #

O O broccoli! We all know how healthy broccoli is. But still so many of us are hesitant to eat it on a daily basis… maybe the texture, the appearance, the taste…

Last night Aunty Mumtaaz’s had dinner as Zunee; her newest granddaughter and her parents, were visiting) We are going to miss Zunee, she is leaving today, she has such beautiful curly hair.

Aunty Mumtaaz had so much variety, and she had made this broccoli cooked in Kashmiri style.

It was so good, no kidding. And the recipe, oh so easy. I had to write it down, before I forgot it.

So here you go.

Ingredients:

broccoli heads, seperated into florets (or a pack of frozen broccoli)
dry onion (looks like coconut flakes)
oil for cooking,
salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, and garlic

Method:

In oil, put the onion, and quickly drop the broccoli in it. Aunty Mumtaaz said not to mix the broccoli with the spatula too many times. Shuffle the pan instead. And let it cook till it gets tender. Add the spices. Cook a bit. Done.

It tasted so good with plain white steamed rice and yogurt. Hmmmm.. yummy!

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