Chin up, Pakistan...We Still Love You and Here is Some Pilao with Cuchumber to Prove It!!

So Pakistan lost the second T20 match.  Yes I am sad, but it's not the end of the world.  My team has the world's best bowlers (I'm lookin' at you, Akhtar, Ajmal and Gul) and I know they can be good batsmen.  Why the batting collapse then?  And why does it happen so often?  My hypothesis on this heartbreaking situation is this:

Even though Pakistan has excellent batsmen, they are not eating enough traditional pilao for sustenance and therefore do not have the strength to hit the ball.  

Shahid Afridi, looking a bit thin and tired due to a pilao-free diet


Politics, the frequent changes to the team and general chaos have nothing to do with the poor batting performance.  Demand that proper pilao gets served to our lovely lads and soon we'll see the situation reversed.  Pakistan Zindabad!

Proper One Day International Pilao with Cricketer's Cuchumber
Make the cuchumber first because it tastes better after resting for about 30 minutes.

Cricketer's Cuchumber
1 cup of finely chopped cucumber
1/2 very finely chopped onion
2or 3 very finely chopped green chilies
3 very finely chopped tomatoes (use more or less, according to how much you like tomatoes)
juice of 4 or 5 lemons or limes
lal mirch
salt

Toss everything together, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Pilao
1 chicken, no skin, cut in 8 or 10 (the butcher can do this for you)
1 onion, finely chopped
7 or 8 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed or very finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stick of cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
salt to taste
3 cups of rice
4.5 cups of water
chopped green chilies to taste
chopped coriander for garnish
oil for cooking

1. Fry the onion until golden and a bit crispy, like you would for Basic Vegetable Salan.
2.  Add the cinammon stick, bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, star anise, peppercorns and cumin seeds.
       You may notice that I do not grind the spices.   Cooking with whole spices is
        the old fashioned way and is how you get the authentic, subtle flavour. Do
        not take them out later on, just be careful when you're eating!
3.  Add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute or two, but DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!  Also you can add the chilies at this point.
4.  Add tumeric and lal mirch.  Fry for a few seconds.
5.  Add 4.5 cups of water, plus a little more (1/4 cup), bring to boil
6.  Add chicken and salt, let it boil about 10 minutes, so the chicken is just about cooked through.
7.  Add the rice, give it a stir
8.  When it boils again, turn down the heat to very low and cover.
9.  Let it cook for about 20 minutes or so, and add more water if the rice is still a bit hard.
10  Fluff up the rice, garnish with coriander,and serve with cuchumber on the side.

A quick note:  if you want a more flavourful pilao, ALWAYS use chicken with the bones in, and you can always add a few chicken necks.  Using only boneless chicken breast meat will give you a bland dish without all of the vitamins and minerals that come from the bones and marrow.  You may also use chicken broth instead of plain water.

And there you have it.  Proper One Day International Pilao rebuilds strength and hopefully after eating this, our favourite team will be back to their regular smashing selves!  Go Pakistan!

Happy eating, and happy cricket!


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