All rightie, everyone! Just a quick post for today; there's a Pakistan / New Zealand ODI coming up in a couple of hours, and I've got lots of work to do around the house before then. I don't want to miss a single minute of it!
Pakistan Zindabad! Let's go boys, Gul-doze, Boom Boom and Razzle-Dazzle your way to Victory and I'll be cheering my little lungs out!!!
Stay tuned for tomorrow, I'll start a series on all of the different daals!
Happy Cricket!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Manly Mohammed Hafeez' Chilaquiles : A Mexican Breakfast for Bashing
Good morning or afternoon, or evening, wherever you are. It's going to be a smokin' hot one today in Melbourne, but really, who cares when you've got another smokin' hot ODI coming up tomorrow! YES! My lovely lads are going to be on the warpath against New Zealand again and I can't wait to see manly Mohammed Hafeez score some skookum runs and make those Kiwis shake in their boots! YES!
As you all know by now, when you eat bad food, your sports performance just goes down the tubes. When you eat well, you perform well. I want my favourite team of ALL TIME to continue to do well. I've shown how good pakistani food gives direct, positive results in sports, but I cannot forgive myself because I haven't talked about breakfast, the most important meal of the day. So today it's going to be about breakfast and how it should give you more than sufficient energy to last 12 hours.
So far, I've shown you how to make Pakistani bbq things, and dishes which are great for lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert. But for breakie, I'm going to show you one of the best inventions Mexico has ever given the world, and I'm re-naming it after our favourite batting opener, Mohammed Hafeez. You've got it; to ensure batting success, let's give our lads some of
Mohammed Hafeez' Chilaquiles (chee-la-KEE-lays) for Bashing Away
Chilaquiles are made of totopos (corn tortillas cut into triangles and deep fried) stewed in freshly cut green spicy salsa. Red salsa can also be used, but the green has a deeper flavour. You can also add some cooked chicken or cooked beef for extra protein. They can be served with a side of refried beans (which I'll show you how to make tomorrow before the ODI happens). The balance of the nutrients from the corn in the totopos and vitamins from the salsa give you a tremendous amount of energy, and make you big and strong. It's also incredibly delicious. Right. So I'm going to show you the fancy version of chilaquiles, the kind you serve to macho men and womanly women. Hey, we all need our strength!
Ingredients
about 12 corn tortillas, cut into small triangles, and deep fried OR cut into small triangles and dried overnight OR commercially available tortilla chips
Green Salsa ingredients
1 roma tomato or 3 tomatillos
1 bunch chopped coriander
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 dark green lettuce leaf
1/2 cup chopped green onion (or 1/2 chopped regular onion of green ones aren't available)
2 or 3 chopped jalapenos, or serrano chilies if you prefer hotter
3 or 4 cloves chopped garlic
freshly squeezed lime juice
salt
Mix everything together except for the totopos and put it into a blender. Add more lime juice to adjust the taste.
Put the salsa into a big frying pan, and add about a cup of water, and bring it to a boil.
If you have some left-over cooked chicken tikkas,or cooked beef, pull the meat off and put it in the pan too.
Add the totopos or tortilla chips, and attempt to put them in layers, or just give them a quick stir, and turn the heat down to low. Put some sharp flavoured shredded cheese on the top, and crack open a couple of eggs and place them whole on top of the cheese. Cover the pan and let cook a couple of minutes or until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted.
Serve with a side of refried beans and drizzle some fresh cream on the chilaquiles. Pure, unadulterated awesomeness!
Let's go, manly Mohammed Hafeez! Repeat that beautiful 115 run bash tomorrow with this energizing breakfast that Mexico has given the sports world, and we'll all be at home, cheering you lovely lads on!
Happy Cooking, Happy Cricket! Happy Chilaquiles!
 |
| Eat a manly man's and a womanly woman's breakfast and be AWESOME like MoHa! |
So far, I've shown you how to make Pakistani bbq things, and dishes which are great for lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert. But for breakie, I'm going to show you one of the best inventions Mexico has ever given the world, and I'm re-naming it after our favourite batting opener, Mohammed Hafeez. You've got it; to ensure batting success, let's give our lads some of
Mohammed Hafeez' Chilaquiles (chee-la-KEE-lays) for Bashing Away
Chilaquiles are made of totopos (corn tortillas cut into triangles and deep fried) stewed in freshly cut green spicy salsa. Red salsa can also be used, but the green has a deeper flavour. You can also add some cooked chicken or cooked beef for extra protein. They can be served with a side of refried beans (which I'll show you how to make tomorrow before the ODI happens). The balance of the nutrients from the corn in the totopos and vitamins from the salsa give you a tremendous amount of energy, and make you big and strong. It's also incredibly delicious. Right. So I'm going to show you the fancy version of chilaquiles, the kind you serve to macho men and womanly women. Hey, we all need our strength!
Ingredients
about 12 corn tortillas, cut into small triangles, and deep fried OR cut into small triangles and dried overnight OR commercially available tortilla chips
Green Salsa ingredients
1 roma tomato or 3 tomatillos
1 bunch chopped coriander
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 dark green lettuce leaf
1/2 cup chopped green onion (or 1/2 chopped regular onion of green ones aren't available)
2 or 3 chopped jalapenos, or serrano chilies if you prefer hotter
3 or 4 cloves chopped garlic
freshly squeezed lime juice
salt
Mix everything together except for the totopos and put it into a blender. Add more lime juice to adjust the taste.
Put the salsa into a big frying pan, and add about a cup of water, and bring it to a boil.
If you have some left-over cooked chicken tikkas,or cooked beef, pull the meat off and put it in the pan too.
Add the totopos or tortilla chips, and attempt to put them in layers, or just give them a quick stir, and turn the heat down to low. Put some sharp flavoured shredded cheese on the top, and crack open a couple of eggs and place them whole on top of the cheese. Cover the pan and let cook a couple of minutes or until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted.
Serve with a side of refried beans and drizzle some fresh cream on the chilaquiles. Pure, unadulterated awesomeness!
Let's go, manly Mohammed Hafeez! Repeat that beautiful 115 run bash tomorrow with this energizing breakfast that Mexico has given the sports world, and we'll all be at home, cheering you lovely lads on!
Happy Cooking, Happy Cricket! Happy Chilaquiles!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Something Glorious for My Victorious Pakistan - PCT Nanaimo Bars
And a good day to everyone, and I bet that if you're a Pakistan fan like I am that you're still just about jumping out of your skin for joy! That's right, jumping for joy because my lovely lads on the Pakistan cricket team had a bashingly beautiful victory over the New Zealanders yesterday in their 3rd ODI.
Just look at these glorious facts from the match. Mohammed Hafeez, Man of the Match, belted out a delicious 115 runs and furthermore anchored the batting line-up so that Shahid Afridi could Boom Boom his way to the quickest half-century ever scored in an ODI (or it may be a tie with someone else, but hey, he was on FIRE yesterday). Honourable mentions must also go to Umar Akmal for his batting and tremendous catches; Ahmed Shehzad for his near impossible, death-defying catch (Guptill), Umar Gul for his tidy bowling and Sohail Tanvir for his crazy "pankha" style wrong'un.
Every man on the team brought his can of whoop-ass and showed the kiwis how things are done in Pakistan. My lovely lads showed us all who's boss and I loved every minute of it. Therefore, in order to show my appreciation for their fine match, I'd like to dedicate Vancouver Island's most famous dessert specialty to them: My glorious chaps, here is: drum roll please!
The Pakistan Cricket Team's Nanaimo Bar of Victory
Ok, here comes the lecture bit. As you know, I grew up very close to the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. Our world-famous sweet is the Nanaimo Bar, a treat invented during the coal-mining days which is still incredibly popular. This rich, three-layered dessert is difficult to prepare but worthwhile making on grand occasions and for grand people. So come on, let's make this ASAP because our favourite team is waiting for it and they deserve it! Pakistan Zindabad!
Ingredients
Bottom layer
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 3/4 cups crushed graham wafers or maria biscuits
1/2 cup nuts
3/4 cup dried and shredded coconut
Filling
1/4 cup butter
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons custard powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Top Layer
115 grms semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
Bottom Layer
In a pot, melt butter on low heat, stir in sugar, cocoa powder, and gradually add the beaten egg.
Cook 1-2 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.
Add vanilla, crushed graham wafers, coconut and nuts. Press HARD into a square baking pan or flat glass dish. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Middle Layer
In a bowl, cream the butter, and add the milk or cream, custard powder, vanilla and sugar. Add more milk if necessary, the mix should be smooth and spreadable.
Spread over the bottom layer and refrigerate 1/2 hour.
Top Layer:
In a small pot, melt the chocolate and butter over very low heat.
Spread on top of the middle layer.
Refrigerate 1/2 hour
Cut into small bars, and serve with coffee or tea.
And there you go, my lovely lads, a sweet treat for a sweet victory! Repeat that performance at the next match, and let's see you win this series, then dominate the entire planet at the World Cup! YES! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
Happy Cooking, Happy PCT Nanaimo Bar!
Just look at these glorious facts from the match. Mohammed Hafeez, Man of the Match, belted out a delicious 115 runs and furthermore anchored the batting line-up so that Shahid Afridi could Boom Boom his way to the quickest half-century ever scored in an ODI (or it may be a tie with someone else, but hey, he was on FIRE yesterday). Honourable mentions must also go to Umar Akmal for his batting and tremendous catches; Ahmed Shehzad for his near impossible, death-defying catch (Guptill), Umar Gul for his tidy bowling and Sohail Tanvir for his crazy "pankha" style wrong'un.
Every man on the team brought his can of whoop-ass and showed the kiwis how things are done in Pakistan. My lovely lads showed us all who's boss and I loved every minute of it. Therefore, in order to show my appreciation for their fine match, I'd like to dedicate Vancouver Island's most famous dessert specialty to them: My glorious chaps, here is: drum roll please!
The Pakistan Cricket Team's Nanaimo Bar of Victory
 |
| He's so happy about this!! |
Ingredients
Bottom layer
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 3/4 cups crushed graham wafers or maria biscuits
1/2 cup nuts
3/4 cup dried and shredded coconut
Filling
1/4 cup butter
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons custard powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Top Layer
115 grms semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
Bottom Layer
In a pot, melt butter on low heat, stir in sugar, cocoa powder, and gradually add the beaten egg.
Cook 1-2 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.
Add vanilla, crushed graham wafers, coconut and nuts. Press HARD into a square baking pan or flat glass dish. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Middle Layer
In a bowl, cream the butter, and add the milk or cream, custard powder, vanilla and sugar. Add more milk if necessary, the mix should be smooth and spreadable.
Spread over the bottom layer and refrigerate 1/2 hour.
Top Layer:
In a small pot, melt the chocolate and butter over very low heat.
Spread on top of the middle layer.
Refrigerate 1/2 hour
Cut into small bars, and serve with coffee or tea.
And there you go, my lovely lads, a sweet treat for a sweet victory! Repeat that performance at the next match, and let's see you win this series, then dominate the entire planet at the World Cup! YES! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
Happy Cooking, Happy PCT Nanaimo Bar!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Being More Scottish Than Ever: Winning at Tennis AND Stickin' It To The Man
First things first; I'm half Scottish, but that doesn't mean I half-heartedly support Murray!
Let's go all the way with this and let's show the world what awesome stuff Scottish people are made of! The haggis, oats, turnips, black pepper, cullunskink and delicious sweet toffee that are a part of our culinary repertoire make us tough as nails, stronger than iron and ridiculously good-looking to boot! Scotland Zindabad! Andy Murray Zindabad! Good looking people Zindabad!!!
 |
| The ridiculously handsome, luscious lump of loveliness, Andy Murray! YES! |
Next up: I'm half Scottish but I whole-heartedly agree with the Scottish stereotype of being thrifty. Spending more than necessary gets my flipping goat. And, when things are expensive and full of chemical cr*pnitz, it makes me want to grab a claymore, some bagpipes and a bottle of whiskey and work out my frustrations. You never want to hear me playing the bagpipes, first because I don't know how, and second, if I did, I'm sure I'd be bad at it. OK! Let's calm down a bit and stick it to the man. Let's get busy.
Home-made Mild Lal Mirch or Paprika For Use in Tikka Marinades
All right, so this isn't so much a recipe today as a methodology. Grab some red capsicums (bell peppers) and if you want your paprika to have a little bite to it, you can add add a couple of hotter peppers to it. Remember, this spice we're making is used mostly for colour, texture, and a slight bit of tang. This is not supposed to be a smokin' hot chili powder.
Ok, so cut your capsicums into quarters, and take out the seeds. Then stick them directly on the racks in your oven, and leave them in there for about 8 hours between 50C and 75C. If you've got a gas oven with a pilot light, you don't need to increase the temperature. The pilot light itself keeps the oven at a warm enough temperature.
Now if you want, you can sun-dry the capsicums and peppers. Just remember to cover them with muslin or bugs will crawl in everywhere. And don't forget to flip them over halfway through the day. If it's humid out, it'll take more than a day to sun dry.
Once the capsicums are crispily dried out, either crush them to a powder with a mortar and pestle, or grind them in a spice grinder. And there you'll have your own paprika, free of artificial cr*p, delicious and slightly sweet and tangy.
Commercially available paprika usually tends to have a slightly bitter flavour, however this beautiful home-made version can be used liberally in tikka recipes without any resulting bitterness. It will give your BBQ tikkas and kebabs a gorgeous, natural reddish orange colour. See? Sticking it to the man by making your own stuff can have beautiful results!
Now I'm off to find my Scotland T-shirt. Have a great one today, think of Scotland! Think of ridiculously good-looking people and enjoy the tennis! Cricket's back on here tomorrow.
Happy Tennis! Happy Scotland!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Quick Shout Out to Two Friends
Good morning! It's Australia Day here, and I'm celebrating by watching the Australia / England ODI and the Pakistan / New Zealand ODI. Hopefully my lovely lads have eaten well and are ready to smash the kiwis to smithereens!
Today I won't get the chance to write about making your own lal mirch or tamarind chutney, but I want to do something important: I want to give a shout out to two of my friends. First off...a shout out goes to Syed Fahd Ali who gives me advice on cultural appropriateness and keeps me up-to-date with the Pakistan cricketers' nicknames! Thanks Fahd! You're awesome and you're going to be a fantastic journalist!
Second shout out goes to Zubair Afzal who's been reading my blog from the beginning and always gives me very helpful advice! Thanks Zubair. You're golden! Good luck on your exams and score some 100's!
Right, so if you have some friends who've helped you along, go say thanks or do something nice for them!
Have a good one, and let's cheer on our lovely lads as loud as we can!
Happy Eating, Happy Cricket!
Today I won't get the chance to write about making your own lal mirch or tamarind chutney, but I want to do something important: I want to give a shout out to two of my friends. First off...a shout out goes to Syed Fahd Ali who gives me advice on cultural appropriateness and keeps me up-to-date with the Pakistan cricketers' nicknames! Thanks Fahd! You're awesome and you're going to be a fantastic journalist!
Second shout out goes to Zubair Afzal who's been reading my blog from the beginning and always gives me very helpful advice! Thanks Zubair. You're golden! Good luck on your exams and score some 100's!
Right, so if you have some friends who've helped you along, go say thanks or do something nice for them!
Have a good one, and let's cheer on our lovely lads as loud as we can!
Happy Eating, Happy Cricket!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Shahid Afridi, get your Batting on with some BBQ Chicken Tikkas
Lovely day today in Melbourne, nice and sunny, perfect for a barbeque. YES! And by barbeque I mean really macho-man style with great pakistani barbeque dishes to give you strength and stamina...in fact, more than enough for a batsman to last more than 50 overs in an ODI!
I'm posting this recipe for BBQ chicken tikkas today because frankly, I am concerned about my lovely lads on the Pakistan team. That first ODI a couple of days ago was what we in North America call a Gong Show. 124 runs all out in less than 50 overs is a bit heartbreaking. Did my lovely lads eat a proper meal the day before? Honestly, the way they played made me think they ate nothing but New Zealand ice cream for their dinner and breakfast. Now, New Zealand ice cream is the best in the entire world, but for goodness' sake, it is not the breakfast of champions, nor is it suitable for an athlete's supper. With ice cream, you get 10 minutes of energy, followed by 1 hour of exhaustion, and 1 day of a belly ache if you eat too much. Shameful!
Shahid Afridi, I hope you get this advice in time for tomorrow's ODI. Get your big bad awesome self back into fighting form and get your batting on with some BBQ chicken tikkas for lunch and dinner. Your adoring public demands it, and we want to see you and the chaps Gul-doze and Boom Boom those kiwis into oblivion!
BBQ Chicken Tikkas
Ingredients:
4 whole chicken legs (drumstick, thigh and back), skin removed
5 -7 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
5 cm piece of ginger, crushed into a paste
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (don't use the stuff that comes in the plastic bottles, it tastes metallic)
2 tablespoons of paprika or home-made mild lal mirch (I'll show you tomorrow how to make it, very easy)
1 teaspoon lal mirch
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 black peppercorns
1 star anise
First of all, dry roast and grind the cuminseeds, peppercorns and star anise. Set aside.
Score the chicken 3 or 4 times, cutting quite deeply.
Mix the lemon/lime juice, garlic and ginger pastes, powdered spices, salt, and ground spices together.
Pour over the chicken, and rub the mixture all over the chicken, making sure you get it into the scored parts as well.
Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours.
Now if you have very thick and sturdy skewers, put the chicken on the skewers. If not, no worries, the chicken can go directly on a grill.
Ok, make sure your BBQ is set on medium heat, and cook those tikkas about 20 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn them. There can be some slightly charred edges. Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through before serving.
Serve with mint chutney or tamarind chutney (recipe to come) fresh roti, home-made pita bread, naan from a tandoori bakery; or if you're close to Dandenong in Australia, eat with fresh naan from Safar Bakery.
Right, let's make sure our favourite macho guys get some good BBQ chicken tikkas in them by tomorrow! And let's make sure we, the BBQ bunch, continue making great food and making people happy.
Have a good one!
Happy Cricket, Happy BBQ, Happy Bashing!
I'm posting this recipe for BBQ chicken tikkas today because frankly, I am concerned about my lovely lads on the Pakistan team. That first ODI a couple of days ago was what we in North America call a Gong Show. 124 runs all out in less than 50 overs is a bit heartbreaking. Did my lovely lads eat a proper meal the day before? Honestly, the way they played made me think they ate nothing but New Zealand ice cream for their dinner and breakfast. Now, New Zealand ice cream is the best in the entire world, but for goodness' sake, it is not the breakfast of champions, nor is it suitable for an athlete's supper. With ice cream, you get 10 minutes of energy, followed by 1 hour of exhaustion, and 1 day of a belly ache if you eat too much. Shameful!
Shahid Afridi, I hope you get this advice in time for tomorrow's ODI. Get your big bad awesome self back into fighting form and get your batting on with some BBQ chicken tikkas for lunch and dinner. Your adoring public demands it, and we want to see you and the chaps Gul-doze and Boom Boom those kiwis into oblivion!
 |
| A Previous Merciless Gul-dozing |
Ingredients:
4 whole chicken legs (drumstick, thigh and back), skin removed
5 -7 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
5 cm piece of ginger, crushed into a paste
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (don't use the stuff that comes in the plastic bottles, it tastes metallic)
2 tablespoons of paprika or home-made mild lal mirch (I'll show you tomorrow how to make it, very easy)
1 teaspoon lal mirch
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 black peppercorns
1 star anise
First of all, dry roast and grind the cuminseeds, peppercorns and star anise. Set aside.
Score the chicken 3 or 4 times, cutting quite deeply.
Mix the lemon/lime juice, garlic and ginger pastes, powdered spices, salt, and ground spices together.
Pour over the chicken, and rub the mixture all over the chicken, making sure you get it into the scored parts as well.
Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours.
Now if you have very thick and sturdy skewers, put the chicken on the skewers. If not, no worries, the chicken can go directly on a grill.
Ok, make sure your BBQ is set on medium heat, and cook those tikkas about 20 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn them. There can be some slightly charred edges. Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through before serving.
Serve with mint chutney or tamarind chutney (recipe to come) fresh roti, home-made pita bread, naan from a tandoori bakery; or if you're close to Dandenong in Australia, eat with fresh naan from Safar Bakery.
Right, let's make sure our favourite macho guys get some good BBQ chicken tikkas in them by tomorrow! And let's make sure we, the BBQ bunch, continue making great food and making people happy.
Have a good one!
Friday, January 21, 2011
It's All About the Biryani Today
Two awesome events happened yesterday; Australia won it's 2nd ODI against England, and I managed to make a pretty good biryani! So today, other than mentioning that the first Pakistan/New Zealand ODI is on in a few hours and and I'm all excited about it, I'm not going to talk about cricket. Today's post is all about the Biryani. But here's a quick pic of Shahid Afridi to get you all fired up about the ODI:
Ok, before the food must come a lecture. Nag, nag, nag. Do not try this if you are not an experienced cook. Do not try this if you are unfamiliar with Pakistani food. And most of all, don't try this without 5 years of intensive cardio training, 1 year of yoga, and a change of clothes. I certainly did show that biryani yesterday who was boss, but it came at a price!
So if you're reading my blog for the first time and want to learn a basic dish which is suitable for beginners, here's a link for Karahi chicken:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-watch-some-cricket-and-eat-some.html
Right. Biryani. For the purists out there, I must explain; I've never seen anyone make biryani, so i've had to patch together a lot of elements and I think this is what resembles what I used to eat in Pakistan the most. Feel free to comment or critique...this blog is all about learning! My recipe format is also going to be a bit unconventional today. Bear with me, kidz.
Biryani For Bossing Around in a Kitchen
First of all, get 3 cups of basmati rice and let it soak in some water while we get all the other stuff prepared.
Second, thinly slice two onions, and fry them in a bit of oil until they're golden and a bit crispy. Take half of them and set them aside.
Third, chop up about a 1//2 cup of mint, 1/2 cup of coriander leaves, and some green chilies and mix them together, set them aside.
Fourth, grab a few strands (no more than 10) strands of saffron and put them in a half a cup of milk. Set aside.
Fifth, juice a couple of limes. Just use one if it's really juicy. Set the juice aside.
Sixth, make a qorma, and add one black cardamom pod to it along with your other whole spices. Make the qorma with chicken, beef or goat or lamb even. Remember the onions you fried earlier? Use the half that are still in the pan to make your qorma. Here's the link:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/total-umar-gullificationa-batting.html Don't make your qorma too thick!
Right. We're almost there.
Seventh, drain the rice. Add 4 cups of salted water to it, a small piece of cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 black peppercorns, 2 green cardamom pods, and a bay leaf. Bring the rice to a boil, when most of the liquid has been absorbed, take the rice off the heat and rinse it under cold water.
Eighth: In a bigger pot, put in a layer of rice, about 3 cm thick.
Ninth: sprinkle some of that green mint/coriander/chili mix on the rice.
Tenth: spread some of the friend onions that you set aside earlier on the rice
Eleventh: Spread some of the qorma on top of the rice, forming a nice layer
Twelfth: Spread on another layer of rice, mint/coriander/chili mix, onions
Thirteenth: Spread on more qorma, and repeat the layering process if you still have qorma and rice.
Fourteenth: Make sure you last layer is rice.
Fifteenth: Pour the lime or lemon juice and saffron milk on top of the rice.
Sixteenth: If you have it, add only 1/4 teaspoon or less of Kewra essence. Do not use more or you will ruin the flavour balance.
On a side note, some people add dried fruit like plums. Feel free to layer some in if you like.
Finally, put the pot of rice and qorma layers back on the stove, and finish cooking on very low heat until the rice is fluffy. Add more water from time to time if necessary. Serve with mint chutney.
Phew, so like I said, this is not an easy dish to make. You need training. You need discipline. And you will need a change of clothes if you're as clumsy as me! So there you have biryani, and I'm off because I'm meeting a friend for coffee, then I'll be watching my lovely lads beat the cr*pnitz out of New Zealand.
Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking!
 |
| Biryani for lunch? YEEEESSSSSSSS!!! |
So if you're reading my blog for the first time and want to learn a basic dish which is suitable for beginners, here's a link for Karahi chicken:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-watch-some-cricket-and-eat-some.html
Right. Biryani. For the purists out there, I must explain; I've never seen anyone make biryani, so i've had to patch together a lot of elements and I think this is what resembles what I used to eat in Pakistan the most. Feel free to comment or critique...this blog is all about learning! My recipe format is also going to be a bit unconventional today. Bear with me, kidz.
Biryani For Bossing Around in a Kitchen
First of all, get 3 cups of basmati rice and let it soak in some water while we get all the other stuff prepared.
Second, thinly slice two onions, and fry them in a bit of oil until they're golden and a bit crispy. Take half of them and set them aside.
Third, chop up about a 1//2 cup of mint, 1/2 cup of coriander leaves, and some green chilies and mix them together, set them aside.
Fourth, grab a few strands (no more than 10) strands of saffron and put them in a half a cup of milk. Set aside.
Fifth, juice a couple of limes. Just use one if it's really juicy. Set the juice aside.
Sixth, make a qorma, and add one black cardamom pod to it along with your other whole spices. Make the qorma with chicken, beef or goat or lamb even. Remember the onions you fried earlier? Use the half that are still in the pan to make your qorma. Here's the link:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/total-umar-gullificationa-batting.html Don't make your qorma too thick!
Right. We're almost there.
Seventh, drain the rice. Add 4 cups of salted water to it, a small piece of cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 black peppercorns, 2 green cardamom pods, and a bay leaf. Bring the rice to a boil, when most of the liquid has been absorbed, take the rice off the heat and rinse it under cold water.
Eighth: In a bigger pot, put in a layer of rice, about 3 cm thick.
Ninth: sprinkle some of that green mint/coriander/chili mix on the rice.
Tenth: spread some of the friend onions that you set aside earlier on the rice
Eleventh: Spread some of the qorma on top of the rice, forming a nice layer
Twelfth: Spread on another layer of rice, mint/coriander/chili mix, onions
Thirteenth: Spread on more qorma, and repeat the layering process if you still have qorma and rice.
Fourteenth: Make sure you last layer is rice.
Fifteenth: Pour the lime or lemon juice and saffron milk on top of the rice.
Sixteenth: If you have it, add only 1/4 teaspoon or less of Kewra essence. Do not use more or you will ruin the flavour balance.
On a side note, some people add dried fruit like plums. Feel free to layer some in if you like.
Finally, put the pot of rice and qorma layers back on the stove, and finish cooking on very low heat until the rice is fluffy. Add more water from time to time if necessary. Serve with mint chutney.
Phew, so like I said, this is not an easy dish to make. You need training. You need discipline. And you will need a change of clothes if you're as clumsy as me! So there you have biryani, and I'm off because I'm meeting a friend for coffee, then I'll be watching my lovely lads beat the cr*pnitz out of New Zealand.
Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Lots of Cricket and Biryani Experimentation
Lots of good cricket going on. Australia/England 2nd ODI, South Africa/India 4th ODI, and New Zealand/Pakistan 1st ODI on Saturday. Woo hoo! I'm going to be very
busy indeed. Not only that, I'm counting down the days to the World Cup. The way Pakistan has been playing lately, I've got very high hopes for them! Go Pakistan! Go Gulzilla!
So before the matches start today, I've got to get out to the garden and do some work there. This post will be a short one.
Today's my day for culinary experimentation. I'm going to make biryani with a mint chutney for din-dins. I've made it with recipes from the interwebs a few times before, but it always turned out to be not so good. For some reason, every website i've looked at recommends adding several ground black cardamom pods to the masala. I find this a bit strange because that spice adds bitterness to counteract any oversweetening from onions. Too much is overpowering, and none is needed if you're only using one onion! So today I'm going to follow my instincts and see what happens. I'll keep track of everything I put in, and if it turns out properly, I'll publish the recipe tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Happy cooking, Happy Biryani!
busy indeed. Not only that, I'm counting down the days to the World Cup. The way Pakistan has been playing lately, I've got very high hopes for them! Go Pakistan! Go Gulzilla!
So before the matches start today, I've got to get out to the garden and do some work there. This post will be a short one.
Today's my day for culinary experimentation. I'm going to make biryani with a mint chutney for din-dins. I've made it with recipes from the interwebs a few times before, but it always turned out to be not so good. For some reason, every website i've looked at recommends adding several ground black cardamom pods to the masala. I find this a bit strange because that spice adds bitterness to counteract any oversweetening from onions. Too much is overpowering, and none is needed if you're only using one onion! So today I'm going to follow my instincts and see what happens. I'll keep track of everything I put in, and if it turns out properly, I'll publish the recipe tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Happy cooking, Happy Biryani!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Una Introduccion al Mundo del Criquet Internacional
Saludos cordiales desde Melbourne, Australia! Y por cierto es un dia muy especial porque ustedes, mis queridisimos amigos en Mexico, van a apprender algo muy importante: aprenderan todo sobre el juego mas hermoso del mundo. Aprenderan todo sobre el Criquet! Si! Si! Si! Que buena suerrrrrrrrrrrrte!
Ya, que presten atencion; ya empieza la academia criquetera. Aqui esta un enlace de Wikipedia que explica mejor que yo como se juega:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
Los paises con equipos internacionales al nivel "Test" (el mas alto nivel del deporte) mejores a peores, son:
1. India
2. Republica de Sudafrica
3. Inglaterra
4. Sri Lanka
5. Australia
6. Pakistan
7. West Indies (El Caribe)
8. Nueva Zelanda
9. Bangladesh
Zimbabwe regresara al nivel test en 2011, despues de la Copa Mundial. Como su equipo no tiene mucha experiencia, se me hace que ocupara el lugar #10.
Y pueden ver claramente que mi equipo preferido, Pakistan, esta en el lugar #6. A mi no me importa! Los chamacos de Pakistan son mis preferidos y juegan una version magnifica de criquet. Solo hay que ver al guapiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisimo Shahid Afridi o al fabuloso Wahab Riaz! Si! Si! Si!
Bueno, hasta la proxima, y veremos como preparar una rica cena pakistani para comer durante un excelente partido! Viva Pakistan! Criquet Zindabad!
Feliz criquet, feliz feliz!
ps mi teclado no tiene acentos. Mil disculpas.
 |
| El capitan pakistani, el fabuloso Misbah ul-Haq |
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
Los paises con equipos internacionales al nivel "Test" (el mas alto nivel del deporte) mejores a peores, son:
1. India
2. Republica de Sudafrica
3. Inglaterra
4. Sri Lanka
5. Australia
6. Pakistan
7. West Indies (El Caribe)
8. Nueva Zelanda
9. Bangladesh
Zimbabwe regresara al nivel test en 2011, despues de la Copa Mundial. Como su equipo no tiene mucha experiencia, se me hace que ocupara el lugar #10.
Y pueden ver claramente que mi equipo preferido, Pakistan, esta en el lugar #6. A mi no me importa! Los chamacos de Pakistan son mis preferidos y juegan una version magnifica de criquet. Solo hay que ver al guapiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisimo Shahid Afridi o al fabuloso Wahab Riaz! Si! Si! Si!
 |
| El magnifico Shahid Afridi: Cuuueeeerooooo! |
 |
| El increible Wahab Riaz : Cuuueeeeroooooo! |
Bueno, hasta la proxima, y veremos como preparar una rica cena pakistani para comer durante un excelente partido! Viva Pakistan! Criquet Zindabad!
Feliz criquet, feliz feliz!
ps mi teclado no tiene acentos. Mil disculpas.
Don't Panic, You're All OK.
And a good morning to you. Just a heads up; my blog entry for later on today is going to be in Spanish, and it's going to be a basic cricket lesson. So no, you're not going crazy, don't panic.
I lived in Mexico for a long time and that's where I went to university. I've been lucky enough to find my old friends on the webbernets. However, they don't understand my cricket obsession; so it's up to me today to make them cricket converts! Help me along by saying a good "Buenos dias" to mis amigos en Mexico, and let's give them a big welcome to the world which we love, the world of International Cricketdom.
Hasta luego, chamacos!
Feliz Cricket, Feliz Comida!
I lived in Mexico for a long time and that's where I went to university. I've been lucky enough to find my old friends on the webbernets. However, they don't understand my cricket obsession; so it's up to me today to make them cricket converts! Help me along by saying a good "Buenos dias" to mis amigos en Mexico, and let's give them a big welcome to the world which we love, the world of International Cricketdom.
Hasta luego, chamacos!
Feliz Cricket, Feliz Comida!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Misbah ul-Haq's Captain's Knock and his Do Piaaza! Does Life Get Any Better???
And a great good morning to you if you're in Pakistan! It's late afternoon in Melbourne, time for me to actually be making dinner, but I just had to get online and share the in happiness!!! Pakistan has won their first test series in years, and lots of it is thanks to the Hot Chilli Captain, Misbah ul-Haq! What a great captain, scoring over 50 runs in each and every innings and guiding everyone to victory! His captain's knock in every inning was absolutely inspiring and beautiful to watch.
What patience, what style, what awesomeness! In fact, it was so good that if Misbah ul-Haq were here, in Melbourne, I'd make him his dinner. And dessert. And after-dinner coffee!!!!
So Pakistan won the first test against New Zealand by an entire 10 wickets, and they drew the second test. Good on them! And good on New Zealand for getting their act together in the second test and giving all of us cricket fans a cracking good show.
I'm so impressed with the captain that i'm naming my Do Piaaza Salan Captain's Knock Salan. Right on Misbah ul-Haq, and Right on all of my lovely lads on the Pakistan Team. This salan's for you!
Captain's Knock Salan
This rich gravy in this salan is made from 2 onions, hence the name "do piaaza" which is urdu for "two onions". Make it with goat meat if you can find it. Beef or lamb will also do, but goat is the best for it's mild flavour and healthy qualities. You'll probably notice as well that this is similar to Chana Daal Gosht, a previous dish we learned how to make. You're right; the only difference is we don't add chickpeas to this and the spices are added at different times which gives this dish distinct characteristics. Ok, enough of the chatter from me. Let's get busy, you glorious bunch of kitchen bandits!!!
And there you go, a beautiful meat dish with a thick gravy which one of us may one day get to serve to the hunky Captain, Misbah ul-Haq! Keep on cooking, and keep on supporting our lovely lads on the Pakistan Cricket Team. What a way to start the year! Pakistan Zindabad!
Happy Cooking, Happy Cricket!
 |
| The Captain in South Africa. Style, grace, athleticism....woo hooo! |
So Pakistan won the first test against New Zealand by an entire 10 wickets, and they drew the second test. Good on them! And good on New Zealand for getting their act together in the second test and giving all of us cricket fans a cracking good show.
I'm so impressed with the captain that i'm naming my Do Piaaza Salan Captain's Knock Salan. Right on Misbah ul-Haq, and Right on all of my lovely lads on the Pakistan Team. This salan's for you!
Captain's Knock Salan
This rich gravy in this salan is made from 2 onions, hence the name "do piaaza" which is urdu for "two onions". Make it with goat meat if you can find it. Beef or lamb will also do, but goat is the best for it's mild flavour and healthy qualities. You'll probably notice as well that this is similar to Chana Daal Gosht, a previous dish we learned how to make. You're right; the only difference is we don't add chickpeas to this and the spices are added at different times which gives this dish distinct characteristics. Ok, enough of the chatter from me. Let's get busy, you glorious bunch of kitchen bandits!!!
Ingredients:
1 kilo goat meat, cut in 2.5 cm cubes
2 big onions, very thinly sliced
7-9 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed into a paste
1 cinnamon stick
3 black cardamom pods
5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cuminseeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder
Green chilies, sliced or whole
Chopped coriander
Salt
Water
Oil for cooking
Heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan, and fry the sliced onions on medium heat until they’re golden and slightly crispy.
Add the garlic and ginger, and fry for a couple of minutes. Don’t burn the garlic!
Add the cinnamon stick, black cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaves and cuminseeds. Fry a few seconds.
Add the turmeric and lal mirch.
Add the meat.
Now here we’re going to use the bhunna method described in previous articles; when the meat/onion mix starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a small amount of water, and stir. This is going to lift what’s stuck on the bottom and incorporate it into the gravy, making it lovely, dark, and flavourful. Repeat this step several times: when the mix sticks, add water, and reduce the mix again. You will notice that the onions will disintegrate completely, forming a uniform, thick , dark brown gravy. You will also notice that the meat becomes fragrant and well-browned at this stage.
Add 2 or 3 cups of water, enough to cover the meat, and bring to a boil on high heat.
Add salt. Be careful not to add to much because the gravy will reduce a bit and concentrate the flavour.
Add chilies. Slice them if you want more heat, put them in whole if you only want the fragrance.
Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or more so that the meat becomes tender, adding more water if necessary.
Garnish with some freshly chopped coriander.
If you’re going to eat this with rice, leave the dish saucy, and add water if you need to. Just make sure that whenever you add water that it comes to a boil, or else it will leak out of the gravy when you serve it.
If you’re going to eat this with roti or naan, reduce the gravy until it becomes quite thick.
And there you go, a beautiful meat dish with a thick gravy which one of us may one day get to serve to the hunky Captain, Misbah ul-Haq! Keep on cooking, and keep on supporting our lovely lads on the Pakistan Cricket Team. What a way to start the year! Pakistan Zindabad!
Happy Cooking, Happy Cricket!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tennis the Menace!
That's right! Tennis the Menace because I'm going to the Australian Open today, which will menace my cricket and cooking blog. But do you know what this means? It means I can bring some delicious pakistani dishes to the world of Rafael Nadal.
So I won't have time to show you how to make Do Piaaza (Two Onion) Salan today, but keep your little eyes open for tomorrow's post.
Have a good one!
Happy Cricket, Happy Tennis!
 |
| Do Piaaza Salan? For me? Tomorrow? SIIIIIIIIII! |
Have a good one!
Happy Cricket, Happy Tennis!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Misbah ul-Haq's 99 and Who wants Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs?
And a very good afternoon to you! What a thrilling day on the cricket pitch. The hunky Misbah ul-Haq belted out a spectacular 99 runs in Pakistan's first innings against New Zealand and I enjoyed each one of them. Great stuff from the captain! And props must go out to Taufiq, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, and little Adnan Akmal! Do you know he almost got a world record for most catches by a wicket-keeper in an innings? He only had one more to go! So right on Adnan...you're quickly becoming one of my favourites! In an interview way back in December, Shoaib Akhtar was saying how he enjoys New Zealand because the food is good; that is great news because good food makes for good cricket! One can see that my lovely lads are well fed because they're playing sooooo well! I love my team! I love my lovely lads!
Now speaking of good food, I promised you a few days ago that I'd show you Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs.
I'm late, but I keep my promises. Sorry for the tardiness, but once you get a look at this, you'll agree that everyone will want Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs. Now go get your cutting board and a pot and let's go to town.
Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs for Limited Overs Cricket
First things first; I'm going to admit that I use the Shan spices for this one. I'm writing their recipe on the blog today because Shami Kebab spice mixes are very hard to find, especially in Canada. If you can't find the shami kebab prepared spices, then follow my directions below.
Ingredients:
1 kg ground (minced) beef or chicken
1 cup chana daal (split chickpeas), uncooked
3 chopped onions
4 cm piece of ginger, crushed to a paste
5-7 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder (lal mirch)
1 teaspoon paprika (optional for colour)
2 whisked eggs
salt
some oil for cooking
In place of the Shan spice mix use:
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cuminseeds
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
some fenugreek seeds
dry roast these spices in a pan, then grind them into a powder.
1. In a large pot, mix the ground beef or chicken with the chickpeas, garlic, onions, ginger, bay leaf, lal mirch, paprika and salt along with your freshly ground spice mix.
Add 6 glasses of water, cover and cook on low heat about 45 minutes.
2. When everything is tender, about 2 cups of liquid should remain in the pot. Grind the meat mixture into a coarse paste. Once the paste has cooled down, add the eggs and knead the mixture well. You want the paste to be wet and soft, not dry and hard. Use an extra egg if necessary.
3. Shape the mixture into around 30 round, flat kebabs, about a centimetre thick.
4. Heat up some oil in a pan, and deep fry the kebabs until they're golden brown on each side. Serve with roti, fresh pita bread or with fresh tandoori naan from the tandoori bakery, and freshly prepared mint chutney. See here if you forget how to make it:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2011/01/captain-and-shafiq-mint-chutney-and.html
On a quick side note: after the meat has been cooked, ground into a paste and cooled, you may also add some finely chopped coriander, green chiles and finely chopped mint and onion along with the whisked eggs. It will add another dimension of deliciousness to the kebabs. That's a tip that's printed on the box...great advice!
Right, so thanks again to the Shan people for putting that recipe out there for the public; and if you can't find it, no worries, the above recipe is the exact same thing, you'll only have to make a few extra steps to roast and grind your spices. It'll turn out just as delicious.
And there you have it...Shami kebabs, just as delicious as Shahid Afridi's wrong'un! Have a fabulous day, and keep on cheering for my lovely lads...they're just fabulous out there!
Happy Cricket! Happy Kebab!
Now speaking of good food, I promised you a few days ago that I'd show you Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs.
 |
| Steady yourselves for this one! |
Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs for Limited Overs Cricket
First things first; I'm going to admit that I use the Shan spices for this one. I'm writing their recipe on the blog today because Shami Kebab spice mixes are very hard to find, especially in Canada. If you can't find the shami kebab prepared spices, then follow my directions below.
Ingredients:
1 kg ground (minced) beef or chicken
1 cup chana daal (split chickpeas), uncooked
3 chopped onions
4 cm piece of ginger, crushed to a paste
5-7 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder (lal mirch)
1 teaspoon paprika (optional for colour)
2 whisked eggs
salt
some oil for cooking
In place of the Shan spice mix use:
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cuminseeds
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
some fenugreek seeds
dry roast these spices in a pan, then grind them into a powder.
1. In a large pot, mix the ground beef or chicken with the chickpeas, garlic, onions, ginger, bay leaf, lal mirch, paprika and salt along with your freshly ground spice mix.
Add 6 glasses of water, cover and cook on low heat about 45 minutes.
2. When everything is tender, about 2 cups of liquid should remain in the pot. Grind the meat mixture into a coarse paste. Once the paste has cooled down, add the eggs and knead the mixture well. You want the paste to be wet and soft, not dry and hard. Use an extra egg if necessary.
3. Shape the mixture into around 30 round, flat kebabs, about a centimetre thick.
4. Heat up some oil in a pan, and deep fry the kebabs until they're golden brown on each side. Serve with roti, fresh pita bread or with fresh tandoori naan from the tandoori bakery, and freshly prepared mint chutney. See here if you forget how to make it:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2011/01/captain-and-shafiq-mint-chutney-and.html
On a quick side note: after the meat has been cooked, ground into a paste and cooled, you may also add some finely chopped coriander, green chiles and finely chopped mint and onion along with the whisked eggs. It will add another dimension of deliciousness to the kebabs. That's a tip that's printed on the box...great advice!
Right, so thanks again to the Shan people for putting that recipe out there for the public; and if you can't find it, no worries, the above recipe is the exact same thing, you'll only have to make a few extra steps to roast and grind your spices. It'll turn out just as delicious.
And there you have it...Shami kebabs, just as delicious as Shahid Afridi's wrong'un! Have a fabulous day, and keep on cheering for my lovely lads...they're just fabulous out there!
Happy Cricket! Happy Kebab!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Queenslanders, Promotions, and a Note about Packaged Spices
Morning! As you have probably heard, there's been a lot of flooding in Australia, mostly in Queensland. The flood waters are receding, but there's been so much damage. Today on my way to the MCG I'll stop in and make a donation for the relief effort. Maybe you should as well if you can. Australians are good people. Queenslanders are good people. Let's give them a hand.
Speaking of good Queenslanders, today let's focus on Mitchell Johnson. On December 23, 2010, I got to meet all of the members of the Australia squad and all of the England players as well. Mitchell Johnson was so gracious; when I asked him if I could take a photo, he took off his sunglasses and gave me one of the most sparkling, charming smiles EVER! There was even a twinkle in his eye! So good-natured! The guy is like a movie star...good looking on TV and good-looking in real life too! He even chatted for a bit with my sister and her boyfriend. Such a nice guy! Now I've already published and copyrighted my photos with SportPulse, but if you want to see the pics why don't you check them out on Facebook at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/SportPulse?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=22250&id=113457612054409
You'll also see my pics of day 2 of the 4th test at the MCG there.
Now I'm also going to promote SportPulse.net, the sports website I write for. You'll find my silly stuff there, but you'll also find hard-hitting sports stories by the well-known writers Faisal Caesar, Aziz Ul-Qadir, Kristopher Hinz, Karam Khan and Marcos Saints among others! Here's the link:
http://sportpulse.net/
And finally, the cooking lesson for today. Yesterday we had a look at Gulzilla Chapli Kebabs, where we had to roast and grind our own spices. I may have mentioned this before; there is a shortcut to roasting and grinding spices. This is the ONLY shortcut I will ever advocate, so listen well.
Shan and National are two packaged spice mix brands from Pakistan. These packages ONLY contain the spices necessary to make a dish; they are usually free from preservatives and chemicals. I have found their mixes to be well balanced and are a good alternative to roasting and grinding your own masala. So if you have time and the equipment, roast and grind your spices yourself; if you don't, pick up a Shan or National mix appropriate for the dish you are making. National makes an excellent chapli kebab spice mix!
Shan mixes are heavy on the lal mirch (red chili powder) so be careful if you're a first time cook. National mixes tend to be on the milder side. If you live in Canada, you'll find these at Superstore in the East Indian section. If you're in Australia, you can usually find them at the Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan grocers.
And a last note; you've probably noticed that I don't use garam masala powder. The stuff you get in the shops tastes really bitter to me because they use too much of the black cardamom pods in their mix. It's better to use whole spices in the recipes until you've developed your seasoning reflexes, then learn how to make your own garam masala powder if you must have it!
Right! Sorry today's lesson was just a lecture, but it was a necessary evil. Tomorrow we're going to look at Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs, so try to stay calm until then!
Happy Cricket! Happy Spice Packages!
Speaking of good Queenslanders, today let's focus on Mitchell Johnson. On December 23, 2010, I got to meet all of the members of the Australia squad and all of the England players as well. Mitchell Johnson was so gracious; when I asked him if I could take a photo, he took off his sunglasses and gave me one of the most sparkling, charming smiles EVER! There was even a twinkle in his eye! So good-natured! The guy is like a movie star...good looking on TV and good-looking in real life too! He even chatted for a bit with my sister and her boyfriend. Such a nice guy! Now I've already published and copyrighted my photos with SportPulse, but if you want to see the pics why don't you check them out on Facebook at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/SportPulse?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=22250&id=113457612054409
You'll also see my pics of day 2 of the 4th test at the MCG there.
Now I'm also going to promote SportPulse.net, the sports website I write for. You'll find my silly stuff there, but you'll also find hard-hitting sports stories by the well-known writers Faisal Caesar, Aziz Ul-Qadir, Kristopher Hinz, Karam Khan and Marcos Saints among others! Here's the link:
http://sportpulse.net/
And finally, the cooking lesson for today. Yesterday we had a look at Gulzilla Chapli Kebabs, where we had to roast and grind our own spices. I may have mentioned this before; there is a shortcut to roasting and grinding spices. This is the ONLY shortcut I will ever advocate, so listen well.
Shan and National are two packaged spice mix brands from Pakistan. These packages ONLY contain the spices necessary to make a dish; they are usually free from preservatives and chemicals. I have found their mixes to be well balanced and are a good alternative to roasting and grinding your own masala. So if you have time and the equipment, roast and grind your spices yourself; if you don't, pick up a Shan or National mix appropriate for the dish you are making. National makes an excellent chapli kebab spice mix!
Shan mixes are heavy on the lal mirch (red chili powder) so be careful if you're a first time cook. National mixes tend to be on the milder side. If you live in Canada, you'll find these at Superstore in the East Indian section. If you're in Australia, you can usually find them at the Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan grocers.
And a last note; you've probably noticed that I don't use garam masala powder. The stuff you get in the shops tastes really bitter to me because they use too much of the black cardamom pods in their mix. It's better to use whole spices in the recipes until you've developed your seasoning reflexes, then learn how to make your own garam masala powder if you must have it!
Right! Sorry today's lesson was just a lecture, but it was a necessary evil. Tomorrow we're going to look at Shahid Afridi's Shami Kebabs, so try to stay calm until then!
Happy Cricket! Happy Spice Packages!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
GULZILLAAAAAAAAAAA!!! CHAPLI KEBAAAAAAABS!!!!!
Good morning everyone! The floodwaters in Australia look like they are receding! YES! I'm going to the Australia/England T20 at the MCG tomorrow. YES! There's another Pakistan/New Zealand test coming up on Saturday. YES! 
And here's Gulzilla; as you can see, not only is he hungry for wickets, he's plain old hungry. So I'm going to show you how to make chapli kebabs! Double YES!!!
Chapli Kebabs for the Taking of Wickets and the Calming of Hunger
These kebabs are flat and round, sort of like a flat north american style hamburger patty. But after eating these, you may never want a hamburger again! Go Pakistan! Go Chapli Kebabs!
Ingredients
1/2 kg ground beef
1 onion, very finely chopped
5-7 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or crushed to a paste
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed to a paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch or flour (optional, not necessary, will make the kebabs less likely to fall apart when frying)
1 egg
1 teaspoon red chili powder/lal mirch (adjust to your own taste)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 small stick cinammon
5 cloves
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
1 star anise
Chopped green chilies
about 10 leaves fresh mint, very finely chopped
fresh coriander leaves, very finely chopped
1 tomato, very thinly sliced
salt
oil for cooking
First of all, we need to roast and grind our whole spices. Heat up a pan, don't add any oil, and dry fry the cumin, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, green cardamom pods and star anise. Once they're fragrant, set them aside until cool, and then crush them into a rough powder using a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder.
In a big bowl, mix together all of the ingredients along with the ground spices except the sliced tomato and the oil. Let it sit for about 30 minutes or more so that everything relaxes and gets tasty.
Wet your hands with a bit of water, and take out a golf-ball sized chunk of the meat mix. Flatten it out like a really flat hamburger patty, and gently press in a tomato slice on the top.
Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook the chapli kebab for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them!
Serve immediately, with mint chutney and roti, homemade pita bread or fresh naan from a tandoor bakery.
In Canada, there are these delicious flat hamburger buns you can get at the Superstore: they are excellent toasted and spread with home-made mint chutney and filled with chapli kebabs. We call this Balochi Burgers, named after the province of Balochistan in the south of Pakistan. Call them what you want, they are MAZAY DAR!!!
Right, so with some of these treats in your belly you'll be satisfied, happy and taking wickets like good old Gulzilla in the picture above. Have a good one, and cheer extra hard for Pakistan on Saturday! Woooohoooooooooooooooooo!
Happy Cricket, and Happy Chapli Kebab!
And here's Gulzilla; as you can see, not only is he hungry for wickets, he's plain old hungry. So I'm going to show you how to make chapli kebabs! Double YES!!!
Chapli Kebabs for the Taking of Wickets and the Calming of Hunger
These kebabs are flat and round, sort of like a flat north american style hamburger patty. But after eating these, you may never want a hamburger again! Go Pakistan! Go Chapli Kebabs!
Ingredients
1/2 kg ground beef
1 onion, very finely chopped
5-7 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or crushed to a paste
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed to a paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch or flour (optional, not necessary, will make the kebabs less likely to fall apart when frying)
1 egg
1 teaspoon red chili powder/lal mirch (adjust to your own taste)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 small stick cinammon
5 cloves
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
1 star anise
Chopped green chilies
about 10 leaves fresh mint, very finely chopped
fresh coriander leaves, very finely chopped
1 tomato, very thinly sliced
salt
oil for cooking
First of all, we need to roast and grind our whole spices. Heat up a pan, don't add any oil, and dry fry the cumin, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, green cardamom pods and star anise. Once they're fragrant, set them aside until cool, and then crush them into a rough powder using a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder.
In a big bowl, mix together all of the ingredients along with the ground spices except the sliced tomato and the oil. Let it sit for about 30 minutes or more so that everything relaxes and gets tasty.
Wet your hands with a bit of water, and take out a golf-ball sized chunk of the meat mix. Flatten it out like a really flat hamburger patty, and gently press in a tomato slice on the top.
Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook the chapli kebab for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them!
Serve immediately, with mint chutney and roti, homemade pita bread or fresh naan from a tandoor bakery.
In Canada, there are these delicious flat hamburger buns you can get at the Superstore: they are excellent toasted and spread with home-made mint chutney and filled with chapli kebabs. We call this Balochi Burgers, named after the province of Balochistan in the south of Pakistan. Call them what you want, they are MAZAY DAR!!!
Right, so with some of these treats in your belly you'll be satisfied, happy and taking wickets like good old Gulzilla in the picture above. Have a good one, and cheer extra hard for Pakistan on Saturday! Woooohoooooooooooooooooo!
Happy Cricket, and Happy Chapli Kebab!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Mohammed Amir
Good day to you. Today's the last day in "the" ICC hearing to determine Mohammed Amir, Mohammed Asif and Salman Butt's guilt or innocence in the spot-fixing scandal which erupted in September, 2010.
The three men are accused of deliberately bowling 3 no-balls in a spot-betting shenanigan at Lord's in England. If found guilty, this could mean the end of all three men's careers.
But take the word "men" with a grain of salt: Mohammed Amir, the incredibly talented pace bowler, is only 19. He's just a kid. If he's found guilty, I hope he is not given a life ban; he had his entire career ahead of him. And we all make stupid mistakes when we're teenagers. To keep things in perspective, he allegedly bowled a no-ball on purpose so that illegal book-makers could make a profit. Yes it's corrupt, and if guilty he should be punished, perhaps severely, but COME ON. Not a life ban. It's not like he robbed a bank or punched your Mum.
So no cooking for today. I'm anxious to hear the outcome of this hearing. Hopefully we'll see the Kid back in cricket soon.
Kiki
The three men are accused of deliberately bowling 3 no-balls in a spot-betting shenanigan at Lord's in England. If found guilty, this could mean the end of all three men's careers.
But take the word "men" with a grain of salt: Mohammed Amir, the incredibly talented pace bowler, is only 19. He's just a kid. If he's found guilty, I hope he is not given a life ban; he had his entire career ahead of him. And we all make stupid mistakes when we're teenagers. To keep things in perspective, he allegedly bowled a no-ball on purpose so that illegal book-makers could make a profit. Yes it's corrupt, and if guilty he should be punished, perhaps severely, but COME ON. Not a life ban. It's not like he robbed a bank or punched your Mum.
So no cooking for today. I'm anxious to hear the outcome of this hearing. Hopefully we'll see the Kid back in cricket soon.
Kiki
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Pakistan's Short Test, A Tale of Two Akmals and the Yoghurt of Rebellion
Congratulations Pakistan! My favourite team totally blew those New Zealand fish right out of the water yesterday! With my lovely lads' fabulous bowling and batting (that's YOU, Abdur Rehman), those kiwis didn't stand a chance. And I'm getting grumpy with the people who say that New Zealand lost because New Zealand played poorly. Phooey on youey! Pakistan won because Pakistan played superbly and would have beaten any other team in the world because my lovely lads are the best team of all time. OF ALL TIME!!!
So due to their insanely good playing, Pakistan wiped out the NZ batting line-up in less than one session and the match only lasted three days! Absolute insanity! Pandemonium! Crazy!!!
I want to give a shout out to all the Pakistan players today. What teamwork, you all deserved to be Man of the Match and I'm thrilled to bits for you! Most of all, however, I owe Adnan Akmal an apology. So for the first part of my story of Two Akmals, I'll say this: Sorry Adnan. It was mean to say you were a mediocre player before and I take it back! You've really shown you're a good test match player and we're all looking forward to seeing you play for years to come. Great catches, great batting and great team spirit! From now on, you'll be referred to as Triple A: Awesome Adnan Akmal. Good on ya!
For the second part of my story, it looks like Kamran Akmal will be on the World Cup squad. He's been cleared by the ICC and the PCB for the WC. Good on him I guess. His recent performances on the squad have been less than spectacular, but here's hoping he finds his form and smashes away all the opposition. Let's go Akmal brothers!
And finally, as I said yesterday, I'm tired of high prices and giving all my money to the man. Rebel, why don't you, just a little bit and join me in some rebellious yoghurt-making. That'll show those corporate bigwigs! Who needs your mass-produced stuff when I can make my own at home? Join my rebellion and let's make some yoghurt!
The Yoghurt of Rebellion
Ingredients
1 litre full fat milk (you can use skim if you like)
Do not use milk from a tetrabrik; it will not turn into yoghurt due to the ultrapasteurization process
2 tablespoons yoghurt (to use as a starter)
1. Line a bowl with the starter yoghurt and set aside to come to room temperature.
2. Bring milk to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool.
3. When the milk is cool, put it in the fridge.
4. Skim off the layer of cream which will have formed on top of the milk. Do not discard this; this cream is delicious and is fabulous in its own right.
5. Lightly warm the skimmed milk, but don't boil it.
6. Pour the milk into the lined bowl; the warmed milk will make the bacterial culture of the room-temperature grow and change the milk into yoghurt over time.
7. Cover the bowl, and set it aside for 4 or 6 hours. Do not move the bowl!
8. Check after 4 or 6 hours to see if the yoghurt has set. Once set, put the yoghurt away in the fridge to stop the bacterial growth.
So according to my brother-in-law, who's an excellent cook and makes yoghurt quite often, you should use an earthenware pot for best results. Also, after the yoghurt has set, he recommends that you remove the watery liquid (the whey) and that will thicken up the yoghurt.
Now it's time for me to continue with my day. Pakistan, congrats, you deserved that victory for all your hard work! Akmals, make me happy by continuing to play well and constantly improving. And to all of you kitchen culinary artists, have a happy rebellion! Break free from the chains of high prices!
Happy Cricket, Happy Eating!
So due to their insanely good playing, Pakistan wiped out the NZ batting line-up in less than one session and the match only lasted three days! Absolute insanity! Pandemonium! Crazy!!!
I want to give a shout out to all the Pakistan players today. What teamwork, you all deserved to be Man of the Match and I'm thrilled to bits for you! Most of all, however, I owe Adnan Akmal an apology. So for the first part of my story of Two Akmals, I'll say this: Sorry Adnan. It was mean to say you were a mediocre player before and I take it back! You've really shown you're a good test match player and we're all looking forward to seeing you play for years to come. Great catches, great batting and great team spirit! From now on, you'll be referred to as Triple A: Awesome Adnan Akmal. Good on ya!
For the second part of my story, it looks like Kamran Akmal will be on the World Cup squad. He's been cleared by the ICC and the PCB for the WC. Good on him I guess. His recent performances on the squad have been less than spectacular, but here's hoping he finds his form and smashes away all the opposition. Let's go Akmal brothers!
And finally, as I said yesterday, I'm tired of high prices and giving all my money to the man. Rebel, why don't you, just a little bit and join me in some rebellious yoghurt-making. That'll show those corporate bigwigs! Who needs your mass-produced stuff when I can make my own at home? Join my rebellion and let's make some yoghurt!
The Yoghurt of Rebellion
Ingredients
1 litre full fat milk (you can use skim if you like)
Do not use milk from a tetrabrik; it will not turn into yoghurt due to the ultrapasteurization process
2 tablespoons yoghurt (to use as a starter)
1. Line a bowl with the starter yoghurt and set aside to come to room temperature.
2. Bring milk to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool.
3. When the milk is cool, put it in the fridge.
4. Skim off the layer of cream which will have formed on top of the milk. Do not discard this; this cream is delicious and is fabulous in its own right.
5. Lightly warm the skimmed milk, but don't boil it.
6. Pour the milk into the lined bowl; the warmed milk will make the bacterial culture of the room-temperature grow and change the milk into yoghurt over time.
7. Cover the bowl, and set it aside for 4 or 6 hours. Do not move the bowl!
8. Check after 4 or 6 hours to see if the yoghurt has set. Once set, put the yoghurt away in the fridge to stop the bacterial growth.
So according to my brother-in-law, who's an excellent cook and makes yoghurt quite often, you should use an earthenware pot for best results. Also, after the yoghurt has set, he recommends that you remove the watery liquid (the whey) and that will thicken up the yoghurt.
Now it's time for me to continue with my day. Pakistan, congrats, you deserved that victory for all your hard work! Akmals, make me happy by continuing to play well and constantly improving. And to all of you kitchen culinary artists, have a happy rebellion! Break free from the chains of high prices!
Happy Cricket, Happy Eating!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Captain and Shafiq, Mint Chutney and Outrage
And a big, Australian-sized g'day to you! I'm happy and everyone in Pakistan is happy today because of Misbah ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq's performance against New Zealand yesterday! These two are giving the Kiwis nightmares for cryin' out loud because their batting partnership is that good! Misbah ul-Haq has scored over 50 runs in 4 consecutive test matches and he's just getting better and better. Beauty! Continue that tradition today, Captain!
And I cannot say enough about Asad Shafiq! Talk about good things in small packages! I suspect that he may be the smallest man in international cricket, but who cares when he scores great big runs? He has been so consistent and so spectacular with his batting that every man will want to be him and every woman will want to marry him! Right on Asad! You're dynomite! Keep on sockin' it to the Kiwis! Team Shafiq!
All right, now the cooking part. My fabulous husband gave me a surprise gift yesterday, and I'd like to share it with you: he gave me a lovely, shiny brand new BARBEQUE!!!! So that means in the next few days, once my internet connection is back to normal, I'll be showing you how to make all kinds of KEBABS! And it's going to be great! Chicken tikkas, seekh kebabs, chapli kebabs, and that's just the start! However, for today, I'm going to show you how to make mint chutney, a spicy minty yoghurt sauce which traditionally goes with kebabs or samosas. Right! Get out your knives, let's get cookin.
Misbah ul-Haq's Marvelous Mint Chutney
1 cup of yoghurt (you can use full fat or low fat yoghurt)
1small bunch of coriander, very finely chopped
1 green chili (or more, according to taste) very finely chopped
several sprigs of mint, very finely chopped
salt to taste
Stir everything together and let it sit for about an hour. The juices will leak out of the coriander and mint, turning the sauce green.
Serve with samosas, and here's the link if you've forgotten:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/food-for-t20-matches-vegetable-samosas.html
or serve with kebabs or serve as a dip with chips or plain pita bread.
PS: There's something else I would like to mention: it's very frustrating to pay high prices for things at the supermarket. It's outrageous...28 dollars for 1 kg of ginger! A bit later on in the blog I'm going to show you how to make your own yoghurt and how to grow your own vegetables (even if you live in a tiny apartment, it is possible). "The Man" gets way too much of our hard-earned cash and I've had enough!!!
Happy Cricket! Happy Chutney! Happy Outrage at High Prices!
And I cannot say enough about Asad Shafiq! Talk about good things in small packages! I suspect that he may be the smallest man in international cricket, but who cares when he scores great big runs? He has been so consistent and so spectacular with his batting that every man will want to be him and every woman will want to marry him! Right on Asad! You're dynomite! Keep on sockin' it to the Kiwis! Team Shafiq!
All right, now the cooking part. My fabulous husband gave me a surprise gift yesterday, and I'd like to share it with you: he gave me a lovely, shiny brand new BARBEQUE!!!! So that means in the next few days, once my internet connection is back to normal, I'll be showing you how to make all kinds of KEBABS! And it's going to be great! Chicken tikkas, seekh kebabs, chapli kebabs, and that's just the start! However, for today, I'm going to show you how to make mint chutney, a spicy minty yoghurt sauce which traditionally goes with kebabs or samosas. Right! Get out your knives, let's get cookin.
Misbah ul-Haq's Marvelous Mint Chutney
1 cup of yoghurt (you can use full fat or low fat yoghurt)
1small bunch of coriander, very finely chopped
1 green chili (or more, according to taste) very finely chopped
several sprigs of mint, very finely chopped
salt to taste
Stir everything together and let it sit for about an hour. The juices will leak out of the coriander and mint, turning the sauce green.
Serve with samosas, and here's the link if you've forgotten:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/food-for-t20-matches-vegetable-samosas.html
or serve with kebabs or serve as a dip with chips or plain pita bread.
PS: There's something else I would like to mention: it's very frustrating to pay high prices for things at the supermarket. It's outrageous...28 dollars for 1 kg of ginger! A bit later on in the blog I'm going to show you how to make your own yoghurt and how to grow your own vegetables (even if you live in a tiny apartment, it is possible). "The Man" gets way too much of our hard-earned cash and I've had enough!!!
Happy Cricket! Happy Chutney! Happy Outrage at High Prices!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Hankerin' for that Hunk ul-Haq and Younis Khan's Coffee to Get Started
And good morning to everyone! I still have a gimpy webbernets hence my lack of posting, but have no fear; apparently everything will be back to normal on Monday and I'll be posting all kinds of Pakistan cricket gossip and fantastic food.
So to be quick, here goes:
1. The Pakistan/New Zealand test match starts in a few minutes. As the title says, I'm hankerin' to see that hunk Ul-Haq captaining the squad to victory over the next few days! Let's go Pakistan!
2. The ICC hearing looking into the spot fixing allegations against my three darlings is in full swing in the UAE. The truth will come out and hopefully we'll see Mohammed Aamer, Mohammed Asif and Salman Butt back in International Cricketdom. We've missed you guys! Fight hard and let's get back to business!
3. Australia. uum yeah.
OK, no cooking for today, but here's another delicious version of coffee, brought to you by Younis Khan, former Pakistan captain and present-day captain of my sports heart. If you're in Australia, this is just the thing to wake you up and get you all alert for the Pakistan/New Zealand test match.
Younis Khan's Mazay Dar (delicious) Instant Coffee
Put about 4 teaspoons of instant coffee in a coffee mug, and add about 6 teaspoons of sugar.
Add a few drops of milk, just enough to slightly moisten the coffee and sugar.
With a spoon, stir the mixture vigourously, almost whipping it. The mix will change consistency, turning into a whipped, smooth light brown coloured fluffy paste. This will take a couple of minutes. Ensure all granules are dissolved and that there are no hard chunks.
Divide the whipped mix evenly into 4 coffee cups.
Add boiling water into each cup, and give a quick stir. You will get a rich, frothy coffee, and if you like you can also add some milk.
A note on instant coffees: Freeze-dried instant coffee is the best because it has next to no added chemicals and tastes like the properly brewed beverage. Soluble instant coffee is much less expensive, but it is made from a chemical process and has all kinds of funny stuff in it. Get the freeze-dried stuff when it goes on sale; freeze-dried coffee from Brazil usually tastes the best.
Right! The match has started and Umar Gul is bowling. Enjoy the coffee, and let's watch Pakistan teach the New Zealanders a lesson they'll never forget!
Happy Cricket! Happy Coffee!
So to be quick, here goes:
1. The Pakistan/New Zealand test match starts in a few minutes. As the title says, I'm hankerin' to see that hunk Ul-Haq captaining the squad to victory over the next few days! Let's go Pakistan!
2. The ICC hearing looking into the spot fixing allegations against my three darlings is in full swing in the UAE. The truth will come out and hopefully we'll see Mohammed Aamer, Mohammed Asif and Salman Butt back in International Cricketdom. We've missed you guys! Fight hard and let's get back to business!
3. Australia. uum yeah.
OK, no cooking for today, but here's another delicious version of coffee, brought to you by Younis Khan, former Pakistan captain and present-day captain of my sports heart. If you're in Australia, this is just the thing to wake you up and get you all alert for the Pakistan/New Zealand test match.
Younis Khan's Mazay Dar (delicious) Instant Coffee
Put about 4 teaspoons of instant coffee in a coffee mug, and add about 6 teaspoons of sugar.
Add a few drops of milk, just enough to slightly moisten the coffee and sugar.
With a spoon, stir the mixture vigourously, almost whipping it. The mix will change consistency, turning into a whipped, smooth light brown coloured fluffy paste. This will take a couple of minutes. Ensure all granules are dissolved and that there are no hard chunks.
Divide the whipped mix evenly into 4 coffee cups.
Add boiling water into each cup, and give a quick stir. You will get a rich, frothy coffee, and if you like you can also add some milk.
A note on instant coffees: Freeze-dried instant coffee is the best because it has next to no added chemicals and tastes like the properly brewed beverage. Soluble instant coffee is much less expensive, but it is made from a chemical process and has all kinds of funny stuff in it. Get the freeze-dried stuff when it goes on sale; freeze-dried coffee from Brazil usually tastes the best.
Right! The match has started and Umar Gul is bowling. Enjoy the coffee, and let's watch Pakistan teach the New Zealanders a lesson they'll never forget!
Happy Cricket! Happy Coffee!
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