Smiles, Re-Hashed Scandals, and Bitter Melons

Instead of focusing on the negative, today I want to bring you a little treat, courtesy of Mohammed Yousef's amazing teeth.  Now we've all seen people commenting on how sauci-licious Shahid Afridi is, or how good-looking Wahab Riaz is, or how nobody approaches Imran Khan in the handsome devil department.   Well, here is someone who's been flying under the "handsome" radar, so to speak.

Mohammed Yousef is,what we North Americans call, a badass.  He looks mean when he's at the crease, like he's out to do some damage to the opposition.  Seriously, if he gave me that famous sneer of his, I'd burst into tears from fear and hurt feelings.  His nasty, grumpy glare has that effect on people.  Opposition bowlers must be quite apprehensive when bowling to him; they must be rather afraid. 

Mohammed Yousef, AKA "Grumplestiltskin"

But here's the awesome news:  Mohammed Yousef has the greatest smile in all of international cricket-dom.  Not only do the heavens smile down on him when he's at the crease, you can almost hear angels singing when he breaks into a smile.  This is no joke, people, just take a look, and you'll see what I mean:

Dental Perfection!  Beautiful, like art!

So look after your teeth, and you'll have a smile as beautiful as Mohammed Yousef's.  He really needs to smile more...the world demands it!  You don't hide teeth that exquisite behind a scowl.  Good on ya, Moyo!

And here's a bit of bad, re-hashed news.  Cric info reports that Mazhar Majid, the shady "agent" involved in the spot-fixing scandal, implicated a further four people in the whole mess.  This information comes from a News Of The World secret video which got leaked to the press, Geo TV in particular.  Well, we already knew that other guys were named, but they were investigated and cleared of wrong-doing.  What gets my goat about this situation is...how did this video get leaked to the press? 

My goat has been gotten.

Was it one of the defense lawyers?  If it was, then our lovely lads need new lawyers; they need good, solid, legal representation; not shenanigans like this!  My favourites deserve the best, and only the best!

And now to the cooking bit.  Yesterday we looked at a variation of a basic vegetable salan, called Bhindi.  Today, we're going to look at another variation of Qeema.  Instead of adding potatoes to the qeema, we're going to prepare and add a very traditional vegetable:  Karela or Bitter Melon.  So here we go with Bitter Melon Qeema.

First things first:  prepare qeema, no potatoes.  Here's the link if you've forgotten how to make it:

http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/queen-kamran-akmal-and-delicious-qeema.html

You can also use left-over queema.  No problems with that.

Now, you'll need about 7 or 8 karelas.  These things.


This veg takes a bit of time to prepare.  As the name implies, it is very bitter indeed.  We're going to take 98% of the bitterness away, leaving a slightly bitter, delicious veg which will add another layer of flavor to the queema.

With a sharp paring knife, scrape off the bumps on the karelas,or cut the skin off in strips, just getting the knife under the bumps.  Cut off the top bit.

Now slice the karela lengthwise, and remove all of the seeds.  You can scoop them out with a spoon.

Now rub the insides and outside of the karelas with enormous amounts of salt, like handfuls of it. This will suck out most of the bitterness. Leave the salt on, and set the karelas aside for at least an hour. 

After an hour, rinse the karela very well,getting all of the salt off.  Soak the karela for a while (1/2 hour)  in water to get the rest of the salt out and rinse again..  Some people are happy just rinsing the karelas, and don't bother soaking.  I find it's too salty without the extra soak session.

Cut in 1 cm slices, and then fry over medium heat in a little bit of oil, until it's lightly browned.

Add to the qeema, add some water, and cook several minutes over medium heat so that all the flavours can blend.

Eat with roti or pita bread, or, if you can find it, fresh naan from the tandoor bakery.

Tomorrow I'll show you another variation of Bitter Melon Qeema, so keep you little eyes open for that.

There's cricket on today, thank goodness!  So have a good one, don't let the re-hashed news of the "scandal" get you down, and keep smiling...just like our favourite smilin' handsome fella, Mohammed Yousef.

Happy Eating, Happy Cricket, and Happy Smiling!

Ashes, What do you mean no Pakistan match until Dec 26, and Beautiful Bhindi (Okra)

Yikes!  Yesterday was a draw between Australia and England.  Seriously, Australia was on fire for the first two days, then they completely fizzled out.  I honestly didn't think England had it in them but what an astronomical score they got in their second innings.   517 runs.  That's the sort of score you'd expect from India!  Well, good on them, but Ricky Ponting has got some explainin' to do.

Play better and eat better, to turn that frown upside-down, Mr. Ponting!

Right now I'm missing the Pakistan team like crazy.  No other team is as exciting to watch.  The Ashes are fun, Aleem Dar is great to watch umpiring, but nothing is as good to see as Mohammed Yousef's devastating sneer,

Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal call this guy Uncle, no joke.

 (he's still recovering from an injury, get better soon Moyo ), Umar Gul's dramatic bowling, Tanvir Ahmed's cool run-up, Younis Khan's batting and Misbah ul-Haq's awesomeness in general.   And they ain't playin' until Dec. 26.  Waaaaah!  What's a girl to do?

Tomorrow there will be a few interesting matches; New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI, Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI, and Sri Lanka vs W. Indies, 3rd Test day 1.  I have yet to watch Bangladesh, the Windies and Zimbabwe, so if there's any insanity, craziness or pandemonium in any of the games, I'll let you know.

Now I'll get to the cooking bit.  Here's a quick review of the pakistani dishes we've learned so far: 

Karahi Chicken
Test Match Machlee (Fish curry)


Misbah ul-Haq, batting for Pilao and Cuchumber

Basic Veggie Salan                                     Aloo Gosht
Aloo Ghobi
Qeema
Qorma
Daal                                          
Nihari
Pilao and Cuchumber
Samosas
Pita Bread
Roti
FriedChilies                                                               
Raita
Kheer
Cake
Fruit Chat
Zeera Biscuits
Gajjar Ka Halwa                      


Our Lovely Lads, with the amazing Mohammed Amir, whom we miss terribly

 So now you've got good basics; you know how to "bhunna", and if you've been cooking these dishes you're probably finding out what combos and proportions of spices work best for you.  Good on ya!  Now today, we're going to step things up a bit.  We'll revisit the Basic Vegetable Salan, and I'm going to show you how to prepare and make Bhindi (Okra), another classic, delicious dish which will make your dinner guests positively weep with delight.

Okra

First of all, review the Basic Vegetable Salan method here:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/theory-and-practical-lesson-basic.html
Okra, also known as ladyfingers, bhindi, or gombos, is a subtly flavoured pod-like vegetable, that when cooked properly, is absolutely delicious.

To make Bhindi, make the basic vegetable salan, but don't add zucchini, just make the tomato, onion, garlic, lal mirch and salt gravy.

You'll need about a half kilo or more of okra.  Cut off the tops, and cut the okra into 1 cm slices.  You'll notice that a slimy, sticky substance comes out.  Don't worry about it.

Now there are two methods for Bhindi salan.  Here is the first.
In a separate frying pan, heat up some oil, and fry the okra slices until they are slightly browned and crispy, and none of the slimy/sticky stuff is left.  Then add the cooked okra slices to the gravy, add a bit of water, and cook until everything is soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Second method (which I prefer, I find it's more flavourful)
Put the raw cut okra directly into the gravy, and add enough water to cover the okra slices.  Cook until the slimy texture goes away, adding more water if necessary, and reduce the liquid until the okra is totally soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Garnish both versions with green chilies and chopped coriander (cilantro).

So there you have it...now that you know the basics, we'll build from there.  Enjoy the Bhindi, enjoy the day, and thank heavens there will be some cricket to watch tomorrow!

Happy Eating, Happy Cricket!

Aleem Dar Should Be Man of the Match, Gossip, and Pita Bread

The real star of the Ashes show yesterday has got to be Aleem Dar, the umpire!  Talk about an action-packed day...real heart-stopping stuff.  How this guy can make accurate and fair decisions with all of the pressure from the crowds and the players is the stuff of legend.  Even when it looks like he's got it wrong, technology proves him right!  He is the UDRS for the UDRS!  He is that good!  And to make the deal even more sweet...he's from Pakistan.   Not only does Pakistan have the best cricket team with the most awesome players, it has the world's best umpire.

Aleem Dar:  Suave, sophisticated, accurate and composed.  Everything a superstar should be!

  Aleem Dar is making the Ashes even more exciting, and right now, it almost doesn't matter who wins because Aleem Dar is the break-out star.  Good on ya, Aleem!  I'm looking forward to your umpiring today, and may you have a long and glorious career!

Oh, and England's at 309/1.  Andrew Strauss had a really good go with 110, Alistair Cook is still at the crease with 132, and the strangely hypnotic Jonathan Trott is not out at 54.  I sure wasn't expecting such fight from England!  Well, it all makes the match more thrilling, and I do love a good drama!  Let's go Australia !

And here's some gossip about the Pakistan team.  Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik will be rejoining the squad in New Zealand.  Now I know that at the domestic level ol' Butterfingers Akmal did a great job of batting recently, but as the Scottish say, at the international level Ah himma doots.  Well, if he does all right in New Zealand, I'll be the first person to be his cheerleader.  Until then...Ah himma doots.  Shoaib Malik was also underwhelming when he played in the UK.  Just sayin'. 

And some further gossip.  According to some sources at the PCB, there will be an investigation into Pakistan's loss to Afghanistan at the Asian Games.  Some are saying the Karachi players did badly on purpose to "show respect" for their former coach who is now the coach of Afghanistan.  What a flipping mess.  It's quite possible that Afghanistan played well, had good luck or that the Pakistan side had bad luck or had an off-day.  All I'm going to say is...Congrats Afghanistan, your country certainly deserves a victory as a ray of sunshine!  I didn't watch the game, but I'm sure you played well, and don't let rumours of "Pakistan deliberately underperformed" rain on your parade.

Right!  Now let's get to the cooking.  Today's all about pita bread.  I'm not going to show you how to make naan because proper naan requires special training, and special equipment.  If you want real naan, go to a Pakistani or Indian baker that has a real tandoor oven. Buy it fresh.  Don't get the packaged, industrial stuff at a supermarket.  It is no good.   If there isn't a naan baker in your area, then make some pita bread.  Pita bread is a good substitute; you don't need special equipment or a degree in naanology.  I have to say it isn't nearly as good as beautiful fresh naan out of the tandoor, but it works well with all of the salans I've previously posted.  So go get a rolling pin and some elbow grease and let's get baking.

Pita Bread
About 2 cups of flour
About a tablespoon of sugar
About 1/2 teaspoon of salt
About 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
 (If you're using traditional yeast, proof it first, ie soak it in about 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar, wait 15 minutes until it's foamy)
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil
About 1 cup of warm water |( not hot, not boiling, just warm enough to feel it on the inside of your wrist)

Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Stir through it again with a fork, just to make everything kind of "fluffy". 
Add the yeast; if you're using the dry instant yeast, give everything a quick stir.
Add the olive oil and water, stir, if you can't stir, then use your hand to mix everything together.
Add more water if necessary; if you've put in too much water, add some more flour.
Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes; the dough should slightly stick to your hands.  10 minutes of kneading is ideal, you should have an elastic, smooth ball.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp towl, and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.

After 1 hour, punch down the dough and knead it again for a couple of minutes.
Break off  into golf-ball sized pieces, use your hands to make them round, and roll them out on a floured surface.  You might want to dip the piece of dough in flour first if your dough is sticky.  Roll them out to about 1/4 inch thickness, with an 8 inch diameter.
Set the rolled-out pieces on a baking sheet or a piece of wax paper, and cover them with a damp towel so they don't dry out.  Let them rise for about an hour.

Heat your oven to 400-450 F or 200-250 C.  Put the raw pita bread directly on the rack, yes you read that correctly.  Directly on the rack with no baking sheet or tin.  Let them cook for about 3 or 4 minutes.  The bread will puff up like a little football.  When it's finished inflating, that's when it's ready to take out.  If you're using a forced-air oven, the bread unfortunately will not turn a golden colour; if you wait for the bread to get browned in a forced-air oven, it will overcook and you'll get a crispy cracker.

Serve immediately with your favourite salan.  Also it's very nice the next day re-heated in a pan with a bit of butter.

And that's how pita bread is done.  Now I'm off to the TV to watch day 5 of the first Ashes test match.  I'll be cheering for Aleem Dar, and you should too!  Be proud Pakistan!  Pakistan Zindabad!

Happy Eating, and Happy Cricket Umpiring!

Rain, Fire, Ashes and Aloo

And good morning!  And the winner of the second test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies is The Rain.  The fifth day got rained out, resulting in a draw.
 

Windies captain, visibly upset by the turn in the weather.

I've been checking the weather reports for days 4 and 5 of the Ashes, and it looks like the Rain might win again.  I hope for Australia's sake that the rain holds off; that team is on fire right now and it's a flame I don't want doused! 

Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin during their 307 run partnership yesterday.  Boo Ya!

 Rock on, Australia! 

And here's some more Ashes stuff:  Yesterday, M. Hussey and Brad Haddin continued to smack England around with their big runs.  I'm really happy for Australia, because not that long ago they lost their mojo to Sri Lanka.  I was sure England was going to eat them up, especially Graham Swann who allegedly dines on wickets.  The score so far is 260 and 19/0 England vs. 481 big'uns Australia.  Who are you rooting for?

Ricky Ponting has got his eyes on the prize

Now, for food today, I'm not going to post a new recipe because I'm swamped with housework.  I'm going to talk about aloo, which is urdu for potato.  

A few days ago I posted a recipe for qeema...please see the post "The Queen, Kamran Akmal, and Qeema"...and my good friend reminded me that I forgot the potatoes!  Egads!  What kind of a cook am I?  So, when you're making Qeema, after you've added the ground beef and water, add 3 or 4 potatoes that are cut in 6 or 8.  The potatoes add yet another dimension to the qeema, and make this dish especially nice for the winter.  So give Aloo Qeema a try, and I know you'll enjoy it.  So to my friend, thanks, I owe you one for pointing that out!

Another note about potatoes.  There are many varieties out there; when you're making stewed dishes such as salans or qeemas, do not use baking potatoes.  These are the really large ones that have a rough skin.  They'll completely dissolve into mush.  I find that potatoes with a reddish skin or a blue-ish skin add lots of flavour yet keep their shape.  I like to keep the skin on the aloo when I make salans, but my husband hates it.  I believe that most people in Pakistan prefer the potatoes to be peeled.  However, I'll leave that up to you.   

And here's a small theory lesson:  Never let food snobs lecture you  on what's good and what isn't.  A good dish is a dish YOU like, period.   Never let some nitwit tell you differently!

Have a good one today, Happy Eating, and Happy Ashes and Happy Cricket!

Javed Miandad ,Scottish Scones and Milaai

Isn't life great when you get good news in the morning?  I woke up today to find in the Dawn online newspaper that the PCB has asked Javed Miandad to be the Pakistan Cricket Team's batting and fielding consultant, ie: coach.  I certainly hope he accepts when he gets back from the Asian Games.  As things stand right now, the batting improved tremendously in the past month with the guidance of Younis Khan and Misbah ul-Haq ( I really like that guy), so can you imagine how awesome our lovely lads are going to be in New Zealand if Javed Miandad accepts the position? 

Great batsman, great mustache!

For those of you who don't know, Javed Miandad was one of the best batsmen Pakistan has produced.  I think we're going to be seeing some extraordinary cricket from the BESTEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!!! GO PAKISTAN!

And here's a quick Ashes update:  Australia's at 220/5 at the end of the second day, which got called early due to rain.   Michael Hussey's got 81 so far, and he's lookin' good.  As they're saying on cricinfo, so far this test is a close competition; both sides are going to have to fight as hard as they can.  Today's Saturday, so I'll be able to watch and if anything juicy happens, I'll let you know right away. 

And now for the cooking bit.  We're going to make Scottish Scones...and before you give me any flack about this being scottish food, I have something to tell you.
 

Sean Connery, great Scotsman, great mustache.

 I am French Canadian, but I'm half Scottish.  That's right.  My mum was born and raised in the Scottish Highlands, so I grew up eating and making delicious scones.   So do not panic, I'm an expert at this. 

Furthermore, we are making scones because they go so well with pakistani milaai, that beautiful, heavy, rich flavourful cream that you can only get in Pakistan.  Scones with milaai and jam are a match made in heaven, and are lovely to eat at afternoon tea with a good cup of dhudhpatti (milk tea).

North Americans also make something they call "scones" but they are a much drier version and are more like baking soda biscuits.  These are excellent straight out of the oven, but must be eaten immediately.  They go hard after they get cold.  So that is why we will make proper Scottish scones.  They are rich, and you can store them for a couple of days without any loss of flavour or texture.  So go get ready, and let's get all Scottish!

Scottish Scones
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup butter (use that lovely butter which comes from Punjab, if available!)
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (skim milk can be used, but full-fat milk will make a richer scone)

topping: 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 450F or 235 C.
Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a big bowl.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the flour/butter mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
Beat the two eggs in a separate container until they are light, and set aside a little bit to brush over the tops of the scones.
Stir the milk into the eggs.
Add the liquid slowly to the dry ingredients and stir it until the dough comes freely from the side of the bowl.
On a floured surface, pat down the dough to a 3/4 inch thickness or thicker, and cut into squares or triangles.
Brush over the tops with the beaten egg you put aside earlier.
Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top.
Bake on a greased cookie sheet or pan for 12 to 15 minutes.

If you want raisin scones, add a 1/2 cup of kishmish with the dry ingredients, and increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons.

If you want cheese scones, increase salt to 1 teaspoon, decrease sugar to 1 tablespoon, and cut in 1/2  cup of cheddar or other hard cheese with the butter.

To serve, cut the scones in half,  put on a spoonful of milaai and a spoonful of your favourite jam.  Eat straight away, and you'll be in food heaven!

Right.  So if everything goes well, I'll be in New Zealand in person to see how Javed Miandad is doing as a batting consultant.  I'll bring some scones to eat during the breaks, and I hope you'll be doing the same at home.   Have a good one today!
Pakistan Zindabad!  Scotland Zindabad! 

Happy eating, and Happy Cricket!

Pour Mes Amis Bidaouis: Djeja "Karahi" diel Karachi, Bakistan

Et c'est une tres belle journee el yaum.  Assalamu aleikum!  La bass?  Shouia?  Koulchi meziane?  Waha?  Ana meziane, al hamdo li allah!  Tres bien.  Aujourd'hui, pour mes amis de Dar Beida (Casablanca), koulchi l'article sera ecrit en francais et darija.  Il faut excuser mon ecriture:  mon clavier n'a pas les accents necessaire pour ecrire en francais.  Desolee! 

Les maghrebis ne jouent pas le cricket, mais ils aiment beaucoup beaucoup le foot.  Il y a deux equipes professionels a Casa:  Raja et Wydad.   
Les deux sont excellents et il y a une quantite extraordinaire de talent bidaoui.  Tout les jeunes hommes jouent le foot ou sur la plage exceptionelle a la Corniche ou dans le Parque de La Ligue Arabe ou dans la rue...il y a toujours un match de foot!  C'est vraiment un plaisir de voir comment les marocains sont des gens sportifs!

Mon amie a Dar Beida, Siham, sa maman Fatima, sa soeur Ghizlane  et sa tante Mouna (Mina) sont les meilleures chefs dans toute la ville.  Harira, r'fissa,  coucous, tagines - elles savent comment preparer tout- batboute, atay, khobz, desserts, cafe, et kek.  Elles sont vraiment les expertes au Maroc.  Alors, aujourd'hui, pour remercier mes amies, mes soeurs, je dedique un de mes meilleurs plats a Siham, Fatima, Ghizlane et Mouna. Shukran, shukran, shukran! 

Djeja Karahi diel Karachi

1 djeja, muqata ala itnaachar, bla jilda
5 ou 7 gousses tuum, coupees tres finement
4cm morceau skinjbiir, coupe tres finement
5 ou 6 mateicha, coupes finement
zit laaoud
malh
shouia filfla harra, en poudre

Mettre shouia zit laoud dans une grande poele
Faire frire al djeja 3-5 minutes a feu vif
Reduire a feu doux
Ajouter al tuum wa al skinjbiir, faire frire 1 minute (ne brule pas al tumm!)
Ajouter les mateichas, cuire a feu vif 2 ou 3 minutes,
Reduire a feu doux
Ajouter al malh (a son gout)
Ajouter al filfla harra en poudre, a son gout
Laisser mijoter jusqu'au temps que al djeja soit cuit et que les mateichas sont reduits, come une pate, environs 30 minutes.

Manger avec batboute ou khobz ou parisienne (baguette, pas une Parisienne!!!)

Bs'hha!  Bon Apetit, et a la prochaine!

A Hat Trick, a Thank You, and an Explanation

Wow.  Day 1 of the Ashes, the famous re-occurring grudge match between Australia and England, was straight out insane.  It was crazy!  It was pandemonium!  England got siddled silly.  That's right, siddled silly because Peter Siddle, the Australian bowler, claimed a Hat Trick (that's 3 out on 3 balls in a row) and further ruined England's batting order by dismissing 6 for 54.  Oh, and it was also Peter Siddle's birthday.  Happy Birthday Peter!

SIDDLE-TASTIC!

So that's England, all out for 260 on Day 1.  I'm wondering what Graham Swann is going to do.  His bowling is spin-a-licious, so today should be fun to watch.

Today's post is also about Thank Yous.  First of all, thanks to my employers at Sportpulse.net.  I write a column there, and you have to check out all of the writers...very thought provoking stuff and entertaining at the same time.  Thanks guys!
Here's the link:
http://www.sportpulse.net/

And I must thank the administrators for the Pakistan Cricket Team fanpage on Facebook for posting the link to my blog.  Shukria!  I'm very flattered!

And here comes an Explanation:  My next article is going to be written in Moroccan Darija/French, so don't be alarmed to see a foreign language.  I lived in Casablanca for three years and I promised my friends there I'd write something especially for them today.  The dish I'll be posting in Darija/French is Karahi Chicken, and if you want the instructions in English, here's the link to a previous post:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-watch-some-cricket-and-eat-some.html

Right, so have a good one today, enjoy the Ashes, and tomorrow I'll tell you all about Scottish Scones and melai.

Happy Cricket!  Happy Eating!