Be Fat, Be Happy.

I feel like I start every post exclaiming how much I hate something or the other - in this case, not a fan of halway either. Makes me wonder why I cook at all if I don't like these things. I haven't come up with an explanation yet, so here's the recipe instead. Ingredients: 3 Green Cardamom (crushed) ½ cup Ghee 3/4 cup Sooji (Semolina) 1 cup Sugar 1 cup Water 8 - 10 Almonds (blanched and peeled) 8 - 10 Kishmish (Raisins) Method: Fry the cardamom in the ghee. After a couple minutes, add the semolina. Stir and roast on low heat until it starts changing color or starts to get fragrant. Add the sugar little by little, mixing well. Cook for about 2-3 mins then add the water and cook for 5-8 mins more. If you like your halwa more pasty as opposed to slightly set, add some more water. I hate pasty halwa so I stuck with 1 cup. In case you do add more water, cover and cook for a couple minutes. Once it's done, take it out and decorate with the dry fruit.  Smo...

I hate fruits. Yes, even mangoes. I mean... I'll eat mangoes, or lychee or pomegranate but only if force fed. Pls don't throw those eggs at me, it's not my fault. I was born like this. I think I'm missing an important piece in my brain/nervous system so pls. Stop with the judgy. That random HOW-DARE-YOU-EVEN-EXIST-YOU-HEATHEN tidbit aside, everyone else I know is insaaaaaane about mangoes. Thought I'd try this on poor innocent guests and the family loved it too. If you're a fruit person (of course you are), try it! ( Original recipe I took from @spicespoon's Instagram , adjusted it a little bit here). Ingredients 1 cup Mango (diced) 2 cups Chickpeas (boiled and cooled) 2 tbsp Tomato (finely diced) ½ Onion (finely diced) 6 Mint Leaves (julienned) Mint Leaves (for garnish) Dressing 4 lemons Lemon Juice 1 tsp Brown Sugar ½ tsp Salt ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder ¼ tsp Red Chilli Flakes Method: Combine all ingredients under 'dressing...

All of us at home love chicken wings but someone hates buffalo sauce (me), some hate barbecue (how is this even possible, I ask you) and some are unhappy with honey mustard type things. No, I didn't come combine all of these and make one magical sauce. But I did do a lot of things... some of which I'm forgetting - I'm so so sorry. Please don't hurt me. Anyway, here: Ingredients: I used about 1 kg Chicken Wings   2 cups                  Buttermilk*       Flour Spice Mix 1 cup Flour 3 tbsp Cornflour 1 tsp Salt 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder A pinch Oregano 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion Powder ½ tsp  Paprika ½ tsp  White Pepper Sauce 3 tbsp Butter 3 cloves (minced) Garlic 1 tsp   Red Chilli Flakes ½ tsp  Salt 2 tsp   Brown Sugar ½ cup Mustard ½ cup  Chilli Garlic Sauce ¼ cup Chipotle** ¼ cup Habanero*** ¼ cup Vinegar 2 tbsp Soya Sauce ¼ cup BBQ Sauce ¼ cup S...

First off, let me clarify mujhe bari basic si cooking aati hai okay. My food is mostly calorie laden comfort food, isliye please apni shikayatein na sunayen mujhe. Na to snobby (healthy) khana banana ata hai, na pasand hai. Sorry not sorry for the bad dhaba type photo. Ingredients Marination Chicken  ½ kg Yogurt 2-4 tbsp Salt  ½ tsp Red Chili Powder 1 tsp Cumin Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder  ½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 2 tbsp Turmeric  ½ tsp Lemon Juice Of 1 lemon Gravy Onion 1 (medium, finely chopped) Garlic 2 cloves (minced) Butter 2 tbsp Cumin Powder  ½ tsp Coriander Powder  ½ tsp Ginger Powder 1 tsp Tomato Paste 2-4 tbsp Cream 2-4 tbsp Coal 1 piece Green Chillies For garnish (chopped) Method Marinade chicken in the spices listed above for at least 1 hour. The more you marinade, the better the flavor so just leave it and chill. Once that's done, add some oil in a deep nonstick pan and fry the chicken until it starts to...

That's it, just gobi. No gosht, no aalu, nothing. Another vegetable I dislike, but cooked anyway. So, the next few posts will feature shitty pictures because I'm lazy and didn't bother taking nice ones. Ingredients Gobi (Cauliflower for you paindus)   1 whole gobi (chopped - apni ammi se cut puch lein) Onion                                                1 medium (thinly sliced) Ginger Garlic Paste                            1 tbsp Salt                                                    ½  tsp Red Chillies                                        1 tsp...

Let me start by saying I really, truly hate ginger. I hate the taste, I hate the texture, I hate the flavor. And yet, I love this chicken recipe. There's something about this combo that makes me not throw up. That's the best thing I can say wherever ginger is involved, trust me. Ingredients Chicken                            ½ kg (boneless, cubed) Ginger                             1 big piece (julienne cut) Salt                                   ½ tsp Red Chili Powder            1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste         2 tbsp Green Chillies                 4-6 (finely chopped) Tomatoes                 ...

I love deep fried snacks but I realize I'm shaving 30 years off my life every time Ramazan rolls around, so sandwiches are the next best iftaar. I love sandwiches too. Ingredients Eggs                  3-4 (boiled) White onion      1 (small, finely chopped) Iceberg lettuce   ½ (finely chopped/ julienne cut) Gherkin             ½ (finely chopped) Salt                   to taste Black pepper     ½ tsp Mustard            1-2 tbsp  Butter               1 tsp Mayonnaise     1-2 tbsp Sriracha           2-3 tbsp Vinegar            1-2 tbsp Dill/ other herbs for flavoring Bread Method There's no method to this madness: chop your veggies and herbs, mash your eggs, mix everything together with...

My family was very into taking a smol vacation every year - and in 1998, that meant a trip to Murree/ Bhurban. Every year, without fail, we'd head up to the mountains in June/July because summer vacation. The point of that useless little tidbit was: we'd get pakoray along the way, somewhere very close to Murree. I remember we'd stop at this shady road in the middle of nowhere where all you could see was 2 pakora stands and that's it. There was so much fog everywhere, you could only see your hand in front of your face and vague outlines of the mountains - and places you could possibly fall off from and die. Anyway, those pakoray made my soul happy. Super hot, super spicy and SO, SO CRISPY they were amazing. Huddled around the car with those insanely good pakoray, garam chai, shivering in the cold is still one of my favorite memories. I can't recreate those exactly, but these come very close to achieving that level of extra crisp. Ingredients Veggies ...

Easiest meal ever. Takes only 30 to 40 mins to complete, tastes great, extremely simply recipe. Ingredients Daal                      1 cup Salt                       ½ tsp Red Chili Powder    1 tsp Mustard Powder     ½ tsp Garlic                   10 - 14 cloves Cumin Seeds          1 tsp Oil/ Ghee             As needed Method Wash and clean the daal throughly, then leave to soak in hot water for 10-15 mins. In a deep pan, add about 2-3 glasses of water. Add the salt, chili, haldi and about 5-7 cloves of garlic. Cover and wait for the water to boil. Once it starts to bubble, add 1 tbsp ghee, stir once to make sure it dissolves and add daal. Stir daal through the spiced water, lower the flame, cover and set to cook. Stir occasion...

Ingredients Mozzarella Cheese ½ a block Flour ¼ cup  Egg 1  Milk 3 tbsp Salt Paprika Garlic Powder Oregano Onion Powder Bread Crumbs A pinch ½ tsp ½ tsp ¼ tsp ½ tsp ½ cup Method Cut the cheese into long strips. Make sure you’ve put it in the fridge a few hours before you need to use it, otherwise you won’t be able to cut it at all. In a bowl, beat egg and milk together. Get 2 shallow plates, add flour in one and in the other combine bread crumbs, salt, paprika, onion, oregano and garlic powder.  First, dredge the cheese stick into flour, then dip in egg, then coat in crumbs. Make sure it’s coated liberally on all sides. Then repeat the process. Each cheese stick should be coated twice with flour, egg and crumb mixture. Once done, set in the freezer for an hour. Heat oil or ghee in a deep frying pan and fry the sticks in hot oil so the outside crisps up but doesn’t...

Ingredients Sausages 4 (roughly chopped) Capsicum 1  Chili Garlic Ketchup 2 tbsp Sriracha Sauce 1 tbsp Mustard 2 tbsp Cream 2 tbsp Onion 2 (finely chopped) Butter Mozzarella Cheese Cheddar Cheese Salt Hotdog Buns 2 tbsp (for spreading on hotdog buns) ½ cup ½ cup To taste 4-6 Method Combine sausages and veggies in a bowl. Add mustard, chili garlic ketchup,  Sriracha, cream, salt and both cheeses. Mix well.  Butter the hotdog buns, and spoon the mixture on them. Top with cheese, herbs or whatever flavor you prefer. Grill for about 10-15 mins. Heart attack on a plate is ready!

Ingredients Qeema (minced meat)                                            ½ kg Onions                                                                  2 (medium, thinly sliced) Tomatoes                                                              4 (blended) Yogurt                                                                  1 cup Garlic               ...

Ingredients Bhindi                                                                       ½ kg (chopped) Onions                                                                       3 (large, thinly sliced) Garlic                                                                         4-5 cloves (minced) Methray (Fenugreek Seeds)                                     ...

So, Nestle sent me 4 packs of their awesome Kinnow. The little bro and I decided to experiment a little with it - this recipe may sound a bit weird but do try it! It's salty, sweet and perfect for this awful humid weather.  Ingredients Nestle Kinnow Juice 1 cup Lemon Barley ½ cup Crushed Ice 1 cup Rooh Afza ½ tsp Salt A pinch Method Blend everything together. Lightly run a lemon slice on the edge of the glass and dip it in salt/ sugar crystals. Pour juice in the glass and decorate with lemon. Serve chilled!

Ingredients Chicken 1 kg (boneless, cubed) Garlic 2 tsp (chopped) Butter 50 gms Red Chilli Powder 1 ½ tsp Mustard Powder ½ tsp Cumin Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder 1 tsp Whole Spice (Garam Masala) 1 tsp Fresh Cream ½ cup Tomatoes 5 (blended) Salt To taste Method In a pot, add the butter and fry the chopped garlic. Saute until golden, then add chicken. Once the water has dried up, add red chilli powder, mustard powder, cumin + coriander powder and whole spice. Stir and simmer on medium flame for a few minutes. Add the blended tomatoes and turn the heat up high. Stir occasionally, until the oil starts to separate. Lower the heat and add the salt, then the cream. Add some coriander or sliced ginger for garnishing. 

Great snack for the Italian cuisine lovers out there, especially if you've got leftover bread or burger buns. Ingredients Burger Buns The long ones, about 2-4 Butter For spreading Salt A pinch Black Pepper ½ tsp Oregano ¼ tsp Olive Oil 2-4 tbsp Cheddar Cheese ½ cup Olives (green or black, either will do) ¼ cup (chopped) Tomato ½ cup (chopped) Method Cut the buns in half and spread butter on them. In a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, olives, olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Spoon a little bit of the mixture on all the buns and top with cheese. Sprinkle some oregano on the top and grill until golden. Serve hot. 

Quick. Simple. SO GOOD. Ingredients Eggs 2 Salt To taste Black Pepper ¼ tsp Red Chili Powder ½ tsp Oregano ¼ tsp Spinach Leaves Washed and chopped into little pieces Mozzarella Cheese ½ cup Oil For frying Method Beat the eggs and add the seasoning with the spinach leaves. The quantity of the spinach is up to you; I used about  ½ cup but you can adjust according to your taste. Oil a pan and spread the mixture on it. Once the bottom side is lightly cooked, flip and sprinkle the cheese all over it. Fold in half and gently cook on low heat until done. Serve hot. 

Ingredients Chicken ½ kg (cut into strips) Garlic Paste 1 tsp Ghee 2-3 tbsp Onion 1 (thinly sliced) Salt To taste Brown Sugar 1 tsp Oregano ½ tsp B. Pepper 1 tsp Lemon Zest 3 lemons Lemon Juice ½ cup Capsicum 1 Green Chili 1-2 Water 1 cup Corn Flour 3-4 tbsp Method Add ghee to a deep pan, wait till it's hot and add the garlic paste. Fry until golden, then add the chicken. Fry till it starts turning opaque, then add the salt, pepper, oregano, brown sugar, lemon zest, and half of the onion (keep the other half for later). Add half the capsicum and all of the green chilies, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the water to the chicken, turning the heat up high. In a cup, mix the corn flour with some water and make a thin paste. Add the remaining onion, capsicum and lemon juice to the chic...