Qeema Mutter

As I mentioned in the previous Rajhisthani Keema recipe that Keema Mutter is my favorite recipe. I mean I used to eat 3 rotis in one time when my mom used to make it back in Pakistan.

This is a very basic recipe which I think should be known by everyone. 

Boys should know this because they should know how to cook everything. That way they don't have to depend on any woman and when the 'wife' tells them "I am leaving you." they can say "GO AHEAD LEAVE."

Girls should know this because its good to know how to cook things.

This is my mom's recipe with a little addition by me.

You Need:

500 grams mince beef/mutton

1 large onion finely chopped

2 large tomatoes chopped

2-3 green chilies sliced

2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

1 cup peas

7 whole black pepper

1 teaspoon of kasuri methi

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Now heat oil in a non stick pan and fry chopped onion. Add salt, red chili powder, ginger anc garlic paste. Cook until the water from the onion dries.

Now add chopped tomatoes and coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and coriander powder. Again cook until the water of tomatoes dry.

Now its time to add the minced beef. Cook it until it water dries. If you're in a hurry then cover it up for 10 minutes.

I am using frozen peas and they are pre-coooked. If you are using natural peas then please add them in the previous step as they will take time in cooking.

Uncover the lid and if there is any water left dry it on high heat. Now add 2 cups of water, cover the lid again and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. This will completely infuse all the masalas and flavor in the minced meat. Take the lid of after every five minutes and give a stir.

Now take off the lid and add the green chilies, kasuri methi and peas. Cook it until the peas are soft and add lemon juice if you want to. Mix in a tablespoon of green coriander and keep the rest for garnishing. The keema mutter is ready to dish out.

Eat it with naan, roti, chappati or boiled rice. Keema Mutter is one of the most delicious desi recipes of all time and it will stay that way till the end of Keema or Mutter.

Shamsher's Special Pakora

I always wanted to name something after me, never thought that it would actually be pakoras.

To be honest I am not a big pakora fan but its been raining continuously in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma since my arrival and its also Ramadan.So,  its very hard to ignore Pakoras these days.

Some people make very crispy pakoras with thin batter, I like them a bit thicker and bigger in size because I'm a big boy and big boys like big things. If that made any sense.

This recipe is dedicated to Amani Durrani because she gave the REMINDER about pakoras and I'm glad I was able to make them.

Confession - It's the first time I have made them without the presence of my mom and she makes the best pakoras I have ever had. Not saying this because she is my mom but because she actually makes the best pakoras.

You need:

500 grams besan

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon red chili pepper powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

250 grams of minced chicken

1 medium chopped onion

3-4 chopped spring onions

2 potatoes thinly sliced or any cut in any desired thin shape

100 grams of atta (optional)

Now you can improvise and add shredded cheese or anything but I did not because I'm watching calories. Yeah I am being that lame.

Add the salt, red chili pepper, crushed red chili, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin powder in the besan and mix.

Now some people add water and make the batter right away but I did not. I add the vegetables and then add the water.

The key to make the perfect batter is to add less water and mix the batter with CLEAN hands for a better mix. Start with less water and if required more then add more water slowly so you can stop when your desired consistency is reached.

So I just added the vegetables and then started adding water to make the batter according to my consistency. For 500 grams of besan I will suggest not more than 1 or 1.5 cups of water. I cannot find the batter pictures but after mixing the vegetables in besan I added water and made the batter. After the batter was made I added minces chicken and mixed that as well.

Now its time to fry.

Heat oil on medium high in a non stick pan. Let it heat for 4-5 minutes and then with a help of a table spoon start adding the batter to your desired size for frying.

Always fry pakoras till the are light or medium brown. Never go for dark brown as they are already at burning point at that time.

Do yourself and favor by making this chattni. In 250 grams of yogurt blend, quarter bunch of coriander and half bunch of mint leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 green chilies and a tomato to make Chattni Supreme.

Ladies and gentle ladies I give you Shamsher's Special Pakora. Nothing too extra ordinary but you will love it. This recipe is specially for the women who seek kitchen guidance and can't get good rishta because of lack of cooking skillz (intended humor and sarcasm).

Spaghetti with Beef Marinara Sauce

Beef is the nastiest meat. The calorie count is high. Digestion rate is low up to 48 hours BUT we still love it.

Beef is like that person which is bad for us and will keep breaking our heart again and again BUT we still love her/him.

Beef is like that friend which your parents hate, your siblings despise and your relatives talk shit about BUT we still love that friend.

Despite of all that beef hate I still managed to cook this Italian recipe which as almost effortless as a rich kid's life and as easy as your boosting ego.

Spaghetti with Beef Marinara Sauce. The ingredients are simple and easy to found.

LET'S START (excited for no reason)

You need: 

500 grams lean ground beef

1 large onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes or to taste

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

Salt and pepper according to taste

1 whole head of garlic cloves peeled and chopped into large bits

1 whole small can tomato paste

1 1/2 jar of good marinara pasta sauce, look for one that is a rich red color and not so watery

500 grams of thick spaghetti pasta

Grated/shaved parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Few fresh basil leaves for topping (optional)

Put beef in a good quality non stick pan (ami se kahein thorey se ziada pasie kherch ke bartan achay walay le aen).

Add salt, pepper, turmeric powder, chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chopped onion and dried basil leaves in the pan with beef. Mix it well and start cooking on high heat until the beef turns brown and the water is all dried.

Add the chopped garlic now and saute for 2 mins on high heat.

Add the tomato paste, mix it and saute for a minute more.

Now lower the heat to medium or low and add the marinara sauce/pasta sauce. Simmer it until its completely hot.

Beef Marinara Sauce is ready now.

Time to boil the spaghetti now. Do not boil it for more than 7 minutes as for this recipe the pasta needs to be a bit chunky. Time to set up the plate.

Sprinkle a little grated parmesan on it and put a couple of fresh basil leaves. If you want to make it more spicy you can sprinkle more red chili flakes on your plate.

Spaghetti with Beef Marinara Suace ladies and gentlemen.

Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhni)

I remember going on the new food street in Lahore (FAKE FOOD STREET I MISS THE OLD FOOD STREET) to this foolishly expensive restaurant and asked them for the Chicken Makhni which was nothing but a simple chicken handi with a butter stick on it. 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION THAT IS NOT CHICKEN MAKHNI OR BUTTER CHICKEN BY ANY ANGLE OR DIRECTION WHAT SO EVER !!!!!!

I'm sorry for this outrage and to fix that stupid mistake of that stupid restaurant from the stupid food street which is not even a 0% equivalent of the greatness of the REAL FOOD STREET. I am going to make the original recipe which involves cream, butter and a blend tomatoes with spices.

There are two different versions of this recipe. One is cooked with fresh tomatoes and the other one is cooked with canned tomato puree and cashew nut. This is the tomato puree version but you can cook it the other way as well. The recipe is a bit long and a lot of work but it is worth all the effort. Don't trust me.

For Chicken Marinade

500 grams boneless and skinless thigh meat

1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt

For Gravy

4 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

6 pods cardamom

1 stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (sookhi methi)

salt according to taste

2-3 green chilies finely chopped

1 tablespoon red chili powder

1 1/2 can of tomato puree around 600 grams

3 table spoon tomato paste

1/2 cup cream

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/3 cup raw cashew

2 cups water

So first of all we prepare the chicken marinade by adding the yogurt, saffron threads, salt, garam masala and vegetable oil in a bowl or a container. Add the chicken in it and marinate and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours. Overnight is always preferable and adds great flavor as I marinated my chicken over night.

Now its time to prepare the gravy. First we melt the butter in a non stick pan. On medium heat fry cinnamon stick, ginger garlic paste and cardamom pods till fragrant. Add the chopped green chilies and fenugreek seeds. Fry them for 2 minutes.

Blend tomato puree cans and tomato paste together. Add it in the pan and cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes until the tomato mixture is caramelized and all the water is dried.

Now this whole above process takes a lot of time so meanwhile the tomato mixture is being cooked on medium heat we will cook the chicken.

The I won't recommend to fry the chicken as it will take the marinade taste away so the best option we have is to grill it. You can use a grill pan but if you have an electric oven you can also broil it. I won't prefer that you cook the chicken thoroughly while grilling or broiling it as it will also be cooked inside the gravy. Just char the outside and put it on a chopping board. Let it cool down and cut it into large chunks. 

Now after the tomato mixture is ready, you took it of the heat. Put 2 cups of water and raw cashew nuts in a blender. Blend it until it turns milk white and then add it to the tomato mixture. Whisk it until the color turns mild.

Now add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves and chicken. Start cooking it on medium heat. Add cream and cook it for 6-8 minutes. Butter Chicken is absolutely ready.

Eat it with a chapati, pratha but most preferably eat it with boiled or steamed white rice. Enjoy and don't forget to mention how awesome I am.