Chicken Roast and Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces (leg and thigh attached) - 5
• Tomato Ketchup - 1 cup
• Salt - 2 tsp
  
• Red chili powder - 2 tsp
  
• Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
  
• Oil - as needed

Method:

1. Heat oil and deep fry chicken pieces, making sure they're tender when you take 'em out.
   
2. Cool completely. They should be at room temperature.
   
3. Mix the spices in ketchup. Coat the pieces with this mixture. Leave in fridge for 6, 7 hours.
4. In a large pan, boil water. Put a strainer on the pan and put the chicken pieces on it, such that they're not touching the water. Make sure the water keeps boiling.
   
5. Steam for 45 minutes. Serve hot.
   

Potato Wedges
Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 6, white, cut into wedges
  
• Mayonnaise - 4 tbsp
• Cayenne - 1 tsp
  
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Bread crumbs - 3/4 cup
• Olive oil - 4 tbsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix everything together and lay on a baking tray. Make sure the wedges are not overlapping.
3. Turn once after half an hour.
4. Bake for another 30 minutes or until tender.
   
5. Note: Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the wedges. Thicker they are, more time will be needed to cook 'em, and vice versa.
   

Lauki Gosht (Squash & Meat Curry)

Ingredients:

• Meat (lamb/beef) : 2 lbs; cut into roughly 2-4 inch pieces with bones
  
• Squash : 1 , medium, slit lengthwise then slice; 1 cm thickness
  
• Onions: 1, normal sized, sliced
• Tomatoes: 1/2, medium, chopped
• Oil: 5, 6 tbsp
• Salt: 2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder: 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1.25 tsp
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder: 2 tsp
• Garam Masala: 0.5 tsp
• Garlic Paste: 2 tsp
• Ginger Paste: 2 tsp
• Coriander Leaves: 1.25 cups, chopped
• Green Chillies: 6, 7

Method:

1. Add 3 cups of water in a pot. Add the meat, onions, all the spices (except for garam masala) and the garlic ginger pastes (add 1.5 spoons each). Let it cook until the water has dried and the meat is almost tender. If you're using lamb, less water would do.
2. Once the water has dried and the meat almost cooked, add 5, 6 tbsp cooking oil and fry the meat. After 3, 4 minutes, add the remaining ginger garlic pastes. After a minute or so, add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have formed a paste. All on medium heat.
   
3. Add the squash and mix it well with everything. Stir fry for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the green chillies and 2 glasses of water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20, 25 minutes, until the squash is tender.
5. Add the coriander leaves and finish with half a tsp of garam masala.

* Serve with naan or roti. Boiled rice would do too.

* You can omit meat in this dish and have a vegetarian curry. Use the same ingredients, but leave out ginger and garlic pastes and coriander powder. For method, start with heating the oil. Brown the onions in it. Add tomatoes. Make a chunky sauce. Add all the spices (except garam masala) and mix. Proceed from step 3 above.

Macaroni

Ingredients:

• Minced meat OR boneless chicken cut into bite-size pieces (optional) - 1 lb
• Oil - 4, 5 tbsp
• Onion - 1/2, medium, sliced
• Tomato - 1/2, medium, diced
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger & Garlic pastes - 1 tsp each
• Green bell pepper - 1, cut in pea-sized cubes
• Corn - 1 cup
• Green onions - 1 bunch, sliced
• Carrots - 1 cup, cut in pea-sized cubes (or sliced thinly if using baby-peeled)
• Macaroni - 1 packet, boiled
• Tomato ketchup - 4, 5 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 4, 5 tbsp
• Olive oil - 4, 5 tbsp
• Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat the oil. Fry the onions in it. Add the tomatoes and make a thick sauce. Add the spices (salt, pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, ginger & garlic pastes) and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the meat and fry for 5, 10 minutes. Let cook covered for 30 minutes. (If you're not using meat, omit this step and start from the second step).
   
2. Boil and drain the macaroni. Add the olive oil and mix. Add red pepper flakes.
   
3. Fry the veges, each separately, and add to the boiled pasta.
   
4. Add ketchup and soy sauce and mix thoroughly.
   

Tori Ki Bhujia (Best Zucchini Ever!)

* This recipe makes for four people.

Ingredients:

• Zucchinis: 3, medium - peeled and sliced (roughly 0.5 cm thick)
• Tomato: 1, half finely chopped and half coarsely chopped - microwave the coarsely chopped half for a minute
• Onion: 1/2, medium, sliced
• Vegetable Oil: 5, 6 tbsp
• Salt: 1.75 tsp
• Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1.25 tsp
• Cumin Seeds: 1.5 tsp
• Green Chillies: 4, whole
• Coriander Leaves (optional): 1.25 cups, coarsely chopped

Method:

1. Heat the oil. Fry the onion. When it's golden, add the finely chopped tomatoes. Keep stirring until the tomatoes have formed a thick sauce. Add all the spices (salt, chili, turmeric, cumin) and mix.
2. Add the sliced zucchinis, mix well, cover and let cook over slow heat for 20 minutes.
3. Add the coarsely chopped tomato and the green chillies. Cover and cook over the same heat for another 10, 12 minutes.
4. Garnish with the coriander leaves (if using). Serve with raita and roti.

Variations:

- Omit tomatoes from the third step and thus only use half a tomato.
- Sometimes I like to add omelette to this dish too. Sounds weird but tastes good. Beat two eggs and add salt and red chili powder. Make an omelette and break it into almost 1 inch pieces. Add this to the dish after the third step. This would work better if you're following the above suggestion of using only half a tomato.


Raita:

The BEST condiment when serving most Pakistani dishes. It's made by adding things to yogurt. There are a lot of variations to this which I'll be adding them with my recipes. For this recipe, the following mixture of ingredients works the best.

• Beat 3/4 cup of yogurt. Add: 1/4 medium onion, chopped; 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder. Mix well. You can serve it at room temperature or slightly cold; doesn't make any difference.

Roti (Indian Flat Bread):

Indian flat bread. The following link shows the method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD4o_Lmy6bU
-The dough can be made by adding 3 cups of whole wheat flour and kneading it with water to a rubbery consistency. The more you knead it, the better. I knead mine for 6, 7 minutes.
-With this amount, you'll be able to make 8, 9 rotis.
-It's best to prepare the dough a night before and leaving it in the fridge.

Aaloo Gosht (Meat & Potato Curry)

Ingredients:

• Meat (lamb/beef) : 2 lbs; cut into roughly 2-4 inch pieces with bones
  
• Potatoes : 3 white, medium, each cut once lengthwise, and then each half cut horizontally
• Onions: 1, normal sized, sliced
• Tomatoes: 2, medium, chopped
• Oil: 5, 6 tbsp
• Salt: 2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder: 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1.25 tsp
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder: 2 tsp
• Garam Masala: 0.5 tsp
• Garlic Paste: 2 tsp
• Ginger Paste: 2 tsp
• Yogurt: 0.5 cup
• Coriander Leaves: 1.25 cups, chopped
• Green Chillies: 6, 7

Method:

1. Add 3 cups of water in a pot. Add the meat, onions, all the spices (except for garam masala) and the garlic ginger pastes (add 1.5 spoons each). Let it cook until the water has dried and the meat is almost tender. If you're using lamb, less water would do.
2. Once the water has dried and the meat almost cooked, add 5, 6 tbsp cooking oil and fry the meat. After 3, 4 minutes, add the remaining ginger garlic pastes. After a minute or so, add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have formed a paste. All on medium heat.
   
3. Add the potatoes and mix them well with everything. Stir fry them for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the yogurt. Mix and let it cook for 2, 3 minutes. Add the green chillies and 2 glasses of water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20, 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the coriander leaves and finish with half a tsp of garam masala.

* Serve with naans. Recipe can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qbCigxf_sc
I prefer the ones made over the stove. This also tastes good with boiled rice.