Pakistan (1/9/12)
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Recipes contributed by Dr. Saad Alvi.
Pakistani and Northern Indian cuisine share many similarities, among them a strong Turkish influence. In fact, the popular dish pulao is Turkish in origin. (A relevant sidenote: if you burn the rice and get a crunchy layer on the bottom of the pot, don't despair! The scrapings are considered a delicacy in Persia.) The first recipe featured below, however, is uniquely Pakistani. It's the "poor man's meat" that you might come by when travelling the northern mountains of Pakistan (be that as it may, it's delicious!). These dishes utilize a variety of spices, mostly toasted or fried first to release their tantalizing aromas. Warning: your kitchen will smell so good your neighbors might come knocking. Click here to download these recipes. |
Chapli Kabab
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (80/20 yields best results)
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
1½ tablespoons Cumin
1½ tablespoons coriander seed
1½ tablespoons dry pomegranate seed (Aanar Dana; available at Indian grocery stores)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of roasted chickpeas, shelled (Bhuna Chana; also available at Indian stores)
Some meat tenderizer
1/2 cup thinly sliced and chopped onions
1/2 shredded cilantro
1/2 cup to 1 cup of thinly sliced and diced tomato
1/2 thinly sliced and diced green pepper* (choose pepper according to taste, see below)
One raw egg
Method:
To start, put coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a frying pan and roast them -- dry roast: once you get the fragrance, take them out.
Put pomegranate seed and chickpeas with the roasted seeds and grind them coarsely. I use the blender. Make sure the chickpeas are properly ground.
Thoroughly mix the ground seeds with the meat tenderizer, ginger/garlic paste, and ground beef, and put it aside for about an hour.
While the ground beef mixture is resting, prepare your onion, green pepper, tomato and cilantro. Mix with marinated ground beef and add salt to taste. Add the raw egg. Mix thoroughly. Let it stand for another 20 to 30 minute.
Make patties about 3½ to 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 in thick, and fry them in the frying pan. If you are using a high-fat ground beef, you don’t have to use any oil.
Yields about 5 or 6 patties.
*I have not put any peppers in this recipe – the pepper taste comes from green peppers. I used cubano because they are not very hot; you can use different peppers to achieve the taste you prefer. Use Anaheim or Mexican peppers for a hotter taste.
1 lb. ground beef (80/20 yields best results)
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
1½ tablespoons Cumin
1½ tablespoons coriander seed
1½ tablespoons dry pomegranate seed (Aanar Dana; available at Indian grocery stores)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of roasted chickpeas, shelled (Bhuna Chana; also available at Indian stores)
Some meat tenderizer
1/2 cup thinly sliced and chopped onions
1/2 shredded cilantro
1/2 cup to 1 cup of thinly sliced and diced tomato
1/2 thinly sliced and diced green pepper* (choose pepper according to taste, see below)
One raw egg
Method:
To start, put coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a frying pan and roast them -- dry roast: once you get the fragrance, take them out.
Put pomegranate seed and chickpeas with the roasted seeds and grind them coarsely. I use the blender. Make sure the chickpeas are properly ground.
Thoroughly mix the ground seeds with the meat tenderizer, ginger/garlic paste, and ground beef, and put it aside for about an hour.
While the ground beef mixture is resting, prepare your onion, green pepper, tomato and cilantro. Mix with marinated ground beef and add salt to taste. Add the raw egg. Mix thoroughly. Let it stand for another 20 to 30 minute.
Make patties about 3½ to 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 in thick, and fry them in the frying pan. If you are using a high-fat ground beef, you don’t have to use any oil.
Yields about 5 or 6 patties.
*I have not put any peppers in this recipe – the pepper taste comes from green peppers. I used cubano because they are not very hot; you can use different peppers to achieve the taste you prefer. Use Anaheim or Mexican peppers for a hotter taste.
Matar (Peas) Pulao
Ingredients:
2 cup uncooked basmati rice*, rinsed and drained (keep rice submerged in water for about 30 min). You can also choose to add a bit of salt at this step.
4 cups water (2:1 ratio of water to rice)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
4-6 whole cloves
3-4 black cardamom seeds
6-8 whole black peppercorns
2 medium sized cinnamon sticks
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed (½:1 ratio of peas to rice)
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot over low heat. Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry a bit, until it sizzles and releases its aroma. Add the cloves, cardamom seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks. Cook for a few minutes to bring out the aroma of the spices.
Add rice and water to the pot. The water level should be about an inch above the rice. Bring to a boil. Keep checking for firmness of rice. When rice is “3/4 done”, add peas (and a little more oil, if desired), mix well, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat, until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Taste, and adjust the salt before serving.
*You can try different kind of rice but the cooking time needs to be adjusted accordingly.
2 cup uncooked basmati rice*, rinsed and drained (keep rice submerged in water for about 30 min). You can also choose to add a bit of salt at this step.
4 cups water (2:1 ratio of water to rice)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
4-6 whole cloves
3-4 black cardamom seeds
6-8 whole black peppercorns
2 medium sized cinnamon sticks
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed (½:1 ratio of peas to rice)
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot over low heat. Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry a bit, until it sizzles and releases its aroma. Add the cloves, cardamom seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks. Cook for a few minutes to bring out the aroma of the spices.
Add rice and water to the pot. The water level should be about an inch above the rice. Bring to a boil. Keep checking for firmness of rice. When rice is “3/4 done”, add peas (and a little more oil, if desired), mix well, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat, until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Taste, and adjust the salt before serving.
*You can try different kind of rice but the cooking time needs to be adjusted accordingly.