Recipe Excerpts from upcoming book: Paklish Cooking 101

Now that I mentioned the cookbook in my last blog post, I have cooking on the brain. So I thought it would be fun to write about cooking in Pakistan. Here is an excerpt from the book Paklish Cooking 101, and two recipes highlighted in the book.

• Silver dishes are a vital part of every kitchen.

• Silver dishes (panday), shallow flat mixing bowl (thrami), tea bowls (pyalas), sauce pan (dedgi), round griddle (tava), bread basket (chooket), teapot (chinook) , flatbread cloth (tutahanas), hand-held fan (punkias) and wooden spoons.
• Moms are always ready for the traveling junk man (panday valla) when he comes thru the alleyway on his bicycle. Collections of old plastic shoes, old silver dishes, odd-and-end metal pieces are weighed and traded in for a new silver pot or clay tea bowls.
• Dirt is smeared on the bottom of clay and silver pots and pans; not only to make it easier to clean the soot, but to help prevent the clay pots from cracking during cooking.
• To wash the dirt away, old socks, bar of soap and sand are used. Once wet and the pot is scrubbed in circular motion and the dirty soot washes away. 

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Stock Masala Mix

(Used as a base in most Pakistani dishes.)         

Ready in 10-12 minutes (including veggie prep)

Ingredients

(Based on serving size of 4 adults and can be adjusted as needed.)

• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 onion (preferably purple, but any will do)
• 2 green chilly peppers
• minced garlic
• pinch of salt
• oil (
• red pepper
• turmeric powder
• coriander powder
• ½ handful of fresh coriander leaves (if available)
• 1 green onions (if available)

Preparation

1. Heat up some oil in a saucepan or pot.
2. Add onions and fresh coriander leaves; saute until light brown (slowly add more oil if desired).
3. Add garlic and saute until light brown (be careful not to burn the garlic).
4. Add spices and stir.
5. Add rest of ingredients and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked to slightly soft; stirring occasionally.

Tips

Make sure to no over cook, as you will be most likely adding other meat and vegetables in.  

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Meat and Peas (Keema Mutter)

Ready in 30 minutes

Serves 8 people

Ingredients

• stock masala mix
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 onion (preferably purple, but any will do)
• 2 green chilly peppers
• minced garlic
• pinch of salt
• oil (
• red pepper
• turmeric powder
• coriander powder
• ½ handful of fresh coriander leaves (if available)
• 1 green onions (if available)
• 
  
• 1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
• 15 oz. of peas

Preparation

1. Prepare stock  masala mix in hot pan.
2. Add ground meat and cook until it breaks apart.
3. Add peas and a small amount of water just to let the peas cook. Add more water as desired. Cook until peas are tender.
4. Salt to taste.

Tips

Potatoes can also be diced and added a few minutes before the peas.

Serve with rice,  flat bread or corn cakes.

Garnish with chutney and yoghurt.