Rice  Pakora

Ingredients:

Rice  : 1 cup (boiled rice from day before)

Salt  : To taste

Red chili  : half teaspoon

Yoghurt  :2 cup

Onion  :1 (finely chopped)

Garlic Paste : 1 tablespoon

Gram Flour : 1 cup

Green chilli : 3 to 2 (well chopped)

Cumin Powder :   A pinch

  Oil : for deep fry

Mothed :

  Take a bowl  put  boiled rice & pour  yoghurt over it .Cover the bowl & let it  soak for 2 hours. After  two hours add gram flour ,red chilli , chopped onion, garlic paste, green chili,

cumin powder & mix  them  well. Now heat  oil. Make shape of pakora  and fry it  all.

Sever :

Sever it with kepchup  or chilli sauce.

Wild life in Khyber Pakhtun Khwa

Pakistan

Khyber Pakhtun Khwa (KPK) is one of the richest provinces amongst four of the existing ones. KPK is famous for its rich & diverse culture with a great topographic diversity. It has vast plains, broken lands, low hills and high mountains of Himalaya-Karakorum, Hindukush, Koh Safaid and Suleiman ranges. Today, me going to talk about the wild life at KPK.

KPK supports 94 species of mammals out of the total 158 species found in Pakistan. Three of the six species endemic to Pakistan, namely: Whooly flying squirrel, Murree Vole, and Indus River Dolphin, are also found in KPK.

KPK has 453 birds’ species out of total 660 birds species present in Pakistan. There are 42 species of reptiles out of 174 species of reptiles present in Pakistan.

Important Wildlife species of the province are Indus Dolphin, Snow Leopard, Straight Horned Markhor, Western Horned Tragopan, Cheer Pheasant and Asian Cobra.

Me belong to Hazara which is famous for its silk route, wild life and beautiful hill stations. Kohistan inhabits a small population of the Markhor. In the Thakot, Kohistan area we can easily spot the Blind Indus Dolphins playing on the surface of Indus River.

As we move forward towards Mansehra, we have various kinds of birds like pheasants, doves, sparrows, quails, pidwegeons, etc. We also have two kinds of crows here: Mountain crows and white crows.

 The animals found in the Abbotabad region are deer, leopards, lions, monkeys,etc.

This is my little effort to highlight a few species of mammals and birds of hazara. Hope you liked what I wrote.

                                                                                                                                 

Maleeha Hayat

Roast Chicken With Sweet Corn

Ingredients:

 1 Chicken (cut into pieces) for 4 people

2 Tablespoon Ginger paste

2 Tablespoon Garlic paste

1 ½Tablespoon Green chilli paste

4 Tablespoon Yoghurt
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder

Half cup Sweet corn

Salt to taste

Half cup cooking oil

Fresh Coriander  to garnish

Method:

         Take a bowl add chicken ,ginger paste,garlic paste ,greenchilli paste,yoghurt, sweet corn, salt,oil and marinate the chicken for half hour.

Place the marinated chicken in an ovenproof dish.

Add some butter on the top of the chicken mixture.

Cover it with lid or foil.

Bake at 180 degree for 35-40 minutes, then remove the cover and bake 5-10 minutes longer.At the end garnish  with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve:

         Serve hot. 

Prince Saif ul Malook and Badri Jamala

The Land of the fairies, no doubt it earned its name, as they say seeing is  believing. The breath taking view of the lake and the towering "malka parbat" meaning the Queen Mountain standing tall and invincible presents a classical picture of creator's work(Allah).Me was there in early 90 's for two hours & am still mesmerized. There is  story or legend about this place we heard there from local people and  read about it in storybooks.

 . The legend of the lake is very interesting and romantic. A Persian Prince, Saif ul Malook fell in love with a fairy princess, Badr-ul-Jamal(means glory of the moon), whom he saw in his dreams. The prince was restless until a Dervish (holy man) told him where to find her  by the lake and that he had to go through a tough exam to be able to marry the fairy because the prince was a human and she was a fairy. Thus the prince marched on his quest for the impossible in the name of love. He waited by the lake where there was no habitation, (there still isn't), no food, nothing. His long wait of 12 years, finally reaped harvest and one good morning he saw the fairy come to bathe with her maids and friends in the lake. The prince hid her wings as advised by the holy man. The fairy was very tense at not finding her wings. Eventually the prince appeared and told her about his tale of love and long wait, which moved the fairy and they agreed to marry. But there was a Safaid Deuo (the white giant) who was himself in love with the fairy got jealous and furious. In rage the giant cried and thus tear lake (ansoo jheel, approx. 2 miles away) was formed. The giant stepped angrily, the dam broke and the outlet to the lake Saif-ul- Mulook was formed. And the Deuo captured her. Took   her  to Malka Parbat( Mountain of Fairies) she was bound there. And she only can be free when the Deuo is dead, but he cannot defeat him using ordinary means,for the Deuo has hidden his soul in talisman of some sort and hidden it away ,Sail-ul-Malook and his army succeed  in finding the talisman and killing  Deuo . But   igniting a 40 year war between the  Deuo of the earth and those who dwell in the spirit world.

  In some sayings, the Deuo  stepped angrily, the dam broke and the outlet to the lake Saif-ul-Mulook was formed. The prince and the fairy princess fled away in a cave (which still exists and its length is unknown to this day). The legend says that both the prince and the fairy live in the centre of the lake saif-ul-mulook, and on every full moon night they emerge mounted on a white flying horse, the pagasus, from the centre of the lake. The depth of the lake has not been measured to this day,the last effort they say was made in late 90s but the measuring chain weighing 5 tons went down and vanished and the mystery of the lake dares us!           

* These  beautiful   lakes are in kaghan and naran  valley ,north east cost of Mansehra District , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Pakistan.

 * pictures are from google.

              After me thought  to  share about historic ruins great Taxila  city.  Taxila is several time  destroyed  and  rebuilt  by  different  rulers. Taxila is famous for its handicrafts.

Demetrius 1 of  Bactria

     Sirkup  is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city  of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded ancient India around 180 BC. Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent (modern day Pakistan) an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around 10.B.C. Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king Menander. The second city site of ancient Taxila presently as Sirkap is named after  one of the wicked character of a folk legend,Raja Rasalu and his seven demons. The excavation of the old city was carried out under the supervision of Sir John Marshall by Hergrew from 1912-1930. In 1944 and 1945 further parts were excavated by Mortimer Wheeler and his colleagues. The remains belong  to four distinct super-imposed periods of Per-Greek, Greeks ,Scythians and  Parthian. The city founded approximately in the first quarter of second century B.C. by the Bactrian Greek King Menander. The city was well planned and fortified. The Parthian king  Gondophares following the Greek pattern rebuilt the city with its main street in the middle studded with shops and places of worship like Apsidal Temple ,Sun Temple and Double-Headed  Eagle Stupa and  kings palace close to the eastern gate. Christian Apostle Saint Thomas came to Sirkap in 40 A.D.and was received by the king in his Royal Palace. The famous traveler Apollonius of Tyana who visited Taxila in 44 A.D mentions “Taxila about the size of Nineveh and walled like Greek city. The narrow streets arranged well like that of Athens”.  It was under Parthian that “Gandhara  Art

In about 60 A.D., The Great Kushanas completely swept away the Parthian and carved a mighty empire in India extending up to river Ganges. They laid the foundation of the third city site of Taxila at Sirsukh in about 80 A.D.

Taxila was a famous center of Jainism in the ancient times, many sanctuaries and ritual abject relating of this religion were recovered during excavation here.

A special Stupa at Sirkap is the so-called 'Double-Headed Eagle Stupa'. The pilasters here are of a Greek design, "Corinthian columns". In the middle arch, a Greek temple is shown; in the outer, a shrine of a Hindu design can be seen. On top of these sanctuaries, a double-headed eagle is seated from which the name of the Stupa has been derived. This motive is rather odd, to say the least, as it is originally Babylonian. It seems to have spread to Scythia, and introduced in the Punjab by the Saca rulers .One round Stupa is present at sirkap. It is one of the oldest Stupas in indo-Pak. It is assumed that this Stupa was uprooted and thrown to its present location by a strong earthquake in the 1st century AD. When the new city was built later, The  Stupa was kept by building a protecting wall around it. 

Grand Trunk Road

I was thinking what to write for last few days.Today i went to Islamabaad on my way from Taxila an ancient city.So i thought to share  about the great oldest & longest major road Grand Trunk Road. For several centuries,it has linked the eastren and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, running from Bangladesh, across north  India,into  Purushapura (  Peshawar)   in Pakistan,up to Kabul, Afghanistan.It was initiated during Maurya Empire in 3rd century(B.C.E)& later renovated &entended in 16th century (A.D) by Sher Shah Suri a pashtun emperor who then ruled much of Northern India.
 Original portion of the Grand Trunk Road from 1539 to1545 (A.D).It is also called Sadak-e-Azam.Fruit trees were planted on either side of the road.Grain & fodder were supplied for Horses and Cattle at each  caravanserai.This road runs from Kabul (Afghanistan) to Calcutta (India).Me & my daughter  enjoy  a lot.My daughter    running around with  joy & all excitement.There  was  a market near by.We had our lunch in a small  road side hotel( Dhaba).I loved their  tea which we had after lunch.After lunch  we had small  walk  on this  ancient road.I was thinking about that time.Found myself  there &felt i am surrounded by them.I was having wonderfull feelings that time.It  will take a  while  to get back in a the real world.

Hyderabadi chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
 Chicken (cut into 12 pieces)=1 kg
 Plain Yogurt = 2 cup
 Long Grain Rice = 6 cup ( for 6 peoples)
 Red Chilli Powder = 1 teaspoon
 Ginger Paste = 1/2 tablespoon
Coriander leaves = Finely chopped , half cup
 Garlic Paste =1/2 table spoon
Lemon Juice (from 4 lemons)= 3 tablespoon
 Fresh Mint Leaves finely chopped=half cup
 Green Chillies (finely chopped)=4
 Whole Black Peppercorns = 6
Cardamom seeds =6
 Onions(medium, thinly sliced,fried them before use)=2
Oil = 2cups
 Salt (to taste)

Method

Wash chicken pieces with cold water and drain well. Seperately in a bowl mix together ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, plain yogurt,lemon juice, fried onions(half of them)oil one cup . Marinate chicken pieces in this mixture and set aside for 30 minutes.

 Rice

Boil rice in water in a large pot until rice is parboiled and drain. Now remove the pot  from  heat.
Now take  large pot.Heat it. Add  the remaining  oil ,fried onions,lemon juice,chopped mint, coriander leaves ,chicken & in the  end  make  one layer of rice.

Simmer

Simmer  the rice  for  ten mintues on high flame& then  low the  flame till  15 mints.After its tender mix it gently .(Use rotimaker for simmer to have  good  results. put flat rotimaker on heat. heat it  up put pot on it and  them simmer then  rice.)

Raita

Ingredients:
 Plain Yogurt = half kg
 Zera = A pinch
salt to taste
 Red Chilli Powder=1 teaspoon

Method

Take Yogurt in a  bowl ,add zera ,salt, red chilli powder mix them .

Sever 

Sever   delicious biryani  with raita .

Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken = 1kg
Oil = 1cup
Yoghurt= half kg

Tomatoes= 2
Salt to taste

Blackpepper  to taste
Onion (well chopped)=1

Garlicpaste =1 table spoon
Ginger paste =1 table spoon

Method

Clean chicken put it in a bowl now add onion ,garlic paste,ginger paste,tomato,salt,blackpepper ,mix them well.
Take a pan heat oil now.Put chicken in it  and cover it.Low the flame and cook it till chicken is tender .

Sever

Ingredients
Onion =1
Tomato=1
White radish =1

Method

Slice  them in round shape .Garnish it . now  sever  it with naan bread.

Kajal (Kohl)

Sweet friends today i want to share some precious kohl (kajal) case and a beautiful pouch.
kolh (kajal) is an ancient eyes cosmetic.
kohl is arabic word. Personally, i love it!
my makeup is imcomplete without it.
This silver case is made of pure silver.
Its also a gift  from my grandmom .
hurrayyyy  to  grandma.
The colorful pouch is  a gift from my afghani friend.
Embroidery is with silk twigs.
Afghani females  are so  good  in embroidery.
  kohl has been worn traditionlly since 3500 B.C .It was originally used as protection against eye ailments.

Plum sauce

Ingredients:

Plum :8 to 10 ( I prefer fresh ones) one can try dry also
 Suger =2 table spoon
Salt to taste
Red chillies = 2 table spoon
Water =half cup

Method

Take a  blender peel plums take out the seeds ,add  suger ,salt ,redchillies and water blende then very  well .

Sever 

Take a bowl & put the sauce in it .

Finger Fish Biryani

 Ingredients:

Finger Fish = 500  gm

Rice = 4  to 5  cups ( for  4  or  5  people)

Oil =1 & half cup 

Oil = for  deep fry =2 cup

Onion( medium .thinly sliced)=4 

Tomato(medium,thinly sliced)=6

Garlic (paste)= 2 tablespoon

Ginger (paste)= 2 tablespoon

Green chillies (whole)=6-8

salt to taste 

Red chilli =1 teaspoon

Plums (dry) = 4 to 5

Cumin seeds (ground)=half teaspoon

Coriander (dry)= half teaspoon

Cinnamom (ground) =half teaspoon

Black pepper (ground)=half teaspoon

Mace (ground) =half teaspoon

Clove =6,7

Netmeg (ground)= half teaspoon

Finger Fish

 Ingredients:

Lemone juice = 2 tablespoon

Garlic paste = 1 teaspoon

Ginger paste =1 teaspoon

Redchilli = half teaspoon

salt to taste 

Method

 Take a bowl add lemone juice, red chilli, garlic paste, ginger paste,fish & marinate it for half hour.

Fry

Heat oil in a pan & deep fry fish till its brown. put it aside .

Rice

Take a other pan  add  10 cups of water ,salt and boil  it.Now add rice boil it until 3/4 done.

Cook 

 Heat oil ,fry onions  till  its  brown ,add ginger  paste , garlic paste, tomotoes, add ground masala, green chilli, plums, clove cook  it on low heat for 2 or 3 minutes .

Layer

Get a bigger  pan put some oil in it.Make  a layer of rice  put a layer of masala &fish . Cover with it second layer of rice.

Simmer

Simmer the rice for two mintues on high flame then flame ten mintues on low flame. After its tender mix it gently.

Sever 

Sever   delicious biryani . 

Attan

Attan

Today  am  going  tell   u  about   a  beautiful  dance form of  us pathans.

Attan is  a form of dance that originated in the pashtun region of Pakistan & Afghanistan.

Attan  began as  a  folk  dance conducted by pashtuns,in weddings ,newyears & informal gatherings.

Attan is a traditional pashtuns dance. It is said to be one of oldest Pashtun Pagan dance, some identify Attan as an a religious ceremony of early Zoroastrians placing it 2000 BCE, and some have placed even older going back to King Yama's celebration of Nowroz and warriors dancing and circling around the fire. This was later modified into an Islamic dance to allow the dancers to get 'closer to God' this virtual Attan practised by many Afghan poets and mystics had even reached to corners of Turkey.In my  city  where  i  live  its  also   called  kumbhar. Its hinko  word  for  Attan.In pakistan we have  diffrent styles &types . kochai  it is  performed in  Pakistan and  Afghanistan.wardag is  one  of famous style of Attan.Warziro is a  sensational style ofAttan  from Waziristan region of  pakistan.I  tharowlly  enjoy  Attan  in  my   brothers wedding .Me  liked Warziro  style.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKis65qrzng&feature=related

Tabocco Pouch

Yesterday I was thinking on what new topic I should write on, when suddenly I saw this old tabocco pouch. So I thought to myself what better than to share the story of this pouch with my sweet friends.

This pouch belonged to my grandmother and is handmade using silk, cloth and twigs. It is embroidered and has beautiful silver all around it.

It was handed to my mother as part of her dowry when she got married and then when I got married this 70 year old pouch became mine! I love this whole tradition and now Im looking forward to giving it to my daughter on her wedding. In olden days the men would sit in hujras* smoking their tabocco pipes and flaunting these pouches; a tradition that is hardly seen now a days.

But more about that in my forthcoming posts! Inshallah will write more about my rich culture soon! Till then Allah Hafiz and Pa Aman!

*Hujra - Groups / Sit outs.

Lentils with temper

Lentils with temper

Ingredients

Split yellow Gram=Half  cup

White lentils = Half cup 

Onion  = 1

tomatoes =6 well chopped

Salt to taste 

Turmeric powder = 1 teaspoon

Red chilli powder=2 teaspoon

Ginger paste = 1 teaspoon 

Oil = 4 table spoon

Chicken cubes =1

Water = 3 glass 

For T emper

Ingredients

Garlic = 6 cloves

Dry curry leaves =6

Round red chillies = 6

Butter = 4 tablespoon 

zeera =1 teaspoon

For Garish

Green chillies= 4

Coriander leaves = Finely chopped , half cup 

Ginger = sliced

Method

Soak split yellow gram for two hours in a bowl. In a separate  bowl soak white lentils for an hour. In a pan heat oil. Add onion and fry it till its golden brown. Now  add chopped  tomatoes , salt ,turmeric powder ,ginger paste,red chilli powder, chiken cubes and  fry them for  two minutes. Now add split yellow gram ,white lentils & water cook it for 30 minutes.After cooking it turn off the heat &mash it with spoon.

temper

In a separate pan heat butter . Add chopped garlic ,dry curry leaves , round red chillies ,zeera. Fry them for a minutes . Now put lentils in a bowl and temper.

Garish 

Garish with green chillies ,sliced ginger & coriander leaves. Now  ready  to sever

Chhakir

Chhakir

Its woven with hand using wheat straws.  Wheat straws are soaked in food colouring for two days to get the various colours.  The  straws  are woven in desired shapes and patterns by the crafter.  A single piece takes 10 to 15 days to complete.  Traditionally women in Pakistan make these at home.  Using  the same technique they also make bread baskets with lids.  These  form an important part of the girl's dowry.

Chicken Koftas served with Red Lentils Rice and Kachumber Salad

Chicken Koftas

Ingredients:

Salt=  to taste
Oil =1 cup
Onions(ground) = 2
Tomato (ground)= 2
Zeera = 1 pinch
Red chilli (powder) =half teaspoon
Garlic (ground) =1 tablespoon 
Ginger (ground) =  1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder = half teaspoon
Black pepper powder = 3  pinches
Cumin powder = 1\3 teaspoon
Minced chicken = half  kg

Method:
In a bowl add minced chicken, salt, red chilli powder and mix it well.  Shape the mixture in 8 to 10  golf  sized balls. Keep aside.
In a separate pan  heat some oil . Add  onion, ginger & garlic paste and  fry it till light brown in color. Now add  ground tomatoes paste & fry it for another  2 minutes. Next add red chilli powder, cumin seed powder, black pepper powder and turmeric powder.  Stir fry untill the oil separates from mixture . Add 3/4 cups water  & kofta balls .Simmer for ten mints or until koftas  are tender.
Serve hot!

Red Lentils Rice

Ingredients:-
Oil  = Half cup
Red lentils = 1 cup
Garlic (ground)= 1 teaspoon
Ginger (ground)= 1tablespoon
Zeera =1 pinch
Salt to taste
Red chill powder =1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder=3 pinches
Rice  = 4 cups (for 4 people )
Water =8 cups

Method :-
Take a pan, heat  oil. Add garlic & ginger paste fry it till its  golden brown. Add zeera,  salt, redchilli powder,  blackpepper powder & fry it for one mintue . Now add  red lentils & fry it for 1 mintue. Add  water. Wait  till water boils .In the end add rice & cook it till the  water is absorded & rice is cooked. Seve  it hot  with kofthas. 

Salad   

Ingredients:
Onion =1
Tomato=1
Cucumber =1
Green chillies =1

Method:
Slice onion, tomato, green chillies ,cucumber in what ever shape you like . Arrange  it in plain plate. And serve it with koftas and rice.

Welcome

My name is Hayat Khan, a  housewife,  who loves cooking. I enjoy photography. I also enjoy buying and designing clothes for myself and others. Hopefully  you will  enjoy  what i write.