APPETIZER 1.

Egg pakoray

6 Eggs (hard boiled) 1 cup Gram Flour (Besan) 2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch) (or to taste) A pinch of Asafoetida (Heeng) 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds (Saabut Sufaid Zeera) Salt (to taste) cup Water Cooking Oil (for deep frying)

1. Remove shells from eggs and make a small slit in each of them. (To prevent the oil from splurting when the egg is deep fried.) 2. Make a thick batter out of the water, flour, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, asafoetida and salt. Coat each egg with this batter and deep fry. Keep pan covered while eggs are frying.

Preparation Time: 5-8 Minutes Cooking Time: 2-3 Minutes Per Egg (excluding time for boiling) Degree of Difficulty: Medium Recipe Category: Appetizer & Egg Recipe Ethnic Group: Pakistani

MAIN COURSE
1. Aaloo bhaji

500 grams of Potatoes 2 medium Onions tsp. of Black Mustard Seeds tsp. of Ground Turmeric (Pisi Haldi) tsp. of Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch) 1 tbsp. of Salt 1 tbsp. of Clarified Butter (Ghee)

1. In a pot boil the potatoes until well done. Let them cool and peel and dice. Peel and finely chop the onions. 2. Heat the clarified butter in a saucepan and fry the mustard seeds until they pop. Add the onions and continue frying on low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown. 3. Add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and stir, then add in the potatoes, sprinkle salt over and toss gently to mix well together.

Serving Suggestions: Serve hot with Chapati Roti or Nan Degree of Difficulty: Medium Recipe Category: Main Course Vegetarian Recipe Ethnic Group: Pakistani

2. Achari chiken

1 kilogram of Chicken (cut into pieces) 3 large Tomatoes (finely sliced) 4 medium Onions (peeled & finely sliced) 6 Green Chillies (Hari Mirch) (more or less may be used depending on taste preferance.) 1 tsp. Fennel Seeds (Sounf) 1 tsp. Mustard Seeds (Rai) 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds (Sufaid Zeera) 1 tsp. Nigella Seeds (Kalonji) Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch) (to taste) Salt (to taste) tsp. Turmeric Powder (Pisi Haldi) 1 tbsp. Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak) 1 tbsp. Garlic Paste (Pisa Lehsan) 250 grams of Plain Yogurt Lemon Juice (of 1 large lemon) 2 tbsp. of Cooking Oil

1. Heat oil in a heavy based pan on medium heat. Add onions and fry (stirring occasionally) until golden brown. Add tomatoes and saute until they are well soft. 2. Add in the chicken pieces, plain yogurt , ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix and cover pot and let it cook on low heat until the chicken is half done. 3. Seperately put a frying pan on stove on medium heat and roast the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and nigella seeds in a dry pan. (Do not use oil.) Roast these seeds until the cumin turns brown. 4. Take 2 teaspoons of this roasted mixture and set it aside. Grind the rest of it in a grinder to a fine powder. Then add the turmeric powder to this grinded powder and make it into a thick paste by adding the lemon juice. Now stuff this paste into the green chillies and set them aside. 5. Add the remaining paste to the chicken and sprinkle the roasted mixture over the chicken and further cook the chicken until it is well done. Then add the stuffed chillies to the chicken and cook on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

Degree of Difficulty:: Medium Recipe Category: Main Course Chicken/Bird Recipe Ethnic Group: Pakistani