Description
by Nasir Zuberi
Mix Plate Chaat
Chaats are a very popular street food in Pakistan and Northern India, prepared in countless different styles. They are a unique melange of favours, textures and colours: crunchy and tender, tangy and spicy, sweet and savoury, all at once. This particular combination features tender chickpeas and boiled potato, mixed with crunchy bits of puffed gram flour & yoghurt, topped with diced tomatoes, seasoned with distinctive chaat masala spice blend and a tangy-sweet tamarind chutni
Murgh Do Piyaza
An old recipe beloved in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a favourite of the Mughal Emperors. It gets its name from the Persian for “two onions”, referring to the generous amount of melted onions that sweeten the base of the sauce, and the additional onions added later in the cooking. This Pakistani version features tender chicken braised in a mild, rich onion and tomato gravy, seasoned with fresh garlic & ginger, fragrant whole garam masala spices, roasted cumin & coriander, and finished with fresh coriander.
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Dhaba Dal Karahi
A favourite of Pakistan’s countless dhabas (roadside restaurants) where it can be found bubbling away in the heavy, round iron karahis from which it gets its name. Chana daal (split chickpeas) cooked with fresh tomatoes, seasoned with Nasir’s personal, fresh-ground spice blend including cumin, turmeric, and fenugreek, garam masala and then finished with a sizzling tadka (temper) of ginger and caramelized fried onions.
Both dishes are served with matar pulao, a pilaf of basmati rice studded with green peas, scented with cinnamon, green cardamom and saffron.
Suji ki Barfi
This traditional dessert is a kind of rich fudge made with semolina and coconut enriched with sweet milk, ghee (clarified butter) and almonds, and infused with the heady aroma of cardamom.
