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Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

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Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

Ladies and gentlemen, please say hello to my new favourite side dish that I’ve been enjoying a lot lately with a number of desi main dishes.

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi is a new discovery for me and an absolutely delicious one into the bargain. Crispy, spicy and ever so slightly tangy – yum!

Okra has always featured fairly frequently on the everyday home cooked meals roster at my home.

However, it has almost always been prepared as a stir fried dryish sort of curry – the usual Pakistani way of making bhindi ki sabzi.

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

I had heard of folks making fried bhindi but since I’d never had it, I had no idea what I was missing out on.

The first time that fried okra really caught my attention was when I watched legendary Pakistani food expert Mrs Zubaida Tariq make what she called “Crispy Bhindi” on a show on Masala TV a year or so ago maybe.

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

I loved how crunchy the deep fried okra slices looked and the fact that Mrs Tariq mixed in roasted slivered almonds into the fried okra just before serving made things seem even more enticing.

So here is my take on this fried okra phenomenon, inspired by a recipe titled “Crunchy Okra” in this recipe book called ‘Vegetarian Fiesta’ which is said to be complied by Indian Master Chefs.

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

I find that Kurkuri Masala Bhindi goes very well as a side dish with desi main dishes such as daal chaawal and karrhi chaawal.

I also find it very hard to keep myself from finishing Kurkuri Masala Bhindi before it makes its way from the kitchen to the dining table.

If you have a fondness for delicious deep fried foods, you will find this  Kurkuri Masala Bhindi a delightful treat.

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

Kurkuri Masala Bhindi

 

Recipe Type: Starter & Side    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 10 Minutes    Cook Time: 5 Minutes    Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 2 – 4

 

Crispy, spicy shards of deep fried okra! Kurkuri Masala Bhindi is an excellent desi side dish and equally wonderful as a crunchy snack on its own!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 grams – 300 grams okra
  • Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon aamchoor (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon gram flour
  • Oil for deep frying

 

METHOD

  1. Wash the okra and dry thoroughly between sheets of kitchen paper.
  2. When completely dry, top and tail the okra.
  3. Slice each okra lengthwise into four pieces so that you have long shards of cut okra. Place okra slices on a flat plate or tray.
  4. Combine salt, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, chaat masala, garam masala and aamchoor, if using.
  5. Sprinkle this spice mix all over the okra slices and mix gently but thoroughly with your fingers until combined. Set aside.
  6. Over a medium highish flame, heat enough oil for deep frying in a pan.
  7. When the oil is fairly hot, sprinkle the gram flour over the okra. Mix gently by hand and then add the okra carefully into the hot oil.
  8. Make sure you do not overcrowd or overfill the pan – fry okra in batches if your pan isn’t big enough.
  9. If your oil is the right temperature, the surface will start bubbling with small bubbles as soon as the okra is added and then after a couple of seconds, the okra will rise up to the surface of the oil.
  10. Separate the frying okra lightly with a fork to keep from sticking together. When it looks golden brown and feels crisp, remove, preferably with a metal spider skimmer, onto plates lined with kitchen paper. I usually remove the bhindi from the oil directly into a wiry metal colander to minimise surface contact – this ensures that the fried bhindi does not become soggy and remains crisp.
  11. Serve Kurkuri Masala Bhindi hot or at room temperature.
  12. This makes an excellent side dish for both vegetarian and meaty mains. Very good on its own as a crunchy snack to munch on.

 

Lemon Lime Mousse

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Lemon Lime Mousse

In my humble opinion, refreshingly creamy clouds of this Lemon Lime Mousse are probably one of the best summer dessert ideas I’ve tried recently.

Fluffy and tart with just the right amount of sweetness, this is fast becoming one of my go to desserts. And the fact that unlike many traditional mousse recipes, this one has no gelatin or raw egg whites and yet it still sets to a lovely moussey fluffiness.

To be entirely truthful, I’m on something of a Lemon Lime Mousse binge marathon these days. I seem to make it alarmingly frequently because it is easy to put together and because I adore lemon based desserts.

Lemon Lime Mousse

I’ve used near-equal amounts of lemon juice and lime juice to flavour my Lemon Lime Mousse since these citrus siblings (or cousins maybe?) obviously have pretty much the same flavour profile. The restrained sweetness of the lemon juice pairs very well with the outright tartness of the lime juice and makes for a fairly good combination.

We have a lovely lime tree in our garden so making Lemon Lime Mousse gives me a good excuse to use up some of our fresh limes. Zesting just picked limes is a refreshingly heady experience; the citrusy fragrance that emanates during the process is something else altogether and hard to replicate while zesting store bought limes.

Lemon Lime Mousse

I absolutely love lemon curd and could be more than satisfied just happily eating it with a spoon. The base of this Lemon Lime Mousse consists of an easy and yummy lemon & lime curd which gives it that lusciously creamy pleasant tartness.

I peel off the zest from the lemons and limes with a vegetable peeler, put the flat coils of peeled zest (no need to chop it or anything) and all the ingredients required for making the curd into my blender and then blend, cook, sieve and cool.

Lemon Lime Mousse

I usually make the lemon lime curd one day before putting the mousse finally together as I believe chilling the curd overnight gives a fluffier mousse and also because I prefer doing half the work in advance when it comes to making food that involves a couple of steps of preparation.

If you cannot find limes, just double the quantity of lemon juice called for in the recipe. My Lemon Lime Mousse has been adapted from this recipe.

Lemon Lime Mousse

 

Lemon Lime Mousse

 

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 15 Minutes    Cook Time: 5 Minutes    Total Time: 2o Minutes + Chilling Time
Serves: 4 – 6

 

Creamy, sweet & tangy Lemon Lime Mousse made with an easy made from scratch lemon curd base. A beautiful dessert that’s a breeze to make & a dream to eat!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup butter (preferably salted), melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest / rind
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime zest / rind
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream (in Pakistan I would recommend Olpers Cream)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

 

METHOD

  1. Put the butter, juices, zests, eggs, yolks and sugar in a blender. Blend until everything is uniform, slightly thick and light yellow in colour – this should take less than a minute.
  2.  Have a fine mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl ready.
  3.  Pour the blended lemon mixture into a non-corrosive pan and whisk the mixture constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Keep whisking for 1 – 2 minutes – the mixture will be thick and bubbly.
  4. Remove mixture from heat and pour through the fine mesh sieve waiting over the heatproof bowl, pressing the mixture with the back of a large spoon until you’re left with just the zest and bits of cooked egg in the sieve.
  5. Cover the surface of the sieved lemon curd immediately with cling film. Make sure that the cling film is in direct contact all over with the lemon curd – this will prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the curd.
  6. Cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge for 2 – 4 hours or until quite cold. Overnight works great.
  7. Whip cream and vanilla until thick and fluffy. Fold into cold lemon curd lightly with a spatula.
  8. Pour or pipe the Lemon & Lime Mousse into individual serving bowls or ramekins or into one large family style serving bowl.
  9. Chill 2 – 4 hours. This can be made in advance and does well from chilling overnight in the fridge. The colder the better.
  10. If wished, decorate mousse with whipped cream and fresh lemon and lime slices or wedges right before serving.
  11. Serve cold straight from the fridge.
  12. Keep refrigerated.

Cheesy Masala French Toast

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If eggs and toast are the ideal components of an enjoyable breakfast for you, then Cheesy Masala French Toast will become one of your favourite ways to partake of the most important meal of the day.

Basically Cheesy Masala French Toast is just what it sounds like – a savoury and spicy desi version of the traditional sweet French toast. It is an ingenious take on the enduring breakfast classic and is fairly simple and also quick to make if you do the little prep work required a bit in advance.

If you get your cheese grated and your vegetables chopped beforehand, by the time you are ready to actually prepare breakfast, your Cheesy Masala French Toast will take just a couple of minutes to put together.

Cheesy Masala French Toast

After going through some great recipes for Masala French Toast on Pinterest, particularly the one by Archana’s Kitchen, I added my own tiny little twist to it by making it a cheesy one because I believe that eggs and cheese are one of those delicious culinary matches made in food heaven.

Masala French Toast is epic enough as it is. But for a cheese fiend like me, grated cheddar in and on it takes things to the next level.

This is obviously a great breakfast and brunch idea and like many of my breakfast favourites, I also love Cheesy Masala French Toast as an occasional breakfast for dinner option too.

This Cheesy Masala French Toast recipe is more or less a guide and the kind of recipe that you make your own by adjusting the spices and flavourings according to your palette. How many toasts you get out of it depends on the size of the eggs and on how big or small the bread slices you use are. Definitely add black pepper before serving and use the red chilli flakes only if you want an extra fiery kick to your savoury French toast.

Cheesy Masala French Toast

 

Cheesy Masala French Toast

 

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 10 Minutes    Cook Time: 10 Minutes    Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves: 1 – 2

 

A savoury and spicy desi take on the classic sweet French Toast, this Cheesy Masala French Toast will become a breakfast favourite once you try it!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion or regular onion
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 – 2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
  • Oil for frying
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 2 – 4 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese
  • 2 – 4 slices of bread
  • Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
  • Extra grated Cheddar cheese for topping
  • Freshly milled black pepper
  • Red chilli flakes

 

METHOD
1. Combine the chopped onion, tomato and green chillies together.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
3. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and grated cheese.
4. Keep in mind that you want the flavours of this egg and milk mixture to be a bit pronounced. If it is not a little strongly spiced, it might make your finished toast taste a tad bland.
5. Dip the bread slices on both sides with the egg mixture and place into the hot frying pan over medium heat.
6. Spread the top of the bread slices with the chopped mixed vegetable mixture and pour a few teaspoons of egg mixture from the mixing bowl onto the vegetables to coat them as evenly as possible.
7. When the bottoms of the toasts seem golden, flip them carefully and quickly onto the other side and cook until golden.
8. Remove to a serving plate and sprinkle a little extra grated cheese, extra coriander, freshly milled black pepper and chilli flakes, if using.
9. Serve with strong hot tea.
10. Enjoy!

How To Make Hot Cross Buns

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‍Hot Cross Buns are just what one needs when Easter is around the corner. It would be very hard to imagine Easter time without these delicious dried fruit studded, fragrantly spiced sweet buns! (Post Updated: 25th March ‘23)

I can hardly remember any Easter from my childhood where Hot Cross Buns did not feature. Even when we were living in Daharki, with nary a Hot Cross Bun providing bakery anywhere, my maternal Grandmother would either send or bring us the buns from either Misquita Bakers or sometimes from Lawrence Bakers, both in Karachi, so we could have them for Good Friday.

 

Hot Cross Buns

Dough for the Hot Cross Buns after the first rise

 

Easter in Lahore meant that my paternal Grandmother would get Hot Cross Buns for the family from Mohkam Din Bakers. I believe Shezan Bakers too used to make Hot Cross Buns around Easter time though I’m not sure.

This year I decided to have a go at making homemade Hot Cross Buns and to make it a yearly Easter tradition, provided they turned out well.

 

Hot Cross Buns

The dough cut into pieces for forming the buns

 

I’m happy to say that my family and I quite loved my homemade Hot Cross Buns and I shall try to make these every Easter from now on.

I followed respected British food expert Delia Smith’s Hot Cross Bun recipe. Miss Smith’s cookery shows on BBC Good Food are some of my earliest memories of British tv cooking which is why I decided to follow her traditional Hot Cross Bun recipe.

 

Hot Cross Buns

The dough balls placed well apart in a buttered pan, to allow room for expansion

 

Thoughts And Tips On Making Hot Cross Buns

  • There are some very deliciously innovative variations of Hot Cross Buns now, including the savoury variety.
    I made a Savoury Hot Cross Bun Ring for Easter ‘22, using this same base recipe but by giving it a savoury twist. I will share that version soon hopefully.
  • This one here is perhaps one of the most traditional Hot Cross Bun recipes out there and it is spicy and fruity in that comfortingly old-fashioned sort of way that is hard to beat.
  • I like to bake these Hot Cross Buns until they are deep golden brown so that the pale pastry crosses show prominently against the dark bun tops in stark contrast.
  • The sugar glaze brushed on the buns at the end is essential in my opinion as it provides the final shining touch.
  • Hot Cross Buns can easily be frozen if you decide to make them in advance, thus leaving you time to do other things during the busy week leading up to Easter.
  • Simply thaw frozen Hot Cross Buns completely in the fridge and reheat in the oven for a few minutes before slicing.
  • Hot Cross Buns taste best spread with soft butter and enjoyed with a cup of hot tea.

 

Hot Cross Buns

The dough balls after the second rising; they have almost doubled in size, have the pastry crosses pressed onto them and are finally ready to go into the oven

 

The recipe has quite a few steps, but I assure you that it is not difficult at all and every point that has been listed down at each stage is just to make it easier for you and to ensure that your Hot Cross Buns turn out wonderful.

 

Hot Cross Buns

 

Hot Cross Buns

 

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 1 – 2 Hours    Cook Time: 15 – 20 Minutes
Serves: 8

 

Fruity, spicy & utterly delicious, nothing says Easter more than these easy to make traditional Hot Cross Buns spread with butter & enjoyed with tea!

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BUNS

  • 2 (around 3″ each) cinnamon sticks
  • 6 – 8 cloves
  • 1 blade mace
  • 250 grams flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt OR regular salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
  • A good grating of nutmeg
  • 55 grams black currants, stemmed if necessary
  • 25 grams candied peel, chopped
  • 25 grams soft butter
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast *
  • Extra flour
  • Extra milk

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CROSSES

  • 20 grams flour
  • 5 grams butter, soft but cool
  • A few teaspoons cold water

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GLAZE

  • 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water

 

METHOD

  1. Put the cinnamon sticks, cloves and mace in a small coffee grinder and grind as finely as possible. Sieve.
  2. Stir flour, salt, ginger powder, nutmeg, currants and chopped candied peel and sieved ground spices until combined.
  3. Heat the butter and milk in a small pan or in a microwaveable bowl until butter melts. Cool 5 minutes and quickly whisk in the egg. Make sure the liquid isn’t too warm or the egg might scramble in it.
  4. Heat the water until warm enough that you can comfortably submerge your finger in it (about 105 degrees F – 110 degrees F).
  5. Stir in the sugar and then sprinkle the yeast on the surface. Let sit without stirring 2 – 5 minutes or until the mixture smells yeasty and begins to form a creamy foam around the edges.
  6. Once that happens give a quick stir and let sit another 2 – 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to gently bubble up in places and the mixture begins to foam up. This stage is crucial and if it doesn’t happen, your buns may not rise.
  7. Stir yeast mixture into the butter, milk and egg mixture until combined.
  8. Make a well in the centre of the combined dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a large spoon or spatula or with a dough hook if using a stand mixer.
  9. When the ingredients are mixed, the dough should come together, be elasticky and the bowl should be clean. If the dough is too sticky, add some of the extra flour. If it seems too dry, add extra milk, a teaspoon at a time.
  10. Knead 1 – 2 minutes by hand on a floured work surface and then put dough into a large oiled bowl.
  11. Brush oil onto the entire surface of your dough ball to prevent any skin from forming, cover tightly with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft free place (like in a switched off oven or in an off microwave) for 1 – 2 hours or until dough rises to almost double its size.
  12. Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
  13. Punch out the air from the dough, roll it lightly into a longish oblong between your hands on the work surface and cut into eight roughly equal pieces.
  14. Roll each piece into a smooth round ball and arrange all the dough balls in a buttered baking pan, leaving enough room between the balls for expansion.
  15. Cover the dough balls in the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let sit again in a warm place until they almost double in size.
  16. To make the crosses, rub the butter into the flour until like breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water, a bit at a time, mixing until the dough comes together. Roll out thinly, using a little flour to stop sticking if necessary and cut into 16 strips, each strip about 3″ – 4″ long.
  17. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C / 428 degrees F.
  18. Once the dough balls have risen, brush the pastry strips with water to make them stick and place on top of each dough ball, making crosses and pressing lightly.
  19. Bake the buns until golden brown. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to more depending on your oven.
  20. While the buns are baking, make the glaze by swirling the sugar and water together in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved and a clear syrup forms. Remove from heat.
  21. When the buns are done, remove from the oven and brush immediately with the prepared glaze.
  22. Cool completely on a wire rack and store airtight. The buns can also be frozen airtight at this point.
  23. Serve warm, lightly toasted if wished, with butter.

 

* Proofing instant yeast may seem unnecessary but personally I have never had an entirely satisfactory rise using this type of yeast without proofing / blooming it in warm sugared water. Hence the additional proofing step in the recipe.

This step also ensures that you know that the yeast you are using is active and not dead, thus saving you from ruining your buns and wasting your ingredients, time and effort. Trust me –  I know from personal experience.

Katharine Hepburn’s Mint Chocolate Brownies

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Katherine Hepburn's Mint Chocolate Brownies

Katharine Hepburn’s Mint Chocolate Brownies are just what you need when looking for a decadent brownie fix – intensely fudgy brownie base, topped with a creamy cool peppermint frosting and drizzled with melted chocolate!

Anyone who knows me well enough is well aware of my fascination with Classic Hollywood – the time roughly from the late ’30s to the early ’60s when the Golden Age of Hollywood regretfully came to an end.

Other than famous Classic Hollywood films, I have this fondness for discovering obscure and relatively unknown old Hollywood movies and stars. YouTube has a staggering choice of such movies to choose from and I’ve found out about quite a number of long forgotten but good movies and little known yet talented stars there so a big thank you to all you wonderful classic movie uploaders!

I love all things Classic Hollywood, be it the movies, the stars, the fashion – you name it. I named my beautiful tortoiseshell cat Harlow because Jean Harlow was the original platinum blonde bombshell. Also because of the ’90s supermodel Shalom Harlow but that’s another story.

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Instant Green Chilli Pickle

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Instant Green Chilli Pickle

Instant Green Chilli Pickle is the perfect accompaniment to any desi meal. Delicious with curry, paratha, daal chaawal or almost any other main dish, it packs a mild but pleasant punch and tastes amazing.

Unlike most traditional Pakistani pickles, Instant Green Chilli Pickle is quick and easy to make as you can prepare it on the side while your main meal is cooking or simmering on the stove – yes, it is that instant.

Instant Green Chilli Pickle

I love fresh green chillies and I think my fondness for them stems from the time when I was maybe 6 – 7 years old and happened to watch my Dad munch on a big fresh green chilli.

Dad, seeing me watch him, picked up another green chilli and offered it to me assuring me it wasn’t hot at all but very tasty. I was obviously apprehensive but I trusted my Dad much more than I feared the wrath of green chillies so I went ahead and bit into the chilli.

I was pleasantly surprised at how it was nowhere near hot (this was obviously a milder than mild batch of green chillies otherwise my Dad would’ve never offered me any) and had my first appreciative taste of the actual flavour of fresh green chillies. I have been hooked onto fresh green chillies, both the hot and mild varieties, ever since that day.

Instant Green Chilli Pickle

I have to thank Binjal Pandya of the beautiful blog “Binjal’s Veg Kitchen” for her easy peasy and mouthwatering Instant Green Chilli Pickle recipe. This blog is so gorgeous and it makes me want to cook everything on there!

As a general rule, the smaller the chilli the hotter its strength, though I have come across a few large sized green chillies in life that have literally knocked my socks off with their potent hotness.

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The Pantry by The Polo Lounge

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Luscious Salad Counter at The Pantry (Mall One)

Luscious Salad Counter at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One).

 

The Pantry by The Polo Lounge is usually in the top three on the list of places to hang out at whenever my friends and I plan to meet and grab a bite. I love this place and the much welcome food on offer which is pretty different from the usual café/restaurant fare.

 

The main branch of The Pantry by The Polo Lounge is located inside Mall One on Lahore’s Main Boulevard while a newer one has recently opened at Emporium Mall in Joher Town.

 

Menu 'chalked' on blackboard opposite the salad counter at Mall One - love the retro looking floor design!

Menu ‘chalked’ on blackboard opposite the salad counter at Mall One – that lovely retro looking floor design!

 

The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One has rustic wooden tables paired with wood and rattan chairs, both painted a soothing shade of white that adds a lovely brightness to the surroundings. A nice airy seating area, which is actually in the middle of the mall, with glass windows (plus a smaller inner sitting area) makes for a pleasant meal here and I always prefer coming here during natural daylight hours.  This might not be a big deal in the grander scheme of things but personally I prefer well-lit, airy looking spaces and eateries that fit the bill, such as the one in question, do get my vote when considering going out to eat.

 

The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Emporium Mall - love the old-fashioned floor design!

The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Emporium Mall; love the old-fashioned flooring inside and the loft-like ceiling design!

 

The new branch at Emporium Mall catches the eye from afar with its European style outdoor café seating. It has a larger seating area inside and follows a similar design principle with the signature rattan chairs but with an interesting ceiling look which feels something like modern loft cum industrial. It is a smaller location but offers pretty much the same wonderful menu and good service. But the most aesthetically pleasing part about this location of The Pantry by The Polo Lounge has to be the arresting flooring inside the eatery. It is a more elaborate style of the same but simpler flooring design in front of the menu blackboard at the Mall One location.

 

Pretty 'outdoor' seating area at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall) for times when you want to enjoy your meal and watch the world go by

Pretty ‘outdoor’ seating area at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall) for times when you want to enjoy your meal and watch the world go by…

 

I don’t know what this particular flooring style is known as but I do know that this kind of gray, black and off-white tile design was in my maternal grandmother’s home in one of the older parts of Karachi. I believe I’ve seen such flooring in photos of other older Karachi homes too. Full marks to The Pantry by The Polo Lounge for choosing this particular floor design!

 

Gorgeousness on a plate - salads at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall).

Gorgeousness on a plate – salads at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall).

 

Yes The Pantry by The Polo Lounge is undeniably chic in that understated rustic sort of way and what it offers in terms of food is no less elegant. The eatery serves a variety of delicious offerings starting with breakfast. Their English Breakfast Platter consists of a choice of Mushroom Omelette or Herbed Cream Cheese Omelette, baked beans and sausage served with a bread basket. The platter includes an order of waffles served with syrup, all to be washed down with good tea. Other than that you have Eggs Benedict, Granola and Bagels to choose from. My personal favorite is the Herbed Cream Cheese Omelette Platter.

 

Another look at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One's salad display

Another look at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One’s salad display.

 

Apart from  breakfast, the regular menu at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge is also wonderful and varied; I personally believe that the salads here are this café’s main strength. You have a stunning looking salad counter with various salads placed in pretty Mediterranean style plates and bowls at different heights for added visual appeal. All the salads are fresh and sprightly and contain ingredients ranging from plump couscous and peppery rocket to grilled artichokes and flame roasted peaches and they all pretty much taste amazing. I usually stuff myself with so much of the salads  that I hardly have room left for the main course. Hence I almost always end up getting things doggy bagged to take home.

 

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich - so yum!

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One – so yum!

 

The sandwiches here always hit the spot, especially their hot toasted ones. I adore The Pantry by The Polo Lounge’s Roasted Vegetable Sandwich and have that 9 out of 10 times whenever I’m here. The Herbed Chicken Sandwich and the Beef Brisket Sandwich are quite popular with my family.

 

My favourite pizza, the wood-fired Caponata Pizza at Emporium Mall

My favourite pizza, the wood-fired Caponata Pizza at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Emporium Mall.

 

The rustic artisan pizzas at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge are some of the best I’ve had in Lahore so far and the Pizza Caponata with grilled aubergine, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, buffalo mozzarella and pesto deserves a special mention. All pizzas are served with fiery chilli oil on the side.

 

Fresh tasting Pesto Fettuccine with grilled chicken at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge's Mall One location

Fresh tasting Pesto Fettuccine with grilled chicken at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge’s Mall One location.

 

The pastas on the menu include a herby Pesto Fettuccine and a beefy House Special Lasagne – both are deliciously satisfying and perfect when all you need is comforting pasta.

 

Succulent Grilled Chicken at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One) - can't remember if this was the Herbed Chicken or the Chilli and Cumin one

Succulent Grilled Chicken at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One) – can’t remember if this was the Herbed Chicken or the Chilli and Cumin one.

 

My chicken loving friends can never get enough of The Pantry by The Polo Lounge’s grilled chicken platters and the Herbed Chicken seems to be the most sought after.

 

Refreshing Caramel Lemonade at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One) - try this if you're feeling slightly adventurous and want a lemonade with a twist!

Refreshing Caramel Lemonade at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One) – try this if you’re feeling slightly adventurous and want a lemonade with a twist!

 

The drinks at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge are lovely and they have iced teas, fresh juices, lemonades, a few mocktail type drinks and even sattu! I am particularly fond of their Strawberry Mojito and the pleasantly unusual tasting Caramel Lemonade.

 

We are usually pretty stuffed by the time we’re done with the savoury part of the menu but since we are dessert fiends, we usually do not leave without partaking of something sweet from the menu.

 

The hopelessly beautiful dessert display at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One - these beauties are not just a pretty face; they taste pretty awesome too!

The hopelessly beautiful dessert display at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One – these beauties are not just a pretty face; they taste pretty awesome too!

 

The desserts are very good at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge and you just cannot make your way past the gorgeous dessert display without shamelessly ogling it and wishing you could have everything from there. Worth mentioning are the mini lemon meringue pies with their flaky crusts and tart lemon filling topped with spiky toasted meringue and so are the generous slices of moist carrot cake, dotted here and there with walnuts and topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting. The tall wedges of sticky toffee date cake are wonderful when dense, comfortingly large slices of treacly cake are called for.

 

A decent cup of chai is all I need at the end of the day and the tea served at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One with Mini Lemon Meringue Pie and Stick Toffee Date Cake provides a fitting end to a satisfying meal.

A decent cup of chai is all I need at the end of the day and the tea served at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge at Mall One with Mini Lemon Meringue Pie and Sticky Toffee Date Cake provides a fitting end to a satisfying meal.

 

Dessert is almost always accompanied with some strong tea and The Pantry by the Polo Lounge does surprisingly good chai, which was a revelation as it was totally unexpected – many places just don’t get chai right but thankfully the folks here know how to make a reasonably satisfying cup of tea. Bonus marks for the ultra pretty teapots!

 

Pretty salads on pretty plates at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One)

Pretty salads on pretty plates at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Mall One).

 

With newer additions to the Emporium Mall menu such as the Roast Beef Burger, the Classic Beef Burger and the Mongolian Chicken Rice Bowl, things look promising for The Pantry by The Polo Lounge and for its faithful fan following. Their service is almost always faultless but I was particularly impressed with the welcoming and hospitable staff at the Emporium Mall branch with their smiling faces and pleasant attitude. I hope they stay this way.

 

As much as I love The Pantry by The Polo Lounge and am happy to see it doing well, the only downside to it is that the main Mall One location (much closer to me hence more accessible than the Emporium Mall one) can get extremely crowded and fairly noisy. I am the sort of person that goes out of their way to avoid crowds and crowded places so this is perhaps the only reason I stay away from it at times. So this popularity thing is a two-edged sword for me – I’m glad when good eateries are drawing in customers but exasperated at the hordes of people crowding around, especially in smaller spaces. That also explains why I don’t have as many photos of the interior of the Mall One location despite it being quite pretty and despite my being there so many times – it is almost always way too crowded.

 

Comforting Carbs: Pizza Caponata and House Special Lasagna at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall).

Comforting Carbs: Pizza Caponata, House Special Lasagna and the ubiquitous Mint Margerita at The Pantry by The Polo Lounge (Emporium Mall).

 

Other than that, the service is attentive, both the locations are lovely and the food is delicious – what more can one ask for? Kudos to the team behind The Pantry by The Polo Lounge for getting it right nearly every time.

 

You can check out the official The Pantry by The Polo Lounge Facebook page here and the official Instagram account for the eatery here.

 

Note: This is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated by The Pantry by The Polo Lounge in any way for it. The views expressed in it are entirely my own based on my experience.

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

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Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

Post Updated: 07.12.23

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: come fall in love with the dreamiest doughnuts ever!

These romantically named little beauties really do live up to their name: stunning in appearance and a sheer delight taste wise.

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: The Discovery

I first came across Persian Love Doughnuts in the dreamy party and entertaining book “Celebrate” by the lovely Lauren Conrad and they had me intrigued so much that I decided there and then that these would be my next Valentine’s Day dessert.

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: The Inspiration

Turns out that these little doughnuts are derived from classic Persian Love Cake, a delicious pistachio and rose water flavored cake.

Add other additional variations to the mix such as cardamoms, saffron etc. and you have what I like to call “Eastern Exoticism” in dessert form. Bliss.

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: The Recipe

The base recipe for these is by Aimee Twigger of Twigg Studios in which she makes a Persian Love Cake recipe and instead of baking it in a cake pan, pipes it into doughnut molds – genius!

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

So I adapted the recipe for her Persian Love Cake Doughnuts (which you can find here) very slightly and I am very happy with the results.

The cake part has classic pound cake proportions of equal amounts of butter, sugar and flour that make for a universally pleasing cake.

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: The Flavours

The combination of pistachios, rose, cardamom and saffron take this simple cake to an entirely different level.

It may sound fanciful but honestly, these ingredients gives these little Persian Love Cake Doughnuts incredible depth and a pleasingly heady scent, both of which, conjure up images of what in my mind, were exotic, far flung places such as Isfahan and Samarkand that I would read about in books as a child.

 

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: The Adornment

The Lemon Glacé Icing provides a wonderfully tart contrast and helps the toppings stay in place.

The fresh rose petals on top obviously make things more aromatic and I’ve used homegrown roses from my garden to decorate the doughnuts and as “props” for the photos.

The chopped pistachios that these beauties are topped with give a nice extra nuttiness while providing vivid green adornment.

Savour these Persian Love Cake Doughnuts on Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.

Make them with love and eat them with joy!

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

‏

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 30 Minutes    Cook Time: 20 Minutes    Total Time: 50 Minutes
Serves: 10 – 12

 

Persian Love Cake Doughnuts: easy recipe for these incredibly delicious, gloriously fragrant and absolutely stunning beauties.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

  • 50 grams pistachios
  • 1 tbsp warm milk
  • A big pinch of saffron strands
  • 100 grams flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 6-8 pods green cardamom
  • 100 grams salted butter, soft
  • 100 grams caster sugar or superfine sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp rose water OR 1/4 tsp rose essence

 

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
  2. Butter and flour a 12 hole mini doughnut pan.
  3. Grind the pistachios in a coffee grinder or food processor until finely powdered. Set aside.
  4. Add the saffron to the warm milk in a small cup and set aside.
  5. Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
  6. Grind the cardamom pods in a coffee grinder. Sieve.
  7. Cream the butter and sugar a few minutes until creamy. Add rose water or rose essence and eggs one at a time alternately with flour mixture.
  8. Add remaining flour, powdered pistachios, ground (and sieved) cardamoms and the saffron milk mixture.
  9. Put this mixture into a piping bag snipped at the tip or fitted with a plain round nozzle (I used a large Ateco 809 tip) and pipe the batter into the doughnut molds.
  10. You may have some leftover batter after filling all the mini doughnut molds. I used mine to bake a few Persian Love Cake Cupcakes!
  11. Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the doughnuts comes out clean.
  12. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
  13. Loosen the edges with a small knife and invert doughnuts onto a wire rack.
  14. Re-invert and cool completely.
  15. Trim any edges if necessary to get a neat round shape.

 

To decorate with Lemon Glacé Icing:

  1. Stir 100 grams of icing sugar with 1 – 2 tablespoons or more of fresh lemon juice until of pouring consistency.
  2. Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet, tray or flat work surface.
  3. Place the cooled doughnuts onto the sheet.
  4. Drizzle the Lemon Glacé Icing with a spoon over the doughnuts.
  5. Decorate with fresh snipped or chopped rose petals (thoroughly washed and dried) and finely chopped pistachios.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaju Butter Masala

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Kaju Butter Masala

Kaju Butter Masala is the kind of dish that is usually made as a side dish but mostly ends up being the star of the show. If you adore cashews, you will fall in love with this regally rich and royally elegant curry.

Butter Masala dishes such as the popular Chicken Butter Masala and Paneer Butter Masala are steadily gaining popularity in Pakistani home and restaurant cooking and rightly so – the rich gravy flavoured with Mughlai style spices truly makes these dishes fit for royalty.

Kaju Butter Masala

I personally feel that Kaju Butter Masala is the most outstanding variation of the Butter Masala genre and makes a particularly fabulous dish when entertaining desi style. Amazing entirely on it’s own as a main, Kaju Butter Masala makes an impressive vegetarian entrée if you are serving a desi menu and looking for veg option ideas.

My family is so crazy about cashews that sometimes we have to hide any cashews in the house from ourselves (if that makes any sense) as we can polish off an alarmingly copious amount of those utterly delish nuts in record time. So if like us, you too adore cashews, then Kaju Butter Masala is the perfect curry for you.

Kaju Butter Masala

Some people prefer a thicker Kaju Butter Masala gravy while those like me prefer a slightly looser gravy to mop up with with garlic naan or lachay daar paratha. So feel free to keep the gravy as thick or thin as you like.

I follow the recipe by Veg Recipes of India to make Kaju Butter Masala with barely any tweaks. This is the place I turn to for the most outstanding desi vegetarian recipes and you can find the original Kaju Butter Masala recipe by the wonderful Dassana Amit  here.

Serve Kaju Butter Masala as part of an elaborate desi meal or simply by itself accompanied by hot parathay, roti or naan.

Kaju Butter Masala

 

Kaju Butter Masala

Recipe Type: Main    Author: Alice In Eatland
Prep Time: 20 Minutes    Cook Time: 30 Minutes    Total Time: 50 Minutes    Serves: 2 – 4

 

A sublime cashew curry, gloriously creamy and spectacularly seasoned! This Kaju Butter Masala is surprisingly simple to make and insanely delicious to eat!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tbsps butter
  • 4 large tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced, grated or microplaned
  • 1.5 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or microplaned
  • 20 roasted cashews, powdered in food processor or coffee grinder
  • 2 medium green chillies
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri / degi chilli powder or red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves
  • Salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsps cream
  • 1/2 – 1 cup roasted cashews
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

 

METHOD

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and saute the cashews until they begin to change colour, being careful not to burn them. Remove sauteed cashews from pan and set aside.
  2. Heat another tablespoon of butter in the same pan and add the bay leaf. Saute around 10 seconds.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, stir and add 1/2 a cup of water. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and mash easily when pressed with the back of a cooking spoon.
  4. Remove tomato mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
  5. Process or blend the cooled tomato mixture until smooth.
  6. Heat the remaining butter over medium heat in the same pan and add the garlic and ginger.
  7. Stir for 10 -15 seconds and add powdered cashews. Stir until the mixture smells nutty and begins to colour slightly. Be careful not to over brown or burn.
  8. Stir in the pureed tomatoes, Kashmiri/degi chilli powder or red chilli powder.
  9.  Then add the water and green chillies. Cover and simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally until it is as thick as you prefer.
  10. Season with salt and add garama masala.
  11. Crush the Kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves between your palms and add to the gravy.
  12. Finally stir in the cream until combined and remove from heat.
  13. Stir in most of the sauteed cashews, reserving a few to garnish.
  14. Top with with fresh coriander leaves and reserved cashews.