Today I am sharing a recipe for aloo chana chaat – a vegan Pakistani and Indian snack made from potatoes and chickpeas. The ingredients used in this recipe are super simple (pantry staples in a Desi household) but the flavour is such that it will make you finish the whole bowl in minutes. It’s also immensely adaptable so if you don’t have one of the ingredients, just skip or substitute for something else. So what exactly is chaat? The simplest…
Green chutney or coriander mint chutney is a versatile Pakistani / Indian chutney made with coriander, mint leaves and green chilies. It’s like the Desi version of ketchup; except it’s green and depending on the amount of green chilies you add, can be mild or super spicy! How do you make green chutney? The main ingredients needed to make green chutney are unsurprisingly green in colour – they are coriander leaves (dhaniya), mint leaves (pudina) and green chilies. All fresh…
Packed with chicken, capsicum, carrots and cabbage these chicken and vegetable spring rolls are crispy, crunchy and absolutely delicious! Serve hot with ketchup or sweet chili sauce. Today I am sharing a recipe for Chinese style chicken and vegetable spring rolls – an oriental snack that is super popular in Pakistan. It’s a snack that you will not only find in Chinese restaurants but also at local Pakistani restaurants, cafes and even roadside vendors. It’s a snack you can find…
Chana dal samosas are a popular Pakistani & Indian vegetarian / vegan snack. Perfect for tea time with green chutney or raita on the side. Growing up in Pakistan with parents who were doctors meant that I rarely got to eat snacks from outside. No thailay wali kulfi’s, no bun kebabs, not even Mr. Burger and definitely no gola ganda’s! What I was allowed to have were samosas from the Nimco outlet (the original outlet in Bohri Bazaar, Saddar), but…
These chicken spread sandwiches are a great option for lunch boxes, be it a school lunch box or for the office. Just spread it on bread, add sliced vegetables and cut into halves or triangles. Whatever you prefer! The first time I tried a chicken spread sandwich was from my friend’s lunch box – she had bought sandwiches to school and made me try them. That very day I asked my mother to get me a bottle for home, but…
Shami kebab are beef patties made with boneless beef, chana daal (split bengal gram), onion, spices and herbs. This recipe makes a large batch so eat some right now, and freeze the rest for later. There was a time when shami kebabs were reserved for special occasions – when guests are over or it was a fancy dinner at home. Those were the days when the meat for the shami kebab was painstakingly ground by hand with a sil batta.…
Keema samosa is a popular Pakistani snack with a filling of keema enclosed in a flour based pastry and deep fried. Enjoy it hot with mint chutney on the side. Samosa making is an art learnt by trial and error and a line of broken samosa pattis along the way. Every year in Ramadan samosa making was a ritual with my mother. I remember how I struggled when she started teaching me. As much as I tried, I could never…