Cafe de Burhan

What is your Choice?

3 years ago | [YT] | 11

Cafe de Burhan

Spiced Hummus with Almonds

Makes 3 cups (800 g) Preparation 10 minutes

Cafe de Burhan Personal Note:
Dried or canned chickpeas are a basic item in any Pakistani pantry. For this dip, you can use canned garbanzo beans, which are also called chickpeas. The addition of Pakistani spices makes this recipe delightful, and—when used as a dip for finger snacks, plain tortilla chips, or potato chips— it is an unusually easy-to-pull- off appetizer for your guests when you are in no particular mood to spend hours in the
kitchen!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 cup (140 g) sliced almonds
2 cups (300 g) rinsed and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas) from one 19-oz (583-g) can
5 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup (2 g) fresh mint leaves
¼ cup (65 ml) fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon prepared garam masala


Instructions:

1 Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until slightly toasted and brown, about a minute. Set aside.
2 Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until slightly toasted and brown, about a minute. Set aside.
3 Blend the almonds, garbanzo beans, sesame seeds, and garlic with a little water in a blender or food processor to make a smooth paste.
4 Add the mint, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, cumin and garam masala, and blend. Serve cold as a dipping sauce.

5 years ago | [YT] | 5

Cafe de Burhan

Coconut and Red Chili Sambal

Makes 2 cups (800 g) Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 5 minutes

Cafe de Burhan Notes:
Sambal is a common table condiment in South Pakistani households. Adjust the number of red chili peppers that you use at your discretion, as prepared sambal chili paste is quite spicy on its own. Sambal chili paste is found in most Asian markets in the United States. Serve it on the side with Crispy Southern Pakistani Fried Fish or Goan Crab Cakes.

Ingredients:
3 cups (500 g) shredded, unsweetened coconut (frozen, reconstituted dried or freshly grated)
2–3 dried red chili peppers, to taste
1 tablespoon prepared sambal chili paste
2-in (5-cm) piece peeled and sliced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 cup (250 g) plain yogurt
1 cup (40 g) coarsely-chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
Salt, to taste

Garnish
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 2 tablespoons minced fresh curry
leaves


Instructions:

1 Blend the coconut, red chili peppers, sambal chili paste and ginger in a blender or food processor until minced.
2 Add the lemon juice, yogurt, and fresh coriander leaves, and blend again, scraping the mixture from the sides with a spatula until it becomes very smooth. Add the salt and transfer to a serving bowl. 3 Make the garnish: heat the oil in a small non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Lower the heat and cover until the spluttering subsides. Add to the sambal and stir lightly. Serve, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

5 years ago | [YT] | 6

Cafe de Burhan

Potato Raita with Chives and Cumin

Serves 4 Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 30 minutes

Cafe de Burhan Personal Note: If there ever was a staple accompaniment on the Pakistani table, it is raita. Various vegetables, sometimes cooked, sometimes raw, are used in making raitas. Here, I have added chives for a flavor that’s slightly different than the run- of-the-mill raita. Enjoy this with Spinach and Thyme Roti Flatbreads

Ingredients:
1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes (½ lb/225 g), scrubbed clean with a brush
2½ cups (610 g) plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
Salt, to taste
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, toasted and ground
½ cup (16 g) minced chives
½ red bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

Instructions:

1 Peel the potato before or after cooking. Place the potato in a pan, cover with lightly salted water, and boil until tender, about 25–30 minutes. Drain. (Alternatively, you can fork-perforate and microwave the potato for 4–8 minutes.) When cool enough to handle, cut the peeled potato into 1-in (2.5- cm) dice.
2 Place the yogurt in a serving bowl, mix in the potato, salt, and half of the ground cumin seed and peppercorns. Add the chives and red bell pepper. Garnish with the remaining ground spices, and serve.

5 years ago | [YT] | 8

Cafe de Burhan

Wasabi and Green Chili Chutney

Makes 1 cup (300 g) Preparation 10 minutes

Cafe de Burhan Notes:
Don’t let the words“wasabi” or “green chili” scare you away from this chutney. The mayonnaise and lime juice cut through the heat of these immensely spicy ingredients to give you a dip that isn’t too dangerous for your palate. Enjoy this spread on basic vegetable sandwiches or smeared on a plain flatbread or Potato and Dill Stuffed Parathas



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste
2 small fresh green chili peppers, deseeded
5 green onions (scallions), coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 g) fresh mint leaves
3 cups (120 g) coarsely-chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
¼ cup (65 ml) fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons sugar
Salt, to taste


Instructions:

1 Blend the wasabi, green chili peppers and green onions in a blender or food processor until well minced. Add the mint and coriander leaves, and then continue blending, scraping the sides with a spatula, until puréed. As you blend, drizzle the lime juice through the feeder tube into the bowl and process until the chutney is smooth.
2 Add the mayonnaise, sugar and salt, and mix. Adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

5 years ago | [YT] | 6

Cafe de Burhan

Sautéing
Unlike classic French sautéing, bhunao is a combination of sautéing, stir-frying and light stewing. It is the process of cooking over medium to high heat, adding small quantities of liquid, such as water or tomato purée, and stirring constantly to prevent the ingredients from sticking. Almost every Pakistani/Indian recipe needs bhunao at some stage, and some at more than one stage. Generally ingredients like onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and spices require bhunao to extract the flavor of each of the ingredients in combination with spices and to ensure that the masala is fully cooked before adding the main ingredient.
Sometimes the main ingredient, such as poultry, meats or vegetables, may also require bhunao. The process of making masala is complete only when the fat leaves the masala, which is critical in Pakistani/Indian cooking.
Traditionally a kadhai is used for this technique, but a heavy-bottomed saucepan or other deep-sided pan, such as a braiser or Dutch oven, works as well.

5 years ago | [YT] | 5

Cafe de Burhan

Yogurt
Thick and creamy yogurt is made every day in homes across the Pakistani subcontinent and it is an important part of every meal. It is most commonly enjoyed plain as a mild contrast to spicy foods.
Raitas—cooling salads made with yogurt and crunchy vegetables—are very popular. Yogurt is often churned into cooling drinks with spices, and is the base for many desserts. In savory cooking, its main role is as a souring agent, though it also aids digestion. In India it is customary to end a meal with either plain yogurt mixed with rice or a glass of Pakistani spiced“buttermilk” (thinned yogurt with salt, green chilies, ginger and salt which is common in south India). The best yogurt to use for the recipes in this book is a thick, plain, natural yogurt made from whole milk. Look for organic whole milk yogurt for the best consistency and flavor.

5 years ago | [YT] | 7

Cafe de Burhan

Steaming
Dum cooking has been described as the“maturing of a dish,” as in this technique the food is very slowly cooked in its own steam. Traditionally, the lid was sealed to the cooking vessel with a flour- and-water paste to make sure moisture stayed trapped within. The vessel was partially buried in hot coals and, to ensure the food was evenly surrounded by heat, some hot coals were placed on top of the lid. Today the modern oven is used to perform the function of providing even heat. The dish is first cooked on a stove top and then well sealed and placed in the oven to continue cooking in its own steam. The advantage of dum cooking is that because the vapors cannot escape, the food retains all of its delicate flavor and aroma.

5 years ago | [YT] | 6

Cafe de Burhan

Turmeric
It is a rhizome of a tropical plant in the ginger family. The fresh root is boiled, peeled, sun-dried, and ground into a bright yellow-orange powder. Ground turmeric has a warm, peppery aroma—reminiscent of ginger—and a strong, bitter taste, which mellows upon cooking. It is used to color many curries and is sometimes used as a “poor man’s substitute” for Zaffron due to the similar color it imparts; however, the taste is quite different.

5 years ago | [YT] | 6