The cooking style of Pakistan is very much influenced by the Mughal Empire, which established its rule around the time 1526. The cooking includes ingredients such as herbs and spices, almonds, and raisins. Pakistanis also enjoy the taste of other foodstuffs such as shahi tukra, a dessert made of sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar, and saffron (a type of spice), and chicken tandoori.

Each region has its own specialty. For instance, the coastal Sind province and Makran coast of Balochistan have the delicacies of fish and other seafoods, while the people in Baluchistan, located in western Pakistan prefer lamb like the Pathens in the Northwest Frontier province. Punjab which is located in eastern part of Pakistan is famous for roti and elaborate cooking preparations.

Pakistanis generally eat three meals a day i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner and they use milk, lentils, vegetables, and flour and wheat products for their meals. Chapattis form the main staple at most meals. Vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, ladies finger, white grams, and peas are also used depending on the season. A stew made of lentils known as dhal is one of the most commonly eaten vegetables.

As per the Islamic teaching, Pakistanis use right hand, while taking food and especially in the rural areas, foods are served on a mat-like cloth called Dastarkhan on which they sit and take meals.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives

Preparation:

Mix flour and salt; cut margarine in until mixture begins to form a ball. Blend in sour cream. Divide dough into 4 parts. Wrap each part and chill several hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

On floured board, roll each section into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Sprinkle one-half each rectangle with either cheese, onion, mushrooms or olives. Fold dough over to make a 6-inch sqare. Cut the 6-inch square into 2-inch squares, pressing edges. Continue until all dough is prepared.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. May be prepared in advance and refrigerated, then baked for 30 minutes.
Makes 36 appetizers.

Storing Rice 

Whole Grain Rice (brown, red or black): Because of the oil in the bran layer of whole grain rice it has a shelf life of about 6 months. Refrigerate or freeze to extend shelf life.
: If not eaten immediately cooked rice should be cooled quickly. Store in a tightly covered, shallow container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or frozen up to 6 months.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the water when cooking rice so the grains stay separate and don’t stick together.

To keep rice (especially brown rice) fresh longer, store it in the refrigerator. Brown rice should be stored at 55 degrees F. or lower.

Never stir rice while it cooks because it will crush the rice grains, releasing starch, and make the rice gummy.

Most foods take 3-4 hours to digest, white rice has such a low fiber content it only takes 1 hour to digest.

Microwavable rice costs almost $6.00 per pound. Bulk rice costs less than $0.50 per pound.

• 1 cup dry rice = approx. 7 oz. (wt.)
• 1 lb. dry rice = approx. 2 1/4 c. (vol.)
• 1 cup cooked rice = approx. 8 oz. (wt.)
• 1 lb. cooked rice = approx. 1 pt. (2 cups)
• 1 lb. dry rice yields about 6-7 cups cooked rice
HOW TO PREPARE RICE
American-grown rice is a clean product that does not need washing or rinsing before or after cooking. Most U.S. rice is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid. Rinsing rice, or cooking rice in excess water and draining, results in loss of enrichment and other water-soluble vitamins and minerals.

For best results, always follow package directions. When directions are not available, use this easy chart:

Proportion & Yield

TOP OF THE RANGE:

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon. butter or margarine (optional) in 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; stir once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer. Cook according to time specified on chart. If rice is not quite tender or liquid is not absorbed, replace lid and cook 2 to 4 minutes longer. Fluff with fork.
OTHER COOKING METHODS
In addition to cooking rice on top of the range, you can prepare it in a conventional oven, microwave oven, or rice cooker.

CONVENTIONAL OVEN:

Cooking rice in the oven is an efficient use of energy when other foods are baking. Boiling liquid must be used to start the cooking process.

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional) in a baking dish or pan; stir. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (30 to 40 minutes for parboiled; 1 hour for whole grain rice). Fluff with fork.
MICROWAVE OVEN:

Rice cooks easily in the microwave oven and saves energy and clean-up time.

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional) in 2- to 3-quart deep microwave baking dish. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 minutes or until boiling. Reduce setting to MEDIUM (50% power) and cook 15 minutes (20 minutes for parboiled rice and 30 minutes for whole-grain rice). Fluff with fork.
RICE COOKERS:

Rice cookers are easy to use and keep rice warm until you are ready to eat. There are several reliable brands available, both automatic and non-automatic. Care should be taken to follow individual manufacturers’ directions

In general, all ingredients are combined using 1/4 to 1/2 cup less liquid than for the top-of-the-range method. Turn the rice cooker on. The rice cooker stops cooking automatically by sensing a rise in temperature that occurs when rice has absorbed all the liquid.

Courtesy: foodreference

• 200 gms Green Corainder (Cilantro)
• 250 gms Amla
• 100 gms Green Chillies
• 1 small Ginger
• 1 tsp Salt

• Chick Pea flour 11 oz
• safflower oil 2 tsp
• red pepper flakes 1 tsp
• black pepper, ground 1 tsp
• cumin Powder 1/2 tsp
• curry Powder 1/2 tsp
• white sugar 2 tbsp
• kosher salt 2 tsp
• cayenne pepper, ground 1/4 tsp
• water 10 fl oz
• Simplot IQF Cauliflower 32 oz

Directions

1. Place all ingredients for the batter in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to remove any lumps. Batter should be smooth and pancake like.
2. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
3. For each order, dip 4 oz. of the Simplot Cauliflower into the batter.
4. Allow the excess batter to drain from the Cauliflower and place in a preheated 375 °F fryer.
5. Fry for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown color is achieved.

Xanthophylls give the yellow carrots their golden hues and have been linked with good eye health. Red carrots contain lycopene, a type of carotene also found in tomatoes that’s believed to guard against heart disease and some cancers.

Purple carrots owe their color to anthocyanins. In a class all by themselves, these pigments are considered to be powerful antioxidants that can guard the body’s fragile cells from the destructive effects of unstable molecules known as free radicals.

At first, Philipp Simon–the carrots’ breeder who works at the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wis.–was unsure if these complex vegetables could provide nutrients in a form that the human body can use.

But in studies with nutritionist Sherry Tanumihardjo from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Simon found that yellow carrots’ lutein was 65 percent as bioavailable as it is from a lutein supplement. The two also discovered that lycopene from red-pigmented carrots is 40 percent as bioavailable as it is from tomato paste.

And for consumers who don’t like tomatoes, having another food source of lycopene would be good news.

Despite their nutritional and culinary appeal, Simon’s carrots haven’t yet caught on in growers’ circles. But that could change as consumers create a demand for these strange, but good-for-you veggies.

½ kg chicken
100 ml onion paste
50 ml. yogurt
1 tsp. coriander (Dhaniya) powder
3 to 4 tsp salt (to taste)
¼ tsp. turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tsp chili (Lal Mirch) powder
1 tsp. garlic (Lehsan) paste
1 tsp. ginger (Adrak) paste
100 ml. oil
1 to 1½ tsp. salt (as per taste)
100 ml. tomato – ground
1-2 green chilies -chopped
1 tsp. garam masala. OR 1 black cardamom (Bari Ilaichi) seeds,
2 green cardamom (Chhoti Ilaichi) seeds,
1 small stick cinnamon (Dalchini)
10 black pepper (Kali Mirch)
6-8 cloves (Laung)
¼ tsp. cumin seeds (Zeera)

Garnish
2 tsp. fresh coriander (Dhaniya) leaves and green chilies (chopped)

Instructions

Fry onion paste in oil to light brown. Add Ginger (Adrak), Garlic (Lehsan) paste, yogurt, Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya) powder, chili powder, Turmeric (Haldi) powder, tomato, and salt.
Mix and fry briefly and then add the chicken.
Mix it and let it cook for 10-15 minutes till the chicken becomes tender and the desired consistency of curry is achieved. (add water only to have the required consistency)
Garnish with green chilies, green coriander (Dhaniya) leaves and garam masala.
Serve with naan or boiled rice.
Serving: 3 to 4 persons.

• 8 slices of Bread
2 Eggs
1 cup Whole Milk
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
Fat or Butter (for frying)
Powdered Sugar