Beat the heat with Mango Lassi

Ingredients:

· Yogurt 125 ml

· Chilled Water 200 ml

· Ice cubes 8

· Chopped mango 1

· Sugar 1 tbsp

· Dried Mint (one pinch)

Method:

· Mix all the ingredients together in a blender.

· Serve in a long glass.

Enjoy your delicious Mango Lassi

Different Pakistani Cooking Techniques

Throughout Pakistan, cooking methods differ between each region. Three of these techniques will be described here. One technique, however, is dry roasting spices. To do this, you’ll need a pan and spices of your choice. Start off by heating the pan until you can feel the heat on your palm. Add the hardest of the spices first and stir them constantly using medium heat. Once the hard spices start to change color, add the remaining spices while continuing to stir. Roast them all to an even brown. Try not to make the spices too light, this means they are still raw but having them too dark means they are burnt. Remove the spices from the pan, let them cool and then ground/crush.

The second technique is learning how to fry spices. Add oil or ghee to a hot pan. It should get fairly hot before adding the spices otherwise they will become brittle and completely tasteless. Throughout the cooking, the spices should sizzle, pop and splutter at least once. When that happens, the pan should be removed from the hot spot on the stove and the spices should be removed before they are burnt. Remember to add the hardest of the spices first then place the weakest spices in later.

The last technique is how to grind or crush spices. The simplest way is to use coffee/spice mills, pepper mills, a pestle or a mortar to crush spices. However, if you do not have access to any of these tools, place a sheet of greaseproof paper over the roasted spices and crush them with a rolling pin. Using the greaseproof paper will prevent the spices from sticking to the rolling pin or making it smell.

Food for Sight – Keeping Your Eyes Healthy with Spinach

They say that our eyes are our windows to the world around us. Could you imagine going through each day with impaired or even a total loss of vision? Most people believe that vision is their greatest asset and admit that they would not be able to adapt to life with poor eye sight. Thus it is important that we know how to take care of our eyesight and prevent any impairment to this asset of ours.

Our modern lifestyle puts a lot of strain to our eyes. With all the smoke, pollution, inadequate sleep and allergies, among other causes, may damage our eyes and impair vision to a certain extent. Not to mention the way some of us stare into the computer screens for hours daily.
Fortunately there are food stuffs that have been proven to be good for our eyes and protect our vision. These items not only help prevent diseases such as macular degeneration, a form of incurable disease affecting the eyes, some may even improve our eyes’ health in general.
Spinach! The secret to healthy eyes and good vision.

Spinach is one of the most effective food stuff with eye protecting properties. It contains high levels of Lutein, a carotene which plays an essential role in fighting diseases of the eyes. How does it work? The Lutein in our eyes help absorb blue (ultraviolet, UV) light, the most harmful of the different light types, thus preventing any damage possibly caused by exposure. Carotenes are also found in abundance in carrots. Another compound with similar properties is called Zeaxanthin.

Spinach is also rich in Vitamins A and C, potassium and fibre. Thus it is no wonder that studies show an improvement in not only visual health but also overall health in people whose diet includes regular servings of spinach.

I guess Popeye was right in keeping a can of spinach within reach.

Easy Healthy Home Recipe for Tandoori Chicken Kababs

Easy Healthy Home Recipe for Tandoori Chicken Kababs

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Easy Healthy Home Recipe for Tandoori Chicken Kababs

The recipe for tandoori chicken kababs is very simple. To make this, a person will need: 8 chicken thighs/breasts which are cut into pieces and skewered, 250 milliliters of yogurt, 4 tablespoons of oil, 1 medium chopped onion, 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (optional), 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder and 3 tablespoons Shahi garam masala.

Next, combine the chicken pieces with yogurt, oil, onions, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, tomato paste and Shahi garam masala in a bowl. Mix all of the ingredients very well and let marinate for at least twenty-four hours. After the chicken is marinated, skewer it. If you are using a BBQ, hold the skewers over the flame for about five minutes or until well browned then turn the chicken over to the other side until brown. The last step is to cook the food until it is as dark or light as you desire.

Most times, this recipe is good for parties where a lot of people are gathering. However, cooking tandoori chicken kababs just to satisfy your taste buds is okay too.

Differing recipes will have vegetables such as cauliflower, green peppers and tomatoes on the skewer to cook along with the chicken. For health purposes, adding peppers with the meat helps to increase the metabolism in a persons’ body. Other grilled vegetables help supply vitamins.

Enjoy Tandoori Chicken Kababs.

Barbeque Giant Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

· 1 kg boneless Chicken Breast (cut in equal pieces about 2 inches long)
· 1 ½ cup Yogurt
· 6 tbsp Cheese
· ½ tsp Vinegar
· ½ tsp Ajwain
· 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
· 1 tsp Garlic Paste
· ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
· ½ tsp Salt

Method:

· Preheat the grills for barbeque.
· Mix yogurt, cheese, vinegar and ajwain in a bowl.
· Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour.
· In another bowl place chicken fingers and marinate them with vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and black pepper for 20 minutes.
· Then grill chicken fingers until it turns golden and are tender and cooked.
· Serve these with the sauce made above and garnish with salad if you want.

The Popularity of Pakistani Recipes

Throughout the world, there are obviously very many countries. Contained within those countries are traditional and historic family recipes. China, Japan, Australia, France, Italy and even countries in the Middle East, such as Pakistan, have their own unique recipes. Through time, foreign recipes spread across the world for others to experience. Pakistani recipes are known to be very popular throughout the world.

Why is that so? Well, to put it simply, the meals are easy to prepare. Pakistani recipes usually take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to make. Not only are they quick to cook but the meals also contain a lot of spicy kicks. Pakistani foods, mainly for dinner, are prepared with spices such as chili powder, curry powder and cilantro. Ingredients such as these make the meals very flavorful to those who don’t eat spicy foods often.

If a person is looking for an attractive, unusual (at least different from a usually American diet) and exotic meal, then Pakistani recipes could do the trick. The foods are very versatile in the way that they can either be prepared at home or a person could go out to a restaurant. Either way, the popularity of Pakistani recipes continues to grow as more and more people learn about the diversity and versatility of the culture.