Ferozpur Road, Lahore

Ferozpur road is one of the most busiest roads of Lahore. The construction of over head bridge has turned Ferozpur Road to debris. Sand piles and the dug road has made traffic a big problem these days here.

At the Muslim Town Canal signal

Finally the traffic moved :P

road dug outside Wapda Hospital, Rehman Pura.

*sigh* the poor road all in mess :P

The pillars being made for the overhead.

GOL GAPAY WALA AAYA - :D

One of the most yummiest and chatpatta  snack of all times in Pakistan, India etc. :D
Do try out the recipe and let me know how you liked it :)
Before the recipe, listen to "Golgapay wala aya" below :D










Gol gapas are easy to make with very basic ingredients plus some patience when you are trying it at home. Puffing the gol gapas is possible by following these steps:
1. Rolling the dough as thin as possible.
2. Don't let the bulk dough or the rolled dough to dry up! Cover the dough with a damp kitchen cloth properly throughout.
3.  The oil must be sufficiently warm for frying the gol gapas.
4. While you put the puri (gol gapa) in oil to fry, use your frying skimmer to to gently pat the puri so that it puffs up. Flip the side and pat the puri again! (it helps to puff the gol gapa quickly and easily)
5. Not all the gol gapas would puff up completely. So, have patience :D


INGREDIENTS:


Puri:

• semolina (suji) 3/4 cup
• flour (maida) 1/4 cup
• Flour (aata) 1/4 cup
• water 1/2 cup or as reqiured

Pani:

• tamarind pulp 1 cup
• mint leaves 7-8
• green chillies 1-2 
• lemon juice 4 tablespoons
• black salt 1/2 teaspoon
• plain salt 1/2 teaspoon
• roasted and ground zeera 1 tablespoon
• ground sugar 6 tablespoons
• black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
• chaat masala 1 tablespoon
• water 4 cups (adjust to taste)

Filling:

• potatoes 2 medium sized, boiled and cut in cubes
• chick peas 1 cup boiled
• onions 2 medium sized sliced
• flour dumplings (pakorian) 1 cup soaked in water

Mix the potatoes, onions, chick peas ans strained pakorian. Add a little chaat masala if desired.

PROCEDURE:

Pani:

• For pani, blend green chillies and mint leaves to a paste.
• In a bowl mix together tamarind pulp, lemon juice, black salt, plain salt, ground zeera, sugar, black pepper and chaat masala. Add into it the green chillies and mint leaves paste. Dilute it with water to taste.
• The water should be chilled and spicy. Keep it in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Puri (Gol Gapay):

• In a bowl mix together semolina and both the flours.
• Knead it with water to make a stiff dough.
• Keep it aside for 20 minutes and knead it again.
• Make marble sized balls with little oil in your hands. Roll out in a puri with rolling pin, secure between two layers of wet cloth. Roll out all of them and leave it aside for ten minutes.
• Deep fry on medium heat and pat the puri with your frying skimmer till it puffs up.
• Fry till they are light brown to golden in colour.
• Don't place the hot fried puris one over the other or else it would become soggy.
• If puris become soggy heat it in oven to make it crisp again.

To Assemble:

• Puncture the gol gapa with the tip of your thumb. 
• Add 1 teaspoon of filling and top it with sour pani.
• You also add a little sweet taste by adding plum chutney before adding the pani. 

 The freshly fried gol gapaz :D

The gol gapas ready to be eaten :)

ENJOY :)

Chicken Boneless Handi

Chicken Boneless served in a handi

the closer look :D

more zoomed in :D

Handi is a traditional clay pot used for cooking in the Subcontinent.
Chicken boneless handi is among one of the favorite dishes whenever people want to eat Desi Pakistani Food :) It is creamy with the perfect aroma of dried fenugeek added to it! and yes its easy to make :)

okay so the recipe now :)


INGREDIENTS:

• chicken boneless cut in inch cubes 1/2 kg
• onions finely chopped 2 medium sized
• ginger and garlic paste 4 tablespoons
• tomatoes 3 medium sized finely chopped
• red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
• salt 1 teaspoon
• Kasuri methi (fenugeek) 1 teaspoon
• green chillies 3 cut 
• garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
• white zeera (cumin) powder 1/2 teaspoon
• yogurt 1/2 cup
• fresh cream 1 cup
• coconut powder 2 teaspoon
• cooking oil 1/2 cup
• Ginger and coriander to garnish

PROCEDURE:

• Warm oil in a pan and add to it chopped onions and fry it to golden brown.
• Add to it the ginger and garlic paste and cook the onions well in it.
• Now add into it the chopped tomatoes and mix it.
• When tomatoes begin to tenderize, add into it the chicken, green chillies, salt, zerra powder, red pepper, garam masala and mix it plus cook it well.
• Add the yogurt and water about 3/4th cup. Now cover the pan till the water dries up and the ingredients are properly cooked.
• Cook until the masala dries up and chicken is tender.
• Turn off the flame and add 1 cup of fresh cream, coconut powder and kasuri methi. Stir it well and turn on the flame to medium. Cook the masala till it leaves oil.
• Now dish out in a Handi and garnish with ginger and coriander.
• Serve with naan and chutni :)

ENJOY :) 

Fill in the blanks Friday; 2-12-2011

By Lauren the little things we do

1.   The holiday season is     a time for good food with friends and family. It is a time to reflect and be thankful about all that we have been blessed with throughout the year   .

2.   Snow makes me  super excited and euphoric :D. (wish I could spend some years in a place where it actually snows) :(

3.  The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is    soup and lots of nuts plus strong coffee and hot chocolate :D .

4. Winter is the best time for    cozying up in front of the fire place with a warm beverage and cozy socks.

5.  I can't hardly wait for   going shopping after i get my salary :P

6.  When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to    give them. Surprise gifts are always a treat. I also love getting gifts :)

7.  If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a    6 or a 7. I like the holiday season, if it brings me out of the monotony and routine! or else holidays become a havoc for me! :P 

Commanding Success - 125 Years of Aitchison College

Going through Lahorenama I found this video worth seeing :)
The prestigious Aitchison College is one of the best educational institutions of Pakistan!
Hope you enjoy watching the video!

Fill in the blanks Friday 18-11-11

Fill in the Blanks Friday 

by

Lauren @ little things we do

1.   A nervous habit I have is     blinking my eyes continuously that sometimes others might think I have some ophthalmic problem :P

2.   Something that makes me sad is  to see people criticize no matter what good others would do! To see people never thankful to Allah's blessings on them because they are discontent no matter how much they get! SAD.

3.  Today I am thankful for   everything I have! My family, my studies, my new job and so many uncounted blessings of Allah on me.Alhumdulelah!.

4. My favorite room in my house is    my bedroom :D its cozy :)

5.  I can't stand   liars,people who can't fulfill their words and promises...!!

6.  If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today I would    go buy the best-est gifts for ami and daddy :) they deserve the best from us! :)

7.  The last person I hung out with was    my cousins to enjoy GOL GAPAS at Model Town, Link Road. It was so much fun :)

Beef Chapli Kebab

Beef Chapli Kebab served in a clay platter with cucumber, onions, tomatoes and lemon :)

yum :)

Happy mutton and beef season :D

Coconut Cupcakes

The cupcakes I made specially for Eid Ul Azha :). It was my first cupcake frosting trial though it wasn't very perfect,but it was good enough.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup apple sauce (for the recipe follow the link here)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 and 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

PROCEDURE:

• Cream together margarine and sugar with a beater.
• Add vanilla extract, vinegar apple sauce and coconut milk and beat all the ingredients well.
• Take the flour in a separate bowl and add into it salt, baking powder and the coconut flakes.Whisk all the dry ingredients well.
• Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix them well. Don't overmix it.
• Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 12.

FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon coconut milk 

Beat the butter and add slowly the sugar to it. keep beating the butter and sugar till creamy and frothy. Mix into it the coconut milk

Frost the cupcakes with the icing when they have cooled down at room temperature. Sprinkle colored coconut flakes on the icing :) 

Serve with tea or coffee :). enjoy :)

The muffin tray with muffin liners :D

The kitchen mess while baking :-/

Here we are with coconut cupcake batter in the muffin liners :)

In the oven to bake :)

Oven hot cupcakes :)

Cupcakes ready to frost :)

Here we are with the frosted coconut cupcakes with colored coconut sprinkles :)

ready for tea party :D 

Enjoy :)

Fill in the blanks friday

Fill in the blanks, Friday; 11-11-11 :)

by the little things we do

1.   My favorite new blog of the moment is  My life, in photos (mostly.)

2.   Something I am thankful for is  the borrowed novels :P   .

3.  Something that made me laugh this week was Eid Ul Azha episode of BULBULAY; it was hilarious :D

4. An item that is currently on my wish list is   a new handbag :P  .

5.  I am excited about   getting my appointment letter as soon as possible because I'm tired waiting for it now.

6.  If I were a color I would be    white; its peaceful and it has 7 colors in it :) .

7.  My favorite way to spend a chilly fall day is by    sitting down in the blanket and read some book or watch a movie .

Fill in the Blanks Friday, 4th November 2011

by the little things we do

1.   My favorite thing about this week was/is   Eid preparation and muffin recipes :).

2.   Colder weather makes me   cold and happy as winters is my favorite season  .

3.  Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are    my new job appointment,my baking projects :D and my PHD one day INSHAALLAH .

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose   flats because they are so very comfortable  .

5.  My personality type is   according to people introvert, silent and expression less! I don't think so it is this way :D I'm sensitive, fun loving, out spoken and friendly.

6.  I have a serious problem resisting    Junk food these days :P

7.  My favorite color to wear is   black and pink!

via http://thelittlethingswedo.blogspot.com/

1.   Something popular that I can't stand/just don't "get" is    trying to be fake to gain "points" :P hate it like anything.

2.   Something unpopular that I secretly love is  roaming around the roads late at night:D   .

3.  When I've had a bad day I   take out the anger accumulating in me or cry for a while.

4. I'd prefer   texting(SMS)  to    calling   any day :D

5.  Something that makes me nervous is    giving presentations in front of the class:S (oh! yes i suffer stage fright):P

6.  Something worth fighting for is     living a positive life. (People would always show you a dark and worse side)

7.  When people think of me, I hope they think    I'm shy and dull and stubborn. Let them think what they can,I don't care :D

Lahore - Before Partition (Technicolor Footage)

Historic footage of Lahore city circa 1946 shot in Technicolor with views of two partition veterans on how the city has been changed after partition. Sites that have been captured are The Mall Road, Lahore Gymkhana (Old Building now Quaid-e-Azam Library), Lahore Museum, Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Delhi Gate, Walled City, Circular Road etc.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apEk8Yu0KXU&feature=related

Vanilla Cupcakes

The very simple baking experiment with good and yummy results:) 

So this is my shopping for the recipe:P the paper cups, flour, vanilla essence, baking powder and the muffin baking tray:D (Super Victoria store) :P :D


Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 125 gm butter
• 2cups plain flour
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure:

• Before starting with the ingredients switch on your oven at 170 C to let it be preheated.
• Beat the eggs, butter by an electric beater ( use a blender if you don't have one) till creamy and frothy. Add into it the castor sugar and salt and mix it well.
• Now pour your mixture into a large bowl and sift into it 2 cups of flour in small batches and whisk it with a wooden spatula.

• Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and mix it well.
• Add 1/2 cup of milk and mix the batter till creamy and smooth.
• Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence to the mixture.
• Take a tablespoon and fill 3/4th of the paper cups. avoid overfilling of the cups.

• Place your muffin tray with the filled paper cups into the preheated oven and bake it for 30-35 minutes.

(Don't mind the nasty price tag :P)

(if you don't have muffin baking tray, bake them directly on your oven tray)

• The best way to check whether your cup cakes are baked properly or not, is just poke the center of the cake with a tooth pick. If it comes out smooth without any crumbs it is perfectly baked. but yes don't forget to cook till it develops golden color.
• Makes about 35 mini cup cakes.

 (many of the cup cakes were eaten as it came out of the oven :P so these don't count to be 35 :D )

• Serve with and enjoy with tea or coffee :)

Fill in the blanks Friday; 30 septmber 2011

Fill in the blank Friday

By Lauren Margaret

1.   My current obsession is   baking and fabric painting :D

2.    Friends, family and cousins    make me happy.

3.  My greatest strength is   my best friend :)

4.    My tension taking habit    is my greatest weakness.

5.  My life is    blessed Alhumdulillah  :)

6.  In high school I was    shy, quiet and silly :P .

7.  When I'm super tired    I sleep while talking :S

by Lauren Margaret from

http://thelittlethingswedo.blogspot.com/