Use these great recipes to build your master meal lists.
2 lb lamb (with bones cut into large pieces)
1 lb tomatoes
4 onions
4 C rice
4 dried limes
3 C corn oil or melted butter
4 cinnamon sticks
8 cardamom seeds
3 chili peppers (optional)
Wash and drain the meat.
Peel and chop the onions; fry until golden brown.
Add the meat, stir until brown; add the chopped tomatoes.
Add boiling water and simmer over a medium heat until cooked. Add salt to taste.
Add the limes, cardamom seeds chili peppers and cinnamon.
Add sufficient water to cook the rice.
Clean and wash the rice.
Add rice to the meat and leave until the rice is cooked.
Serve hot.
Basmati (Long Grain Indian Rice) - Pakistan
3 C basmati rice
7 - 8 C water
1 lg onion
1 bag frozen peas
biryani masala
1 green chili
salt to taste
Combine and cook until rice is done.
2 C basmati rice
2 md onions
½ C fresh basil leaves (chopped)
½ - 1 TB curry powder
1 TS salt
4 TB cooking oil
1 lb ground chicken
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Chop onions and fry in 2 TB oil until just starting to brown.
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Add meat and curry powder, stir until brown.
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Scoop out onions and meat, leaving oil in pan.
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Add dry rice and stir until transparent.
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Add 4 C water and salt, bring to boil, cover and cook over LOW flame for 15 minutes
or until all water is absorbed.
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Add meat, onions, finely chopped basil and the rest of the oil, stir and cook for
another 3 minutes.
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Put everything in shallow glass dish, cover with paper towel
and microwave on full power for another 10 - 15 minutes.
4 - 5 lb chicken (cut in small pieces) or 3 lb beef (cut into 1 – 2” cubes)
2 md onions (sliced thin)
6 garlic cloves (crushed)
3” piece ginger (ground)
½ C yogurt
1 can (15 oz) chopped tomatoes
10 whole green cardamom
6 whole black cardamom
2 TB black cumin seeds
10 cloves
2 TB black pepper
2 - 4 bay leaf
2 (2”) cinnamon stick
2 TS coriander powder
3 TS salt
½ TS pepper
1 TS ground nutmeg
1 TS ground mace
½ C cilantro (chopped)
2 green chilies (chopped)
juice of 1 lemon
½ C oil
1 TB saffron (dissolved in 1 C hot milk)
5 C basmati rice
Heat oil in a big pot and add onions.
Cook on medium-low heat until golden brown.
Remove onions to plate and add chicken to pot, stirring until brown on all sides.
Meanwhile, in blender add yogurt ½ of cooked onion, and garlic/ginger.
Blend and add to the browned chicken.
Also add tomatoes, 5 green cardamoms, 3 black cardamom, 5 cloves 1 TB black pepper,
1 TB black cumin, 2 bay leaves, and 1 stick cinnamon.
Add coriander powder and 1 TS of salt and pepper.
Cook for ½ hour on medium heat. Stir frequently.
When water is dried and chicken is tender add nutmeg and mace.
Boil rice in 8 C of water with 2 TS salt and the rest of the spices remaining.
Cook approximately 10 minutes; drain the water leaving the whole spices with the rice.
In a big oven resistant pot put ½ of the chicken on bottom and then ½ of the rice.
Add ½ of the lemon juice, ½ of the onion remaining, cilantro and the chilies.
Repeat layering.
Pour ¼ cup oil on top along with the saffron/milk mixture.
Place in pre-heated 350° oven with lid on for 1 hour.
2 TB oil
1C dried mushrooms pieces (soaked, softened and drained)
½ C raisins (any color)
½ C cashews
½ C diced dried mango, pineapple or papaya
2 C basmati rice
3 C water or chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
few strands of saffron (optional)
salt, pepper, powdered cardamom (to taste)
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Cover, and soak the rice in water ½ hour and rinse and drain well.
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Place rice in pot with 3 C water or broth, cinnamon stick and or saffron if using.
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Bring to boil over medium heat and let boil uncovered 5 minutes.
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Cover and simmer another 5 minutes or so.
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Remove from heat, place paper towel under cover (absorbs excess moisture)
and cover again.
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Let sit (rice will finish cooking) while you are preparing the fruits, nuts and vegetables.
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In a large pan or pot, heat oil or ghee and cook the soaked and drained mushrooms,
nuts, raisins and dried fruit until well heated.
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If you want to add small pieces of seasoned chicken, meat or seafood, add and
cook them now.
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Add the cooked rice and stir and combine with a fork.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper, a bit of cardamom.
*VARIATION: 1 C frozen green peas and ½ C fine carrots (cubed cooked).
Biryani (Rice and Meat Casserole) - Pakistan
1 - 1½ C ghee or oil
3 lg yellow onion
2 green chilies (seeded)
1 ¼ C broth
¼ C cashews
4 md tomatoes
4 md potatoes (cubed)
1 lb meat cubes or chicken
3 - 4 C basmati rice
3 TB yogurt
3 TB chopped garlic
1 TB ginger paste
masala
Fry onions in hot oil until golden, add tomatoes and fry until oil separates.
Add meat, garlic, ginger, potatoes, yogurt and masala and fry for 15 minutes.
Add 1 - 2 C water and cook on low heat until meat is tender then increase heat and
stir fry until oil separates from gravy.
Separately, cook the rice until it is more than half done then remove from heat.
Spread cooked meat and gravy over rice, cover pot and cook on low heat until rice is
done.
rice:
4 C basmati rice (soaked)
1 TS salt and 2 cloves, 2
- 3 small whole cardamom pods
veggie mixture (yakhni):
1 pk (8 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
1 sm/md onion (sliced)
1 C yogurt
fistful of frozen peas
½ TS of salt
¾ TS red chili powder
2 TS garlic/ginger paste
½ TS turmeric
1 ½ TS garam masala
4 or 5 green chilies (cut made down the center lengthwise)
sm fistful of green coriander leaves
Fry the onion in oil until it has gone reddish (not too brown).
Remove these onions from the oil. Put the onions to the side, you will need them later.
Put in your mixed vegetables and fry. After they have cooked for about 5 minutes,
add the extra fistful of peas.
Allow all the veggies to cook for about 15 minutes (water will evaporate off and veggies
will become tender).
Remove the veggies from the heat and add the yogurt, salt, red chili, garlic/ginger paste,
garam masala, the green chilies, green coriander leaves and ½ C of ground up fried onion.
You can combine the onions you removed from the oil and the ready made fried onion
available in stores for this part.
Mix well and your yakhni is prepared. Put it off to the side.
Take rice (that you have already had soaking for a bit in water) and add it to a large pot.
Fill the pot with the appropriate amount of water (2:1 water: rice).
Add 1 TS salt and 2 cloves, 2 - 3 small cardamom pods, and small stick of cinnamon.
Cook the rice for about 5 - 7 minutes.
You must be very attentive or the rice will turn to mush. Keep taking out a grain or two
and press it between your thumb and index fingers to test.
When the rice easily breaks with just the feeling of one or two hard tiny stones in it,
you can remove the rice from the heat.
Do not wait for the rice to be completely soft, there must be that feeling of one or two stones.
Now drain the water from the rice and place ½ of it into a bowl.
Sprinkle some oil on top of the rice in your original pot and then spread the yakhni on top.
Put the rest of the rice back on top.
Drape a large sheet of paper towel across the top of the pot and then close the lid on it tightly.
Keep the rice on medium-high heat with the lid on and then put it on low after about 2 minutes.
In a few minutes, when you lift the lid off you’ll see a lot of steam float out of the pot
(That’s how you know you did it right).
At this point you can sprinkle some yellow/orange food coloring on top of the
rice and then mix it all up so that the yakhni is evenly spread throughout.
Brown Rice with Sesame Fried Vegetables - Burma
2 C brown rice
1 TS sea salt
2 green onions
1 C radishes
1 carrot
½ cucumber (sliced)
3 TB oil
1 TS garlic (finely chopped)
1 TB tahini sauce
soy sauce
lemon juice
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Wash the rice three times and boil in plenty of salt water until tender.
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While the rice is cooking, wash and prepare the vegetables.
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Slice the green onions finely. Cut each radish in half.
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Cut the carrot diagonally, then cut each slice in strips.
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Slice the cucumber (not too thinly), and cut each slice in four.
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Heat the oil in a wok or plan and stir fry the garlic for 30 seconds.
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Add the prepared vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
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Add the sesame seeds after 2 minutes.
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When the rice is tender, drain and stir in the fried vegetables and sesame seeds.
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Stir in the sesame paste.
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Sprinkle with a little soy sauce and lemon juice and serve hot with sesame tahini to taste.
beans:
1 ½ C onions (chopped)
1 C green or red pepper (diced)
1 C carrot (diced) 1 C water
1 TB garlic (chopped) 2 TS ground cumin
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can (19 oz) black beans
1 TB seeded and minced jalapeño pepper (or to taste)
salt to taste
rice:
¾ TS ground tumeric
¼ TS ground cumin
2 ¾ C water
1 ½ C basmati rice
salt to taste
Sauté veggies in a little water until they are golden (about 10 minutes).
Add remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes or longer.
Combine spices in a skillet and heat over low heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add water, rice and salt.
Bring to boil, and cook until rice is done (15 minutes for white, about 40 minutes for brown).
Serve beans over rice, with some chopped cilantro and yogurt optional.
*NOTE: When cooking basmati rice cook covered and half the cooking time with heat on and half
with heat off.
2 TS butter
½ C md onions
1 md carrot
1 TS garlic (crushed)
1 bay leaf
2 TS curry powder
1 C rice
1 ½ C chicken stock or water
Dice onions.
Peel and grate carrot.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions and garlic.
Cook briefly, stirring, and add the bay leaf.
Sprinkle with curry powder.
Add the rice and grated carrot, stirring.
Add the boiling broth and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
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Bring to a boil and let simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.
Dum Chawal (Baked Basmati Rice) - Pakistan
1 ½ C basmati rice
1 TB butter
water
Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water and put into heavy saucepan.
Add 3 C cold water and soak 30 minutes to 2 hours, then drain (by handfuls) into bowl.
While rice is soaking, preheat oven to 325°.
In a deep pot, bring 8 C water to boil.
Add the drained rice and bring back to a boil.
Stir occasionally with a fork to ensure that the rice does not settle at the bottom of the pan.
Cook for exactly 2 ½ minutes.
Drain the rice and put it in an ovenproof casserole dish with a lid.
Add the butter, mix carefully, cover and bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes.
Turn off the oven and let the rice rest, covered and undisturbed for 10 minutes.
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Uncover and fluff with a fork.
3 - 4 eggs (lightly beaten)
salt to taste
4 scallions (sliced)
1 TB chopped ginger
3 TB oil
¼ lb cooked lamb (or chicken) cut into ¼” cubes
2 oz green peas
1 - 2 TB soy sauce
2 oz julienned carrots
¼ lb cooked shrimp (peeled)
3 C cold cooked rice
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, half the scallions and ½ TB of the ginger.
Heat 1 TB oil in a hot wok.
Add the eggs and stir fry to a scramble.
Remove eggs and set aside.
Heat the rest of the oil and add the diced, cooked meat, peas, shrimp and carrots.
Stir fry 1 minute then stir in the soy sauce and remaining ginger.
Stir fry 2 - 3 minutes while adding the remaining scallions and eggs.
Mix with rice, heat thoroughly and serve hot.
1 sm onion
1 C peas
salt and pepper to taste
3 - 4 TB oil
1 egg beaten with
½ TS salt 1 C shrimp
2 TB soy sauce
1 C cooked rice
First prepare the boiled rice.
Remove the pan from the heat and fill to the top from the cold water tap.
Drain well and then cover the pan and leave the rice to cool.
In a wok, or large based pan, heat the oil.
Add the onions. Stir fry over a moderate heat for 2 - 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and add the beaten
egg. When it has set, break it up
into small pieces and stir.
Turn up the heat and add the shrimp.
Fry for 2 minutes.
Add the peas and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce and mix
well.
Add the cool boiled rice and heat through, stirring constantly.
Season the mix with salt and pepper. Serve and sprinkle with extra soy sauce while eating.
This is a very large helping for 2 people.
Garlic Rice with Pine Nuts - Saudi Arabia
1 sm green pepper (cut into strips)
1 sm red pepper (cut into strips)
¼ C pine nuts OR slivered almonds
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 TB margarine (melted)
2 C rice (cooked in chicken broth)
2 TB parsley (fresh, chopped)
Cook peppers, pine nuts, and garlic in butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until
light brown.
Add rice and parsley; stir until thoroughly heated.
Kichiri (Rice and Red Lentil Pilaf) - Pakistan
2 TB vegetable oil
2 TB garlic (chopped)
1 TB fresh ginger (chopped)
1 C onion (chopped)
1 TS salt ¾ TS ground cumin
½ TS ground tumeric
¼ TS ground coriander
½ C red lentils (dal)
1 C long grain rice (basmati)
3 C water
½ C fresh cilantro
In a large frying pan (with a tight fitting lid) heat the oil over medium heat until a piece of
onion dropped in sizzles at once.
Add garlic and ginger and stir until shiny (about 30 seconds).
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally (about 3 minutes).
While onion is cooking combine salt, cumin, tumeric and coriander in a small bowl and
mix well.
When onion is ready (shiny) add spice mix and cook 1 minute, stirring often.
Add rice and lentils and cook 3 minutes, stirring often.
Add the water and bring to a rolling boil.
Stir well; reduce heat to low and cover the pan.
Cook 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes covered.
Uncover, fluff with fork, stir in cilantro and serve.
2 C long grain white rice
3 TB vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
¾ C onion (finely chopped)
½ C green pepper (finely chopped)
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
Approximately 3 C chicken broth
1 TS ground cumin
2 TS salt
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pot.
When hot, add the chopped garlic, onion and green pepper.
Cook over medium heat, until the onion turns translucent, but not brown.
Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the diced tomatoes (reserve the liquid).
Measure the remaining tomato liquid from the can and add enough chicken broth to equal
4 cups total.
Add the liquid, salt, and ground cumin to the pot. Stir and cover.
Simmer over medium low heat approximately 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Serves 6.
1 C white rice
1 C beef broth
1 C chicken broth
¼ C butter (melted)
1 TS garlic
salt
1 TS seasoned salt
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together rice, beef broth, chicken broth, butter, garlic salt, and seasoned salt.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 60 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
1 C uncooked regular long grain rice
2 C water
¼ TS salt (if desired)
Heat oven to 350°.
Heat water to boiling.
Mix rice, water and salt in ungreased 1 quart casserole.
Cover and bake 25 - 30 minutes or until water is absorbed.
1 lb rice
1 lb shrimp/prawns
1 TS cumin seeds
2 med onion
2 TB garlic/ginger paste
2 bay leaves
6 cardamoms
6-7 curry leaves
50 grams green chili paste
250 grams potatoes (cubed)
salt (to taste)
oil (for pan frying)
Clean and de-vein the prawns.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the curry leaves, bay leaves, cumin and cardamom.
Add all other ingredients except rice. Sauté for a few minutes.
Add 2-3 cups of water and desired salt and bring to a boil.
When the water boils add the rice.
Bring back to a boil, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave covered 15 minutes more.
Fluff with a fork and serve.
Pullao (Rice Pilaf with Meat) - Pakistan
1 - 1½ C ghee
3 md yellow onion
2 md tomatoes 3
md potatoes (cubed)
1 lb meat cubes
3 - 4 C basmati rice
1 TB chopped garlic
1 TB ginger paste
3 TB yogurt
masala
Fry onions in hot oil until golden, add tomatoes and fry until oil separates.
Add meat, ginger, potatoes, yogurt and masala and fry for 15 minutes.
Add 1 - 2 C water and cook on low heat until meat is tender then increase heat and stir fry until oil separates from gravy.
Separately, cook the rice until it is more than half done then remove from heat.
Combine cooked meat and gravy with rice, cover pot and cook on low heat until rice is done.
*VARIATION: Eliminate meat, potatoes and tomatoes and instead add 1 (10 oz pk) of
peas for Muttar Pullao (Green Pea Pilaf).
Pullao (Rice Pilaf with Onions, Cashews and Peas) - Pakistan
3 md onions
½ C butter (divided)
2 C long grain rice (basmati)
2 cinnamon sticks (3”)
4 C water or broth
1 TS salt
½ C frozen peas (thawed)
¾ C dry roasted salted cashews
Cut the onions in half then slice each crosswise into ½” thick half circles.
In medium frying pan (with tight fitting lid), melt ¼ C butter over medium heat
(do not brown).
Add onion slices and toss to coat well with butter
