My favourite Pakistani foods

I'm not exactly a food lover, I believe in eating less and living long but my mom finds this rather disappointing and believes in eating all you want and then working out to lose it. My schedule hardly allows for working out a lot ( did I mention I've managed to work out for 20 mins for 1 month straight ? * read achievement*) I choose to control the calorie intake and hear my mom scold me about how growing children need more nutrients ! YES growing child ! thats what she always says, I mean for God sake mom I'm almost 23, I'm no more a growing child , I am an aging adult, for crying out loud , she then smiles and says oh you still need it any way. Yeah, that's the kind of logic moms use for their kids.

So anyways , I still do like food and there are some foods I'd rather not think twice about eating, here they are

Chicken Handi - The traditional clay utensil used for cooking food as seen in the above pic is called a handi. The chicken is cooked it in it with tomato and onion sauce.

Haleem - Its a cooked mixture of all kinds of lentils, wheat and cereals with meat and spices. Its eaten with a lot of garnishings

Biryani - Now you could almost call this particular dish our national food, since I dont think there exists any Pakistani who hasn't had it or doesn't like it. Its rice cooked with meat and gravy ( and of course spices !)

Chana Chaat - This a favourite for all those who like sour and savoury food. Its boiled chick peas with a lot of tamarind paste, lemon, green chillies, mint, coriander, potatoes, onions and tomatoes.

Naan - Its flat bread that's eaten along with curries and its less classy version, roti/chappati is a staple diet for Pakistanis. I love naan so much I could eat naan all day without actually bothering for the main dish.

Chicken Karhai - This meat dish is sauted with a lot of tomatoes and onions in a big wok

Chapli Kebabs - The one in the pic is a tad overcooked and doesnt look as tasty as it is in real life. Its a patty of meat and spices that is fried with added herbs. The northern areas of Pakistan make the best variety.

Matar Pulao - Its rice cooked with cumin seeds, and green peas

Koftey - Who hasn't heard of meatballs ? This is exactly it, which is cooked in various forms of traditional gravy

Daal - Lentils - I love both the soupy and the dry cooked versions. The soupy one is usually eaten with rice while the dry one with naan or chapaati

Ras Malai - This is a sweet dish. Its basically a dough of milk and eggs, cooked in milk and sugar

Hills over beaches

Yay, another blog award ! I just love grabbing these little pics and putting em up on my page as if they were trophies on my shelf...Thank you very much Sana for liking my blog and awarding me this precious little treasure. You're a fabulous blogger yourself girl !

The 7 random things that I need to say about myself for getting this are -

1 - I hate heights and edges ! Heights make me feel lonely and punched out and edges (on heights) simply  mean the end of the world to me.

2 -  Accidents and I have a long history, I once drowned in a swimming pool,( I was 6 and didnt know how to swim). Had my index finger of right hand chopped off by accident, it was literally hanging by a few appendages of skin ! ( Its okay and normal now), fractured my patella (knee bone) once and dislocated it thrice, and once almost short circuited my entire house !

3 - I have an unnatural love for coffee beverages and coffee itself.

4 - I have a tendency to be emotionally and spiritually over attached to the people around me,  I lose my individuality and thats kinda hard to explain.

5 - I prefer sunrise over sunset, a picnic over shopping, purple over pink, the hills over the beach ( I dont like beaches very much, it gives me a strange uncanny feeling, even though I've lived in coastal cities all my life), and good relationships over good books !

6 - If I had a million bucks the first thing I'd do would be to fulfill all my parents wishes, then ofcourse I'd go on with all the other plans I have for my country and humanity in general.

7 - I'm not actually Pakistani, infact I'm not even a girl, I just blog as a girl because it helps me get popular..Geez Relax ! Just kidding :D

The seven people I'm tagging to receive this award are -

1 - Unveiling Harini
2 - Orderly Chaos
3 - Solo Muslimah
4 Somalian Arab Princess
5 - Writing for life
6 -  Beneath the Kohl
7 - The emotional lava

Grab it people, you deserve it !

La la la laaaa

Who just got over with the semester exams ? Who would nt have to study Forensic Medicine ever again ? Who is now a 4th year student ? Who has a month long vacation ?...Me ME mE me Meee

I just got my life back, it had been squashed in between the pages of my heavy text books just like a shriveled rose which serves as a reminder of the beauty, fragnance and life it once carried. It was one and a half month of pure and intense studies but Not anymore !! I wont be doing any elective rotations this vacation so that means one month of Total Bliss !! The last time I had a vacation was back in July 2009 , in Dec 2009 I did it an elective in Civil Hospital and in July this year , I did one at Tabba Heart Institute so this time I decided to drop the idea of doing any hospital stuff at all , sit back and enjoy the winters. Come on I deserve a break ! Dont I ?  But nevertheless I'll try and study for the board exams this December.

Here's a list of stuff I'm planning to do

1- Sleep
2- Read a few novels.
3 - Learn fabric painting
4 - Watch a few Korean dramas
5- Catch up with all the Pakistani dramas I had been missing.
6 - Watch atleast a dozen movies :)
7 - Do ibadat (worship)
8 - Try baking a few new cakes that I'm dying to try out.
9- Arrange my cupboard before it explodes and buries me underneath all my clothes.
10 - Design and set my room. I couldn't even put up the frames and blinds after the painting job got done last month.
11 - Groom my driving skills ! ( Yes, I embarssingly admit that I suck at driving ! )
12 - Help my parents with the daily chores, they did so much for me during the exams. Dad used to make me tea and dear mommy ironed my clothes. I acted like such a spoiled princess. They do so much for me , its high time I acted like a big girl. Love them <3
13 - Gardening !

and I'm sure I have lots of other things too, I just too excited to think of more right now..And oh, yes, since I'm back to blogging in full groove I'm sure you'll be hearing me blab more often  ;)

The Top 21 feelings !

There are the best feelings I've ever had. I'm sure  you can relate to many of these

1 - Being surrounded by unknown people, feeling awkward and then suddenly seeing a familiar face, a friends face, and immediately being filled with warmth and happiness !


2 - Eating the last bit of my favourite chocolate fudge cake and still wanting more, being sad that its finished and then remembering "hey I stored some in another container in the fridge !!"

3 - Playing in the rain with friends or having a pillow fight !

4 - Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I still have more time to sleep.

5 - Standing against harsh challenges, all tired and alone, but turning around to see that I'm not alone, I have an entire team of friends and family to support me..

6 - Having a child hold my finger and tug me to do something as harmless as opening the door for him/her.

7- Getting involved in an arguement with someone and then having friends race to help me out and support me !

8 -  Having my Dad express his love by patting and and rubbing my head, especially when I'm about to fall asleep.

9 - Knowing that at times my mom trusts me more than I trust myself !

10 - Reading and understanding the Quran .

11- Talking to Allah in solitude and knowing that he's always there to protect me, feed me, and give me the courage to face life !


12 - Having hours to spend with nothing on my To-Do list..it means time for leisure, time for myself ! :)

13 - Sitting on a window or behind a glass wall oblivious to the world and watching people go about their chores and their businnesses. In other words - Observing life in movement while I stand still and invisible to the world...

14 - Having heart to heart conversations with my girlfriends !

15 - Having someone tell me - "Im there for you" ( Alhamdollilah I've a lot of friends who've not only said that but proved it)

16 - The immense satisfaction when I do something good for a stranger !

17 - Being hugged while crying

18 - Seeing something so magnificent that the only word I could possibly utter was "wo..."

19 - Having a lengthy heated debate with someone over something where the other party is adamant that he/she is right and I'm wrong and then seeing their stuck up nose turning downward and their lips turning inward when I show them the proof and prove them wrong !

20 - Winning a match ! Especially when you're on a team ! (As in - not solo, like tennis or badminton...

21 - Have a friend rudely tell me..."Hey ! You're not a friend, you're a sister !"


PS - Picture courtesy - Google Images