Pakistani Mutton Pulao A Heritage of Delicacy

When it comes to any special occasions like Eid, iftar party, wedding parties, its never complete without the ultimate, delectable meaty mutton pulao!

Yes, the totally mouthwatering, meaty, juicy, and loaded with the flavors of cardamom and cumin, our mutton pulao is truly one of a kind.

Whenever I ask children or senior citizens of my family, they always prefer pulao over chicken biryani.

Reason?

Pulao has a lighter texture as compared to biryani.
It is less spicy than biryani.
It feels comparatively less oily.

And of course, it has mutton which is way tastier than chicken.

In Pakistan alone, there are so many variations of pulao. And its popularly known as yakhni pulao. We have Punjabi yakhni pulao, afghani pulao, we have biryani pulao etc.

Although the most famous variety of mutton pulao in Pakistan is the Punjabi yakhni pulao, which is slightly more spicy than the average pulao.

Another famous pulao in Pakistan is the Afghani pulao, which has loads sweetened carrots and raisins.

But another element that really gives mutton pulao a very high prestige is the fact that it has always been an important element of Mughal cuisine. The wholesome uses of dry fruits and cooking the rice in the meat stock itself is a very rich concoction in terms of food.

History of Mutton Pulao

Pulao also known as pilaf is a world famous and historic food and has encompassed many cuisines within itself.

The first scripted recipe for pulao comes from around the 10th century from the Persian kitchens. Ibne Sina or Avicenna, who wrote about several types of pilafs or pulaos in his books.

Persians, consider Ibn e Sina as the “father” of modern pulao.

When Babar entered the subcontinent from Central Asia, he carried his chefs and recipes along too. Since he was meat lover and was used to hearty meaty dishes like the pulao, the pulao entered our region.

Although Pakistani cuisine has a strong influence of Afghani, Persian, and Turkish cuisine we cant ignore the fact that over the period of time, the taste and nourishment evolved with the spices indigenous to our soil. For example, our pulao is incomplete without black peppercorns or cardamoms which are native spices of the subcontinent.

I also believe that its the fusion of our spices with the basic recipe of mutton pulao, is what makes it more succulent, vibrant rich and a must try delicacy.

Raw Green Mango Nutrition Facts that You Didn’t Know!

Raw green mango or raw mango or cairi as we call in Urdu, are the first mangoes to arrive on the streets of Pakistan.

Raw Green Mango Nutrition Facts

Before you get to indulge yourself in the eternal delight of the tastiest, juiciest sweetest, pulpiest mangoes of Pakistan. You get a teaser of this bliss in the form of the raw green mango.

Its the month of March and if you are lucky to have mango trees in your vicinity, you can witness the raw green mangoes already hanging from the branch or even fallen on the ground.

We have a mango tree in our front yard, and I am already collecting these mangoes because these raw green mango nutrition facts are simply amazing!

However, it’s not until early May that you can witness the streets of Karachi bazaars vendors and carts filled with these mangoes and people buying loads and loads of them to make chutneys, pickles and all kinds of sauces with these.

My mother has her very own special recipe for making sherbets (juices) from these raw mangoes as well as different kinds of chutneys (sweet and sour ones). She also has her own special recipe of aam ka achar.

I will share the recipes later, as for today I am going to share the raw green mango nutrition facts:-

10 Surprising Raw Green Mango Nutrition Facts

Rich source of Vitamin C: Raw mangoes have more vitamin c than the ripe ones, hence they are excellent for your skin, gums, and also prevents infections in the body.
Helps in weight loss: Green mango also rich in dietary fibre. Thus it helps body metabolism to increase the digestive capability. The green mango also contains less sugar, therefore it wouldn’t increase sugar level nor fat in the body.
Reduces acidity: If you are suffering from acidity and chest burn, raw mango is the best fruit to put an end to the problem. Chew on a piece of raw mango to reduce acidity.
Helps to overcome Nausea: Raw mango works wonders if you suffer from nausea especially during pregnancy just chew on a piece of it and the nausea is gone within seconds.
It’s an energy booster: If you are feeling low, or depressed drink a raw mango juice, and your mood and spirits will be lifted.
Healthy Liver: The best health benefit of raw mango is it helps to treat liver disorders. Chewing on a piece of green mango increases the secretion of bile acids and clean the intestines of bacterial infections.
Prevents from Heat Stroke: Excessive heat and sun rays are dangerous for your skin and body, therefore to prevent excessive loss of minerals and fluid from the body chew on a piece of raw mango sprinkled with salt. This works wonders and you don’t feel dehydrated.
Prevents loss of minerals: Eating raw mango prevents the loss of iron and sodium chloride in the body. This is another health benefit of green mango.
Maintains Blood Sugar Level: Green mango can also normalize the levels of insulin in the blood. It has a low glycemic index. Hence, it is good to maintain the blood sugar level.
Immunity Booster: Due to the high content of vitamin C, therefore it helps to maintain the immune system.

psl: Your Ultimate Checklist for National Stadium, Karachi

Hey all cricket lovers or to be more precise psl fans so the final is just around the corner, and it’s in KARACHI. WoW! This is something really very very big for Karachi. After almost a decade the Karachi audience is going to witness a big final live here at the National Stadium.

A quick History of National Stadium Karachi

Established in 1955, National Stadium is Pakistan’s 11th first class ground. The inaugural first-class match was played at NSK between Pakistan and India on April 21-24, 1955, and it became a fortress of Pakistan cricket.

The first ODI at the National Stadium was against West Indies on 21 November 1980.

However in the recent years this huge stadium, slowly started to fade away in front of our own very eyes.

Every time I would take a ride to North Nazimabad, I’d look at this huge stadium and wonder, when will we hear the raving cheers of fans, and banners hanging high decorating the entire stadium.

Luckily this psl final of 2018 is finally giving all the loyal Karachiites a chance to witness this.

PSL 2018 Checklist for Going to National Stadium

Take your ticket and CNIC
Designated parking areas:

Federal Urdu University ground
Ground beside Hakeem Saeed Park
Sunday Bazaar ground adjacent to Baitul Mukarram Mosque
Gharib Nawaz Football Ground near Millenium Mall
China Ground (Kashmir Road)
KDA Club
KMC Ground

3.Routes leading to and from Hassan Square and New Town will be closed for traffic on March 25

4.Stadium gates will close at sharp 5 pm

5.The shuttle service will begin at 12 pm.

6. Food and drinks are NOT allowed from outside. You can purchase food items from the car parking areas.

7. However, if you are going with little children it’s handy to carry water and some snacks for the kids but do check with a security personnel.

8. Wear comfortable shoes because there will be long walks till you reach your final destination.

9. Because there is going to be one hell of a crowd I would recommend women especially to wear decent clothes, and not any fancy or expensive jewellery.

10. For your own and others safety, please cooperate with the security personnel.

The winners may be Peshawar Zalmi or Islamabad United but the real winner will be Karachi City!

Enjoy the final and I will keep you updated if I get my hands on any new info.

Charitable Donations For Schools in Pakistan

When it comes to charities donations in Pakistan. Everything is pretty widespread. There are thousands of NGOS, there is US Aid there are many other small groups run by independent people and groups. So when deciding which would be the best channel to make sure that your charitable donations are used in the right place can be pretty daunting!

I Know This School Personally!

I, personally know many organizations and schools which are run by a completely transparent system and among them is The Smart Academy School located in Orangi Town, Karachi.

This school comes under the http://www.ilmoamal.org/Ilmo-amal organization, which is an established NGO in Pakistan.

Our family has been donating charities to this school. I also send my kids old toys, stationaries etc there.

In fact, me and my boys have made this our monthly routine, we make a box together, and fill it up with old books, crayons, colours etc, toys, reusable activity books. Then I make them write on it “Best wishes for our friends” This gives a great feeling and we all learn many valuables lessons of life such as sharing is caring, and attaining too much material for oneself can be toxic.

I have visited this school as well. I see many enthusiastic students here who really, really want to learn. My relatives who visit from abroad have also visited this school and are quite impressed with the work done here. However, as we all know that such schools are always in a dire need of more charitable donations.

With more students enrolling, more teachers are needed, therefore more resources like electricity, cleaner bathrooms, teachers salaries, building maintenance etc. all need to be taken care of.

I am pasting an excerpt from my father’s e-mail that he received from the COO of the school,

“Here is the case history of “The Smart Academy” School, Located at the country- side of Orangi Town that itself is a country-side of Karachi city

Nayee Abadi, Mansoor Nagar, Sector 11 1/2- Orangi Town- Karachi, vicinity of very poor people who are living under poverty line. Daily earnings of Most of them are about $ 02 per day. Most of them have no electric supply, water supply and even gas supply to their houses.

In this vicinity, some years before a school was established and run by so called “Lions Club” for free education to this vicinity’s children up to Primary Classes. About 250 students were enrolled for free education. It ran for few years very successfully but unfortunately due to some reasons it had been closed for 04 years.

The owner of the land and school Mr. Zakiul Kareem Siddiqui (Cell # 0336 2181264) tried his best to run again it but due to a shortage of sources he could not.

It came to my knowledge; I worked on it, Ilmoamal shake hand with Mr. Zakiul Kareem and tried to run this school under the flag of Ilmoamal Welfare Association for the noble cause to educate the forbidden children of this vicinity. Now 71 children have been admitted to this school. Some of Ilmoamal members sponsored for free education to these children with uniforms and books. 45 students have been sponsored scholarships and more are waiting for sponsoring.

Ilmoamal Welfare Association is supporting those children under its Student Sponsorship program to work with clarity with the Management of “The Smart Academy”. Alhamdolillah, one year to enrol and educate 68 students successfully completed.

1) To sponsor a student Uniform one time + Course Books = Rs. 3000/- (Once Yearly)

2) Monthly fee of a student paid by the sponsor via Ilmoamal is Rs. 300/- per month = 3600/- (Yearly) amount may be revived with the consultation of the sponsors

1) 01 Student sponsoring amount in PK Rupee 6600/- per annum

2) The target to admit 100 students this year that will cost yearly = 660,000/-

3) To solve electricity a small generator needed, cost about 30,000/- (Duel Operated ) + 10,000/- for gas connection to generator.

4) For renovation purposes and playgroup class furniture needed about 70,000/- Immediately

5) Furthermore, funds needed to provide clean water to the students, ceiling fans for class rooms, and other daily maintenance and expenses time to time

I am sending these details for the purpose of spreading this message about the school’s program across the country and overseas, to invite people to join hands for this noble cause of educating the underprivileged children of Pakistan.

Thanks and Regards

Halim Shaikh (COO-Ilmoamal Welfare Association)”

We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.

When it comes to charitable donations for schools in Pakistan, I believe every drop counts. It doesn’t always have to be something huge, but even a $10 (PKR 1000) can buy the students of a class with snacks and juice.

If you are living in Karachi and have old textbooks, Urdu and English story books, activity books, in a decent shape or some extra stationaries like the ones you get in return gifts (small erasers, rulers, stickers etc) which we hardly use at home, just be thoughtful of these kids. Old school bags, water bottles etc are also a good idea.

I know there are many schools in Pakistan which are in much need of charitable donations, my purpose here is to at least spread awareness of this particular school, The Smart Academy, which I personally know of. And anyone who comes to my blog becomes aware of one more Torch, lighting the city of Karachi.

Below is the Bank Account Information of the Smart Academy for anyone who is interested in donating.

Bank Account information:
Ilmoamal Welfare Association
Account # 0026-119898-001
BankIslami Ltd
Shaheed-e-Millat Road Branch
Karachi, Pakistan
IBAN # – PK19 BKIP 000 2611 9898 001

Ilm-o-Amal Pakistan e-mail address:
info@ilmoamal.org

To sponsor offline or for general information:
+92 (0)300 8235314 (Shaikh Haleem, COO)

Thank you for giving your time to read 🙂

Mexican Food in Karachi

When it comes to international cuisines we Karachiites want everything! But besides wanting everything we always crave for the perfect blend of spice and taste. Although Italian food is not very spicy we have come up with our own creations of Pizza like BBQ Pizza or Afghani Pizza and which are now quite a hit.But there is one cuisine that I always longed was here and that’s Mexican Food. Last time when I visited the States, we went to this totally splendid Mexican restaurant in San Diego and since then there is nothing more that I crave for than Mexican Food.

For most of you who don’t know about Mexican food, well its mostly corn tortillas (chips) with a bean paste. Most of you I believe are already familiar with Salsa, which is an uncooked tomato chutney.

And whats best about Mexican food is that they have a large variety of sauces, chutneys, dips and pickles. And the food is relatively spicy. The renowned jalapenos which we simply love to top on our Pizza is a native Mexican pepper.

So now that your taste buds have started drooling, without a delay you can order authentic Mexican Food right away.

Carnes….. I recently tried their Beef Taco and it was absolutely a delight.

Ohh yes it is highly addictive…

The real thing…

The chutneys for extra flavor

In case you want to know the details….

When it comes to value for money, its totally justified and I hope it remains this way 🙂

After Italian, Chinese, Turkish the next big thing is Mexican food by Carnes.

Give it a try and share your thoughts.

Best Cakes in Karachi

Believe it or not but we are gradually turning into cake oriented people. In the olden days cakes were only associated with birthdays. Slowly they became a part of anniversaries and now they have become an essential part of weddings. And not only are simple cakes the norm anymore! Proper, themed cakes, with intricate toppings and molds are the latest obsession. But when it comes to find the best cakes in Karachi, which not only have a stellar themed appearance but also taste equally good, look nowhere else…. Sams Cake Factory is the best.

I bet most of you have heared of it or have seen their displays in morning shows. I was very lucky to have tried one.

This December has actually been a wedding season in my family and two of my very close cousins got married. I wanted to throw a dholki party for them and was looking for a dholki cake. After searching for the best cakes in Karachi I settled for Sams Cake Factory.

Everything seemed pretty promising but I was a bit doubtful about the taste. And since I was the host I wanted everything to be perfect and I kept telling them that I want both taste and looks. Nothing can be compromised.

Finally the day came and to my surprise the cake arrived at my doorstep right on the given time. I felt relieved. Then with crossed fingers I opened the huge box and Viola! The cake looked absolutely stunning. I could have not asked for anything more. These cute little dulha dulhan were actually edible, and the little kids around the house couldn’t help swooning over it!

But next came the most important and final stage of the cake. Eating. I bet my guests had doubts that usually all that glitter is not gold, the same might turn out to be with this absolutely ravishing looking cake.

But when the groom had the first bite of the cake he shouted, “This is sooo good”And so it was, the chocolate fudge tasted just right not too sweet and not too chocolaty everything was in balance. The entire cake was devoured to crumbs.

So if you are looking for the best cakes in Karachi, get in touch with Sam’s Cake Factory.

Old Karachi, As they Say “Old is Gold”

Karachi is one hell of a crazy, complex, multi webbed, multi cultural, and a tremendously huge mega city!

While we spend each day here faster than the blink of an eye, we hardly get time to ponder over the old Karachi.

The current, messy and not so neat looking Karachi was once amongst the cleanest cities of the world. Ouch! that hurts, I know. And the more I learn about old Karachi, the more I am mesmerized, by the journey people have taken here, through some of the most devastating turmoils.

When you go through old Karachi pictures online or in print, you just feel something. A feeling that gives you goosebumps due to extreme awe and fear.

Awe because it’s hard to believe that the roads that now have nothing more than huge loads of garbage dumped on the sides were as clean as the sidewalk in a park and fear because it’s agonizing to witness that people or forces can be so brutal that they can be so destructive towards their own city.

Although from time to time we do catch glimpses of the old Karachi either in images, short videos or in the newspaper. I recently came through an excellent video of the old Karachi, which really did strike me and I thought it’s a must share with all my followers here.

It’s a video of when the Queen of England visited Karachi in 1961.

Queen of England visits Old Karachi in 1961

Watch below:-

At that time the population of Karachi was just more than 1 million ( 10 lakhs). We have produced exponentially in terms of the population!

The Queen is escorted by President Ayub Khan, around the main city centers.

There was a special Lady’s reception for the Queen. The beautiful display of the eastern beauty of Pakistan is captured here.

Here’s my take on this Old Karachi video.

When I watched the video, my sub-conscience asked me that have we really progressed? Is it true when the earlier generation says that we witnessed a much better Karachi?

Hmm… as they say seeing is believing, to some extent I do believe it’s true.

I can see much depth and truth in the above video. I see a cleaner city, I see women flawlessly wearing sarees which are an Indian origin dress code.

And I can see the real culture of Karachi here. A pure hybrid of western and eastern cultures in terms of lifestyle.

Karachi has always been a modern city and I hope it always does remain modern and tolerant!

Do share your opinions and what’s your take on the above video.

BBQ Tonight Restaurant Karachi, Desi Food At its Best!

Ask anyone in Karachi to list out the top 5 best desi food restaurants in town, BBQ Tonight is sure to be in it!

I am a foodie and I am fond of just about every kind of cuisine. I like to experiment with my taste buds but some taste or some cuisines are just close to your heart. And so it is with Desi food.

I have been eating at Bbq tonight for the past 10 years and trust me nothings changed, which is the best part.

In fact ask anyone here, about bbq tonight’s food they are super confident about it, because consistency in taste is the biggest selling USP of any food outlet/ restaurant.

While many people claim that you cannot fully label bbq tonight as a desi restaurant because its more of a barbecue kinda thing. The dishes included in the menu are 100% desi.

Excluding biryani they have all the main items of a desi cuisine.

But its never the no. of items in a menu that make a restaurant spectacular, but its the overall taste of each item in the menu, the ambiance, the hygiene and definitely the customer service.

Never has it happened that any of my family member including me has ever fallen sick after eating from there which is such a big thumbs up.

My elder one went with us when he was just one and enjoyed the pulao, now mashallah he’s 7 and ordering food himself 🙂

Although in the beginning we were not satisfied with their dessert menu. My recent visit was quite opposite, we ordered zafrani kheer and a praline baskin robbins ice cream which was heavenly delectable.

Almost every newly wed couple is invited to Bbq tonight and its a famous family party zone.

Another feature that I really like about bbq tonight is its totally family friendly environment.

You can take kids with you, you don’t have to worry if they make a mess on the table. You can easily eat rice with your hands and relish on the leftover bones. There are no rules, because everyone is damn serious about enjoying their food.

One thing that I always order is the perfect Kabuli pulao. It is the best that you can get anywhere here, unless you cook it that way at home.

The rice is never soggy. It has the exact amount of chicken flavor. The chicken is always juicy, the resins and carrots are always sweet and soft which give the dish its stellar taste.

And the best part about Kabuli pulao is that it goes along perfectly with every kebab.

My hubbys favorite are the Mutton Ribs. Succulent, soft, oozing with flavors and after all they are mutton ribs. Protein rich and so tasty, every bite is a delight!

The first time I ever had shish touk was here and we all were totally floored over it. Ohh my gosh! To hell with the extra coating of fat, this thing is a must.

I also recommend ordering special daal which is really special and roghni naan its soft and never leaves a heavy feeling.

Whenever you have somebody new in town and want to really impress them with food, head straight to bbq tonight, it will be party they will always remember!

Karachi and it’s Funny Places

I love Karachi!

Just like any other big city in the world, Karachi has its own uniqueness, ethnicity, and class.

But one thing that really differentiates Karachi from the other big cities like Mumbai, New York or let’s just take our own city Islamabad ( and the one thing that gives a very humoristic feel to Karachi, is its weird names).

If you visit Islamabad and take an address, it will be F-1, F-2, F-5 which gives the feel as if some Government employee registered the names by merely using his “keyboard” (no pun intended)

But when it comes to Karachi and you pause for a moment and clear your ears to better get hold of the name of the street or roundabout you will be astonished!

From Machar colony to Nagan chowrangi to Geedar Colony to Perfume Chowk, you will be surprised to learn how weird and funny the names of some of the most notable places in Karachi are.

Karachi and its Really Weird and Funny Names

1.Machar Colony

Seriously!

Does anyone really know the real name of the colony??? It’s real name is Machiar colony meaning the fishermans colony. Who would bother to pronounce the correct name “MACH-I-AR” just go with the flow, machar….

2.Nagan Chowrangi

What!!!! A cobra on the roundabout…..

3.Bhains Colony

Yes, you got it right!

4.Bewah Colony

Out of words….

5.Perfume Chowk

Smells good, eh??

6.Golimar

GO-LI-MAR in other words “Firrrreeeee”

7.Gora Kabristan

A Christian graveyard coined as “White graveyard” I really don’t want to explain the details of it, but I’m guessing you know why it’s called Gora Kabristan.

8.Geedar Colony

What were they thinking???? A Jackals Colony???

9.Katti Pahari

Almost all big roads and highways are constructed by tearing down hills and mountains, but it’s only in Karachi that we mean it literally. Connecting North Nazimabad directly to Orangi town is Katti Pahari.

10.Jail Chowrangi.

Trust me everytime I pass from that route I get the creeps!!!

It feels almost as if this route will take you straight to Jail..

11.Kala Pul

Lol! looks like even roads and highways are not even granted freedom from racism. What does kala have to do with a bridge???

12. Do minut ki Chowrangi

C’mon you gotta be kidding me…..

13.Khuda ki Basti

Hmmm….No offense but this colony is actually for the less privileged.

14.Landi Kotal

Landi Kotal the name suits a WWE wrestler more than a place in Karachi.

15.Anda Mor

O.K Now this is getting serious.

Trust me, this is not all. We still have more like Manora, Teen Hatti, Burns Road, Paposh, Khadda market. But no matter how funny and weird these names sound, Karachi Karachi hai Yaarrrr!

If I have missed some other funny names, don’t forget to mention them in comments:)

Saints of Sindh, An Impressive Guide To Understand the Saints of Sindh

A few days back I was very lucky to receive one of the best gifts in the world, the gift of books!

Caravan book house http://caravanbookhouse.com.pk/, is a renowned publishing house of Pakistan. Based in Lahore this publishing house has been in business for the past 70 years.

Ch. Haris Najib the proprietor of Caravan Book House, he was very kind to send me two books; Saints of Sindh and Dara Shikoh by Moin Bari.

When I received the books I was literally awed! These books look highly professional in terms of the front page covering, image and title font. The total layout of the book cover is nothing less than a book from any mega-publishing houses across the world.

The use of uncoated papers, make it easier to read and the pages are thicker in texture.

Now coming to the overall English language, I really couldn’t spot any grammatical error or spelling mistake. There wasn’t any use of jargon either.

Moin Bari is the author. He was the Editor of the Pakistani Army Journal. He has paid visits to most of the historic places in Sindh and Punjab and written many articles on them.

Saints of Sindh

I read this book and I definitely recommend it to others too, especially to the ones who are in the quest of discovering more about Pakistan or Sindh and its unique ethnicity and diversity in culture.

This book highlights the main attributes and services of almost all of the renowned saints of Sindh in a chronological order. Beginning with “Unknown saint of Mohenjadaro” to “Sarmad” who was executed by the orders of Aurangzeb.

I also learned about many other saints with whom I wasn’t acquainted with. And the best part about this book is that in each chapter there are excerpts of captivating events that happened around the Saints.

We all know about Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Abdul Latif Bhittai, and Sachal Sarmast, but as you read about the bravery and intellect of Pir Pagaro and about Mian Mir’s interaction with Dara Shiko, you learn how power is influenced by virtue and wisdom.

I suggest that every Pakistani must go through this book. You will learn how blessed the soil of Pakistan, to produce some of the most inspiring human beings of the world!