[Food] Ramzan Recipes Made Easy

Ramzan is always a great time for me to restore my passion for cooking. In regular days, I hardly find the time to try new things or frankly, make an effort to cook a meal for the family. Being a huge 'food fan', I follow a bunch of food websites, apps and blogs to discover new kinds of tastes, textures and flavours. More often than not, I find it difficult to follow recipes closely. Mostly, because many ingredients are not locally available (except for Middle Eastern and South East Asian products, which I bulk buy on my travels). But recipe resources are great for finding your inspiration to create new dishes. I was introduced to the National Made Easy recipe website and app last year. And I am happy to report that they have not disappointed me with regards to fresh, creative content.

Here's a break down of my cooking spree so far:

Chicken Qorma

This was an ambitious project for me, so I actually did not experiment much here. I followed the recipe on the box to the tee and used the video on the website as a rough guide. One thing that did help me was the home made fried onions I had stocked up on. It makes for a quick Qorma.

Chicken Tikka Wrap

Wraps and rolls are great for Ramzan. They are filling and easy to make - and appropriate for any time of the day. I make my on tortillas at home with some added mixed herbs or zaatir for an extra layer of flavour. The chicken is marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, salt and a spoon of National Tandoori Masala. I pan fried the chicken after marinated for a couple of hours. Scrape out the sticky bits out of the pan to make a spicy mayo. Add some pickled onions (just soaked in vinegar for a couple of hours) and spicy mayo. Viola! Chicken Tikka Wraps to go!

Chicken Qeema

I went a little nuts with this Chicken Qeema that I have not yet named. I continued with the National Tandoori but went a step ahead by adding my home-made Mexican chilli paste (yup, I made it). And added a desi touch by smoking it with coal. The result was a spicy, steaming Chicken Qeema that is great to wake up those taste buds at Iftar, Not recommended for Sehri.

Chicken Haleem

What is great for Sehri is Haleem! An excellent healthy mix of carbs and proteins. I love haleem and so does my family and therefore, I did not want to go beyond my abilities and completely fudge up the dish so I stuck to the recipe on the box. I just added a little bit of extra wheat as we like our haleem chewy. Turned out pretty well.

Sundus' Special Fried Noodles

Noodles are my super power. If there is one thing I learned living in Malaysia, it is a taste for noodles. I get my Asian condiments on my annual trip to Malaysia and I urge you to buy good quality Asian sauces and spice mixes if you like cooking Asian food. It makes a world of difference! The chicken is marinated in National Chicken Jalfrexi mix, light and dark soy sauce and garlic for a couple of hours. Pan fry the chicken until almost done and add your favorite vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms). Add noodles and toss everything in some more soy sauce. I make own my own chilli sauce too but I am not giving away that recipe! Buahahah!

Here's to more fasting and feasting!

Note: Thanks to National Foods for suppling the spice mixes my cooking adventures.

[Music] The Summer Setlist

My coping mechanism for most of life's curveballs is music. Currently, we (especially those of us in Karachi) are experiencing one of the hottest summers to date (they say that every year). Here's what I am listening to this summer to stay energized during the exhausting summer.

1. Don Omar ft Lucenzo - Danza Kuduro

Every summer needs a Latin beat featuring many different artists whose names you may or may not be able to pronounce correctly. Who cares. Just bounce along.

2. A-Ha ft. Kygo - Take On Me

A fresh new perspective on the 80s hit. Norden meets the Carribean in this summer anthem. And it's  totally legit! They even performed at the Nobel Prize Ceremony last year.

3. Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling

Every summer needs an all-American, blonde, blue eyed Justin Timberlake. This one makes me fall in love with small town America all over again.

4. Grupo Fantasma - Cayuco

I am biased towards Latin music, particularly in the summer. This summer, I urge you to discover the music, Grupo Fantasma - a Latin funk-fusion band based in Austin, Texas. I saw them perform in Karachi earlier this year and it was electric! Oh also, they played a few after-parties for Prince.

5. In Grid - Tu Ma Promis

Blast from the past that is still relevant for every summer romance gone wrong. 

What's on your summer setlist? Let me know in the comments below!

[Food] How To Survive This Summer In The Kitchen

Karachi is hot. And not in a sexy way. It is hot, humid, sweaty and sometimes smelly. So here's a pro tip about how to survive this summer in the average Karachi kitchen... Just don't. That's right, avoid cooking altogether. Well, as much as possible. My mother is away all summer and feeding the family is on my to-do-list. Here's a few basic tips on how to avoid cooking this sumer:

1. Freeze: Make your own kababs. Shami kababs are hard work. I opted for mince based burger style kababs instead. Get creative - add your own concoction of herbs and spices, something to bind it all together and just grill. Cook them fully - about 2 minutes each side for chicken. Then just cool and freeze.

Add carbs to your creation if needed

2. Greens: Being lazier has been never healthier. Get a head of ice berg lettuce every couple of days to make your own salad mix. I usually grill a spiced chicken breast and keep it in the fridge to add to my salad.

My  Citrus Sumac Salad

3. Order In: No really. Just order in. But when ordering for the whole family, it can get a bit pricey and you have to think of preferences. And children. I found the FoodPanda app to be quite helpful in this regard. I usually order in when I am craving something specific like pizza or Chinese. FoodPanda actually turned out to be a great tool for budgeting and planning meals. I gave myself a budget of Rs 1000 for dinner per day to feed the four of us and then spent quite a bit of time scrolling through the menus and prices on the app. Not only was I able to feed the family on a budget but we also got to try lots of new restaurants that we would not usually visit. I was also able to order much earlier on for the food to be delivered at a specific time. So even if I forgot my responsibilities, Panda did not,

BOTH.

What did I order and how did it taste? Watch this space for indiviual reviews coming up. 

[Beauty]: Ayesha Ziya's Oud Fragrances

 Growing up in a distinctly Arab family, the smell of Oud was lingered in the air. Whether it was actual Oud wood burning in the prayer room or  the perfume on my mother's clothes. The bottle of Oud oil perfume was always in my mother's purse encased in a green velvet pouch. She would let me wear some when we were going to a special event like a wedding or my own birthday. It still is one of her most prized possessions. All I knew about it was that it was really expensive and difficult to get.

When I got an invite to attend the launch of Ayesha Ziya's Oud fragrance range, I was rather excited. Finally, I would get my hands on my own bottle of this divine fragrance. 

That's the complete range of Ayesha Ziya's fragrances. At the launch, I assumed that all these perfumes are Oud based. However, according to the descriptions on the website, only Oud and Oud Signature are made of Oud wood. Their best seller is 'Irum'. I loved it's soft feminine tones and I would definitely consider gifting it. But for myself, I would invest in Royal Mirage - it's rich, strong and opulent. Just like I like my men.

The perfumes will soon be available to purchase at selected outlets. While I loved the perfumes, the event/information session itself was not fitting for a luxury perfume launch. A dreary room with white table cloth and samosas just didn't cut it.

Would I buy the perfume? Possibly. Depends on the pricing. However, the starter kit at GBP 14 is great value for both personal use and gifting.

For more information on the perfume: www.ayeshaziya.com

[Event]: YSL and Lancome come to Karachi!

There's nothing like make up to cheer up a girl with a sprained foot. Yes, that would be me at the Scentsation launch of YSL and Lancome beauty lines in Karachi. But there's something about a make up store that makes it all okay - the sweet scents, the colors, the smiling ladies.... I love browsing through make up! Luckily, for my sprained foot the latest goodies were right at the front of the store AND I was lucky enough to be selected for a quick make over with the Lancome range.

Looking and feeling better

So now that we have established that I look good in Lancome make up (and more importantly, feel good), let's go back a little bit. Multitech are the good guys bringing all these colorful goodies to Pakistan and they will be stocked at Scentsation. In my interaction with the brand team of Multitech and Scentsation, I made one important discovery - they invest in and believe in staff training. So, when you step into their store, you can be assured that the girls know what they are talking about - in fact, all of them fantastic make up artists too! There is something to be said about companies that take training and development seriously. As much as I love getting made up, the fact of the matter is that I know very little about make up. The girls were very knowledgeable about the range of products offered by YSL and Lancome and were happy to recommend shades based on my skin tone. Frankly, if you are going to parting with your hard earned cash, it better be the right shade!

The beauty range is to die for!

How much for the whole display?

The Masters Rabiyah Tungekar and Nida Moughal at work.

So, here's my recommendation. If you (like me) prefer a clean, natural yet colorful face then go with Lancome. They have a lot of shade and color choices that are understated and perfect for daily wear. If you are more skilled with make up application and adventurous than try the rich, vibrant colors of YSL. BUT, please talk to the consultants before you make a purchase. They are skilled and polite

Can't wait to go spend another afternoon trying the goodies at Scentsation!

[Event]: #RealDestinations

Shell Rimula, premium heavy duty engine oil, launched a new campaign called Real Destinations. The campaign looks at the life of truck drivers and farmers of Pakistan, their dreams and aspirations and emphasizes on the hard work they put in every single day to accomplish them.

The Sadqain Gallery hosted the launch event.

Real Destinations represents the largest ever integrated marketing campaign from Shell Rimula and marks the latest step towards a more emotional global brand marketing approach. The campaign reveals the personal motivations and goals in the life of Pakistan’s truckers and farmers.

Shell Rimula has consistently worked towards empowering its consumers by providing them with premium oils that ensure engine protection against wear and tear making the journey towards reaching their dreams smooth, regardless of the driving conditions.

Commenting at the launch event of the Real Destinations campaign, Omar Sheikh, Managing Director of Shell Pakistan Limited said, “Farmers and truckers are crucial for the Pakistani economy and we applaud their efforts through the Shell Rimula – Real Destinations campaign. We acknowledge their hard work and perseverance and Shell Rimula stands by them every step of the way. We realize that our consumers for Shell Rimula depend solely on their trucks & tractors for their livelihood, our heavy duty oils have been designed to improve performance of their engines because we understand that less downtime on the roads or in the fields, means more quality time for them with their families.”

Reading by Rahat Kazmi 

The global campaign of Real Destinations has been localized and developed specially for this purpose. A television commercial is also produced to run in Pakistan by one of the most talented filmmakers of the country, Jamshed Mehmood (JAMI).

The TVC which was showcased at the event highlighted the intricate balance of life in the consumer’s everyday life. The Real Destinations campaign is currently running in 17 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, including Pakistan.

[Event]: Mr Burberry

When I got the invite for the launch event of Mr. Burberry, I some how assumed (wished) that Mr. Burberry would be there. Or perhaps I would get to take him home because you know, bloggers always get giveaways. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Nonetheless, I was not too disappointed. Our very own local as-good-as Mr.Burberry men were in attendance - Aamir Bukhari and Umair Mirza, surrounded by a bevy of beauties - Nida Moughal, Sidra Rizvi, Rabiyah Tungekar, Salima Feerasta and of course Sundus Rasheed at the Dolmen Mall Clifton outlet of Scenstsation.



The brand team tried to keep the event interesting with a scavenger hunt around the Scentsation store with a Samsung Tab as booty! Gahhhh!!! The minute someone says competition, I know I have already lost. Nonetheless, I did run around the store looking for London/Burberry themed bits and pieces, only to lose to Nida Moughal. Oh well, there will be more days for me to lose.

Taking him home

It was a small event with a lot of punch - with the unrealistically hot Mantaha Maqsood as the spokesperson. The perfume itself is something I would wear because gendered products are so last decade. And also because why would a woman not want to associate with someone called Mr. Burberry. The warm woody tones of Mr.Burberry are better than the predictable sweet florals of women's perfumes.




What really stood out for me (apart from the awesome goody bag and the hi-tea at Hakka Chine) was the hospitality of the Scentsation team. They were courteous, respectful and genuinely pleased to have us there. But I do still wish Mr Burberry was in attendance. Hopefully, the next event involves David Beckham.