La pizza deliziosa

One of my all time favorite foods is a freshly baked pizza! The sight and smell of a beautiful pizza with melted cheese on it is just way too tempting. From my perspective a plethora of pizza chains have spoiled the fun. When I was a kid, we used to have a pizza maybe once a month. It was considered a delicious Italian specialty which my mother would bake when we needed a treat. The first time when I ever came to know about pizza was perhaps when we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I remember being enticed into thinking what a delicious thing these turtles were eating. I think when things are made to look special they really look special. Our regular diet consisted of (and still does) flat-pan bread (roti) with stewed vegetables, meat, curries or pulao (rice). Once a month, a slightly different menu brought smiles on our faces. Adding to the international menu was our all time favorite Chinese rice, Pakistani style.

Getting back to my own pizza recipe, I can now claim to make a pizza as good as the ones we find in the famous pizza outlets- well, atleast thats what my husband tells me! 🙂 In reality, any dish should be made as simple and as natural as possible. Using readily available ingredients, pizza making is one of the best ways of utilizing food items that would otherwise end up in the bin. Kids usually don’t like vegetables so this is one way of making them eat vegetables.

Another ingredient that may make my pizza unique is the use of whole wheat flour. I really feel that it is way more healthier and better for kids digestion and overall health. So a whole wheat flour dough, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, vegetables or meat, black olives, mushrooms, pineapples, garnished with Italian herbs, does wonders! Of course, one can adjust the toppings to one’s own choice but most importantly it can be ready within 30 minutes provided the dough is ready and you have all your ingredients. So here’s to a dish which is simple, liked by millions, and easy to prepare.

Delicious Fish Biryani

If you are thinking of eating something a little different and exotic for lunch or dinner, try making a mouth-watering dish called fish biryani.

Main Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice (2 cups, soak in water for 1 hour)
• Cod Fish (2 lbs)
• Shan Masala (spices), Salt
• Tomato (1) , Onions (1), Ginger & Garlic paste (1 teaspoon)
• Yogurt (half cup)

Cut the fish into fillets. Marinate them with lemon juice and garlic paste. Shan spices have made life so easy, especially where all the main Pakistani/Indian spices are not easily available. It can save a lot of time and effort by using ready made spices which have the right quantity of all the necessary spices. Shan fish biryani masala is available at Amazon.com. You may also try finding it in a Pakistani/Indian grocery store. (Another wonderful recipe is Sindhi Biryani prepared in a similar way with chicken or mutton).

While the fish gets marinated, take one medium sized onion and slice into small pieces. Stir fry the onions in 4 table spoons of Canola oil.  When the onions turn light brown, add the ginger and garlic paste. Then add finely chopped tomato and Shan fish biryani masala mixed in yogurt. Stir for a few minutes and then add the fish pieces that have been marinated for 30 minutes. Cook on medium heat for a 2-3 minutes and then add 3/4 cup of water and let it steam for another 5 minutes or so until the fish is cooked and the water has evaporated.

Basmati rice has to be cooked in a careful way. Boil five cups of water in a separate pot. Also add cardamom, bay leaves and 1-1/2 tea spoon salt.  Once the water starts boiling, add the soaked basmati rice. Cook the rice until it is just about ready (not fully cooked). In a pot, put a layer of the boiled rice and then a layer of the cooked fish. Repeat the layering process and finally add saffron or food color. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro (coriander).  Cover the pot and leave on low heat for about 12 minutes. Delicious fish biryani is ready!