*Asma Shah* celebrates the end of Ramadan with a Middle-Eastern slant to the traditional Pakistani feast
• Invite us to your get-together!
*What was the occasion?*
I live in Lahore at the moment, but once a year I come back to the UK to visit my family and friends. This time,
I decided to throw a small, girly get-together for Eid at my parents' house in north London. I invited 16 close family members and friends; some people hadn't seen each other since university days, and others hadn't even met before, but at least they all had me in common!*What was on the menu?*
I veered away from tradition by mixing classic recipes with Middle Eastern-influenced food. The usual Pakistani dishes can often be quite heavy, with a lot of meat and things cooked in butter. I wanted to make something different and exciting for my friends that was a little healthier.
My mum and sister helped me to prepare. We started the day before, but there was still a mad rush on the day until people started arriving at around 8pm. We began with a multi-layered Mediterranean dip, followed by a rainbow salad drizzled with a sharp blue cheese dressing. We can only seat eight around the table, so I decided to serve the rest of the food all at once and let people help themselves.
I made around a dozen dishes, including a slow-cooked leg of lamb, which was shredded and served with feta and lemon on Iranian bread. Another was butterflied lamb, marinated in a masala and cooked with ground almonds, ginger, garlic, green chillies and spices, then stuffed with spinach. It's really good served with roast potatoes tossed in sumac. My mum made a chicken and tomato curry – our Sunday lunch dish when we were growing up – and an amazing maash dhal (made with skinned urad lentils) topped with tomatoes and green chillies gently cooked in butter.
For dessert, my friend made sheer korma – a traditional Eid dessert of milk and dried dates – and another friend brought a strawberry cheesecake. We also had a fruit salad of oranges and kiwis, drizzled with ginger syrup, and some nut and saffron barfi served with Iranian candyfloss made with sesame and sugar.
*What did you talk about?*
A lot of people hadn't seen each other for a long time, so we talked about how much we've all changed in the last 20 years. I run a wholefoods and farmers' market in Lahore – it's a new thing in Pakistan, so people are fascinated with the idea.
We also discussed the differences between celebrating Eid in London and Lahore. There, it's all about indulging in rich food and dressing up – there's a real carnival atmosphere, and everyone gets a three-day break from work. It's much more subdued in London, and if Eid falls on a weekday then everyone has to work. For me, being in London is much more enjoyable because I'm with my family. Spending time with them beats even the best party in Pakistan.
*Maash Dhal with tomato, onion and green chilli baghaar*
Serving this traditional dish with tomatoes on top gives it a fresh twist.
Serves 4
*200g maash dhal (skinned urad lentils)*
*1 tsp salt, or to taste*
*1 tsp black pepper*
*100-150g butter*
*1 large onion, sliced into 1cm rounds*
*2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 2cm rounds*
*4 green chillies, thinly sliced*
*A handful of coriander leaves *
*1* Wash and soak the daal in water for an hour.
*2* Place the dhal in 175ml water and bring to the boil, skimming off any froth that comes to the surface.
*3 *Add the salt and pepper, turn the heat to medium low and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until done. Do not allow the dhal to become mushy. Each grain should be separate. If there is any water left in the pan, turn up the heat to evaporate.
*4 *Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Once sizzling, add the sliced onion slices and allow them to soften but not brown. Then add the tomatoes and green chillies. Shake the pan occasionally. Once the tomatoes are soft around the edges take off the heat.
*5* Arrange the dhal in a shallow dish and arrange the onion and tomato decoratively over the dhal.
*6* Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot.
*Stuffed peppers with coconut sauce*
The red are better for stuffing as they are wider than the green ones, but using both gives a nice colour contrast.
Serves 6-8
*6 green and 6 red peppers (the elongated romano/ramiro are best*
*1 tsp cumin seeds*
*1 tbsp olive oil*
For the stuffing
*2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed*
*1 medium onion, diced and softened in 1 tsp of olive oil*
*1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted*
*3 tbsp mature cheddar, grated*
*¼ tsp turmeric*
*A pinch of salt*
*Red chilli flakes, to taste*
For the sauce
*250ml plain yoghurt*
*A pinch of salt*
*3-4 tbsp desiccated coconut*
*1 tbsp olive oil*
*1 tsp mustard seeds*
*10-15 fresh curry leaves*
*2 dried red chillies*
*1* Blanch the red peppers in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and cool, cut the top off about 1cm from the stem, then remove the seeds.
*2* Combine all the stuffing ingredients, then fill each red pepper, leaving about 1cm at the top.
*3 *Put a large frying pan on a medium heat then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and wait till they release their aroma. Carefully add the stuffed peppers, mixed with the green ones. Fry gently for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through if you can do it without damaging the peppers.
*4 *For the sauce, mix the yoghurt, salt and coconut. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Stir for a few seconds, then pour the spicy oil on the sauce and mix.
*5* Serve the peppers on a flat platter drizzled with the yoghurt sauce, warm or at room temperature. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.
• Invite us to your get-together!
*What was the occasion?*
I live in Lahore at the moment, but once a year I come back to the UK to visit my family and friends. This time,
I decided to throw a small, girly get-together for Eid at my parents' house in north London. I invited 16 close family members and friends; some people hadn't seen each other since university days, and others hadn't even met before, but at least they all had me in common!*What was on the menu?*
I veered away from tradition by mixing classic recipes with Middle Eastern-influenced food. The usual Pakistani dishes can often be quite heavy, with a lot of meat and things cooked in butter. I wanted to make something different and exciting for my friends that was a little healthier.
My mum and sister helped me to prepare. We started the day before, but there was still a mad rush on the day until people started arriving at around 8pm. We began with a multi-layered Mediterranean dip, followed by a rainbow salad drizzled with a sharp blue cheese dressing. We can only seat eight around the table, so I decided to serve the rest of the food all at once and let people help themselves.
I made around a dozen dishes, including a slow-cooked leg of lamb, which was shredded and served with feta and lemon on Iranian bread. Another was butterflied lamb, marinated in a masala and cooked with ground almonds, ginger, garlic, green chillies and spices, then stuffed with spinach. It's really good served with roast potatoes tossed in sumac. My mum made a chicken and tomato curry – our Sunday lunch dish when we were growing up – and an amazing maash dhal (made with skinned urad lentils) topped with tomatoes and green chillies gently cooked in butter.
For dessert, my friend made sheer korma – a traditional Eid dessert of milk and dried dates – and another friend brought a strawberry cheesecake. We also had a fruit salad of oranges and kiwis, drizzled with ginger syrup, and some nut and saffron barfi served with Iranian candyfloss made with sesame and sugar.
*What did you talk about?*
A lot of people hadn't seen each other for a long time, so we talked about how much we've all changed in the last 20 years. I run a wholefoods and farmers' market in Lahore – it's a new thing in Pakistan, so people are fascinated with the idea.
We also discussed the differences between celebrating Eid in London and Lahore. There, it's all about indulging in rich food and dressing up – there's a real carnival atmosphere, and everyone gets a three-day break from work. It's much more subdued in London, and if Eid falls on a weekday then everyone has to work. For me, being in London is much more enjoyable because I'm with my family. Spending time with them beats even the best party in Pakistan.
*Maash Dhal with tomato, onion and green chilli baghaar*
Serving this traditional dish with tomatoes on top gives it a fresh twist.
Serves 4
*200g maash dhal (skinned urad lentils)*
*1 tsp salt, or to taste*
*1 tsp black pepper*
*100-150g butter*
*1 large onion, sliced into 1cm rounds*
*2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 2cm rounds*
*4 green chillies, thinly sliced*
*A handful of coriander leaves *
*1* Wash and soak the daal in water for an hour.
*2* Place the dhal in 175ml water and bring to the boil, skimming off any froth that comes to the surface.
*3 *Add the salt and pepper, turn the heat to medium low and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until done. Do not allow the dhal to become mushy. Each grain should be separate. If there is any water left in the pan, turn up the heat to evaporate.
*4 *Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Once sizzling, add the sliced onion slices and allow them to soften but not brown. Then add the tomatoes and green chillies. Shake the pan occasionally. Once the tomatoes are soft around the edges take off the heat.
*5* Arrange the dhal in a shallow dish and arrange the onion and tomato decoratively over the dhal.
*6* Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot.
*Stuffed peppers with coconut sauce*
The red are better for stuffing as they are wider than the green ones, but using both gives a nice colour contrast.
Serves 6-8
*6 green and 6 red peppers (the elongated romano/ramiro are best*
*1 tsp cumin seeds*
*1 tbsp olive oil*
For the stuffing
*2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed*
*1 medium onion, diced and softened in 1 tsp of olive oil*
*1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted*
*3 tbsp mature cheddar, grated*
*¼ tsp turmeric*
*A pinch of salt*
*Red chilli flakes, to taste*
For the sauce
*250ml plain yoghurt*
*A pinch of salt*
*3-4 tbsp desiccated coconut*
*1 tbsp olive oil*
*1 tsp mustard seeds*
*10-15 fresh curry leaves*
*2 dried red chillies*
*1* Blanch the red peppers in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and cool, cut the top off about 1cm from the stem, then remove the seeds.
*2* Combine all the stuffing ingredients, then fill each red pepper, leaving about 1cm at the top.
*3 *Put a large frying pan on a medium heat then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and wait till they release their aroma. Carefully add the stuffed peppers, mixed with the green ones. Fry gently for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through if you can do it without damaging the peppers.
*4 *For the sauce, mix the yoghurt, salt and coconut. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Stir for a few seconds, then pour the spicy oil on the sauce and mix.
*5* Serve the peppers on a flat platter drizzled with the yoghurt sauce, warm or at room temperature. Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.