Though Asif first learnt the proper cooking style form the restaurant he worked at, his first ever teacher in cooking was his mom who taught him how to prepare rice and curry while he was in class 3.
“My mom always encouraged me to become self-dependent. It was she who taught me the basics of cooking,” Asif shared while directing us to his kitchen where his wife Nasira Shah looked all tempted to see his hubby dear make us his favorite delicacies.
“The happiest day was when I made Chicken Chilly for my dad. Because we don’t often get halal meat in Kathmandu, my dad always missed Chicken Chilly. I still remember that joy in his face when I made him what he wanted for long,” Shah recalled his fondest memory with cooking.
Culinary art was definitely not that easy for Asif, who still remembers throwing away the overcooked and undercooked rice and curry several times when he first started cooking.
“He’s fond of both eating and serving,” Nasira joined in the conversation and added, “I strongly agree that men who know how to cook are very sensitive, perfectionist and attractive.”
Asif loves cooking for his wife and for friends whenever he is free. And Nasira believes that she is one fortunate wife who often gets to taste a variety of cuisines made by her hubby at their residence in Naya Bazaar.
“I’m really fond of eating,” Asif said and shared one of his craziest experiences he went through recently, “I was in Nepalgunj with my friends on some business. On our return flight, a patient had to flown to Kathmandu urgently so we were pushed back. Then suddenly I decided to drive to Lucknow. My drive wasn’t for any recreation. It was only for the love of authentic Kebab and Biryani of Lucknow.”
Soon, Asif indulged himself completely to serve The Week’s Celebrity Kitchen his style of Chicken Biryani, Custard and Raita.
CHICKEN BIRYANI
Ingredients: Chicken: 1 Kg, Rice: 4 cups, Mustard oil: 5 tbsp, Ghee: 100 grams, Chopped onion: 300 grams, Tomatoes: 300 grams, Ginger-garlic paste: 3 big tbsp, Green chili: 100 grams, Dry red chili: 100 grams, Cumin powder: 1 ½ tbsp, Clove (Lwang) and Caraway (Sukmel): 30 grams, Black pepper: 10 grams, Cinnamon powder: 1 tbsp, Garam Masala: 2 tbsp, Salt: 3 tbsp (as per your taste), Chili powder: 1 tbsp, Water: ½ cup, Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp, Malabathrum, Bay leaf (Tejpatta): 4 leaves, Coriander: 1 bunch, Milk: 5 tbsp, Food color: 5 drops
Method
- In a pressure-cooker put oil and ghee
- Heat the cooker for not more than 2 minutes to melt the ghee and cook in low heat
- Add onion, cardimum, clove, red and green chili, black pepper, ginger-garlic paste and stir the mixture properly
- Add chicken and mix properly
- Close the cooker and leave it in medium heat for next 10 minutes
- While the chicken cooks, wash rice properly
- In a rice-cooker, put some ghee, rice and water along with milk and food color
- Then pour the chicken mixture that is ready in your pressure-cooker into the rice cooker
- After fifteen minutes add some more food color ,milk , clove, cardimum and bay leaves
- Your Chicken Biryani will be ready to serve in next 10 minutes.
RAITA
Ingredients; Curd: 2 cups, Cumin powder: ½ tbsp, Salt: 1 tbsp, Black pepper seeds: ½ tbsp, Cucumber: 100 grams, Carrot: 100 grams, Butter: 2 tbsp, Red-chili powder: 1 tbsp, Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
Method
- In a non-sticky frying pan, heat butter
- Put the curd in a bowl
- Add salt and cumin powder
- Grate the cucumber and carrot and add it with the curd
- Stir properly
- Fry black pepper seeds and add turmeric powder
- Put this mixture with the curd and stir properly
- Your Raita is ready to serve.
The writer is Program Officer at Indian Cultural, Centre.
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