The Crave Bar Karachi

Review of The Crave Bar Dessert- A dessert shop in DHA, Karachi

On the left, stecco in lotus flavour. On the right, Pizookie

Have you ever had a craving for ice-cream that needed to be satisfied immediately? Asking this because I suffer from such cravings every now and then. I am a fan of cold desserts/ ice-cream and sundaes. As someone who has a sweet tooth, I’ve toured and tried almost every great dessert shop in Karachi.

Just the other day I and hubby set out for The Crave Bar, which is a small dessert shop in DHA, Karachi. They serve amazing gelato, sundae, cake jars and funnel cakes topped with yummy ice-cream.

Our go- to flavours for ice-cream at The Crave Bar Karachi are lotus and chocolate fudge. As a big fan of strawberry cheese cake gelato, I did not find this flavour up to the mark at crave bar. Furthermore, our latest visit to crave bar some what let us down, as the shop was out of a couple of our favourite ice cream flavours. Anyway, we still managed to get our hands over prepackaged ” Steccos” in lotus flavour. These were totally drool-worthy and satisfied our ice-cream craving.

The Crave Bar Karachi Video Review

To read more reviews of The crave bar Dha, Karachi, head over to the TripAdvisor.

Hot Chicken Chili Soup

Hello Bloggy friends! 🙂 FIRST OF ALL IS A HUGE REQUEST: I made my FACEBOOK, page today, I’d love it if you all could just push the follow button over there:) The smiley face is to make up for my ah…absence on the social scene. Look, before you reach drastic conclusions ( Examples: My getting abducted and being taken to Mars by aliens, My turning into a gypsy and going on a world travel on foot, My becoming a cave woman who eats wild rats for dinner, My going to jungles of Africa to join red Indians…..endless list here), I gotta explain my absence dear dudes and dudettes.  After freedom(basically taking one year away from my studies) after A’levels, I’ve finally embarked upon my graduate program. I guess I got a little busy and then I also had weight loss goals, which required time and VIGILANCE( yeah , i hate CAPS too). Anyhow I’ve returned, and I’ve returned for good (Like they say in the movies). However, I’m not going to have a strict posting schedule. I’m going to post whenever I have time away from studies and….. exercise and other stuff  (wow, my exercising is unbelievable even to myself). I’m also going to post about things other than ‘food’. I’ll also try to post healthy food recipes as well. Phew, there, I’m done. P.s I also managed to get a flat tummy (yes FLAT!! I’m so happy about that). Today I’m posting this super yummy recipe that I sort of created in my ‘soup’ endeavors last month and enjoyed it ever since! 🙂

Ingredients:( 6 large serving bowls)
For Gravy:
3+ 2 tomatoes
1 large onion diced
250 gms boneless chicken cut into small cubes
1 large (or 2 small) capsicum chopped roughly into large pieces
1/2 cup green peas
6 large green chilies cut into half
1 large carrot chopped into small pieces
4 tbsp cup soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
4 tbsp chili sauce
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp powdered black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup cornflour dissolved into half a cup water.

Rice/Pasta:
You can boil rice/pasta separately. For these proportions I boiled 2 cups of white rice and 2 cups of pasta.

Instructions:

• Dice the first 2 tomatoes 
• Take the other 3 and boil them. Then sieve them with the help of a spoon to get the juice.
• In a large saucepan, put chicken, all the spices,salt,vegetables and oil into 10 cups of water. Set it to simmer on low heat. Cook for atleast 30 minutes to get all the vegetables cooked, and for the soup to get infused with flavor.
• Then add the soy sauce,chili sauce,worcestershire sauce and vinegar.
• Now switch to high heat and get the soup to boiling point. Now stir the dissolved cornflour into the soup, this will cause the soup to thicken.

 

 

The soup is good on it’s own, but for a more fulfilling diet I’d suggest you pour it on hot boiled rice or freshly boiled pasta….and Bon appetit! 🙂

Chicken Cheese Quiche

Hello my dear bloggy bums!! Muslims all round the world(including me) are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, and fasting. The other fantastic thing happening, as we all know, is football.Hope all the fans are enjoying themselves these days with popcorn tubs; I sure am(Minus the tubs since I’m  fasting during the day)! 🙂 

Today I did a chicken-cheese quiche for iftar(breaking of fast), which every one in my good ol’ family enjoys. It was yummy, because..well there was cheese, chicken and flaky pie crust in there. You can’t go wrong with all that good stuff, can you? (Unless you’re an absolute kitchen Klutz like my baby sister who manages to torpedo almost every dish she makes). 

For this recipe, I’m using the traditional flaky homemade butter-based pie crust, unlike the banana cream pie recipe for which I used a ghee based pie crust. Quiches are best when the crust is absolutely flaky and have that yummy rich buttery taste! Of coarse you can use Crisco instead. But….. once again, “It’s best with butter”.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fried and shredded chicked

2 green onions chopped

1 red onion, chopped with layers separated

1/2 bell pepper chopped

2 + 1 egg(s)

1+ 1/4 cup cheddar cheese grated

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 9-inch pie crust (unbaked)

1 tsp powdered red pepper

1 tsp black pepper powder

salt to taste

2 tbsp butter

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a pan add two tbsp butter and fry the red onions until transparent. Add the chopped bell pepper, shredded chicken and green onions. Add a bit of salt, half a teaspoon black pepper and half a teaspoon red pepper. Stir fry. Then dish out and let it cool,

In a bowl whisk two eggs and add  1 cup grated cheddar cheese to it.

In another bowl whisk the heavy cream, and an egg. Add the remaining half tsp(s) of black and red pepper to it and whisk. Lastly add the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and whisk again.

Take out your pie plate. Spray it with non-stick vegetable oil. Then place your pie crust over the plate. Crimp the edges. Now add the chicken vegetable filling over the bottom of the pie crust.

The top it with the cheese-egg mixture and spread it over the vegetables with a spoon. Lastly seal the deal by topping it all with the cream-cheddar-egg mixture.

Set the quiche to bake in the preheated oven.Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm and golden brown on top.

 Enjoy!!

Banana Cream Pie

 

 

This was an instant success with my family, when I first made it. I made a ghee(clarified butter) based pie crust for this pie since my mom believes ghee to be healthier than butter. And it is an extremely easy dessert to prepare and consumes little time.

 

Pie Crust Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3  cup+ 1 tbsp  ghee/clarified butter (you can substitute softened butter)

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 tsp salt

Pie crust instructions

Add the ghee/butter to  the flour. Add the cold water and salt. Knead it into a soft smooth dough. Spread it on your pie dish and set it to bake. Take it out when the crust begins to get golden brown.

Pie Filling

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 cup milk

3 egg yolks- beaten

2 tbsp ghee/butter

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3+1 bananas sliced

1/3 cup cream(Optional)

Pie Filling Instructions

• Combine sugar, salt,flour and milk in a saucepan and put it on medium heat and stir gently until the mixture gets thick and bubbly.
• Add some of the hot mixture into egg yolks and whisk.
• Add the yolks into the milk mixture and stir . Cook this mixture for another 2 minutes.Remove from heat.
• Stir in butter and vanilla into the mixture.
• Now put three sliced bananas into the base of the pie crust. Top this with the custard mixture. Set to bake for 15 minutes.
• To the pie with cream
• Put the last sliced banana on top of the pie.

 

 

fiesta friday 

Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

I have returned from Saudi Arabia, happy, and stuffed with goodies…. or rather my suitcase stuffed with goodies……and I feel cake deprived. A slice of elegantly presented cake in restaurants does nothing for me. That one lonely slice always leaves me thinking…”That was a mouth sweetener, now WHERE is my cake??”. I need a nice good quantity of cake to make me happy. A few posts back I mentioned the lovely Dorie Greenspan cookbook(Baking: From My Home to Yours) I’d received as a surprise gift. I couldn’t get the time to bake something new so I’d been neglecting this book for a while. I opened my fresh copy yesterday and well…. I was drooling at the pictures Dorie had given of this cake. The lovely honey roasted peanuts lend a perfect icing to a moist brownie cake.  

Recipe adapted from my all time favorite. Baking:From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

 

Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

Ingredients:
For the brownie cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1½ tbsp. light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup honey roasted peanuts

 

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Butter an 8-inch springform pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.  Place the springform pan on a baking sheet.

To make the cake, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; whisk together and set aside.  Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted – do not let them get so hot that the butter separates.  Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars until well blended.  Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla.  Add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, and whisk until combined.  Gently whisk in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are just incorporated.  The batter should be thick, smooth and shiny.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife between the cake and the pan and carefully remove the sides of the springform.  The cake may have puffed up during baking, but don’t be concerned if it develops a crater in the center while cooling.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  When the cake is totally cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment paper.  Turn the cake right side up onto a serving platter.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring just to combine the ingredients.  Place the pan over medium-high heat.  Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your saucepan and the intensity of the heat.  As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.  To test the color of the caramel, drop a bit onto a white plate.  Don’t be timid about the color – if it’s too pale, it won’t have much flavor.

Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter.  When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps.  Stir in the peanuts and pour the caramel and peanuts into a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or a heatproof bowl.

You will have more caramel than you need, but you want to get all of the peanuts onto the cake, so spoon all of the peanuts out of the hot caramel and onto the top of the cake.   Pour or spoon enough caramel to cover all the nuts, drizzling a bit over the edges of the cake for presentation.  Allow the topping to set at room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving.  Keep the leftover caramel at room temperature and save for another use.

 

NOTE:

Dorie mentions that the brownie cake center will sink after baking. So we actually need our center to sink for this cake.

FOR HONEY ROASTED PEANUTS

 

fiesta friday @ the novice gardener’s

Gettin’ Awardy

I’m lazy. Not just your average lazy. But lazy like Duddly Vernon Dursley or ‘dudders’ from Harry Potter. Fortunately for me, I’m not fat . Else my sisters would call me Dudders instead of ayesha. They’e so annoying that it makes me lazier. Tomorrow,  I’m supposed to leave for Saudi Arabia. But instead of stuffing my suitcase with stuff, I’m “Gettin’ Awardy”. I secretly believe that when I’ll go to sleep, my clothes are going to fold themselves and walk into the suitcase. That’s when I call myself a die hard optimist and what my sister calls an incurable nutcase. After all, I was raised on Enid Blyton stories and in there, everything walked talked and did their own stuff. Why are my clothes so damn lazy that they can’t fold themselves ..why? Anyhow, I’ll continue with the award. I, people, am a rebel. I rebel against the ‘thou shall pack when thou fly’ rule and will instead get chatty on my laptop. Last summer, when I wasn’t a food blogger, i rarely took pictures of food. I loved good food but i hated taking pictures. I took a few random pictures in Saudi Arabia  like  THESE but that was all. This time, I hope to bring back some great middle eastern recipes!

 

This is my second time with the honorable liebster award given to me by Aisha of Aisha’s Oasis  . She blogs like a pro and writes interesting posts which I enjoy. And she’s also my namesake , so I have a special soft corner for her 😛

 The Second award is   Quintet of Radiance by a radiant Shatarupa who has the most mouth watering foods featured on her site….. for food porn visit her site and drool like a boss! 😉

 

Finaaallllyyyy…. the…uhh…tasks….. You can hear me as I let out dramatic sights. People are you serious about these tasks. Like total real serious? I expect both of you to say ‘just joking’ but I’m hearing nothing other than my own sighs.

1. Aisha wants me to answer questions.( Aisha would make a great lawyer)

2. Shatarupa wants me to give facts about myself in alphabetical order.(Shatarupa would make a great teacher)

 

So  here we go with Aisha’s questions. ( I’m confident in my hot seat. Bring ’em on)

1. Where is your favorite place to live?

Saudi Arabiaaaa. I love the food and Arab hospitality.
2. What is your favorite character trait?

Patience 🙂
3. Do you have a talent?

I sing in the bathroom. I can also roll my tongue.
4. What is your favorite movie of all time?

A walk to remember ❤
5. What is the most important thing to you in your life?

Mom.mom.mom.mom.Her well being, her life. Everything good for her.
6. Who is the person you look up to the most, and why?

Mom again.
7. What is your biggest pet peeve?

I like other people’s pets…. but uh… no pets for me. I’m not worthy of them.
8. Do you have a dream you’d like to share?

I want to make people happy. I want a wand that can solve the entire world’s problems.
9. What gives you the most happiness?

Chocolate. chocolate and more chocolate.
10. What is your biggest accomplishment?

A level result. Straight A’s :D…
11. Why do you like to blog?

I love people.

 

Next,comes in Shatarupa ( to the thunderous clapping and the blaring of horns)

a- apple, i love em.

B-ball, i played with it.

c-cat. i never had one.

d-dog. my neighbor has them. Five, to be precise.

e- egg. i like them sunny side up.

f. frogs. i’m sure i’ll never see one turn into a prince.

g- goat- i love mutton.

h- heart. i have one.

i- irritating. my sisters are irritating nincompoops.

j- jelly- strawberry jelly over vanilla custard. aaaah, heavon.

k- kite- I’ve flown them countless times. countless.

l- love- i love loving.

m-mom. i love her

n-night- i sleep at night.

o- orange- i love orange juice.

p-poop-  hate it.

q-quick- this is what i’m not.

r- rat- i hate rats. big rats, small rats, white rats, grey rats, all rats.

s- stupid- i become stupid to suit my purpose. sly. sly Ayesha.

t-tart- i love chocolate-raspberry tarts

u- umbrella- i haven’t used one in a long long time. Go away sun.

v- veil- i wear a veil with my abaya. Yep, I’m a ninjaaa!!!

w- winter- i love winters.

x- Xfactor- i don’t watch it

y- yoga- i find t soothing

z- zebra crossing- have crossed it even though I’m not a zebra.

 

That was…… surprisingly easy. I shall pass on these award to 11 of my fellow knights.  I chose them because of their Fabulousosity ……….

Mademoisellegourmande

Foodgurly

Moco-choco

Flour and Spice

Shadows of The Divine

My Kitchen Moments

Joie De Vivre 

Aharam

Saucy Gander

Hugs,kisses & dirty diapers

Spice in the city

 

RULES ( I have made easier rules for the nominees…yaay!)

• Pass on the award to however many bloggers you like. From 2 to 2000 or 200000…..as much  you wish.
• Link back to me and thank me ( haha 😛 )
• Give interesting facts about yourself. Any number of interesting facts will do. 5+ facts will be appreciated.
• Participation is optional.

images: bringonyourvoice.com, sodahead.com

 

Moong Daal Stuffed Kachori

 

Ingredients: Dough
All purpose flour or Maida- 2 cups

Ghee or Oil- 2 tbsp

Water- ¼ cup

Salt- a few pinches

Ingredients:Stuffing
1/4 cup Moong dal, skinless/also known as yellow gram(ground into coarse powder)

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Red chilly flakes

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Water- 3 tbsp

For frying
Oil- for deep frying

 

Prepare  Stuffing

1) Roast Moong daal and spices in a pan. Dish them out.

2)Add ghee and water to it

 Prepare Dough

Add the water and oil to the flour. Knead well with hands. Divide your dough into 12 parts. Roll them out. Put a little stuffing in the mid of rolled kachori. Using your hands seal the dough.

 Heat oil to middle-high in a wok/ frying pan. Fry kachori’s till golden-brown and crisp.

Eat with Spicy Chola Tarkari Or with a quick -fix mint-coriander chutney!!

 Enjoy

#FF

 

Spicy Chola Tarkari

For Tarkari

3 Tomatoes pureed

2 cups chickpeas( soaked overnight )

1/2 tsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

A pinch of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp black mustard seed

1 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp mixed pickles in oil

5 tbsp oil

For Tempering (Or Baghaar)

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp red chili powder

Directions

In a saucepan heat the oil and add the pureed tomatoes. Let them cook for a few minutes then add spices and 1/2 a cup of water .Cover with the lid. Let this cook for 5 minutes.

Add Chickpeas(Which have been soaked over night) and cover the lid. Cook till the chickpeas are tender.

Add another half cup of  water and 3 tbsp of mixed pickles. Let this cook while we prepare the tempering.

In a frying pan heat 2 tbsp oil, cumin seeds and red chili powder. Fry till cumin seeds begin changing color. Then turn off the heat. Take the simmering oil and in the cooking chickpeas add the tempering and immediately cover the lid on the saucepan. Turn off the saucepan heat. This gives the spicy chickpeas a very distinctive taste.

 

Spicy Chola( Chickpea) tarkari is now ready. Serve this with Moong daal stuffed karchori, boiled rice or with flour tortillas.

Enjoy!

Churros

I was recently introduced to Churros by a Mexican friend, who claimed that she could keep eating them and never get tired. Churros turned out to be fritters…. Mexican fritters which tasted ethereal when dunked in chocolate sauce. Turns out the friend was right. I kept eating them yesterday, especially since I’d made a generous quantity of the chocolate sauce to go with them.

 

 

Ingredients for Churros

1 cup water

3 tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon,for topping

1/2 cup  sugar, for topping

Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup cream

33 grams milk chocolate

3 tbsp cocoa powder

4 tbsp powdered  sugar

Method:Churros

 In saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and butter. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms thick paste. Cool it and fill it into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. 

In another saucepan, heat oil till it’s hot. Then pipe in churros. Keep turning till brown and crisp. Drain and place on paper towel.

 

For topping combine cinnamon and sugar. Roll the churros in this mixture.

Lastly, make sauce. First whip the cream till it’s thick. Add sugar, milk chocolate and cocoa powder to form thick sauce.

Dunk the cinnamon-ey morsel of deliciousness into the chocolatey goodness. Bon Apetit!

 

Fiesta Friday 

Tres Leches Cake

Sometime back, I made a zesty Tres Leches Mexican Flan, which is loved by almost everyone I know. In the comments section, someone asked me if I liked Tres Leches Cake (three milks cake) too? I don’t like Tres Leches cake, I adore it. It is soft,moist,smooth,creamy and best when served cold. I can polish off this lovely guy on my own, if my sisters allowed it. But unfortunately for me,not only they always want this cake but also end up with the biggest pieces.

 Cake Ingredients:

•  1- 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 4  Eggs
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream

 Icing ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

 Instructions Cake

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your cake pan.

In one bowl sift flour, salt and baking powder.

Beat eggs. Sift sugar and beat with eggs till thick and fluffy.

Slowly add the flour mixture to egg mixture, all the while keep mixing.

Add butter and milk and continue to beat until thick and creamy.

Set the cake to bake. Bake until a skewer comes out clean.

 In a separate bowl add the heavy cream,condensed milk and evaporated milk. Whisk them till uniform.

Take the cooled cake, and using a fork make many holes all over the cake.

Pour the milk mixture slowly over the whole cake.The milk may seem too much but the cake will absorb it completely after approximately 12-15 minutes.

Finally whip the sugar and heavy cream together until soft peaks form(do not over-whip).

Slather this generously over the cake.

Decorate with cherries or chocolate balls.Being a chocaholic, I obviously chose the latter to top this lovely cake.

Keep the cake into the refrigerator. Best served cold.

 

FIESTA FRIDAY