Ramzan Daze: 2

I am looking at the folder called 'food' on my computer and thinking 'thank the Lord!' How much good food was there in Ramzan? LOTS! 

Arvi Gosht

I never quite figured out what 'Arvi' really is. When I was younger, my mother explained it was 'aloo ki behan (potato's sisters).' Which instantly legitimizes all kinds of food. Arvi, however, seems to be a form of yam. My mum usually cooks it with mutton in a very basic, 'curry' base - tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt, red chillies, onions. Goes well with rice and fresh lemon juice.

Ramzan platter at Damascus

The good old fashioned furrouge

The entire spread

One particular Ramzan day,  my girl friends and I were feeling particularly disappointed with our lives (read men and money). And everyone knows that the cure for a broken heart is always Arab. So we headed to the Karachi classic Damascus and ordered a ginormous platter which included: a whole furrouge, a chicken pita sandwich and those fried Arabic wanton (type) things, fries or falafel, a 1.5 liter drink and the usual sides with pita bread. With all our sadness combined, we could not finish this meal - it was rich, delicious and large - like a real Arab should be. All this cost just Rs 1200 by the way.

Roast Beef

Ah, what do I say about this hunk of meat? Soft, succulent, well seasoned and in the good company of  roast onions, garlic and potatoes. Home cooked by my sister from another mother - Tammy Haq! She really knows how to look after her sisters!

Home made Vol-au-Vent

Chicken and mushroom white sauce oozing out of a flaky pastry 'basket' - could there be a better comfort food?

Pizza Milano from Ginoginelles

Beef Pepperoni Pizza from Ginoginelles

Gino's has the best pizza in Karachi - hands down, no competition! I don't care what the foodies say, I dont care what the Italians. This pizza is damn good! I don't want to fish for toppings on my pizza, I just want it to find it's way into my mouth when I bite - in other words - generous toppings please!

Thai Green Curry from Chairman Mao

Dumplings with flat noodles 

Tried Chairman Mao after a while, following my horrible experience at Chairman Mao Port Grand. Thai is my least favorite kind of Asian cuisine (and Pakistan's favorite I guess) - I prefer Malaysian, Vietnamese and Chinese.  However, this is by far the best Thai food I've had so far in Pakistan.

Luckily, all this food is still out there and now we can order it for lunch too!

Ramzan Daze: 1

  As a rule, as a family, we never break fast outside the home on the 1st day of Ramzan. But this Ramzan, my 'sister from another mother' suggested we leave the city behind and head to Hub for Iftar. And what a wonderful idea it was! We just followed the sun and the sky and broke our fast accordingly.

Iftar in my house is inconceivable without shorba and hummus. So that's what we packed for our little Hub Ladies Only Iftar Picnic. Check out the spread below:

Tick tock tick tock - laying the table

Hummus and some really big peaches

Each time I ask my mother to give me her hummus recipe, she gives me different ingredients! Looks like I won't be putting up this recipe anytime soon.

Best iftar idea so far! Bread, butter and cheese!

Hyperstar Karachi makes great bread! Couple with butter and cheese and it makes a most satisfying, carb-rich, comfort food experience.

Starters complete

Chips, hummus, bread, cheese, butter, dates and peaches. A good mix of healthy and junk!

Ah Shorba! The best thing about Ramzan

Ramzan would not be Ramzan without this lentil and spagetti soup. I refuse to believe it! You'll find the recipe here.

Roast chicken with potatoes

No complicated flavors here - slow roasted chicken with onions, garlic and potatoes.

Another roast chicken :)

 Spinach and Bechamel Sauce Pasta

I really regret not having eaten enough of this spinach, mushroom and white sauce pasta. But I was just so stuffed!

Ramzan is super prime time for a food blog but I have mostly been in a food coma or horribly sick through Ramzan. Hopefully, I'll be more regular with my blog updates from now on. Ramzan Mubarak!