Ainy Cooks

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be hosting my first-ever guest-post, from my friend Mahira Asif. She is a dear darling friend now living in London working as Specialist learning support assistant for SpLd at Quintin Kynaston School.She is an expert in baking and i requested her to give some thing special for my readers.
This is my last post of the year 2013,an amazing year filled with excitement and fun! Before we all launch ourselves into goals for the coming year I think it’s a good exercise to look back and remember to feel thankful and proud of everything that happened in 2013. There is nothing I could say that could adequately reflect what this year, and its ending, mean to me. So I can only hope I’ve done a good enough job over the past 364 days.Lol….
This post is near and dear to my heart. I hope you’ll take a moment to read through it. My friend Mahira wrote up a totally extensive, fabulous and tempting post for everyone.Over to You Mahira Asif:

“My love with food goes a long way back. To be able to cook something and to share with my loved ones gives me a sense of satisfaction and has become my salvation. There was a time when recipes scribbled in a green diary was one of my most cherished possessions, jotting all the recipes down as those cooking experts tell their recipes on the television. I still remember the day when I was in year 10 and I made cookies in a tin oven, something that I borrowed from my neighbor. I started exploring food and my curiosity led me from one thing to another. Not to mention my supportive family a ‘greedy and hungry bunch of people’ Discovering recipes and different cuisines has always excited me. People with love for food instantly use to become my friend and Ainy is one of them, a dear friend and a sweet heart. She took me by surprise when she asked me to do a guest post on her website. It is indeed a cherishing opportunity for me. “THANK YOU AINY!! I find it very exciting to be able to share my recipes and my method of cooking with other people. My journey with food now has a sweet little legacy; my daughter Zoya has a knack of cooking. Maybe I will inspire her way my elders, my nani and my mom has inspired me. Here I am sharing two really simple recipes; hope you will enjoy them as I do. Bon appetite!

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POTATO PATTIES

It is not a very famous snack in Pakistan but since I have indulge myself with this delicacy ever since I started going to school and had it almost every school lunch time instead of having a packed lunch, my taste buds have a special place for these patties. It comprises of puff pastry encasing a mild spicy filling. People sometimes have it as a tea time snack.
Few years back when I moved to London, I realised that this snack is not available here at all ( at least I have not find it anywhere),so I started experimenting with various potato fillings and after few trials and errors I believe I have come close enough to satisfy my savoury tooth. If you guys are meat lover like my husband then instead of potato you could go for mince meat.

INGREDIENTS:
Puff pastry 320 gms
Potatoes 200 gms boil and mashed
Coriander leaves finely chopped 2tbsp
Onion 1 small finely chopped
Green chilly 1 finely chopped
Cumin seeds 1 tsp coarsely grounded
Coriander seeds 1 tsp coarsely grounded
Button red chillies 2-3 coarsely grounded
Garam masala (all spice powder) ½ tsp
Salt according to taste
Gram flour 1 tbsp
Oil 2-3 tbsp
Egg 1 for brushing

METHOD:
Fry onion in oil till brown. Add all the spices, green chilli and corianders leaves (except gram flour) and stir fry on low flame for a minute or two and then add the mashed potatoes and mix well. In the end, add gram flour, mix and cook for two minutes. Let the mixture cool completely before compiling the patties.
Roll the puff pastry in a big narrow rectangle and place the filling lengthwise in the middle. Brush one long side with the egg and lift the opposing side and place it on the brushed side, making a long roll like structure. Cut into desired size and place them on a baking tray/dish. Brush all the patties with egg and bake them till brown (15-20 min) at 180 in a pre heated oven.
Serve with your favourite chutney or ketchup.

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CHOCOLATE ALMOND FUDGE

A little something for chocolate lovers! This is by far the easiest fudge recipe I have come across. The original recipe is by Nigella Lawson, who made pistachio chocolate fudge for the edible Christmas give away present. Since I like almonds better then pistachios, so my recipe is with almonds .you can use any nuts of your choice or dried fruits like dried apricots, cranberries or figs or just plain, the choice is your;)

INGREDIENTS:

Dark Chocolate 350 gms
Condensed milk 1 can 397 ml
Roasted almonds (or nuts of your choice) 150 gms
Butter 15 gms (2 tbsp)

Method:

First of all put chopped chocolate, butter and condensed milk in a pan and cook on low to medium flame till well combined. Add in roasted almonds to the mixture .Its up to your choice if you want the nuts to be chopped or whole. Cook till the mixture is well combined (thicker than the pouring consistency). Pour in a 9 inch square aluminum dish and let it cool for at least 4-5 hours. chill till firm. Cut into pieces and serve.
This fudge can be stored for several days in an air tight container.
Hope you guys enjoy both the recipes and once again Thanks to wonderful Ainy and I truly look forward for another such opportunity …:)

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