Wise Women Recipes
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Saima Baig

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Crispy beef and noodle stir fry

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Crispy beef and noodle stir fry

Another quick and easy recipe. I make this whenever I don’t have a lot of time in the evening to cook. Even though it is quick, it is still full of flavour and nutrition because fresh ingredients are used.

Crispy Beef

Ingredients: beef strips (I used a ribeye steak and cut it into strips), sesame seeds, cornflour (enough to coat the beef), baking soda (a pinch), soy sauce, garlic and ginger (you can use paste or chopped)

Put the beef into a bowl and add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cornflour, baking soda and mix. Leave aside for at least an hour but longer if you can. Just before cooking, add the sesame seeds.

Stir fry the beef till it is cooked and crispy (you can also deep fry it).

Stir fried noodles and vegetable

Take whatever vegetables you have, such as mushrooms, carrots, leafy greens, bok choy, cabbage etc. Stir fry them quickly, adding soy sauce, sesame oil, fish oil, rice vinegar and a tiny bit of brown sugar.

Alternatively, you can use whatever sauces you might have lying around, such as hoisin sauce or sweet teriyake sauce but do add soy sauce.

I also add copious amounts of chilli, as I like my food to be hot but this is entirely optional.

After a couple of minutes of frying, add your cooked egg noodles.

Stir together for a couple of minutes.

Add the crispy beef and just mix once.

Dish out and sprinkle spring onions on top.

Enjoy!

Crispy beef and noodle stir fry
Crispy beef and noodle stir fry

 

 

 

 

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Main Courses

Lamb Fry

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Lamb Fry in a wok with ginger and green chilli sprinkled on top

This is one of our favourite weekend dishes. Absolutely delicious and goes great with naan (flat bread) or even rice. Because it requires a lot of frying, we get the lamb cut into small pieces (with bones). You can of course make it with boneless lamb too and it works just as well.

Enjoy!

Lamb Fry in a wok with ginger and green chilli sprinkled on top
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Lamb Fry

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4 people
A great lamb dish with very few spices

Equipment

  • Wok

Ingredients

  • 1 kg lamb
  • 1 tbsp chilli
  • 1 tbsp corriandar powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tbsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp corriandar seeds
  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • salt (tp taste)
  • vegetable oil (for cooking)
  • ginger (cut in to matchsticks for garnish)
  • green chilli (for garnish)
  • fresh corriandar leaves (for garnish)

Instructions 

  • Heat oil in a wok and add cumin and corriandar seeds to the oil
  • Once the seeds start sputtering add lamb and fry for 20 minutes. Add drops of water if needed
  • Add salt and keep on frying, adding water when needed
  • Add all the spices, ginger and garlic paste and keep on frying
  • Add yogurt and keep on frying till the yogurt disappears, meat is tender and oil rises to the top
  • Your dish is ready. Serve with flat bread or rice
Author: Saima Baig
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani, South Asian
Keyword: curry, Indian, lamb, Pakistani, South Asian
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Main Courses

Jumbo Prawns with Sweetcorn Rice

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Prawns with Sweetcorn Rice

This is an amazing and quick recipe and I love having this as a weekly option. It is very simple to make and the prawns/shrimp can be made in two different ways.

Marinade: Dark soy sauce, chilli flakes and garlic paste

Add the marinade to the prawns and set aside for an hour or so. I find the best prawns for this recipe are the Argentinian Tiger Prawns.

Raw jumbo prawns in spy sauce, chilli and garlic marinade.
Raw jumbo prawns in spy sauce, chilli and garlic marinade

You can either grill the prawns in a preheated 180 C oven for 4 minutes on each side (flip sides after 4 minutes and grill for another 4 minutes).

You can also stir fry the prawns in oil.

Rice:

Boil the rice in the normal way but with the sweetcorn added. This recipe works best if they rice are not freshly cooked but you can use freshly cooked rice as well. It is perfect for re-using a day old rice.

Put the boiled rice and sweetcorn in a wok with some vegetable oil and quickly stirfry with some soy sauce. You can optionally also had fish oil and a couple of drops of sesame oil.

Stir fried rice with sweetcorn
Stir fried rice with sweetcorn

Dish out the rice and place the prawns on top. Sprinkle some spring onions on top and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Prawns with Sweetcorn Rice
Prawns with Sweetcorn Rice

 

 

 

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Vegetarian

Potatoes and Cauliflower (Aloo Gobhi)

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Aloo gobi dish (potato and cauliflower) on a plate. Wise women recipes

 

Aloo gobi dish (potato and cauliflower) on a plate. Wise women recipes
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Potatoes and Cauliflower Curry

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Quick vegetarian dish made with potatoes and cauliflower

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 250 gms potatoes (3 medium to large, chopped into 1cm cubes)
  • 250 gms cauliflower (1 medium, florets thinly cut. I also added the leaves)
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
  • ½ tsp corriander powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1½ tbsp tomato paste (or one large tomato)
  • salt (to taste)
  • corriander leaves (for garnish)
  • ginger (cut into matchstick size for garnish)

Instructions 

  • Add the oil to a medium sized pot and heat
  • Add cumin seeds, fry till golden on low heat
  • Add the chopped potatoes to the oil and cumin seeds and fry for 3 to 5 minutes on low heat
  • Add ginger, garlic, chilli, salt, turmeric, corriander and cumin powder to the potatoes and fry for 5 minutes on low heat
  • Add tomato paste and stir and then add the cauliflower. Fry together for a couple of minutes
  • Keep adding small amounts of water and stirring. There is no fixed quantity of water to add. Just keep adding small amounts to enable the potatoes and cauliflower to tenderize. Keep stirring till both the vegetables are soft to touch. Dish out and garnish with corriander leaves and ginger sticks
    Gobi aloo (potato and cauliflower curry). A Pakistani dish popular in the Punjab region. By Wise Women Recipes
  • Serve with flat bread (roti) and mango pickle.
    Aloo gobi dish (potato and cauliflower) on a plate. Wise women recipes
Author: Saima Baig
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Keyword: dinner recipe, easy, lentils, daal, vegetarian, rice, Pakistani
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Healthy Food

Mash/Urad Daal

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Urad/Mash Daal

I love this daal! It is so simple and easy to make and it reminds me of travelling in Pakistan and eating at roadside cafes with lovely flat bread (naan).

Ingredients:

Urad daal (split and dehusked black gram lentils): 150g

Onion: 1 medium

Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon each

Tomato paste: 4 tablespoons (you can also use tomatoes)

Cumin and Corriander powder: One teaspoon each

Chilli: 1 teaspoon (use according to your taste)

Turmeric: 1/4 teaspoon

Salt: to taste

Oli: for cooking

Ginger and Fresh Corriander for garnish

Soak your daal for at least 2 hours. I tend to soak mine for longer, so that it is very soft and quick to make.

Dice your onion and fry it till golden brown (I also added whole corriander seeds but this is entirely optional).

Onions being fried in oil

Mix you garlic/ginger paste, tomato paste and spices in a bowl. Add some water to make into a paste. Pour this mixture into your friend onions.

Cook till the oil has risen to the top.

Add your daal and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add water, cover and cook on low heat till daal is soft and the water has mostly evaporated. It is entirely up to you what consistency you want. I like mine a little saucy but you can dry out the water completely as well.

Garnish with ginger cut into matchstick size, fresh corriander and lemon. Serve with flat bread (naan). Enjoy!

Daal cooked Pakistani style by Wise Women Recipes blog
Daal cooked Pakistani style by Wise Women Recipes blog

 

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Vegetarian

Baked Feta Pasta with Mushrooms, Onions and Spinach

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Baked Feta Pasta in a baking dish

This recipe is all over the internet. Finish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen shared the baked feta pasta recipe back in 2019 and now everyone is making it. The original recipe uses tomatoes but this one has mushrooms and spinach and it is so easy to make.

Recipe:

Chop up mushrooms

Chopped Mushrooms

Add sliced red onions, whole garlic, thyme (fresh is good but dry if you don’t have fresh), and a quarter cup of olive oil (I used extre virgin). Put it all in a baking dish and mix it. Make space in the middle and add your block of feta cheese. Drizzle olice oil on top of the feta and sprinkle some dry oregano.

Chopped mushrooms and sliced onions in a baking dish

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile boil your pasta.

When the baking is done (mushrooms will be red, onions and garlic will be soft and feta will have melted), remove the garlic, peel and crush them and add them back. Mix it all together with a ladlefull of pasta water to bring it all together.

Add your spinach and pasta. Mix it and voila! There is you Baked Feta Pasta!

Baked Feta Pasta in a baking dish

Enjoy!

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Pakistani and Indian

Lamb Karahi – Pakistani meat curry

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Pakistani dish: Lamb Karahi - Wise Women Recipes

A popular Pakistani meat dish eaten with naan or roti. This is our own recipe and turns out to be a fantastic dish wih amazing flavour. This is an original recipe by Nadeem Ansari. Try it out!

  1. Chop up tomatoes and put them in a wok with vegetable oil
  2.  Add whole cumin seeds
  3. Crush corriander seeds and add them to the tomatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. In a bowl mix garlic and ginger paste with salt, red chilli (we also add degi mirch, a mild chilli used to add colour and taste rather than heat), cumin powder and corriander powder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Add chopped up fresh corriander stalks to the tomatoes and spices

6. Cook the tomatoes with all the ingredients till they break down and form into a paste

7. Add meat to the tomatoe mixture and cook. Then add water and leave to simmer

8. Once the water has reduced and meat has tenderized, stir the curry for another 5 minutes till the oil has risen to the surface

9. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve with naan or roti. Enjoy!

 

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Main Courses

Pasta with Broccoli sauce

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Pasta with broccoli sauce - Wise Women Recipes

I recently discovered this dish and it is a fantastic vegetarian winter warmer and a very easy recipe. You can have it on its own or serve with crusty bread.

pasta with broccoli sauce

Ingredients:

Pasta: 250 grams

Tender Stem Broccoli: 300 grams

Stock (chicken or vegatarian): 500 ml

Marscapone or Ricotta Cheese

Garlic: 4 cloves

Olive Oil

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Cut the broccoli into florets (chop up the stems too they will get tender).

Tender Stem Broccoli

Chopped broccoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slice the garlic cloves and fry them in the olive oil till they are golden brown. Add broccoli and stir fry.

Chopped garlic being fried in olive oil

Broccoli being stir-fried

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the stock, cover the dish and let simmer till all the broccoli has broken down into a sauce. Also add a ladle-full of pasta water to give it more depth.

Broccoli being cooked in stock

Broccoli sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix it with boiled pasta, add mascarpone/ricotta/pecorino cheese. Optional: Sprinkle chilli flakes and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

pasta with broccoli sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Vegetarian

Pakistani Vegetarian Dish Kadhi

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Pakistani dish Kadhi made with gram flour and yogurt - Wise Women Recipes

This is a fantastic vegetarian dish from Pakistan, made with gram flour and yogurt that works well with steamed rice or with roti (flat bread). It is my mother’s recipe that she has been making for decades.

Pakistani dish Kadhi made with gram flour and yogurt - Wise Women Recipes
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Kadhi

Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
A fantastic recipe made with gram flour and yogurt.

Ingredients

Pakoras

  • 250 grams Besun (gram flour)
  • salt (to taste)
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander and cumin seeds (roasted)
  • 1 onion (mediun, finely chopped)
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)

Sauce

  • 100 grams gram flour
  • 150 ml yogurt (whisked )
  • 500 ml water
  • 1 onion (medium, finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paster
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • salt (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Tarka (garnish)

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 6 Whole round red chillies (optional)
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) (chopped)

Instructions 

Pakoras

  • Lightly roast cumin and coriander seeds on a dry frying pan. Let them cool.
  • Add all pakora ingredients together in a bowl and mix together (including roasted cumin and coriander), adding water till you get a thick paste.
  • Spoon out balls of pakora mix into a deep fryer and fry till golden brown.
  • Leave aside.

Sauce

  • Fry onions, ginger and garlic paste together in a pot. Add salt and chilli powder and fry till oil appears on top. (This is the base).
  • Thoroughly whisk yogurt and add the water to it. Mix thoroughly and then add gram flour to this. Again mix thoroughly and add this mixture to the base.
  • Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add pakoras (made earlier) to the sauce.
  • Dish out.

Tarka (Garnish)

  • Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add cumin seeds and chilli (if you don't want chilli just use the cumin). Once everything starts sizzling and cumins are lightly brown, pour the whole mixture (including oil) onto the kadhi. Garnish with fresh coriander.
  • Serve with steamed rice or roti (flat bread).
Author: Saima Baig
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Pakistani, Vegetarian
Keyword: curry, easy, Pakistani, vegetarian

 

 

 

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