Donkey Carts

My entry for this weeks Camera Critters Meme.

Recognition Day

Yesterday was the Annual Prize Distribution of my sons' school.I'm very happy since my three sons made it to the Top 10 in their respective classes.My youngest son is the top(1st) student in his class.The eldest got 3rd position, while the middle one, got an encouragement award for being the 4th placer.

Chicken Biryani

A friend given me this small pot of Chicken Biryani yesterday.I love the taste so I asked for the recipe.She given me the recipe this morning...Here it is.Try it!
Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
1 1/2 lbs chicken pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
3 thinly sliced onions
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon green chili paste
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons roasted cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 pinch saffron
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
salt
7 tablespoons vegetable oil


Directions:
Mix tomato puree, yogurt, ginger, garlic, green chili paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Stir well.
Marinate the chicken with this mixture and keep aside for this mixture and keep aside for 3 to 4 hours.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the onions until golden brown. The golden brown onions are a very very important step in Pakistani cooking. Do not make it less than golden brown. This is why you need the extra oil.
Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes.
Add 4 cups of water to the rice. Mix Saffron in milk and add it. Add the chicken pieces. Pressure cook the rice.
Mix gently. Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve hot

Pakistanis Create MillatFacebook

Pakistanis outraged with Facebook over "blasphemous" caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed have created a spin-off networking site that they dream can connect the world's 1.6 billion Muslims.A group of six young IT professionals from Lahore, the cultural and entertainment capital of Pakistan, launched www.millatfacebook.com on Tuesday for Muslims to interact online and protest against blasphemy.Millatfacebook is Pakistan's very own, first social networking site. A site for Muslims by Muslims where sweet people of other religions are also welcome," the website tells people interested in signing up. Dubbed MFB, after Facebook's moniker FB, its founder says professionals are working around the clock to offer features similar to those pioneered by the wildly popular California-based prototype.
Each member has a "wall" for friends to comment on. The site offers email, photo, video, chat and discussion board facilities.
The Urdu word "Millat" is used by Muslims to refer to their nation. The website claims to have attracted 4,300 members in the last three days - mostly English-speaking Pakistanis in their 20s.

The number of aficionados may be growing, but the community is a drop in the ocean of the 2.5 million Facebook fans in Pakistan and there have been some scathing early reviews of the start-up.

YOUTUBE Banned in Pakistan

‘YouTube’ is banned after some sacrilegious caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were transferred from Facebook to YouTube. For more of the news, read  here. 
The ban, which also included certain pages on Flickr and Wikipedia sites, occurred a day after access to Facebook was suspended on orders from a Pakistani court. A group of Islamic lawyers won that injunction, arguing that a contest, started by users for drawings of the Prophet Muhammad and called “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,” was offensive. Depiction of Muhammad is considered blasphemous by some Muslims. 

Facebook Banned in Pakistan

 A Pakistani court today banned the use of Facebook in Pakistan until May 31. The ban came after Facebook posted a page "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" to be held on Thursday.

A Pakistani employee pastes news about blocked Facebook pages on the entrance door of an internet cafe in Islamabad, Wednesday May 19, 2010. A Pakistani court has ordered authorities to block Facebook temporarily over a competition encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on the social networking site.

Sketches of Prophet Muhammad are considered an act of blasphemy by Muslims and this Facebook page has already incurred criticisms from several Muslims. Pakistan's Law Minister Babar Awan said that "this issue will be raised on all international forums."
The fallout has already begun in Pakistan, where in the port city of Karachi protestors have taken to streets protesting the Facebook announcement.For more of the news, peep here.


Image Credits: Aamir Qureshi & Mohsin Raza

Pakistan Street Food: Takatak/Kat-a-Kat

It is originally called " tawa gurda kapoora" which means kidneys and testicles in a large frying pan. To avoid the embarrassment of associating such words with food, most of us now call it Takatak. It refers to the sound made by the skillful chef while frying these organs and hitting the pan with two sharp slicers in a captivating rythm. He keeps slicing and frying them until the testicles, kidneys, heart & brain  become a mixture of meat and thick masala curry. You can make your pick and choose which parts to include in your serving.