Yes or No...

PHOTO:  VERA CURNOW.

Yes or No he asked her

Making her life complicated than ever

How could she say “Yes” when she did not feel anything for him

Or should she say “No” and steal away his grin

She thought it to happen never,

But she knew it was going to end their friendship forever

For him, it was only her

And so, anxiously waited for her to answer

He was ready to take it whatever she would say

But instead she asked for a few more days

Handing over her the bouquet,

He said it was okay

He knew either her answer would blossom his life,

Or throw him from the maximum height

A few days gone…

He called her on the phone,

She wished a “Yes” she could say

And make his day,

But she said a “No” instead,

He said it was alright,

And his tears he hid

Feeling broken inside,

He wiped his wet eyes

For him she was a need

And he wished she had agreed

Seeing him sad,

She wished a “Yes” she would have said

Like a bee and a flower

We have been around like a bee and a flower

I don’t know what is stopping us

Why can’t we just be together?

Why do you have to hesitate?

Why do you have to stop?

Baby, just tell me

And all the problems we can solve     

I will be your friend,

I will be your mate,

I will be your love

Baby, I will be your fate

I am dying here,

I want a hand to hold,

A shoulder to cry

And endless talks

That would never end with Good-bye!

Why am I living like this?

Why don’t you just give me a few hints?

You know I might hurt myself

Here playing with swords,

When I don’t even know if you love me or not

Afghan Burgers: A moody cook’s way to success

For a moody cook like me who lazes around as much as they can before entering the kitchen and would rather resort to the yesternight’s leftovers than recycling them or making something completely from scratch. When they actually make an effort and get their aprons on, it certainly is a big deal. And the biggest motivation that is leading me to share this easy to make recipe was the never ending “Wows” and “Yums” by my family members that came with every bite.

It all started after a late night chat with a friend living in Islamabad who could not help talking about Afghan Burgers that he gets near his locality. However, being a Karachite and never having heard about this wonderful delight, and thinking from my growling stomach, I made a point to try my hands at making this dish, just the next day. And so I did!

Okay, before you judge me while looking at the picture that I claim to be Afghan Burgers, let me make it clear these burgers are actually more like a wrap. So probably that is why they look more like a kebab roll, what we Karachites may call. Nevertheless, below is the recipe that I thought to share with everyone who wishes to make these easy to make snacks at home.

Ingredients:

For bread/roti:

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Whole-wheat flour – 1/2 cup

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Water - As required

Oil - As required

For filling:

Chicken - 1/2 Kg

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

Soya Sauce - 1 tablespoon

Worcestershire sauce - 1 tablespoon

Chili powder - 2 teaspoons

Salt - to taste

Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Oil for frying

(As a secret, I also added a teaspoon from the ready to make masala packets I could find in my kitchen cabinet).

Tomato Sauce:

Tomato Ketchup - 2-3 tablespoons

Chili flakes - 2 teaspoons

Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon

Garlic Mayonnaise:

Mayonnaise - 3-4 tablespoons

Garlic cloves finely chopped - 4-5

French Fries:

Medium Sized potatoes - 2

(Makes 5 Afghan Burgers)

Although you might need to multi-task while preparing these Afghan burgers, nevertheless, everything nicely combined will give you just the right snack to help satisfy your between meals hunger. I do not claim to be a great cook but once I had these made, it was certainly a moment of pride for me. I do not know how do actual Afghan Burgers taste like but these surely were amazing.

Method:

Chicken filling:

Start with chopping your chicken into small pieces that could be easily folded into a wrap, so make sure you have your chicken defrosted and you chop them to make just the right chunks. Next, marinate your chicken pieces with all the mentioned ingredients and set aside for a bit to settle down. Now, once that is done, take out your frying pans and fry in oil, until the chicken is nice and tender. 

Bread/Roti:

Now, the tricky part. You will actually have to make your roti round or else no one marries you. Just kidding! But yes, round roti is a must.

In order to prepare for this, get your dough ready. Mix in all purpose flour and whole-wheat flour together, add in a teaspoon of salt and make sure you add a little bit of oil before you add the water. This will make your bread soft. Next, mix in water and work it until the dough is nice and smooth. Take out your rolling pin and start rolling a piece of dough until it looks fine to be cooked on a pan. You can make at least five medium sized breads with these ingredients. 

French Fries:

These French fries actually go as a filling inside the Afghan Burgers, so make sure that you have them thinly sliced and just the right size to stuff as many as possible in one burger. Fry your French fries on medium heat until golden brown. 

Sauces:

I made two sauces, the tomato sauce and Mayo garlic sauce. The method is simple, just combine all the ingredients for these sauces together and you will have some really great flavours to add to you Afghan Burgers.

Filling Time!

Now comes the fun part. Take a roti, place it on a plate, drizzle some tomato sauce, place some chicken pieces on top, couple them with French fries and then add some Mayo garlic sauce, and roll it up. Preferably, microwave your Afghan Burgers for a while and serve them hot!

Bingo, and give me credits for the “Wows” and “Yums” that you will hear from your family members as they relish this treat. And don’t blame me if you are inundated with farmaish once too often. 

Also published at: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/15855/afghan-burgers-a-moody-cook%E2%80%99s-way-to-success/

How can you possibly ignore Veena?

What do you get when you put two Veenas in one place? Well, I would say daal mein zaroor kuch kaala hai! 

Not one, but two Veena Maliks are going to star in the upcoming film,“Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai”. Veena has been working on this film since her appearance in the “Big Boss” series on Sony TV. Playing a double role, Veena is to portray a sharp and witty woman that we’re all familiar with as well as a softer side to the ‘always-in-news-for-every-wrong-reason’ diva.

I'm sure controversy queen Veena will not disappoint us in her film. You may love or hate her, but can't ignore her! PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Spoiler alert: This comedy flick starts off when Dabu (Anand Balraj) – a middle-aged film director, madly in love with his upcoming film actress Veena Malik - hits a jackpot and becomes filthy rich.

Dabu, having only the starlet on his mind, goes to her to win her over with his new found wealth. The sly Veena, though, is not so easy to get hold of. Instead of reciprocating his love, she devises a plan with her boyfriend to rob Dabu and elope. This, however, is  not a piece of cake for the couple and what awaits them is lot of twists, turns and a bumpy ride.

Then, another Veena Malik makes her entrance as a beautiful angel, taking the movie to a whole new level of comedy and entertainment.

Being in a film with actors like Jackie Shroff and Shakti Kapoor, Veena is adamant not to be overshadowed by all the stardom that tails these actors.

According to her:

I have worked with big names; just look at the cast of ”Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai” – but I am not someone who would stand in someone’s shadow.

With a number of catchy item songs like, “Mumbai Money hai” and “Madam Malai”, the movie is definitely worth a watch.

My list of expectations for this movie starts and ends with ‘controversy’. I am sure Veena – being the queen of controversy – will surely not disappoint on this front. Be it her nude photo shoot or her infamous debate with Mufti Sahib, there is no stopping the limelight from dogging her footsteps.

This Lollywood to Bollywood star is our very own pied piper; she marches on playing the tune that she likes and all the rest, willingly or unwillingly, follow her. Like her or not, it is undeniable that Veena hypnotises you and pulls you in her ever increasing list of followers with her grace, charm and masala-ridden stories.

How can you possibly ignore her?

This is one question that I am sure even Mufti Sahab would fail to answer. I am positive that with the increasing restrictions of PEMRA the movie is not likely to be showcased in any of our local cinema halls. Regardless, I am sure that many in Pakistan will watch her with ardent delight.

Releasing today, “Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai” has me rubbing my hands with excitement.

Also published at: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/12441/how-can-you-possibly-ignore-veena/

Don't let the dogs out at the University of Karachi

Looking after a pet is just like caring for a baby; understanding their unsaid words, feeding them and putting them to sleep – it’s just the same. After giving all your love, and making them a part of your family, when they die in front of you, the pain is unbearable.

These words were uttered by an inconsolable student and a resident at the University of Karachi (KU), as she tried to suppress the sorrow that clearly overwhelmed her.

It wasn’t the first time she had lost a pet which she had nurtured and cared for as though it were a part of her own family. It was Babloo this time. She showed me his pictures as she recalled the wonderful time she had spent with Babloo and her other pets.

Babloo was just one of the many innocent victims of the process of dog poisoning at KU.

Death of all living things is undoubtedly an inevitable truth of this world. Nonetheless, watching a loved one die an unnatural death in front of your eyes, is something one does not even want to imagine. Sadly, this is exactly what the residents at KU have been experiencing for the last four years.

Apart from dealing with the loss of their much adored pets, the biggest grief that distresses and haunts the pet owners is the fact that their pets were never meant to be killed. They were, in fact, the innocent victims of the process of poisoning stray dogs that takes place every year in the campus.

Wild dogs and their problematic wandering had become a major issue for the students and the management of the university. The difficulties created by the increasing number of stray dogs included the transmission of diseases like rabies, a growing number of dog bite incidents on campus, barking and howling that disturbed the atmosphere of the campus and the list goes on.

For these reasons, the idea of poisoning the dogs, and completely eradicating them from sight came as the easiest solution for the management.

Unfortunately, the methods adopted by the university management bear the worst and the most ineffective results. The low quality poison used in this process takes at least 5-6 hours to kill the animals, who die after suffering a great deal of pain.

The pet owners and residents at the university campus completely disapprove of the methods used by the authorities. The worst aspect of the poisoning process taking place is the fact that the pet owners never know for how long it will continue. Although the residents were notified of the poison being spread in their area, they remained clueless as to the duration for which they must keep their pets inside the house.

The only concern of the young pet owner, after losing her beloved dog, was how to bring this issue to they authority’s attention.

Of course, many precious lives have already been lost, but the question arises, how should we completely put an end to this sequence? A few petitions and articles have already been written, and painstaking efforts have been made to bring this issue to the notice of the concerned authorities. Nevertheless, the attempts to improve the situation went down the drain when the cries of the residents and the deceased animals were not taken account of.

This act of barbarously killing the animals can never be justified. The process of poisoning is too painful and inhumane to kill even stray dogs. Making them go through hours of suffering, just because their existence is not welcomed is terrible, to put in a word.

Moreover, this process hardly produces the desired results; instead of killing the stray dogs, hundreds of other animals consume the poison and die every day, including birds and various other animals that inhabit the campus.

Other methods, like shooting stray dogs on sight, or availing the services of dog catchers could be seen as a more humane and efficient way of fulfilling the purpose.

Being a part of the university, I hope this time the authorities will consider the issue, and improvements will be made in order to avoid the inevitable heartache that many residents repeatedly suffer.

Also published at: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/14380/dont-let-the-dogs-out-at-the-university-of-karachi/