Quick and easy recipes for your Barri Eid

If meethi Eid is all about getting your grubby hands on Eidis from khalas, chachas and every other individual who looks old enough to give you Eidi, let’s be honest here, Barri Eid is all about that delicious meat and the different ways you can consume copious amounts of said meat. So, sticky, soupy payas and steaming plates of marinated chunks of beef in nihari are a given. We are not trying to take that away from you. We are not even going to try. But, since it’s Eid, and you have tonnes of food on your hands , we are going to provide an eclectic array of ways to use that up in a delicious way (obviously). Enter, Khadija Shafqat, a graduate from National College of Arts, here to add a little bit more zest to your second and third day of Eid. Not only do Khadija’s dishes awaken taste buds you didn’t even know existed but thanks to her love for aesthetics, the dishes are a sight for sore eyes. At her lavender detailed studio Deja, a clever name that marries part of Khadija’s name to the French word for already, she cooks up a storm and fills it with tantalizing aromas that left our tummies grumbling. Roast Beef Our main star today is ever so flavourful chunks of meat that we humbly try to elevate to something even more. Khadija manages to pack a punch of flavour to beef before employing it in her various recipes. • Beef round cut or undercut (almost3-4kg) • Oregano (3 tbsp) • Salt (2tbsp • Coarse red chili flakes (2tbsp) • Vinegar (1 cup) • Mustard (4tbsp) Marinate beef overnight in all the spices and refrigerate wrapped in a foil paper. Preheat oven at 120 degrees. Place the meat in the middle shelf of the oven (beef wrapped in foil) and cook for 2-3 hours. Once cooked, cool the beef before storing it in the fridge or freezer. Beef Tacos Who needs naans when you have delicious tortillas and marinated beef with delicious creamy sauce, I know I hurt the desi in you but just take a look at that plate of tacos and you’ll understand why you need to try Khadija’s take on a plate of earthy and juicy tacos. • Tortilla bread (3pieces) • Shredded roast beef (1cup) • Bottled salsa (2tbsp) • Onions(sliced½ cup) • Tomatoes (garnish) • Mayonnaise (garnish) • Cream cheese spread (garnish) • Lemon (sliced for garnish) • Butter (1tbsp) Heat butter in a pan, add roast beef and salsa. Once cooked, fill the soft tacos with beef, top with mayonnaise and cream cheese. Garnish with tomatoes and lemon. Crispy Beef in Sweet Chilli Sauce We gotta hit that need for spicy, and Khadija manages to do that perfectly by a fusion of Asian and Italian cuisine. Top the pasta with flavourful and savoury beef and you’ll be inspired to do a little bit of cuisine fusion yourself. • Beef (sliced one cup) • Egg (1) • Flour (as required) • Fetuccine (100g) • Sambal sauce (1tbsp) • Oyster sauce(2tbsp) • Honey(1tbsp) • Water(1/2cup) • Green onions(garnish) • Red chilli (garnish) Dip beef in egg mix and flour and deep fry. Set aside for later. Boil the pasta. In a pan put sambal, oyster and honey and cook till you reach the glaze consistency. In a bowl add pasta, beef and top it with the sauce. Garnish with spring or green onion and red chilies. Roast beef salad So maybe you’re trying to make up for all the naans and payas that you have ingested, ceremoniously of course, over the past couple of days. You want to indulge in something healthy and fresh that leave you feeling like you’ve accomplished something. In her Roast Beef Salad, Khadija manages to use another one of her favourite ingredients, sweet sweet beet roots! Hey, don’t knock it till you try it. • Spinach (2 handful) • Onions (sliced 1\2 cup) • Cottage cheese (1\2cup) • Cucumber (1 whole deseeded) • Tortilla bread • Roast beef ( 12 ounces sliced) • Beet root slices (1 cup) • Balsamic glaze (2 tablespoons) Cut tortilla bread into small chunks and deep fry them until golden brown. Take out of the oil and leave on the kitchen towel to dry out extra oil. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and top it with store bought balsamic glaze and crispy tortilla chunks Stuffed Eggplants It’s time to take aalo baingan to the next level, something it desperately needs. In this dish, Khadija employs one of her favourite ingredients, pomegranate, in a nutty spicy and of course meaty concoction of deliciousness. • Eggplants(2whole) • Mincemeat(1cup) • Sirarcha sauce(garnish) • Mayonnaise(garnish) • Pomegranate(1/2cup) • Walnuts(handful) • Salt(1/2tsp) • Coarse red chili(1/2tsp) • Coriander(garnish) • Oil(for frying) • Garlic(1 clove chopped) Slice the eggplants into half and shallow fry until cooked properly. In separate pan heat oil, add garlic cook for 30 seconds. Add meat, salt and pepper and cook. Top the fried eggplant with meat, drizzle mayonnaise and siracha. Top with walnuts, coriander and pomegranate. Now that Khadija has generously provided you with different ways you can add meat to your diet (but did we ever actually need a reason?), you can consume your payas and niharis while still indulging in something unique that really just helps you out in the end.