Week 6: Pakistan

Islamabad is the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Islamabad? I don't know, but those Pakistanis are an inquisitive bunch. And speaking of inquisitions, remember when former President Musharraf was on the Daily Show? Jon Stewart poured him a cup of tea, offered Twinkies, and nonchalantly inquired, "Where is Osama bin Laden?" Hilarious!

English & Urdu are the official languages of Pakistan, but Punjabi is the most commonly spoken language. Pakistan is 95% Muslim, and its endangered species include Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster (aren't all hamsters mouse-like?) the Indus River Dolphin, the Snow Leopard (whose genus/species name is uncia uncia, which sounds like a fabulous musical about endangered snow leopards.) and the Woolly Flying Squirrel (aren't all squirrels woolly?) Visitors to Pakistan will want to be current on their vaccinations for Yellow Fever, Cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and polio! Enjoy!

For our recipe this week we prepared aloo gosht, a lamb and potato curry. The recipe was fairly straightforward and resulted in a tender and delicious stew. The stew was thick and hearty, and the lamb tender and not at all overcooked. We have been overpowered by curries in the past (read: we are light weights) so for this recipe we cut back a bit on the quantity of spices and were pleased with the milder flavor. The cardamon, coriander and cloves were a delicious combo. We added some naan and garnished with lemon and parsley to complete this tasty meal. This naan was a different recipe than the batch we made for India and even better. We think the yogurt in the recipe gives it a pleasant tanginess.