Chop Chop Wok : Treats in a bowl!

It’s been quite long and as I’ve mentioned before, my life is extremely dramatic, thus while I decided to take a six month long “detoxing-from-the-world” sort of break… actually let’s skip the tale… I ended up getting engaged – to the best person ever (…who might get palpitations at the lack of focus on health and nutrition in this blog).

Anyhow, after my summer trip to the US, nothing in Karachi really motivated me to continue with the blogging and the food scene was failing to offer anything exotic or unique to my spoilt palate.

However, Ramadan/Ramzan (whichever one helps you sleep at night) kicked off with social media being flooded with attractive yellow and black promotional posts of a new restaurant making way that introduced itself as Chop Chop Wok.

Early Promotions. Courtesy: Chop Chop Wok

Courtesy: Chop Chop Wok

I thought the name was great, especially if they were planning to offer Oriental/ Asian cuisine. Thank God, by the way! Even though I’m all about them burgers, this city went a bit manic with burger joints. Besides that, we were in dire need of a different eatery that fell between the commercial million desi Chinese places and Noodle House!

Packed in a concise (read: tiny) area amidst the hustle bustle of Khadda Market, Chop Chop Wok sports a minimalistic layout with 5 tables and an open kitchen. I think the ‘Wokers’ were trying to work around a take-out concept but we eager beavers like to eat where the party’s at – and so, the waiting time is hardly ever less than 45 mins! (Imagine – aunties were actually hosting ‘kitty’ lunches in this limited space)

I managed to win a place after four months and five attempts!

We waited roughly twenty minutes before being seated and a super courteous server came to assist us three ladies! He skimmed through the menu with us and recommended their limited edition Wasabi Prawns with Salsa for starters, which we ordered along with their Spicy BBQ Wings.

 Chop Chop Wok has a stress-free menu with “make-your-own” options along with their specials. This is exactly how much a restaurant should offer, makes it super easy to decide what one wants. The place itself was so aromatic that I wanted to try everything on the menu and as I scanned the other tables, every dish looked alluring. Unfortunately, I can’t continue with my habitual over ordering anymore or I’m going to make a wok-looking bride myself.

 For mains, I asked our attendant to tap in the best of the best on his iPad which, according to him, was their Jasmine Rice blended with Pan Asian flavor combined with Chicken. My personal preference is always Beef, however, this guy told me to trust him and so I did! My only request was to top it with a fried egg because the table next to us had me drooling!

My mom chose Thai flavored Rice Noodles mixed with Fish, and my cousin went for Oriental style rice noodles with Chicken.

First up were the Wasabi Prawns. Deep fried to perfection and coated with a flavorful Wasabi sauce, these prawns that are sprinkled with tangy salsa are easily one of the best I’ve had in Karachi and I’m being honest – not dramatic!

Wasabi Prawns with Salsa

 The Spicy BBQ Wings were VERY spicy indeed, but for a person who can’t tolerate spices, I was licking the sauce off of my fingers that was very generous in quantity. Loved the wings. Plus, the extremely cool and refreshing Fresh Mint Lemonade helped me devour every bite.

Side Note: This city needs a place dedicated to wings!

Spicy BBQ Wings

Fresh Mint Lemonade

After these two beauties, I was really looking forward to the main course!

My Rice Bowl came looking as pretty as I had imagined it to be and the zestful aroma of flavors was just so appetizing, I couldn’t even wait for the other mains to arrive! I dunked my fork and the steam that waved up from between the rice kernels revealed how freshly the meal was prepared.

Jasmine Rice + Pan Asian Flavor + Chicken + Fried Egg

You know, I’m not exaggerating but I honestly don’t know how to describe the deliciousness of my fierce rice bowl. The spices made my nose run and the hot temperature kept burning my tongue but I couldn’t stop. It was so, so good.

THIS is comfort, oriental food. When you’re strolling down the mall or you just want to eat something “easy and light” but still out of this damn world – this is it.

The Rice Noodles with Thai sauce and Fish were tangy and again, very spicy! Every ingredient in this dish makes its way to your brain and down your spine – that intense but oh my God, that delightful to the taste buds. Even though the level of spice was way beyond my tolerance, I wanted to try it over and over again.

Rice Noodles + Thai Sauce + Fish

The Rice Noodles cooked in Oriental Sauce with Chicken were my favorite after my Rice Bowl. They’ve got that oriental taste spot-on, the kind that has a great after taste and makes you wonder why you don’t have such food every single day of your life.

Rice Noodles + Oriental Sauce + Chicken

It’s not just the kick of flavor that wins the game. In Pan Asian cuisine, every dish is a result of many different kinds of ingredients combined from meat to herbs to vegetables – blending them in complete sync and consistency with the right amount of sauces is what makes it “just right”.

Chop Chop Wok has it on point, for sure.

We ordered their only dessert - Fried Ice-cream, and I would have loved to break into that crispy looking shell if I wasn’t lactose intolerant. Boohoo!

Fried Ice-cream

But, the ladies with me couldn’t help but inhale the entire thing wondering what the shell was made out of – had to be PRETTY good if two women who had recently signed up to controlling their diets were at it!

Chop Chop Wok is a wonderful addition to the Karachi restaurant scene – it delivers more than it promises and excels in the cuisine they offer (I wish I tried their Chili Prawn with Calamari). I hope they grow into a bigger place, or just even maintain what they’ve started because they’ve got it right.

Thank you Chop Chop Wok – not only did you bring to us a different culinary delight but it’s because of you I’m writing again!

Favorite Moment: After I ate my bowl clean, the waiter smiles and inquires about his recommendation “Toh phir? Kaisa?” <3 <3

Quick Recipe : Breakfast Burrito

(Note: Those who want to skip my rant can scroll down to the recipe directly)

The only thing that has the power to make me smile in the morning (even before my tea) is a hearty, delightful breakfast. I love my waffles, pancakes and parfaits but all of that comes after an “eggcelent”, “eggstravagant”, and “eggsolutely” “eggceptional” meal.

(Are you as impressed with my creativity as I am?)

Breakfast Burritos -  a favorite, yet personal and touchy dish. I get why the question “What is the perfect breakfast burrito” can stir up a lot of disagreements and conflicts. To some, it is complete with beans, sour cream and Spanish rice and to some, only the eggs can light fires!

In my opinion, a perfect breakfast burrito is the one you dream about and hope for the dream to never end. It is the one you drool for as soon as you wake up, oh, it is truly the one, which performs a synchronized ballet in your mouth with that moist, fluffy texture.

I’m lucky to be surrounded around those who care for my creepy feelings for a “breakfast burrito”. As I’ve mentioned before, I come from a line of foodies, professional chefs and home chefs – in spotlight here are my sister and brother-in-law.

These two are always on some kind of a cooking spree or a food mission. From healthy to outta control, this duo really knows their palates; in fact, my sister once had her own food recipe blog: “Never Stop Eating” – some of the recipes in here are quite amazing!

Anyhow, in order to cater to my emergency, eggly hunger pangs, my brother-in-law fixed up this super easy breakfast burrito in a span of only 11 minutes! As simple as it may look to you, this was one of the most delicious and melt-in-the-mouth egg whips I’ve ever had.

Surprise! Surprise! We have the recipe here too – woo hoo!

Watch the video (smile if you love the music):

Click here to see the video in HD.

Breakfast Burrito.

Yield: 1 portion

Ingredient	Amount (U.S)	Preparation
Eggs	2
Milk	2 Tsp (per egg)
Basil	6-8 large leaves	Ribboned (click here to see "how to ribbon basil leaves")
Cheddar Cheese	¼ Cup + 2 Tbsp	Shredded
Turkey Bacon (or any other type of bacon)	1	Pan-fried or Baked
Salsa	2 Tbsp
Butter	1 Tbsp
Flour Tortilla	1

Procedure:

•   Melt butter on very low heat.
• Beat the eggs lightly with milk and pour into the pan
• Stir the eggs very (very) slowly till they begin to appear fluffy. Note: Don’t “scramble” the eggs – the keyword is ‘stir’
• Add the ribboned basil leaves and mix in with the eggs.
• Put the pan aside and add ¼ cup cheddar cheese. Stir a little and bring it back to the stove.
• Once the eggs seem fluffy enough, keep them aside
• Heat the tortilla on a pan

Assemble:

1. Lay the tortilla flat on a plate
2. Spoon the prepared eggs down the center of the tortilla
3. Add the turkey bacon and salsa on the sides of the egg and sprinkle with approximately 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese
4. Fold the bottom of the tortilla first, followed by each side to make it a wrap
5. Devour, moan, get emotional, smile, die – whatever the sentiment projects at the time and most importantly, thank God!

The best part about the recipe is that it can be completely modified to your preferences. The eggs can include tomatoes, more greens, seasoning or salt.

As a matter of fact, you can really play around with the filling – you can add refried beans, cilantro, more bacon, different cheeses, and sour cream!

Breakfast Burritos – FTW.

Chef's Secret Recipe : Spaghetti Bolognese

A very belated Ramadan Kareem (…or "Ramzan Mubarak", before I get stoned by the very emotional lot who find the ‘D’ very offensive – lol)! I’ve been missing in action again but am back with something you will definitely love me for.

Spaghetti Bolognese is a very tricky dish to be perfect. It can either be too saucy or too dry, the flavor can either be too “ketchup-ish” or very sour but it’s one of my favorite dishes of all times!

My awesome brother Chef Fahd Khan, who happens to work at Down House Houston, took out his precious time to make me the yummiest Spaghetti Bolognese I’ve ever had. The best part is, it has fine restaurant taste that could quickly and easily be made right in your own kitchen!

(I begged and pleaded him to let me share this because he’s usually very mysterious about all his recipes)

By the way, I tried this for Iftar + Dinner - absolutely filling and delicious!

Here it is – Chef Fahd’s secret recipe, in his own words, for his special Bolognese sauce:

Watch the video:  

Click here to see the video in HD.

Yield: 8 Portions

Ingredient	Amount (U.S)	Amount (Met)	Preparation
Vegetable oil	3 Tbsp	45 g
Onions	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Garlic	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Celery	2 oz	60 g	Small Dice
Tomato Paste	3 Tbsp	45 g
Canned Whole Tomatoes	2 Cans	800 g	Juice Strained and reserved, Tomatoes chopped
Dried Oregano	2 Tbsp	30 g
Red Wine Vinegar	½ Cup	120 g
Fresh Tomatoes	1 lb	500 g	Chopped
Minced Beef	1 ½ lb	500 g

Procedure:

•   Heat pan on medium high heat and add oil, onions, garlic and celery. Cook till translucent.
•  Reduce heat to medium, add Tomato Paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes
• Add the dried Oregano and Vinegar and stir for 1 minute until slightly reduced.
• Add the reserved juice of the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low add the canned tomatoes, cover and let cook for 15 Minutes
• Add the fresh tomatoes and minced beef stir till evenly coated liquid.
• Cover and let cook for 5 Minutes or till meat is just cooked
•  Season to taste

Plating:

•  Serve over boiled Pasta

Enjoy this brilliant and super easy way to make fine-dine Spaghetti Bolognese and do share your experiences with us!

Instagram: @hangrywords