Eid Recipe Series - Second Edition: Mahvish’s Signature Lasagna

Prep time: 40 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

No Eid trolley can be complete without a cheesy dish so I decided to share the best cheesy recipe I do. There are some things I cook that make me love my haath ka zaaiqa a little more, and my lasagna is one of them. Apni hi fan ho jaati hoon isay khaa ke. Qasam se. Lawlingzzz.

If an Italian would see this recipe, he or she may want to cringe because it is not how the natives would typically do it. But as Pakistanis love going a little extra with the fillings and the flavours, I have modified this Italian dish to suit the desi palate. Agar Pakistani/Indian khana yahan ke hisaab se customize kiya jaa sakta hai, to wilaayati khanay hamaray taste buds ke hisaab se kyun nahin banaya jaa sakta? Kya khayal hai? Khyaal beshak naik hai.

So, here’s how you make Mahvish’s Signature Lasagna. The process is cumbersome. But the result… finger lickin’ good.

Ingredients:

1 large onion

¼ tsp garlic paste

250 gm minced chicken/mutton/beef

2 tomatoes

½ cup pizza sauce (replace with one more tomato if you don’t have it)

4 tbsps chili garlic sauce

Lasagna strips (usually 6)

6 tbsps flour

4 cups milk

250 gm cheddar cheese (grated)

½ cup sliced mushrooms

250 gm spinach (finely chopped)

1 capsicum

Oregano

Method:

• Chop the onion and fry until golden brown
• Add minced meat and cook for 5 minutes

• Add chopped tomatoes, the pizza sauce, salt, pepper, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp garlic paste, chili garlic sauce and chili flakes. Allow to cook until the meat is done (about 15 minutes). Add ¼ cup water if required. Let the consistency to remain saucy [Pro tip: prepare the mince one day in advance to make the lasagna process quicker the next day]
• Boil lasagna strips and keep aside
• In a saucepan, saute the flour in 3 tbsps of oil and then add four cups of milk while using a whisk. Keep the heat low. [Pro tip: this mixture tends to get lumpy. To get rid of the lumps I use a hand blender. True life savour and I end up with creamy, lump-less consistency of my white sauce]

• Now add ¾ of the grated cheese, chili flakes, pepper, salt and 4 tbsps soy sauce. Your white sauce is now ready

• In a separate pan, saute ¼ tsp garlic paste and mushrooms. Then add the spinach and allow to cook for about 5 minutes in a couple of sips of water. [Pro-tip: I use the ready made creamy spinach available in the market. Go for that option if possible! Richer, more delicious!]

• You can now begin your layering. Oil the base of the dish and start with lining it with white sauce. The layer the meat and cover with lasagna strips. Repeat with white sauce, meat and lasagna strips and white sauce again. Now, layer the mushroom and spinach mixture and cover with the remaining grated cheese.

• Garnish with rings of capsicum and put the dish in a pre-heated over at 180 degrees centigrade for 25 minutes

• Once the baking time is up, allow the lasagna to rest for a couple of minutes so that it is set and ready to be served [Pro tip: If you want to serve this for a daawat along with many other dishes, you can prepare the dish one day in advance and bake right before serving. You can focus on other dishes on the day of the daawat that way!]