Our Monday Masala series highlights female Pakistani entrepreneurs, business owners and bloggers.
Today, we have the famous Chef Lubna Habibi of The Clay Oven! With two locations in New York, she’s busier than ever, but was kind enough to talk to us for Monday Masala!
How did you get started in this business?
I loved to cook since I was a child. By profession, I was an electrical engineer. I started to cook for my coworkers and invite them over for dinner parties and my husband got tired of us constantly hosting and jokingly suggested to open a restaurant. The rest is history!
What does a typical day look like for you?
A day for me is always looking forward to the next day! People tell me I should slow down now that I’m 59 but I don’t have the term “slow down” in my dictionary. I love working a 14 hour day and I don’t see myself slowing down any time soon 🙂
When you are short on time, what are your go-to recipes or meals?
After 30 years in this business, you tend to manipulate every recipe into a 20 minute affair. My favorite is a quick and easy Tandoori Wings recipe that is super simple but very delicious!
What kitchen gadgets can you NOT live without?
A very good quality knife! You can do a lot of things in the kitchen with a great quailty knife!
What’s your favorite thing about your kitchen?
My incredible coworkers. We make a really great team and that makes everything flow really nicely!
Can you give us your favorite recipe?
Tandoori Chicken Wings
2 lbs wings
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cayenne paper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt as your requirements
Marinate 2 hours then you can bake or BBQ. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then broil for 4 minutes to give a barbecued look. I love to do it on flame. This recipe was featured on Newsday and Channel 12.
Be sure to follow The Clay Oven on Facebook and Instagram!
The Clay Oven has two locations:
SMITHTOWN
863 W Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, NY 11787
HAUPPAUGE
601 Veterans Memorial Hwy
Hauppauge, NY 11788
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My Pakistani Kitchen 