As this Ramadan slowly dwindles towards its end, it has taught us a lot of lessons. The main lesson is that we are capable of adjusting. Yes, we do get shocked initially and wonder how things will be, but we eventually get used to it and accept the pattern. We prayed Tharaweehs all at home, cooked with ingredients that were available in our pantries thanks to the lockdown situation in most of our vicinities, so much so that many are even giving up their purchases for Eid. This year, we were thinking of not getting new clothes, but then we felt bad for the girls, so got them one set of clothes each. They are now waiting to see how their travel plans for the next month end fares, considering that there is no visibility on the flights at the moment. Let us hope for the best… What else…
Easy Haleem | Spicy Wheat Lentil Mash
I am just feeling really blank as I open this post and sit to type something. This Ramadan has been so different, that it had been initially difficult to digest but we took it in and accepted the change. Earlier this week, Lubna had bumped up her guest post on the blog, and as I read through it, I had gone back to some of the earlier posts like this Masala Aleesa I had done for her blog during one of the Ramadans. How much is Ramadan a celebration here, but had gone really sobre this time, thanks to one virus. There are a lot of matters to ponder on this. It just took a miniscule matter, that is not visible to the eye, to topple everything that we had called “normal”. We are slowly but surely adjusting to the new normal. Having said that, there are still…
Madhura Chatti Pathiri | Sweet Chatti Pathal {The Cheat Version}
During the poll on my Instagram profile, after the Bread Kunafa, this recipe garnered the second highest number of votes. A “chatti pathiri” is Malabar’s answer to the Italian lasagna. I already have the savory version on the blog, which is made of crepes, layered with delicious chicken filling, and cooked on stove top till it looks like a beautiful layered cake. Since we don’t have the chatti pathiri in the area I belong to, it came into our family when umma learned it from one of her Kannur friends. She loves making it so much that it repeats on our tea time menus when she runs out of ideas. Hehe… However, the first time I had the sweet version was after I got married. More than the savory version, I would be served the sweet version when I had visited his relatives places as a “puthupenn”. I…
Bread Kunafa | Easy Kanafa
How much ever we say Ramadan isn’t a month meant for eating, somehow everyone loves to indulge in this month. For that matter, this time, despite everything, we have been eating a lot almost every day. Sometimes, I tell my SIL, “let’s take a break” and we just end up cutting fruits, making a juice and fixing up something for dinner. Being at home all the time is actually making everyone frustrated and whatever gets cooked would just finish off. It actually feels good… 😀 I have always been cribbing how fidgety my folks are and deciding to cook for them is always difficult, but I am not sure if it is the SIL effect or the Covid effect, I don’t hear too many complaints nowadays! 😉 There was three recipes that I had tried during the past couple of days and was struggling to decide which one…
Mango Fool
I can’t believe we are so close to the last ten days of Ramadan. The last ten days of Ramadan includes one day that is “khairun min alfi shahar” – better than thousand years (Surah Al Qadr:3). For our little human minds, a year is 365 days and calculating this time frame as per our understanding itself is massive. When I hear lectures, the scholars explain that Allah’s year and our year can be entirely different, and definitely more than what we consider as a year. When we try to match the details, it simply means that the rewards of that particular night is infinite. I always wonder if I have been blessed to be a part of it. We will never know. I just wish I am. Sometimes, my sluggishness gets in my way, and this year is no different. The more I try, the more I feel…
Orange Lemon Mojito
Can you believe that just like that, Ramadan is half way? It has been an extremely fast Ramadan, like it has been for the past few years. This Ramadan has been different in many ways, thanks to the Covid 19 pandemic, but Alhamdulillah we have all accepted graciously. Working more at home than at office is one of the biggest advantage. Driving in Ramadan is not something I enjoy, especially when you have a lot of cranky drivers on the road! At least, this year, thanks to the shutdown, traffic is so much better and hence, less stressful. I am just looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Ramadan pans out, InShaAllah… The girls started loving mojitos once we had it at Hiba’s house during one of her cooking classes. They have been eating my head each time to make one at home. HD isn’t a…
Kheema Bread Pizza | Easy Bread Pizza
If there is something that my girls love, then it is pizza. I have mentioned it several times before. Of late, HD’s staff’s relative has been getting them a couple of pizza boxes for the past couple of days and we have been eating pizza for suhoor. 😀 My girls, who would otherwise not budge from their milk and cornflakes routine, were all excited to be eating pizza on empty stomach at 4 am in the morning. So I guess I don’t need to tell too much about how much they love pizza, even though their mother’s thoughts are otherwise. Hehe… So after the Kadala Pola and the spring rolls, I wanted to post my simple bread pizza which is something we make every Ramadan at least a couple of times. I like to make the topping with mince, for the main reason that it defrosts and cooks…
Easy Chicken Spring Rolls
I sincerely feel that I shouldn’t have come to this blog with such a crappy looking picture of spring rolls. Now, spring rolls is something that we all make at least once during our Iftar snacks, and many even freeze them and keep for use. I am not somebody who does that, so won’t comment on this. 🙂 This time, when B went to get grocery, I asked him to get spring roll sheets and he got such huge ones, that could be converted into tortillas. He said that he didn’t find stock of the small ones, and yes, I do empathise with him. Some goods, that we had taken for granted, have gone out in the market due to so many reasons, thanks to the Covid 19 effect. That includes food items that you would have never thought would have gone to so much demand. OK, so coming…
Kadala Parippu Pola | Kadalakka Pola ~ Malabar Chickpea Lentil Egg Cake
Everyone has this habit of making some sort of snacks during Iftar time. In our home, we try not to do it frequently. This year, since my brother’s family is with us, both of us try to experiment something or the other, but in limited quantities, so that there is something to eat for chai time, but not too much to be really heavy. Hehe… But we are always looking to make dishes that are not very time consuming and can be made in no time. So from today, I am scheduling three back-to-back easy snacks that you can make for your family for Iftar time, without spending too much time in the kitchen. I guess that does sound appealing… 🙂 Malabar has its own big share of interesting snacks. Even though I am not aware of majority of it, I have tried to cover all that I…
Batata Batemjaan ~ Potato Aubergine Casserole
I was contemplating whether to post this now or later. But during Ramadan, even though we love to eat a lot of non-veg dishes, there are times when you would like vegetarian fare and you would prefer eating something that wouldn’t make you miss non-vegetarian food. This casserole perfectly fits the bill in every way. Let me start with a story. Last January when my parents were here, we were invited for dinner to HD’s local friend’s sister’s house. It is the first time I am eating at a local’s house. Expats in the Gulf countries may understand when I say “first time”. I do have a couple of local friends but we always end up meeting and eating out. The beauty of most of the Gulf countries is you do not feel like you are living in a foreign country, especially if you are an Indian, and…
Creamy Fruit Chaat
We are “eat the fruit as is” category people. My girls and I prefer eating our fruits in its pure form, so does HD. The juice form is reserved for when we go out and want to enjoy something sweet. Rasha literally loathes any dessert which has fruit in it, and that includes the fruit salad and the fruit custard. 😕 I really don’t understand it, however, food is also personal choice, isn’t it? 🙂 Having said that, sometimes I do crave for fruit chat once in a while. But I am not fond of the cutting work that goes into making a fruit chaat. Hehe… I have always been making it this way, till I was introduced to another variety during last Ramadan… I had mentioned previously that HD runs a Pakistani eatery and during Ramadan, they make chaats and pakodas for Iftar time. When the chef…
Chocolate Dates Truffles | Chocolate Date Bliss Balls
Dates are always associated with Ramadan. Somehow, it pops up first! Eating dates during suhoor and Iftar is considered to be one of the best Sunnahs. The Prophet ﷺ said: “How excellent are dates as the believer’s suhoor.” [Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban and al-Baihaqee; saheeh] (Source) Anas ibn Malik said: “The Prophet ﷺ used to break his fast before praying by eating fresh dates, and if there were no fresh dates he would eat dried dates; if there were no dried dates, he would have a few sips of water.” [al-Sawm, 632; classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh Abu Dawood, no. 560, Islamqa.com] This year, we actually didn’t have to buy any dates. We had received a huge box of lovely dates from HD’s local friend, that I had thought would take majority of it for my parents and mattamma – a huge date fanatic – when I would be going home for…
Ullivada | Malabar Onion Fritters
“The month of Ramadan (is the month) in which the Qur’an has been sent down as guidance for mankind containing clear signs which lead (to the straight road) and distinguishing (the truth from falsehood)..” (Surah Al Baqarah :185) Doesn’t this Ramadan feel different? With the Covid 19 wrecking havoc of our routines and schedules, it has done the same to this precious months. The masjids are still closed,with no sight of it opening in the near future. This simply means that there will be no public Iftaars, no Tharaweeh prayers and if it extends further, then no Qiyamullail. How heart breaking is this thought! But there is another side to it – that the blessings that Allah has filled this month with doesn’t reduce the least. We look for all physical signs around us to feel the month. This time, it isn’t there much for us. It totally depends…
Eggless Coffee Blondies with Cinnamon Chips
If there is a recipe that I have been wanting to update before Ramadan begins, then it is this one. I have baked blondies on and off and I have really loved all the bakes. Whether it is these basic ones, or these orange walnut ones, or these Biscoff ones – super yum! – they have been amazing. Blondies are apt when you crave for brownies but you don’t want anything chocolaty or brown in color. That reminds me of these white chocolate ones that were so similar to brownies but were white for a change. 😉 All the above blondies are with eggs. I love to explore eggless options a lot and that explains from the number of eggless bakes I already have on the blog. I have been wanting to add a blondie that somebody who doesn’t use eggs could bake and here it is! I…
Aloo Gobhi | Easy Cauliflower Potato Curry {Version 2}
How’s the current lockdown treating you all? With Ramadan right across the corner expected anytime on Thursday or for sure on Friday, it feels really different. We have already received notifications that the masjids would continue to remain closed, so all prayers would still be at home. Even though I have been pryaing Tharaweeh at home ever since the girls came their way, I always love going to the masjid for the Tharaweeh. It gives a real Ramadan feeling. For the past couple of years, even though not every day, I would go on and off whenever I have been able to settle up work. But this time, there is no hope. Let us wait and see how things fare as days pass by, InShaAllah… I am all in for gravies that don’t need too much work. I already have a version on the blog, which umma loves…
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