At this moment, I am trying to fight my lagging spirit and keep up with everything that I would normally do. True, the future looks bleak and worrying, but at the moment, there is nothing I can do. All I can do is to tie the camel and place my trust in Allah. He is our Sustainer, He is our Provider. If He forfeits, He gives us more than He takes away from us. With the way my life has gone, I have seen it and even though a part of mine acts human by feeling low, the other side reminds me that He has always taken care of us and He will, irrespective. All I need to do is to do what I am supposed to do, and be grateful for each and everything that He is giving us… Gratefulness is the key now. When everything exposes and…
Kofte Dejaaj | Middle Eastern Chicken Meatballs/ Koftas
I really haven’t felt this empty in the near future. My head is just refusing to cooperate with my fingers, it feels. The current situation on the world, thanks to all the violence and virus, makes the mind feel disoriented. Is it just me, or do you all feel the same? When such instances happens, it points out to the fact again and again that we as humans are just helpless. There is a limit to what we can do. We may go on and on about the strength of the mind and the infinite capabilities of human beings, but when it comes to something as minute as a virus, we are nothing in front of it. We do not have the eyes to see it nor the capability to feel it. Anybody can catch it. The irony of the situation is that there are much more deaths…
Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken
I mentioned I had guests in my last post. They left for home on Saturday and reached safely, Alhamdulillah. One amongst them was HD’s uncle, who had taken care of him when his parents passed away young. He owns a successful restaurant in an outskirt in Salalah, which is well known for its rotisserie chicken. He loves to cook once in a while, and when we are back home, he would get into the kitchen to fry fresh fish that he would get and come or make this delicious chilli chicken of his. The first time I tasted it was when he came on visit a couple of years ago. He asked HD to get one rotisserie chicken and asked me to slice the onions and tomatoes for him. The speed at which he made this dish was amazing, despite being an unknown kitchen for him. We mopped it…
Baked Chicken Toast
I am breathing a sigh of relief. 2019 has been a rather rough year. I wouldn’t want to sound pessimistic but it wasn’t a happy year. There were too many downs than ups, but Alhamdulillah, we faced the tide and rode against it. As much as challenges arose, we fought it and downed it, only to be faced by more. I guess with passing days, tests leave you becoming a little paranoid when little joys come your way. It is during those times I remind myself of the immense number of verses in the Qur’an, where Allah warns us of hardships. He promises His Jannah for those who are steadfast and patient. It is difficult, but not impossible. We all very well know that this life is transient, yet we do not want to accept that fact… I guess I wouldn’t want to think too much about this year….
Crazy Crust Pizza
I am so thankful to this version of Bake-a-thon for introducing this super easy pizza that I would have never ever found out otherwise, or maybe I would have taken more time. I thought the 20 minute pizza was the best, and of course it is the easiest to make. But it is made in a pan and doesn’t feel like how a baked pizza feels. Then what is the best thing about this recipe? Let me tell you… The best and the only reason you need to have is that it is a no-knead, no-yeast, no proofing base. I know I have posted a no-knead pizza before but it needed proofing. This absolutely doesn’t need that! The base is a typical crepe or pancake like batter that needs to be poured, topping put on top and pushed into the oven while you wait with unabated breath for…
Chicken Curry Rolls
Didn’t I mention here that my parents were in town? Well, early morning yesterday, they went back home. It was a short sweet stay and it helped them overcome the jet-lag of being in the US with my sister for two months. It was actually tricky dealing with D during this time. Wherever we would go, especially at a relative’s place, I used to drag him out reminding him that it was quite late and we are having a work day . I hope you get the point. 🙂 He would be in his full energy from 9 pm onwards with no inkling of sleep, and I would be literally wanting to fall on bed after a day at work. Thankfully, towards the end of the stay, his sleep clock got back to normal, so hopefully they both will sleep normally at home. 😀 The girls are a tad…
Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry | Easy Chicken Curry
I am wondering how should I start this post. Most of the time, these days my head is really blank. There has been a lot happening – good and ugly and my thoughts are all muddled up in that process, not knowing which way to think and keep my mood. But one thing I know – that what is destined, good or bad, will surely come our way, come what maybe. Sometimes thinking that way makes sense more than becoming tensed about what is going to come. I keep telling HD that we have always been relieved of the tensions we face, so maybe we just need to stay positive and hope that everything will settle, InShaAllah. Having said that, winters are slowly sweeping in and is releasing a very laid back air in all. I find it hard to do anything, forget about cooking. Even though I love…
Kozhi Ishtu ~ Kerala Chicken Stew
For this week’s Blogging Maraton #106 theme of “Soups and Stews”, since the last two posts were soups, I thought I will post a stew this time. A stew usually has more body that soups and eaten with a side of bread, rice or something similar. I just decided that the easiest thing for me to do is to post our own stew – Ishtu, which is basically a “Malayalamized” word of stew. 😀 For umma, ishtu is always vegetarian – with potatoes and some additional vegetables. Whenever we would tell her to add chicken or meat, she would give us such a stare as though we have done some sacrilege. Hehe… However, non-veg ishtu very much exists in the menu card of Keralites. Just like umma, I used to think rasam was always vegetarian till I heard of “kozhi rasam”. Hehe… yet to try though… OK, coming…
Kheema Seviyan | Khare Sevayan ~ Spicy Vermicelli with Minced Meat
Time for the final post for the Blogging Marathon #105 theme of “Pasta and Pizza”, after doing the White Sauce No-Knead Pizza and the Chicken Fajita Pasta. Vermicelli over there is categorized along with pasta. So I dropped an email to Valli asking if I could cook something with vermicelli for this theme. And she mentioned a yes! I was thinking of making something sweet first, and then I gave up the plan. A little browsing and brainstorming later, I finalized on making this Keema Seviyan. This dish, also called as Khara Seviyan, is usually made in Hyderabadi households for Eid breakfast or lunch. It easily can double up as a filling breakfast or even a lazy lunch or dinner! The dish has vermicelli and mince meat – I used chicken – as main ingredients but you definitely add the vegetables as an extra to it. 🙂 For…
One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
After the No-Knead White Sauce Pizza, here is the next post for the Blogging Marathon #105 for the theme of “Pizza and Pasta”. I love one pot meals, because I hate washing up after cooking. Moreover, my kitchen isn’t the most comfortable place to be in. 😀 I mostly make the pasta in a jiffy each time I am in a hurry. But pasta isn’t something the girls are very fond of so it features once in two weeks. I sometimes wonder why they don’t make my life easy by loving food like pasta and daal. *crying inside* I have this habit of binge watching the Tasty app. I sincerely wish cooking and baking would happen in two to three minutes just like they show in it. 😉 During one of the session, I came across this recipe which was so easy and fit into my bill. My…
No-Knead Pan Pizza with White Sauce
Time for the second week of the Blogging Marathon! For this week of edition #105, I chose the theme “Pizza and Pasta”. Valli has a monthly Kid’s Delight event happening and this is the theme for this month. My girls are very fond of pizza but they don’t share the same liking towards pasta. However, slowly and steadily with time, they are finding their interest towards pizza. However since they are my girls, I know that they would get bored of it fast, so I am not getting overly excited about the scene. 😀 So from today for the coming three days, you will see three recipes for this interesting theme… Pizza is something my girls really love. I really don’t consider pizza as a meal. I feel that despite paying so much to buy it, it hardly fills the stomach. Please raise your hands if you agree…
Dejaaj Tahat ~ Emirati Chicken Rice
Sometimes a vacation doesn’t exactly do what you wish for it to do. Yes, for sure, I relaxed as much as I could, so much that we didn’t even go for any long tours, nor did I stay at HD’s place as much as I would have liked to. I visited only those relatives who I had to, and avoided moving around as much as I could. Sometimes, it was boring but that was all I wanted to do. Still, after coming back, it feels like I have been pulled back into a bigger rut than what I had left and gone. But then life is about fighting it out. We just say “Hasbunallahu Wa Ni’mal Wakeel” – “Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).” (Surah Aal Imran:173) and leave everything to Him. Is there any other option? I…
Beetroot Chicken
Did this month go away so fast? I feel I haven’t been much away from the blog as such. I stayed almost four weeks back home, but it just felt as though days flew by. We had a little flood threat this time through but Alhamdulillah, it was fine on our side, though there were areas like Nilambur and Wayanad that were badly affected by the heavy rains and mud slides. The unexpected mud slides caused very heartbreaking deaths in those areas. Apart from the heavy rains, the climate was otherwise pleasant. I slept quite well throughout the days, since it was nice and cozy. I had a few doctor visits to make, and to top it all, was the splint that got placed inside my mouth due to my TMJ problem. It feels very odd and I have to be on a soft diet for one month, the…
Quick Chicken Fry ~ No Marination!
For the coming three days, you will see me posting for the theme “One Bowl Dishes” for the Blogging Marathon #102. Now the problem with this theme is that it can encompass a wide range of dishes. Either you cook in one dish, or you serve everything together in a dish, or you do from start to end in one dish. After scratching my head a bit and confusing Valli with my emails, I finally decided to stick to three recipes from my draft that I thought will justify the title. So here we go… Chicken fry is something that any household with a carnivores family would hog on. I mean I could fry a pot full and still see it empty. When compared to curried chicken that takes time to move out, fried chicken is always welcome. I am not a fan of deep frying, though it…
Murg Malaiwala | Creamy Chicken Curry
I had already marked up in my mind that if the state for this month’s Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge would be Punjab, I would make it a point to participate. Why not? The food of Punjab is always said to be rich, warm and welcoming. Whether it is the Butter Chicken, Palak Paneer or Dal Tadka, every dish evokes a lot of gastronomic feel in anybody who eats it. As soon as the announcement was up and I waited patiently for my assigned partner. Punjab is a beautiful state in the north that is mainly known for their agricultural prowess. The word “Punjab” means, “five rivers”, signifying the five rivers that run through the state. The state has gone through a lot during historical times and now part of it lies in Pakistan. Punjab shares its capital Chandigarh with its neighboring state Haryana. The food of the state…