I can’t mention how relieved I am. My blogging mojo has just not picked up as much as I would have loved. Last year Ramadan, if I filled my drafts with as much as clicks I could take before the sunshine vanishes, this year, I have done nothing. My blog is moving with drafts that I had clicked last Ramadan – I am being very honest here! This Ramadan, I have been time tight and locked. Over and above that, I have no mood to click anything new or cook anything new. I am sure, this too shall pass… So when I put up the Muslim Food Blogger challenge post for this month, which is based on the theme “Eid Specials from Around the World”, I searched up a bit and pinned up on my kitchen notice board the easiest cookie recipe in the world! But I procrastinated…
Erachi Kinnapathiri ~ Malabar Steamed Meat Cakes
We are now in the last ten days of Ramadan – the best nights ever. Many a times it happens to me that I lose all my energy and feel so slackened by that time. Considering how important Laylatul Qadr is, we need to push ourselves up to make the maximum out of those blessed days, especially when the Quran reminds us that it is “better than thousand months” (Surah Al Qadr:3). Knowing my level of strength, I am just going to focus at bettering what I am able to do at the moment, like reading more of the Quran, pondering over it, increasing in small charities, keeping my heart clean and being steadfast in general, InShaAllah. May Allah make it easy for us and accept all our small and large deeds, and forgive our sins… Aameen! Reminding myself to constantly keep reciting the below prayer – who wouldn’t…
Bread Dahi Vada
Can you believe that half the Ramadan has just flown by? I am seriously in a shock. This year has been really hectic for me. Even though there is no change in my schedule from how it has been for the past few Ramadans, it’s been very tough to manage. My cooking doesn’t get done in time. I haven’t been making any snacks for the folks, especially with both my kids fasting. The younger one has taken to fasting very seriously and Alhamdulillah, she has managed to take all her fasts. She is 7 and everybody who is hearing about it is shell-shocked. I don’t discourage my kids or worry that it will tire them. In fact, kids tend to be more energetic in these cases because they are excited about the whole prospect of going hungry for a long time and not having to eat! 😀 I feel…
Jallab ~ Middle Eastern Date Raisin Drink
I am a drink fanatic. I guess many of you must have already got it from the amount of drinks I already have on the blog. I always like to try something new all the time. Last Ramadan, while coming back from a trip, we stopped by the petrol pump to feed the car and as usual, the kids and I walked into the convenience store looking at something we could pick up. Usually I would go for a coffee, but since it was hot, I headed straight towards the chiller section and discovered this tall bottle of brown colored liquid which was labelled “Jallab”. More than the color of the drink, it was the nuts and dry fruits floating in the bottle that attracted me. I can’t express how much I enjoyed that whole bottle without even sharing it with the girls… Hehe… call me a selfish mom!…
Aam Panna
Aren’t there drinks that you may like personally but none of your family enjoys it? And then you end up drinking the same thing over a few days to finish off the batch, but just because you love it, you really don’t mind it. 🙂 That is how I would term this Aam Panna to be! After the Mohabbat Ka Sharbat, here is another North Indian drink that is for the lovers of sweet and sour combination, as a part of the 3 back-to-back Ramadan Coolers… The first time I had Aam Panna was at Huma‘s place when I went to meet her for the first time around four years ago. As I looked at a drink which had an odd green color, I gave her a quizical look. She told me it is a drink made of raw mangoes and spiced with cumin. I really didn’t want…
Mohabbat Ka Sharbat | Watermelon Roohafza Drink
When I signed up for the Blogging Marathon this month, I had totally forgotten that in my schedule, I had placed to do the 3B2B series on the blog too. While trying to fit through my schedule, it popped up and I had to do it. The theme I had chosen was “Cold Drinks for Ramadan”. Most of the countries are having summer during this blessed month and all you need at the time of Iftar, is something cold to wash down your throat. Even though there is no substitute as good as timid water to elevate your thirst, we always look out something sweet to get going. Even if somebody tells it is unhealthy, we would prefer to have something sweet to go down. Watermelon is something that gets eaten by a tonne in our house daily during Ramadan. How much ever is cut, it is never…
Kozhi Musuman | Whole Chicken in Chana Dal Sauce
Let me be frank here. I wanted to make a totally new curry for this Blogging Marathon #88 – Dazzling Dal series, so that I could leave my drafts untouched. I even made cholar dal once, but it didn’t turn out well, so I skipped clicking it. Then something happened, that whole thought of wanting to cook and click a totally new dish, really puts me off these days. If you see my camera now, my clicks are so wide spread. I cook new dishes and click them only if I am really in a mood for it. Otherwise, I just leave it at that. I feel glad that my drafts are feeding my blog without me having to worry about the next dish to post. During those times, I used to wonder why am I in a hurry to cook and click, and now I clearly understand the…
Mughlai Dal Kabila | Urad Dal Tadka
After the Muringakaya Parippu Curry, here’s the second recipe under “Dazzling Dals” for the Blogging Marathon #88. I don’t have a single recipe on the blog which features urad dal as its main ingredient, so I am glad finally it is being featured! For us, urad dal is for idli batters. Period… I never knew it was used in curries till I was wondering what to have for lunch one day in the office, and our Pakistani office boy mentioned, “Aapi, mash ki daal order karoo?” (Can I order “Mash Ki Dal”?) I had no clue what it was, but since it was “daal”, I told him OK. When he got it with a roti, I was shocked to find urad dal. Mash Ki Dal is what it is called in Urdu. I was like, “Esse curry bhi banaathe hai?” (Oh, we make curry of this?), he gave…
Muringakaaya Chelli Parippu Curry ~ Malabar Drumstick Lentil Curry with Dried Shrimp
Time for the second week of the Blogging Marathon #88! After choosing “Protien Rich Ingredient” as the first theme, where I chose eggs, and featured Double Cheese Omelette, Akuri and Microwave Omelette, the second week theme that I chose was also another protien ingredient – “Dazzling Dals”. I had already done a lentil theme in one of the previous BM edition, but then lentil recipes are never enough, right? We are always looking at new ways of cooking up lentils so that people who have folks like me at home who frown at the sight of lentils will at least eat them without much fuss. 😀 The first recipe I am featuring is an example of how we Malabaris love to add a non-vegetarian twist to our vegetarian dishes. Hehe… Most of the households will have a little jar of “chelli” (ചെള്ളി) in our pantry. It is basically…
Beef Burger
How’s Ramadan going for all of you? This time, I have consciously taken the effort to post less on the blog. Doesn’t mean I will keep it empty, you will still see posts rolling on, but I clearly don’t want to be in a rat race to be posting what is called as “Ramadan specials”. I am not a person who advocates thoughtless eating during this month, whether it is now when I am taking care of myself, or before when I was negligent of myself. I never liked the concept of eating fried food and heavy meals during this month. When the gyst of the month is to practice restraint and patience, how can we go overboard with our food especially? Somehow that thought defeats my logic. I know many may disagree, but when we think deep, we will understand it. After all, hasn’t our beloved Prophet…
Be My Guest – Dahi Boondi
Blogging is quite a funny business. There are many bloggers that I am very good friends with, but there are many more who I have acquaintances with, or some even we occasionally comment on each other’s blog, and that’s about it. “My Ninja Naan” was one of the blogs I discovered fairly early through my blogging journey. I would read the blog but not comment on it. I don’t know why… I just wouldn’t. Fast forward to now, the blog has been renamed as “Chai and Churros” and Henna has become somebody really dear. We keep commenting on each other’s Insta stories and liking each others posts. Hehe… how life turns around, isn’t it? 🙂 I have been thinking of calling her around to be on my blog and I thought this Ramadan was perfect timing for it. She very gladly accepted my invite and even send the post…
Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad
“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and righteousness” (Surah Al Baqarah:183) Ramadan is on us, Alhamdulillah… InShaAllah, with the sunset today, it will start – the time when every aspect of our life is looked into and disciplined… Actually, I always feel that we limit our good deeds and discipline only to these 29 or 30 days. It is said that it takes 21 days to create a habit, so in case we sincerely want to create a good sustainable habit in ourselves, this one month should help us with it. After all, there is even a Hadith in this regard: Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are…