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…
Amrood Chaat | Guava Chaat
I discovered this guava chaat when we had gone to visit my cousin’s wife’s parents. She is the one who introduced me to those yummy chicken croquettes. 🙂 We had dinner from there and then her mother bought some huge Vietnamese guavas for us. They weren’t sweet at all, had a thick skin yet soft interior. We weren’t really keen in eating them. Sensing our dislike, her mother immediately took it back, chopped it into pieces and bought it back to our tables with all those sprinklings. Sensing it was red chilli powder on top, I was a bit hesitant. She pestered us to try. The first bite, and oh my goodness! I can’t explain the plethora of flavors that danced in my tongue! Actually, we ended up gobbling down that whole plate shamelessly. 😀 This is the time when the market gets filled with the large guavas….
Scandinavian Chilled Cucumber Soup
I somehow like taking part in the Blogging Marathon, that is spearheaded by Valli. It seriously keeps my creative juices flowing. Otherwise, with the way my life is, I would happily be depending on my drafts and go on rather than creating something new! 😉 This month, it’s the version 86 and for this week, I chose “Scandinavian Cuisine”. Scandinavia is a region in Norther Europe and consists of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Their food is said to be heavy on meat and fish, potatoes, dill, parsley, cucumbers and apples! I did quite a lot of search and as usual, finalized on three recipes, that I was sure my family would eat and enjoy. The first one had to be this cool and super easy Scandinavian chilled cucumber soup. What is the specialty? No cook!!! Yes, you absolutely need no gas, no stove, no saucepan. Simply dump in…
Overnight Oats with Laban
For the Blogging Marathon #84 under the “New Year Challenge” theme, I had chosen to share three overnight breakfast ideas and after the Chocolate Chia pudding, here is the second one. I have a lot of overnight oats recipes on the blog already on the blog, so it feels like I am adding one more, but of late, this has been my favorite way of having overnight oats. I have no other than Fami to “blame” for bringing in me this love for laban. Laban is thick buttermilk that is available across the shelves here in the Gulf countries. It is used a lot in Arab cooking, and is awesome to have on its own. I won’t say I love laban but I have it on and off. With she sharing her smoothies made in laban on her IG handle, I decided to get a bottle to try…
Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake
After the Gulab Jamun cheesecake shots, here comes the second cheesecake in the Blogging Marathon #76 under the theme, “I love, you love Cheesecakes!”. And it has to be vegan! 😉 I have been wanting to try a vegan cheesecake since very long but somehow I never liked the idea. Maybe it is just the mental thought. I have been seeing this recipe and the amount of cashews that go into them, somehow doesn’t appeal to me. However, while this theme was declared, I had already decided I would try to make one, to know the feel and texture of it. The recipe is very easy to make. The crust of the cheesecake is dates and walnuts, while the “cheesecake” portion is blend cashew cream, made up of soaked cashew nuts, coconut milk, some coconut oil and your choice of flavoring. I chose to make this with…
Pakistani Mint Cumin Raita
Each time you go to a Pakistani eatery here, there is something standard that will come with everything that you order. The best part about it is that you can dip all your food in it, pour it over your curry to mellow down the heat, or have it just like that. It is my favorite thing to have whenever I go to any eatery. Just try dunking your kebabs in them – they taste amazing. During my initial days of blogging, I had received a request from a fellow blogger asking if I knew how to make the raita we get from Karachi Darbar. This chain of restaurants is one of the most well known Pakistani food chains here. We used to absolutely enjoy the food, but off late, I have not been liking their food, so it’s been a long time since we hopped in. 🙁…
Aamras ~ Sweetened Mango Puree
After the Mango Custard Verrines, I thought of choosing a very traditional and simple recipe. Aamras is nothing but mango puree. In the north, during the mango season, mango is pureed and stored in order to use it for the future. Aamras is usually served as a dessert or even as a part of a main meal. My colleague P (do check out her Bombay Chicken Biriyani and Mangalore Chicken Sukka!) would tell how amazing a combination aamras is with pooris. Yes, I have heard about it too, but somehow was never convinced, thanks to my South Indian roots. 😉 We can never mix sweet with savory. But since we had the Balaleet experience and were converted, I was somehow confident that this would work too. Aamras is the best to be made the day before. Allow it to cool and the flavors to mingle, to taste…
Dulche De Leche Shrikand ~ DDL Yogurt Dessert
I was just thinking to myself how long it has been since I have shared some motivational quotes or even thoughts on the blog. Sometimes the head doesn’t work, as simple as that. Especially when things are going smoothly, Alhamdulillah. At times, we feel routine is boring. We wish something extraordinary would happen. Good surprises add joy to the otherwise mundane life, but what if the surprise decides to take an ugly turn? Nobody would like it. Nobody would be able to accept it as soon as it happens. Once it slowly settles down, then you start absorbing it and accepting it, believing that things will turn better. So till I don’t have any surprises, good or bad, I am Alhamdulillah happy with my life. Frustrations are there – very human like – but I try for it not to interfere into my current thought process. 🙂 Sharing…
Lemon Cream Cheese Pudding
This recipe is quite special to me. Why, you would ask. A reader of this blog, Shinaz from Abu Dhabi had shared this picture on an FB group sometime ago. If you really watch out my space, I don’t have much of fruity desserts apart from a few trifles and a banoffee pie, among the very few, and not a single “citrusy” dessert. Most of the them are chocolate based. It is not that I don’t love them. It is just that my mind is fixated with chocolate as dessert and always end up giving it my first preference. I don’t know if it is a good habit. 🙂 OK, coming back to the story, I ended up asking her for the recipe, which she messaged me. I rubbed my eyes twice while going through the list. So easy! All you need is 3 main ingredients and…
Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich
After the Secret Recipe Club came to an end, Sarah started an event called “Fantastical Food Fighting“. Every month she gives a theme and a date to publish the post. The best part about this event is that you can join in if you want and there is no pressure to be doing posts. Most of the challenges require you to do continuous posts to remain a part of the group, which is not the case with this event. Hence I took a plunge and submitted my name. However, till date I haven’t been able to participate despite some interesting themes. But this month, I got the opportunity to be a part of it and here I am! The theme for this month is PB&J, which is the short form for “peanut butter and jelly”. The recipe needed to have peanuts and a fruit in it. All I…
No-Bake Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake – Guest post for Ashee’s Cookbook
A request for guest posts always excite me. I don’t know why, but I love the feeling of being asked for a guest post. It feels like a virtual invitation to their home, and I always love visiting homes, that you know you will feel great as a guest. 🙂 Thank you Asheera for your warm invitation… 🙂 Since my parents were around, I did ask her some time to work on her post, so when I got free, the first thing I did was to see what I can give her. My mood for cooking is just slowly starting to kick in but I didn’t want to delay her. That is when my eyes fell on this lovely and pretty looking cheesecake that I had made sometime ago when the whole family was around. I have hardcore cheesecake lovers in the family and whatever cheesecakes are there…
Tropical Smoothie Bowl
As humans, we tend to sulk a lot, don’t we? Just like how I am feeling today… My parents left after a three month stay last night. I don’t want to sound cliched by saying that I am already missing them. We all need our parents around us all the time, even though sometimes they may run over your head and make you go out of control. But parents are parents, and nobody will love us more than them in this world. I am thankful that I have had my fair share of having them around whenever I have needed them, or whenever they have needed a break from their routine back home. The kids were terrible last night. Rasha kept weeping herself to sleep while Azza kept muttering, “Enikku ummaane kaananm” (I want to see umma) just a couple of hours after she had left. I know they…