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…
Tadka Dal Khichdi ~ Spiced Lentil and Rice Mash
This month, again I am back at participating in the A to Z challenge hosted by Vidya and Jolly. The letter for the month is “L” and I was tempted to go simple. My initial idea was to use limes, which are in abundance now, and make a limeade or maybe even bake a cake. However, I ditched the idea. I don’t know why but I just did. Sometimes, you have no explanations to sudden cancellations to the initial plans, isn’it it? It was when I was reminded of this kichdi which has become my staple almost every weekday as dinner. It features a lot of lentils, but I was doubtful if it would be acceptable. A couple of messages to Vidya and she confirmed it is OK, provided I place the emphasis on the lentils. It was a “yay” moment, since I was sharing it a lot on…
Lahm Machboos | Majboos ~ Emirati Mutton Rice
I guess it is time to get back to reality after basking in some glory after the Chocolate Mousse Cake. Hehe… This week has been quite busy with guests from HD’s home. My whole schedule has gone for a toss, but for that matter, from November end, nothing has been as per schedule. It is just being twisted and tweaked as per how circumstances are coming and falling in place. But InShaAllah, after they leave on Saturday, I should be able to come back into my routine of everything, especially my workouts, that I am struggling to come back to. I always feel that I eat better the time I workout and vice-versa. I really don’t understand my thought process, when most of the time, it is the way around for many people! So let’s see how it goes… The climate has been kind. It is kind of cozy…
Aloo Gosht ~ Meat and Potato Curry
After posting the Batata Harra and Aloo Raita, here is the final potato recipe for this week’s Blogging Marathon #106 theme of “Pick one vegetable, cook dishes from three states/countries”. I have moved from Lebanon to India and now to our neighboring Pakistan to select a humble potato dish. In fact, this dish is cooked in Muslim heavy areas of northern India as well. My first tryst with Aloo Gosht was at a nearby Pakistani restaurant, adjacent to the building we used to stay during our school days. We would go there for eating their huge thick oil laden parathas and order sides of dal fry and this aloo gosht. It would look the same all the time – a dark brown color gravy with a couple of inches of oil floating on the top, which we used to pull out by dropping a couple of tissue on…
Masala Pattani Kadala | Spiced Green Peas
Usually, I start to like posts with something that is happening in life, like maybe the weather, or some interesting happening. I don’t know why these days, life is a haze. It becomes morning, then it is the usual rush to work. Once work is done, then I go for my workouts and then reach home just in time to make something for dinner. Days just seem to be moving in super speed, from weeks to months. Before we even know, 2019 will come to an end, in fact it is almost close to. I did give a sigh when I noticed the date today. It hasn’t been a kind year, to say the least but Alhamdulillah for everything. We have survived through it and InShaAllah we will surely go ahead with His grace… 🙂 But something interesting has been happening and that is – finally winters are…
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…
Aatinkaal Braath | Malabar Mutton Bone Soup
After the Sweet Corn Soup, here is the second recipe for the theme “Stews and Soups” for the Blogging Marathon #106. Mutton is one ingredient which is considered to be healthy, even though on the fatter side. The meat maybe red and not recommended to be eaten too much, but considering the improbability of instilling hormones into a goat when compared to a chicken, the meat is considered to be much healthier. In Malabar area, when a woman delivers, she is supposed to eat one whole goat, from head to whatever, in the 40 days she takes rest. I haven’t had that privilege for either of my deliveries but umma says that they would have it during their times. In fact, my SIL also had a whole goat while she rested after delivering my niece in May this year. The ‘braath’ – the colloquial Malabari term used for…
Vegan Sweet Corn Soup
The winter is slowly coming. Or should I say it is coming in slow motion… The mix of warmth and the nip of coolness is actually causing a havoc with the health of majority here. So when the Blogging Marathon #106 themes were declared, I obviously had to choose “Stews and Soups” as one, as all of us will now be looking at warming options for the body and soul. Hehe… So you will find three super easy recipes related to this theme back to back… You can browse the already existing soup recipes here… The first one is a very simple corn soup. I always keep packs of frozen or tinned corn, since my girls love a quick snack with it, most of the time in the form of this buttery pizza corn or this corn chaat. When this theme was declared, I wanted to make use…
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…
Safed Maas ~ Rajasthani White Mutton Stew
This month too, I am participating in the Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge. Our state of the month is the largest state of India, Rajasthan, which is located in the northern side. It is home to largest desert in India, as well as many historical monuments and a rich culture. The name of the state when literally translated means “the land of kings” and if you have a look at the history of the state, it surely stays truthful to its name! The state has a robust tourism industry and is a place that is usually on the top end list for destination weddings – the recent famous one being Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, due to the presence of many castles fit for movies. The Jaisalmer Chana and the Panchmel Dal are the Rajasthani recipes already on the blog. The beauty of the cuisine of this state is due…
Arseeyah Rubyan ~ Emirati Prawn Rice Gruel
It’s been long since I have posted an Emirati recipe on the blog, so when the theme of “One Bowl Dishes” was declared for the Blogging Marathon #102, I couldn’t think of any other dish as one-pot as Arseeyah. The cooking is done in one large pot, so what more for this theme! 🙂 Arseeyah is considered to be comfort food for the Emiratis. It is usually made with chicken, and has rice cooked along with it, with some mild spices and then ground to make it like a gruel. Just like Harees, it is eaten warm with a generous drizzling of ghee. When I landed up with some fresh huge prawns during Ramadan, I decided to make this as dinner for the folks. The inspiration to make this dish came from an article that I had printed out and kept in my archives, but can’t trace the…
Payyoli Kozhi Curry | Chicken Curry
Can you believe Ramadan is right there at the corner? Sometimes it feels it came way too fast, but I can’t help it but say that it has come at a time when it is needed. I feel like I have a terribly parched soul, just struggling to get in terms with everything that is happening. For surely, this month comes like a relief at the right time. For me, Ramadan is like a breath of fresh air. A change in routine, a more balanced life, a peaceful thought process, a new hope… It literally recharges all the dying batteries within you. I am sure that feeling comes because the devils are chained during this precious month. There is no one but ourselves to beat when they are off our head. It takes some time to realize that there is a lot of inbuilt evil within ourselves, when…
Besan Aloo Mirchi ki Sabzi | Potato Capsicum Curry
I wish I didn’t have to crib. Everyday I have a tough time trying to decide what to cook for dinner. I seem to find that it is getting tougher as the girls grow up. When I started blogging, they were small so they would eat anything that was given to them. But now, they frown and scorn for anything that I make, except pizzas. 😕 Being a mother, this is totally frustrating. With a totally tight schedule these days, I look forward to cooking meals that get done in 30 minutes. Rasha loathes eggs and any dal curry, while Azza is indifferent towards chicken and meat – I wonder if there are kids like that these days! Vegetables are an even big no-no, except for a cucumber daily. My girls don’t even like whole lentils or potatoes. Sometimes, I feel so lost… but then I pull out my…
Dalia Upma | Broken Wheat Upma
There is a reason why I chose this week’s theme when Valli declared it in the Blogging Marathon #98 – “Cooking for Two”. You all know, we aren’t two, we are four. 😀 But most of the time, I end up cooking for two because the other two I have are very fussy that I don’t feel like cooking for them. 😕 HD is forever looking into my food, so for my safety, it is better to cook extra and serve him as well. Do you have husbands who want to eat your food? OK, so jokes apart, dalia or broken wheat is not something that I frequently cook with. But when I got the opportunity to try the ingredient when my mentor included it as a part of my carbs, I fell in love with this upma. Every second day, I was making it for my breakfast…
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