Zaiqa

Masjid-al-Haram, the holy mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

The crescent moon of the month of Ramadan has been sighted and starting tomorrow is the most blessed month in Islam~Ramadan. On this occasion I send my greetings to Muslims all over the world.

Ramadan Kareem to all. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) grant us closeness to Him, forgiveness from sin and reverence for His Word in this month of Fard. May Allah(سبحانه وتعالى)  accept our Siam (Fasting) and our Qiam (Traweeh prayers). Ameen.

Raspberries in my Garden

Almost three years back I had bought three little raspberry canes from the local garden center and planted them in a little patch in the backyard of my home.

Raspberries in my Garden

Little did I think that after just a few years these plants would multiply and grow into thick bushes as tall as I am and I would have an abundant supply of raspberry come summer every year mashallah.

Raspberries from my Garden

I love berries of all sorts, unlike my hubby who says that berries have a tart flavor. But I love to enjoy fruit of the season, tart or not, and they are so beautiful to look at. Who can resist them.

Fresh Ontario Peaches

So the other day, after harvesting my plants, I had quite a lot of raspberries. And after a visit to the local farmers market, I also had almost a ton of fresh Ontario peaches.

Fresh Ontario Peaches

Fragrant, juicy, sweet and blush-red colored, they are my absolutely favorite stone fruits. So, what better way to use them up than to make an easy yet quick jam with beautiful flavors that screams summer.

Peach Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:

Ripe Fresh Peaches – 6, washed
Raspberries – 1 cup, washed
Granulated Sugar – 3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Peach Raspberry Jam

Method:

1. Slice peaches and discard pits. (Optional: You can also peel the peaches if you want)
2. Add the sliced peaches and raspberries to a blender container and blend until smoothly pureed. (Optional: You can strain this puree if you want a clear jam)
3. In a saucepan, add the puree and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add sugar and lemon juice. Mix well. Keep stirring occasionally and simmer gently for another 20-30 minutes. To test if the jam is ready, drop a heaping teaspoonful onto a plate and slightly tilt the plate. The jam should not run off, but cling and slowly glide down. If the jam isn’t ready, put it back on the heat for a while. Once done, spoon the jam into sterilized jars and refrigerate to store.

Sending this to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle:Stone Fruit event hosted this month by Sukaina of Sips and Spoonful.

And not to forget, do remember to send your entries to ‘The Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival Event – Season III‘ that I am hosting this Ramadan on my blog. Click here to go through the details of the event.

Luv,
Mona

One dish meals are a savior. In today’s revved up life, they are a time, fuel saver, and cleanup is a breeze. Tahari is one such balanced and nutritious one pot family meal that is very often cooked in Hyderabadi homes.

Aloo aur Gosht ki Tahari – Spiced Basmati Rice with Potatoes and Lamb meat

Tahari might be called as a cousin of Biryani. During the process of Biryani preperation, the meat and rice are layered and then cooked on dum (slow heat) in one pot. Whereas in Tahari, once the meat is cooked, water is poured to the meat and then rice is added and cooked along. There is no layering process in Tahari as in Biryani. The ration of water:rice has be perfect for a well cooked Tahari, or else you end up with a mushy mess.

There are two kinds of Tahari: 1. Minced meat+Rice Tahari; 2. Lamb meat with bones+Rice Tahari. Today I am writing about the latter one. The previous kind I have already blogged a while earlier. Adding tomatoes to Tahari is optional. I have always seen both my Ammi and my Mother in law add tomatoes to Tahari, but there are some that do not suggest it. I prefer to add tomatoes as it gives a nice flavor to the dish that I love. However you can avoid adding tomatoes if you want.

Aloo aur Gosht ki Tahari – Spiced Basmati Rice with Potatoes and Lamb meat

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 3 cups
Canola oil – 1/2 cup
Onions – 2 cups, sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Mint leaves – 1/2 cup, loosely packed, finely chopped
Cilantro – 1/2 cup, loosely packed, finely chopped
Red chilli powder – 2 tbsp
Tomatoes – 2, large, diced
Potatoes – 2, large, quartered
Yogurt – 1 cup, lightly whisked
Lamb meat with bones – 650 gms
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Juice of a Lime

Method:

1. In a vessel, add rice and wash it in 2-3 changes of fresh cool water. Then, soak it in surplus fresh cool water for about 30 minutes while you prepare the following meat preparation.
2. In a pressure cooker at medium high heat pour in oil and as soon as it warms up, add the sliced onions. Stir fry them until they are golden brown in color. Add ginger garlic paste and fry along for a minute. Add red chilli powder, salt, chopped tomatoes, chopped mint and cilantro and turmeric powder and mix well. Cook for 2-5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add the lightly whisked yogurt and keep stirring for a minute. Add the quartered potatoes and mix. Let cook covered until the potatoes are tender (test using a fork) and oil has separated. Add the lamb meat with bones and mix well. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Cover with the lid and pressure cook until the meat is tender. Open the lid and add garam masala powder and lime juice. Let the mixture cook until oil separates. Now pour in about 4 cups of water, close the lid, increase the heat and let it come to a boil.
3. Drain the soaking rice and keep it ready.
4. As soon as the meat mixture begins to boil, add the drained rice and gently mix. Let it come to a boil again. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Let it cook till very little water remains. Keep checking it every now and then, and give a gentle stir everytime. Add a few splashes of water if you feel you need more water for the rice to cook. Once the water is mostly dried up, close the heat, but leave the saucepan on the hot stove so that a nice steam forms. Let the dish rest for 15-30 minutes. Serve warm along with a pickle or papad.

Note: You can even lightly fry the quartered potatoes before you add to the dish. I prefer not to.

Luv,
Mona

My mint pot is brimming with fresh mint in abundance. I was thinking of ways to use up those fragrant leaves in ways possible. And what better way to enjoy its freshness than in a salad.

Mint growing profusely in pot outdoors on deck

Canned beans are a pantry staple for me. I use them frequently in soups and salads. During this season of outdoor barbecues, this no-cook, colorful, quick to throw together and crowd pleasing salad makes for a great entree. You can also serve this salad during Ramadan at Iftaar, or as a light lunch along with boiled eggs if you desire.

Substitute the red kidney beans with whatever beans you like, for example: chickpeas, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, lima beans, black eye beans, etc or a can of mixed beans.

Minty Bean Salad
Serves: 4

Canned Red Kidney Beans – a 175 ml can
Tomato – 1, medium, finely chopped
Fresh Mint leaves – 1/2 cup, tightly packed, finely chopped
Red onion – 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Juice of a Lime
Small Green Chilli – 2, finely chopped
Black pepper powder and Salt – to taste

Refreshing Minty Bean Salad

Method:

Drain and rinse the canned beans in a colander to remove excess sodium. In a mixing bowl add the drained beans along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Let it sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Shake it every now and then. Serve it chilled.

Note: You can also use dried beans if you desire which you will have to soak overnight and then boil till tender the next day.

And here’s one question for all my readers. What do you all usually prepare using fresh Mint/Pudinah leaves. If you have any interesting recipes, please send them to me. I would love to try.

Luv,
Mona

I do not fancy a day or two old left over plain rice for meals. Plain rice keeps well in the refrigerator for almost a week if stored in an air tight container. And it is convenient for working people. But I am not fond of stored left over rice. Fresh cooked rice tastes so much better. However there are days when there is leftover rice and you do not know what to do with it. My Ammi makes sun dried rice crackers using the day old rice just like the dal ki badiyan and they used to be so yummy. Unfortunately the weather here in Toronto does not always favor it. So I make an another of my Ammi’s speciality. Spicy and lemony Tala hua Chawal. Serve this chawal warm at breakfast or as a mid day meal.

Tala Hua Chawal – Recycled Spicy Rice

Ingredients:

Leftover plain Rice (1 day old) – 2 cups
Canola oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Lemon juice – 3-4 tbsp

Method:

In a non stick skillet at medium high heat pour in oil and as soon as it warms up add the mustard seeds and ginger garlic paste and stir fry until the ginger garlic paste turns golden brown and the seeds begin to pop. Immediately add the curry leaves, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder. As they splutter, add a few splashes of water and add the 2 cups rice. Mix well. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the rice is well mixed. Pour lemon juice and cover with a lid. Remove with a lid and serve warm.

Enjoy Tala hua Chawal along with Khadi dal or on its own.

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A few days back, I was finally able to get my hands on a teeny weeny Curry leaf plant. It was quite costly but I couldnt resist buying it since I had been searching it from the past few years. Since it is almost spring, I transplanted the baby plant to a deeper pot and added manure to it as the fertilizer. It is now sitting in front of a large window in my house. Alhamdulillah it is growing nicely and I hope it will continue to flourish and hopefully will provide me soon with a fresh constant supply of curry leaves for my cooking purpose.

On an another note, hubby dear had gifted me a sewing machine this last Eid-ul-Adha, something that I had wanted since long. Sewing is an another favorite hobby of mine, so I have been doing a few sewing projects lately. There are a lot of interesting and clearly explained projects shared by very talented sewists on their blogs. Inshallah I will update my blog with projects that I will be doing.

I wanted to share with you all this project that had caught my attention a few days back, and it turned out pretty good. I used hubby’s old t-shirt and a time-worn kitchen towel instead of the chenille sock and I got 3 reusable swiffer mop pads. I plan to use them to wipe my kitchen floor and when they are soiled, just wash them and they are again good to go. How convenient is that.

Luv,
Mona

Easy to cook and full of flavor, lamb chops are one of my favorite meats to prepare whenever I am hosting a party. Even kids love to nibble them, and adults will not be able to resist.

I prefer rib lamb chops for this recipe, and you can even bake them in the oven or grill them outdoors during summer instead of cooking on stovetop. Serve them along with a chutney, or raita and a salad on the side.

Lamb Chops

Ingredients:

Lamb Chops – around 2 kg
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Canola Oil

Method:

1. Trim off any excess fat, wash the chops well, drain and pat dry. Slash the meaty side of the chops 2 or 3 times with a knife. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the chops and oil and mix well. Add the chops and rub the spice paste into the chops well. Cover with a lid and let marinate overnight.
2. The next day bring it to room temperature before you start cooking. In a wide thick bottomed non-stick frying pan at medium high heat, pour 2 tbsp oil and as soon as it warms up, add the chops in a single layer and let them sear well. Once they are browned, turn them so that they brown on the side as well. Once nicely browned, add a cup of water and cover the pan with a tight lid. Lower the heat to simmer and let cook until the meat is tender. Once the meat is tender, increase the heat, uncover the pan and cook until the water evaporates. Serve warm.

This is my second contribution to the Hyderabadi Bakr Eid Food Festival that I am hosting this month on my blog. Click on the link or the logo for more details. The logo for the event is:

Remember that the event is on and you can all send in your entries to me before December 31, 2010.

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And now for what you all have been waiting for. Thank you all for participating in the giveaway. The lucky winner of the Tetley Tea giveaway is Maryam. Congratulations Maryam, I hope you enjoy the gift basket of goodies.

Luv,
Mona