Life's little something

Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) Birthday

2011-02-08T10:52:00.001+08:00

Exactly one week from now that is on 12 Rabiul Awwal (15 Feb) we will be celebrating Our Imaam, the Best of all Creation , Prophet Muhammad saw birthday. It is very common to see people out of joy and tremendous respect to our Beloved Prophet saw, celebrating it not knowing if it is a sunnah or a bid'ah ( innovation). Below is the answer to the question should we celebrate Mawlid or not. by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid.
I hope all Muslim brother and sisters please check with scholars before doing anything in our religion in the name of culture. Culture should not be religion and religion should not be culture. May Allah swt guide and prevent us from doing any innovation to our religion. Ameen.

Why some people accept and some unaccept the celebration of the Prophet (saw )? What is your opinion? http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/249/mawlid%20nabi

Praise be to Allaah.

There is nothing in the Qur’aan to say that we should celebrate the Mawlid or birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet himself (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do this or command anyone to do it, either during his lifetime or after his death. Indeed, he told them not to exaggerate about him as the Christians had exaggerated about Jesus (upon whom be peace). He said: “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated about the son of Maryam. I am only a slave, so say, ‘The slave of Allaah and His Messenger.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari). What has been reported is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made the day of his birth a day of worship, which is different to celebration. He was asked about fasting on Mondays, and he said: “That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was entrusted with the Mission or when I was first given Revelation.” (Reported by Muslim, al-Nisaa’i and Abu Dawood).

Moreover, we know that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) were the people who loved the Prophet most. Was it reported that Abu Bakr, who was the closest of people to him and the one who loved him the most, celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? Was it reported that ‘Umar, who ruled for twelve years, or ‘Uthmaan, did this? Was it reported that ‘Ali, his relative and foster son, did this? Was it reported that any of the Sahaabah did this? No, by Allaah! Is it because they were not aware of its importance, or did they not truly love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? No one would say such a thing except one who has gone astray and is leading others astray.

Did any of the imaams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafi’i, Ahmad, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Seereen – do this or command others to do it or say that it was good? By Allaah, no! It was not even mentioned during the first and best three centuries. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “The best of mankind are my generation (or my century), then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then there will come a people who will not care if their testimony comes before their oath or vice versa (i.e., they will not take such matter seriously).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi). The celebration of the Prophet’s birthday appeared many centuries later, when many of the features of true religion had vanished and bid’ah had become widespread.

Thus this celebration became a sign of one’s love for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? But can it be possible that the Sahaabah, the imaams and the people of the best three centuries were unaware of it, and it was only those who came later who were aware of its importance?! What the Qur’aan tells us is that love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is demonstrated by following the guidance he brought. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Say: ‘Obey Allaah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allaah does not like the disbelievers.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31-32]

The first aayah explains that love is just a claim, but the proof of sincerity is following what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought. The second aayah reaffirms the importance and necessity of obeying Allaah and His Messenger. Hence Allaah ended the aayah with a very stern warning in which those who refuse to obey are described as kaafirs, and Allah does not love the disbelievers. We ask Allaah to keep us safe from that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of the danger of not obeying him, and the danger of adding to what he brought. The celebration of Mawlid or his birthday is indeed an addition to what he brought – as all the scholars agree. He said: “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are those which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa’i).

We ask Allaah to protect us from bid’ah and to bless us by helping us to follow. Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Addrasul Awwal ( First Lesson )

2011-02-02T13:12:00.000+08:00

At beginners level we were only taught the basic greetings when we meet friends and family. Do say out aloud and memorise them. Better still if you can write them down in arabic and check your spellings in any arabic dictionary.

Greetings

Soba`hal Khoir = Good Morning
Soba`han nu`r = Good Morning ( reply )

Masa`al Khoir = Good Evening
Masa`an Nur = Goos Evening ( reply )

Fur sotun sa'idah = Pleasure Meetng you
Fur sotun sa'idah = Pleasure Meetng you ( reply )

Syukron = Thank You
Afwan = You're welcome

Ilal liqo' = Goodbye
Ma'as salamah = Goodbye ( reply )

Marhaban = Welcome
Marhaban = Welcome ( reply )

What you have to do now is memorize the greetings above and the best way is to use the arabic greeting instead of english when meeting friends and family. After that you can practice them in arabic writing.

Miracle Makeover....physically or mentally?

2011-02-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

It has been sometime since I last involved myself in any kind of business or trading. Recently I met a childhood friend of mine who has joined a skin care and cosmetic direct selling company. She was havinfg a skin care class in my hometown and as a show of support for this sister, I enrolled in the class. The class was very informative and the sisterhood among the participants was great and without much persuasion, I joined in as a member. So now here I am as a Beauty Consultant.

When I reached home after the class, I was amused to see my three children and husband waiting eagerly for me...to see my transformation ( You see, they thought I went for a miracle makeover ). Alas it was just me....with a little bit of colors on my lips and cheeks but with a whole lot of determination and confidence to start my new trade InsyaAllah.

Please make du'aa for me so that I do not back out from this opportunity that Allah swt has put forward for me. May He grant all of us qualty activities to fill our time with. Alhamdulillah

Arabic For Beginners

2011-01-29T23:37:00.000+08:00

Last year I had enrolled in Arabic for Beginner class. My intention is to learn and understand this beautiful language which had been chosen by the Almighty. Here I will try and share what I had learned and hope someday Allah swt gives you and I the gift of understanding the Arabic language.

Introduction to Arabic Alphabets

There are 28 alphabets in the arabic language. Below is how it is used in words.

Alphabet Meaning

A - Al Alif Alif ( the alphabet )

B - Bait House

T - Tilmidh Student in primary

Th - Thalathah 3

J - Ja`mi'ah University

H - Hur`uf Alphabet

Kh - Khoir Good/ well

D - Madrosah School

Dh - Dha`lika That

R - Rob God/ Almighty

Z - Zauj Husband

S - Sayya`roh Car

Sy - Syamsiyyah Umbrella

S - Soba`h Morning

D - Abyad`    White ( color )

T - To`lib Student in Secondary/ University

Z - Bu`zoh Ice cream

`A - `A`ilah Family

Gh - Ghurfah Room

F - Fursoh Pleasure

Q - Qolam Pen

K - Kitab Book

L - Ha`l     News

M - Mudhakkar Male

N - Laun Colour

H - Ahlan Welcome

W - Huwa He

Y - Yaum Day

Here I try my best to deliver the sounds and words used say these alphabets, As a student of this beautiful language I ask Allah swt to forgive me for any errors that I make knowingly or otherwise. The first step is to be able to recognise the alphabets in this words and better still practise writing it in arabic.

99 Names of Allah

2011-01-27T08:10:00.000+08:00

Hadith:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah has ninety-nine Names, i.e., one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Paradise; and Allah is Witr (one) and loves 'the Witr' (i.e., odd numbers). [Bukhari Vol 8 Book 75, Hadith 419]

A new beginning.

2011-01-25T10:09:00.000+08:00

For almost the whole year of 2010 I had not updated my blog. There are many reasons and excuses but none of which is good enough an excuse for not maintaining my blog. It had become an abandoned project just like somethings that we drop off half way in our life. Maybe it could have been boring, monotonous or maybe I just run out of idea on what to write. After my pilgrimage to Mecca in 2009, I came back with many resolutions. One was to decrease my time on the Internet so that I can spend more time in my prayers and gain knowledge about my religion. But then I realised that by sharing my knowledge through this blog, I am doing something worthwhile where others could learn and share their experiences. Thus with renewed determination, I decided to continue with my blog. InsyaAllah, I am planning to continue Recipe for my children for now. And if time permits I will be starting a new topic on "Teaching Reading for 2yrs - 6yrs using the Montessori Method. InsyaAllah.

Cardamon & Saffron Pudding

2009-09-30T15:08:00.000+08:00

Cardamon & Saffron Pudding
(recipe from arabic bites)

This is a quick and easy dessert that anyone can make and I have to thank Zainab from arabic bites for sharing this recipe.

For those who do not like the smell of cardomoms, please go slow with it or else you will not be able to enjoy this fine dessert. I have tweaked the original recipe a little and I hope tohose who are reading this will give this recipe a try. I took this desserts to my inlaws' for iftar the other day and it became a hit. So, don't wait. Try it now.

2 cups of evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups of low fat milk

3/4 cups of water

4 tbsp of sugar

a pinch of saffron

5 cardomom pods crushed

6 tbsp (flat) corn flour

a few drops of rose water

2 tbsp of cream (opt)

method

1. Combine both the milk and cardomoms and sugar. Stir over low heat and bring to a boil

2. Now strain the mixture and remove the cardomom pods.

3. Return the milk into the pan and add saffron and rose water.

4. In a nother bowl mix the cornflour and water together until the flour dissolve into the water.

5. Now add the flour mix slowly into the milk.

6. Stir continously because the mixture will thicken very fast.

7. Make sure the fire is low all the time.

8. Lastly add the cream and turn off the heat. Stir the mixture and pour into individual serving bowls.

9. Decorate the top with roasted chopped almonds, pistachios or cashews.

10. Serve chilled.

Ramadan special…recipe from arabic bites

2009-09-12T22:54:00.001+08:00

Grilled chicken with lemon garlic and paprika

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Hummus with a sprinkling of paprika, Arabic flat bread and grilled chicken

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO HUBBY AND ME!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAK!!!

2009-09-03T08:59:00.001+08:00

Yesterday 2nd September , hubby and I celebrated our 20Th wedding anniversary. This year our anniversary was indeed very special because it fell during the Ramadan month. Every year we would out for dinner with the kids especially because my eldest Shak shares her birthday on the same day. This year to my surprise, hubby had other plans. He decided to cook for iftar! I was a little sceptical at first especially when he told me he is cooking fish. After some persuasion I finally agreed but I told him to please have a back plan, in case the food did not turn out well, the kids would not have anything for breaking fast. So he quickly checked the number for pizza delivery as plan B.

We started the day with a trip to the fish market and bought the fish fillets and vegetables. Later in the afternoon hubby was googling on the net for last minute recipes!! I was getting quite nervous. I thought he already had a menu in mind. So when I asked him what is he doing looking for recipes, he coolly said that there is another item on his menu and he forgot to look up the recipe!! By this time it was already 4pm. Another three hours to iftar and here we have not started on anything.

Exactly after Asr prayers hubby announced that he is heading for the kitchen, and I followed suit. First he prepared all the vegetables for grilling. Then he cut up tomatoes for the soup. The fish which was already cutup only needed washing and marinating. For the chips we cut up some potatoes. Yup I couldn't stop helping poor hubby.And finally the mystery item which he was googling for recipe was couscous. It was prepared in a flash.

The final product was:

Pan fried oat and breadcrumbs crusted fish fillets
with Grilled aubergine, red and yellow peppers in spiced olive oil
with onion and garlic flavoured couscous and a tangy homemade sauce.

For the kids especially my son MS and Sofi there was homemade potato chips.
Although it was also Shak's birthday, she did not get to enjoy her father hard work because she had gone back to college.

So the final product is these photos. The food? Well what can I say. It was excellent. I guess all of us including my kids did not think their father can cook so well. He actually produced a very healthy nutritious meal and all of us enjoyed it very much.

I would like to say a million thanks to hubby for wanting to cook for me and I wish us both A Happy Anniversary May Allah swt Bless us and our Family and give us many more years together. Amen

And to Shak, Happy Birthday again!! I know she is having a great time in college. What with the surprise birthday cake that she got from her good friends at 12 am and so many wishes and gifts.

SPICY TOMATO SOUP WITH SOUR CREAM

THE FINAL PRESENTATION (but oops, hubby forgot to pu the chips and couscous on the plate

BREADED FISH BEING PAN FRIED

IN ACTION!!

Home Sweet Home*

2009-07-17T15:28:00.000+08:00

The Messenger of Allah (sallaallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Everything with which a man amuses himself is Baatil (baseless, null and impermissible) - except three, his practicing with bow (and arrow); his training the horse and his playing with his family." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

YouTube - baba ali ummah films

2009-07-05T18:30:00.000+08:00

YouTube - baba ali ummah films

Ask Baba Ali

2009-06-29T10:48:00.001+08:00

I came across this hillarious, light hearted and thought provoking video the other day and would like to share with others. For more videos go to ummahfilms.com but for now enjoy this one. Ummah Films

Shared via AddThis

Sofi's Birthday Again!!!

2009-06-22T12:25:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah all praises is to Allah, it's Sofiyyah, my youngest's 10 year old birthday. Actually we only planned to invite a couple of her good friends over for tea. But Almight Allah had other plans. Sofi's granma, grand aunts, cousins, and uncles decided to come on that day. What started as a small party become a big get together. She had a great time. Ten year old birthday is important because this is when you enter into the age of double digits. Sofi says she feels like a big girl now too.;)

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-21T12:51:00.000+08:00

I found this interesting hadis from a website and wuld like to share with all.

*Home Sweet Home*

The Messenger of Allaah (sallaallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Everything with which a man amuses himself is Baatil (baseless, null and impermissible) - except three, his practicing with bow (and arrow); his training the horse and his playing with his family." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) has said: "There are two blessings that many people lose, health and free time." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Every one of you is a protector and a guardian of his immediate charge and is responsible for the actions of those people who are committed to his charge. A man is a guardian in respect to the family members of his house. A woman is a guardian in respect to her husband's house and his children." [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "…If you do not have Haya, then do whatever you want." [Saheeh al-Bukharee

Friday’s Business

2009-06-19T13:09:00.000+08:00

Friday’s Business

“O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the Salah on Al-Jumu’ah, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business. That is better for you if you did but know.” — Surah Al-Jumu’ah 62:9

The scholars agreed that it is prohibited for Muslims to engage in business transactions after the second Adhan…”your abandoning buying and selling, and instead, corcentrating your attention to Allah’s remembrance and the prayer are better for you in this life and the Hereafter.” -- Tafsir Ibn Kathir

“Then when the Salah is complete, you may disperse through the land, and seek the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.” -- Surah Al-Jumu’ah 62:10

Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions

2009-06-17T10:35:00.000+08:00

This is a good article, in case if you have not read it before. Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions

Case 1

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and US$12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.

Case 2

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral: Always look for simple solutions.

Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems

Always Focus on solutions & not on problems.

Crossroads in life.

2009-04-23T15:32:00.000+08:00

Many of us can surely agree that we come to crossroads in our lives many times. When we reach the junction where the road forks, we have to make the right decisions so that this choice that we make, is the best for us and our loved ones. Then after making the choice, maybe years later we will be thinking what if I took the other road? What will be of me.I have come to these crossroads many times in my life, whereby choices I made affected my loved ones. Only the other day my son commented to me that it is easier being an adult. His reasons were that he can get to do a lot of things...making decisions were one of them. I think being a child and letting our parents decide for us is better than having to make decisions on our own. Probably because the responsibility of that choice is not on our shoulders. But then again, I realised our parents too would have had the same apprehension when making decisions. So the best way is to Du'aa to Allah swt for guidance, before and Tawakkal after making the choice.

Quranic Way of Life

2009-03-31T10:48:00.000+08:00

Source : Islamway.com

Some of the lessons learnt from Quran that apply to our general
living!

1. Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion,
colour, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job
and so on [17/70]

2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception
[33/70]

3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way
[17/53, 2/83]

4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]

5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and
ostentatious [22/30]

6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]

7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]

8. Speak in a civilised manner in a language that is recognised by the
society and is commonly used [4/5]

9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a
relative [6/152]

10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]

11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]

12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play,
then pass by with dignity [25/72]

13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious
or overt [6/151].

14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct
yourself expeditiously [3/134].

15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]

16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]

17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]

18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]

19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and
salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].

20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep
your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without
full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave
consequences [24/15-16]

21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favourable
view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter.
Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and
truthful evidence [24/12-13]

22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in
ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6]

23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct
knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you
must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be
held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning
[17/36].

24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and
nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with
knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the
Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My sustainer! Advance
me in knowledge." [20:114]

25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of
one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].

26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]

27. Do not defame others [49/11]

28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]

29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might
deplete your communal energy [49/12]

30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]

31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]

32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for
safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and
also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a
greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]

33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else,
compliment the inmates [24/61]

34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought
permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of
blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]

35. Treat kindly
" Your parents
" Relatives
" The orphans
" And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]

36. Take care of
" The needy,
" The disabled
" Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs
" And those whose businesses have stalled
" And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]

37. Treat kindly
" Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours
" Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public
transportation. [4/36]

38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street,
and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]

39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]

40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them
with reminders of your generosity [2/262].

41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks
[76/9]

42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with
others in evil and bad matters [5/2]

43. Do no try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues
[53/32]

44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways
first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good
deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]

45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct
others] [66/6]

46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out
of ignorance, and then repents and amends [6/54, 3/134]

47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions
to creative energy, and become a source of tranquillity and comfort to
people [3/134]

48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful
exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]

49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the
Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and
amusement [6/70]

50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless
they engage in some other conversation [4/140]

51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]

52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]

53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too
early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to
engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the
host [33/53]

54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].

55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]

56. Fulfil your promises and commitments [17/34]

57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].

58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite
character from inside out [7/26]

59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]

60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor
bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their
possessions [2/188

12 Tips for Muslim Youth

2009-02-21T09:42:00.000+08:00

12 Tips for Muslim Youth

Courtesy of Islamzine

Why should you, a young Muslim, be helping to bring your friends closer to Allah?

After all, you've got your own struggles to deal with: trying to explain why you pray to hostile teachers, Hijab discrimination, standing up in class when the professor attacks Islam, dealing with parents who think you've gone nuts because you're growing a beard, or all the other difficulties faced by a number of practicing Muslim youth?

Islam was never meant to be an individualistic faith, reserved for the "chosen few". Muslims have a duty to spread the Deen, and practicing Muslim youth, whether beginners, activists or leaders have a crucial role to play.

"Allah has put them in a position that perhaps no one else is in," notes Sheema Khan, former Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) advisor for eastern Canada. "They have the means to communicate with their peers, they have an understanding of what they're going through plus they have the guidance of Islam."

Who is your childhood friend, who would rather spend Fridays at MacDonald's than the Masjid, or your classmate who is Muslim in name and only knows that "Muslims don't eat pork" going to listen to: the nice Imam of the Masjid who would freak out if he saw the way they were dressed and talked or you who may have grown up with them, joked with them, or see them everyday in school?

The answer is obvious: you.

Don't panic. Here are some tips and advice which can help from other Muslims, many of whom have been there and done that:

Tip # 1 : Make Your Intention Sincere

All work we do should ideally be for the sake of Allah. That includes the task of bringing someone closer to Allah. That of course means this should not be connected to arrogance, thinking you're the teacher and everyone else should be lucky you've embarked on a crusade to save them. Guidance is from Allah. Make Dua and make sincere efforts and remember Allah can also misguide you if He wills (we seek refuge in Allah from that).

Tip # 2 : Practice What YOu Preach

Not practicing what you preach is wrong and you will lose the confidence of anyone, young or old, once they figure you out. Don't do it.

Tip # 3 : Use The Quran & Seerah (biography of the Prophet peace be upon him) As Dawa Guides

Read and understand those chapters of the Quran which talk about how the Prophets presented the message of Islam to their people. Read the Seerah (for some good Seerah books)to see especially how the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought Islam to so many different people, including young people.

As well, talk to Dawa workers, and check out manuals they may have written, like Yahiya Emerick's How to Tell Others About Islam.

Tip # 4 : Talk To People As If You Really Dont Know Them

Don't assume you know someone just by looking at them. You don't know that the Muslim girl in your homeroom who walks through the school's hallways as if they were fashion show catwalks (see Ambe Rehman's perspective on this) is not someone you can talk to about Allah because she looks like a snob. Or that the Muslim guy who you've never seen at Juma at your university is a "bad Muslim". Maybe he was never really taught Islam and has no idea what importance Friday prayers have in Islam, especially for Muslim men.

Tip # 5 : Smile

Did you know the Prophet was big on smiling? But many "practicing" Muslims seem to have "their faces on upside down" as one speaker once said-frowning and serious.

Smiling, being polite and kind are all part of the manners of the Prophet, which we must exercise in our daily lives. If we want to approach others with Islam, we have to make ourselves approachable. Smiling is key to this.

But note that being approachable does not mean being flirtations with the other gender. There are Islamic rules for how men and women should deal with each other which have to be respected. Dawa is no excuse to have long and private conversations and meetings with the other sex, for example. Set up a system where someone expressing an interest in Islam is referred to someone of the same sex.

Tip # 6 : Take The Initiative & Hang Out With Them

Take the first step and invite someone you may have spoken to a couple of times to sit at lunch together, to check out a hockey game or invite them over for Iftar in Ramadan. Also, share difficulties, sorrows and frustrations. Help with homework, be a shoulder to cry on when depression hits, or just plain listen when your friend is upset, discuss common problems and KEEP THEIR SECRETS. There are few things as annoying as a snitch and backstabber. But an important note: if the problem is of a serious nature,(i.e. your friend is thinking of committing suicide or is taking drugs), notify and consult an adult immediately.

Tip # 7 : Show Them Islam Is Relevent Today, Right Here, Right Now

Young people may think Islam is too "old fashioned" and not in tune with the modern age. Prove this wrong. Show how Islam is really about relating to Allah, which any human being can do, anywhere, anytime. Allah is always closer to you than your jugular vein and He hears and knows everything. Encourage friends to ask Allah's help during tests, exams, and in dealing with problems at home with parents and siblings. Also point out how Islam relates to teenagers: Islam gives you focus and an understanding of who you are and where you are going, which most of "teen culture" does not.

Tip # 8 : Get Them Involved In Volunteer Work With You

If you are already involved in the community, get your friend to help out. Ask them to make a flyer for one of your youth group's events or brainstorm for ideas about activities to hold this school year. This involvement makes them feel part of the Muslim community and deepens your friendship, since you are now working together on something beneficial for both of you. Make sure you thank them for their contribution.

Tip # 9 : Ask Them 4 Fundamental Questions

As your friendship develops, you will notice the topics you discuss may become more serious. You may be discussing, for instance, future goals and plans. Khan recommends four questions to ask that can steer the topic to Allah and Islam:

a. Where am I going in life and what would make me really happy deep down inside?
b. What do I believe?
c. Who should I be grateful to?
d. Did I get to where I am today without the help of anyone?
Tip # 10 : Emphasize Praying 5 Times A Day Before Any Other Aspect Of Islam

A person's main connection with Allah, on a daily basis, is through the prayer five times a day. Don't emphasize any other aspect of Islam until your friend starts making a real effort to pray five times a day. Emphasize the direct connection one has with Allah in prayer. If they are facing a problem, tell them to pray, and to ask Allah for help in Salah and outside this time. When possible, make it a point to pray together during your "hang out time". If your friend begins to pray, that is the first step to other aspects of Islam like giving up swearing, treating parents with respect or dressing Islamically.

Tip # 11 : Help Instill Confidence In Adults

Adults, like Bart Simpson's dad Homer, are considered bumbling idiots in the eyes of "teen culture". Your job as a young Muslim is to help turn the tables on this false and unIslamic belief. All you have to do is this: when a Muslim adult does something good (i.e. saving someone's life, donating money to a worthy cause, the Imam gives a good speech, taking good care of his/her family) bring it up in the course of your conversations with your friend and praise the adult in question. Doing this regularly may not only change your friend's perspective, but could lead to them seeing their own parents in a more respectful way.

Tip # 12 : Support Them Even When They Become More Practicing

Remember, just because a person starts practicing Islam more regularly, this does not mean everything will be okay from this point onwards. There will still be hard times, difficulties. There may be times when your friend may have doubts about his or her newfound practice of Islam. Be there to reassure them.

Why Our Prayers and Dua'as are not Answered

2009-02-20T09:43:00.000+08:00

It's been almost two months since 2009 dawned on us. This year started with so much of sufferings and pain for our brothers and sisters in Palestine. When major trials and tribulations happen, we all turn to seek divine intervention and seek His mercy. And we start wondering Why our dua'aa and prayers are not answered. The fault time and time again are on us. ..human. Our greed, our indifference, our selfish acts, our disunity, our distrust, and the list go on. When something bad befalls us then only we are jerked awake from our slumber.

Why Our Prayers and Dua'as are not Answered

Taken from Khushoo fis-Salaat (p.62) of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee - rahimullah.

IBRAHEEM IBN ADHAM - may Allah have mercy on him - a third century scholar, a teacher and a companion of Sufyaan ath-Thawree, was asked about the saying of Allah - the Most High:

"AND YOUR LORD SAYS: 'CALL ON ME I WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER..." [40:60]

"We supplicate and we are not answered." So he said to them:

You know Allah, Yet you do not obey Him,

You recite the Qur'aan, Yet do not act according to it,

You know Shaitaan(Devil), Yet you have agreed with him,

You proclaim that you love Muhammed, (P.B.U.H) Yet you abandon his Sunnah,

You proclaim your love for Paradise, Yet you do not act to gain it,

You proclaim your fear the Fire, Yet you do not prevent yourselves from sins,

You say "Indeed death is true", Yet you have not prepared for it,

You point out the faults with others, Yet you do not look at your faults,

You eat of that which Allah has provided for you, Yet you do not thank Him,

You bury your dead, Yet you do not take a lesson from

Merits of Friday

2009-02-18T09:25:00.000+08:00

Question:

What is the merit of Friday over other days ? and why ?Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

Friday has many distinguishing features and virtues that Allah has bestowed upon this day and not others.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah led those who came before us away from Friday. The Jews had Saturday, and the Christians had Sunday. Then Allah brought us and Allah guided us to Friday. So there is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and thus they will follow us on the Day of Resurrection. We are the last of the people of this world but we will be the first on the Day of Resurrection, and we will be dealt with before all others.” Narrated by Muslim, 856.

Islamway.com

Funny isn't it?!

2009-02-16T09:34:00.000+08:00

Funny isn't it?!

- Funny how a $20 bill looks so big when you take it to the Mosque, but so small when you take it to the market.

- Funny how long it takes to do Zikr for an hour, but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.

- Funny how long a couple of hours spent at the Mosque are, but how short they are when watching a movie.

- Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.

- Funny how we get thrilled when a baseball game goes into extra innings, but we complain when a "Tarahvi" during Ramadhan is longer than the regular time.

- Funny how hard it is to read a Para in the Quran, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a best selling novel.

- Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert, but scramble to get a back row at mosque so that they can scramble out fast.

- Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a Mosque event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.

- Funny how hard it is for people learn a simple Preaching well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip.

- Funny how we believe what the newspaper says, but question what the Quran says.

- Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or to think, or to say, or do anything.

- Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding Allah, people think twice about sharing.

FUNNY, ISN'T IT?

Are you laughing? Are you thinking?
Give thanks to Allah for He is good & Mercifull!

By Sister Zarina
Source Islamway

More Pic In Istanbul

2009-01-12T11:39:00.000+08:00

ISTANBUL..walking down the memory lane

2009-01-07T10:35:00.000+08:00

2009-01-07T10:26:00.001+08:00

2009-01-07T10:26:00.000+08:00

Istanbul the Historic city.

2008-12-30T08:03:00.000+08:00

After five days in Dubai our vacation continued to Istanbul. We reached Istanbul at around 6pm local time and was greeted with a beautiful sunset. We took the airport shuttle to our hotel and it proved to be quite expensive. We later found out that the actual price for our hotel transfer from the airport was only half the amount we paid.
Our hotel was located in Sirkeci which is about 100 meters from Topkapi Palace and 200 meters from Spice Bazaar. On the first day in Istanbul, we took the Bosphorus tour. This tour starts after breakfast, when we were picked up from the hotel by our tour guide Emut. We were taken on a short city tour and then proceeded to the mouth of the Golden Horn, to explore the bustling Egyptian Spice Market of 17th century origin - a colorful bazaar heaped with spices, Turkish sweets, dried foods and much more. Then we headed to Camlica Hills the highest point in the vicinity of Istanbul, 267 meters above sea level. It has a small teahouse in the midst of the pine grove which gives the peak its name. From here, there is an absolutely magnificent view, which makes it well worth visiting here. One has a panoramic sight of the whole city, the Bosphorus almost as far as the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea with the Princes Islands, and behind that, the great snow covered ridge of Uludag, the Bithynian Olympus. We took the opputunity to take many pictures here.

Then finally we headed to Eminonou to take our ferry for the Bosphorus tour.
We discoverd a wealth of impressive sights all along the shores in the Bosphorus ferry trip along Istanbul's famous waterway dividing Europe and Asia. The trip along this sea is about 1 1/2 hours during which we had the chance to relax and admire the shoreline of beautiful mosques, lavish palaces and decadent villas. we also got to see Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, Ottoman summer mansions and Ortakoy mosque, the defensive Rumeli Fortress and Bosphorus Bridge - one of the world's largest suspension bridges, all alongside passing fishing boats, yachts, huge cargo ships and tankers.Hubby mentioned that this could be one of the most busiest waterway in the world. On the way back to Eminonu it was already beginning to get dark. The temperature suddenly dropped. Thankfully I was prepared for I brought extra socks and gloves and shawls for everyone. The pictures here are of Camlica Hills, Bosphorus trip and the Spice Bazaar.

Muharram Greetings

2008-12-28T23:43:00.000+08:00

Islamic Greeting Cards by Alhabib

Dubai in five days..is it possible??

2008-12-11T10:52:00.000+08:00

Glitzy, glamorous, ultra modern and a dreamworld, Dubai lives for attention. This city has been 'invented as a shopping haven on earth. Although one feels transformed to another world, the feelings come crashing down as soon as you see the price tags on most things in Dubai.It is my second trip to this ultra modern city and I can tell that you will never be disappointed by this city. The Arabs here live in style and luxury and sometimes it seems to be a change looking at them for us especially when we Asian are used to see on tv the 'other' middle easterners ..Iraqis, Iranians, Afghans.. living in war torn countries with no basic amenities. It is just pride that perhaps make me go back to this city. Proud feelings of fellow Muslims who can build extraordinary structures, skyscrapers, malls and what not. Anyway here are some of the pictures of places we visited in Dubai that I had caught on camera.

The first picture is of the dhow which cruises along the creek. We took this tour and of course like everything else in Dubai the interior of the Dhow was superbly decorated with five star international buffet.

The second picture is of my son MS who insisted on buying the Arab national dress for men and was learning how to put on the "head gear" from the shopkeeper.

The third is of the Burj Al Arab. The magnificent structure standing tall and proud in this dessert land. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.
I was lucky to have caught the picture of one of the white Rolls Royce which is used as Limousin service for hotel guest here.

The fourth picture is my favourite place of all in Dubai.. the SKI DUBAI in Emirates MAll. Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East and offers an amazing snow setting to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing or just playing in the snow. You don’t have to worry about ski clothing or equipment either. Ski Dubai has thought of it all and offers guests the use of winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment and my kids had a wonderful time here. Imagine one minute we were in temperature 32c outside and the next minute we were in temperature -3c.

And finally the last picture is of the plane we took from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.. KLIA to Dubai. I will post more pictures once I have sorted all and will also post some of the beautiful pictures of our holiday in Istanbul soon Insya Allah.

Eid dul Adha Mubarak

2008-12-10T10:35:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum one and all my friends and families. I am back in my own home and country. In fact have been back exactly for one week. It took me a while to get back to my routine though. I am sure you can imagine the amount of laundry that follows you back after a long holiday. Hmmm.... thinking about my holiday.. well that is a long story to tell. But all in all it was absolutely fun and joyous for the kids and hubby and me.I will try and share my experience on coming days insya Allah. But before that I would like to wish all my friends Eid Mubarak. May the blessed occasion of Eid Dul Adha brings happiness, joy and peace to you and family.

Cream of Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

2008-11-19T20:25:00.000+08:00

I had a few sweet potatoes and carrots in my fridge and I wanted to cook them before going on my vacation. So after some googling I found some recipes on how to make sweet potato soup. But I fiddled with the recipe a little to get the taste that I know my kids like. This soup turned out so well that my son just did not have enough of it. So here it is..

Ingredients

1. One large sweet potato chopped
2. Two carrots chopped
3. 1One medium onion sliced
4. one clove of garlic minced
5. one celery stalk chopped
6. Vegetable stock/ Chicken Stock
salt pepper
olive oil
1/4 cup of cream or evaporated milk

Method

Heat oil in a pot. Saute the onion and garlic untill they are soft and not browned.
Now add chopped vegetables and saute till well combined with the onion. Add the stock ( I used homemade vegetable stock). Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Now let it simmer till the veges are soft. Cool this soup and puree it in a blender or food processor. Then add the cream and milk and season with more pepper and garnish with some parsley

Its the holidays!!!

2008-11-17T18:44:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah the school holidays are here again. In malaysia the school term ends in mid november and only reopens in the first week of January. That means we have roughly 40 to 45 days of school break. Wheww that is long especially if you have active kids with nothing much to do in the house. There will be endless arguments: from remote controls for the idiot box, to who gets to play games first, to whom should mum play with. Thankfully hubby decided to take us for a two weeks vacation. Now that had the kids excited and made them talk and plan about this trip, which means less arguments, and more fun. So here we are all packed and ready to leave. But before that I decided to post one recipe which is Creamy Sweet Potatoes and Carrot soup. Actually there are many other recipes that I had tried out the past few weeks but Only I did not have time to post it. Anyway I will try and post them when I come back InsyaAllah. Till then Happy Holidays !!!

Wisdom of Rasulullah s.a.w

2008-11-09T09:31:00.000+08:00

The true believer treats his relatives well despite their being unkind to him.

The Greater Holy War is against the self.

Missing a prayer is like suffering agreat misfortune in one's family and wealth.

If you are negligent about your prayer, you will be more negligent about other things..

No one is a true believer until he wishes for others what he wishes for himself.

The right of the eldest brother upon the youngest is the right of the father upon his son.

Pitta Bread in Dubai

2008-11-08T08:32:00.000+08:00

My first encounter with pitta bread was in Dubai when my family and I had gone for our holidays. After travelling for more than 12 hours ( Pen –Kul-Dubai) and checking into our hotel we realized it was an apartment complex, we found out that there was no restaurant in it or even near by it. We were all exhausted and hungry. Later we went out to look for a plate of rice which is of course Malaysian staple diet. Surprisingly the cafes and restaurant along the Diera town did not sell any rice. All the food sold was either wrapped in a pitta bread or filled in a pitta pocket. So here it is after some trial and error I finally started making pittas better than the ones sold in the supermarket. I’ve even alterd the recipe to omit as much white flour as possible and include whole meal. Both the recipes are below. Enjoy kneading!!

Pitta Bread Recipe
3 cuos of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 10g sachet (or 3 teaspoons) instant yeast or ¼ oz / 8g active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil
Wholemeal Pitta Bread Recipe
1 cup of flour
1 ½ cups of whole meal flour
½ cup of wheatgerm
1 teaspoon salt

1 10g sachet (or 3 teaspoons) instant yeast or ¼ oz / 8g active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil
(Method for both is the same. Just combine all three flour first before continuing)

Sift together the flour and salt. Combine yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a cup and leave for 10 minutes until it starts to froth. Mix the yeast mixture into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon and start kneading by handi to form a dough, adding another few tablespoons warm water as needed. Knead the dough on a floured surface for approx 10 minutes until it is smooth, springy and elastic. Put some olive oil into the bowl and place the dough back into the bowl, spread the oil all over the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ - 2 hours until it has doubled in size.
Punch the air out of the dough and knead briefly, then divide the dough into twelve pieces. Roll each one out to a ¾ cm / ¼ inch thick round and put on a floured baking tray. When they're all done cover the tray and leave to rise again for another 45 minutes .Preheat your oven to its highest temperature - about 220C / 450F if it will get that hot. Heat up a baking tray or put large frying pan in the middle of your oven to heat. Once the dough has risen, put one or two pitta breads onto the griddle and return to oven to cook for 2 ½ to 3 minutes until they have puffed up. Bring the bread out onto a plate covered by a damp cloth to cool off. Once cool they can be frozen in bags. Reheat under the grill or in a toaster.Pitta bread is now ready and can be eaten with numerous fillings be it vegetarian or non vegetarian,

Baba Ghanouj - grilled eggplant dip

2008-11-07T08:28:00.000+08:00

Baba Ghanoush - also known as Baba Ghanouj in arabic – is according to Wikipedia a Levantine cuisine which is a traditional cuisine of Ottoman Syria, now usually called the Levant. Baba Ghanouj is a dip or spread made of roasted eggplant and traditionally tahini. Simply roast the eggplant, scoop out the softened pulp, and then puree with tahini and seasonings. The seasonings used in this recipe for Baba Ghanoush are garlic,ground cumin , lemon juice, parsley and salt. Dip fresh pita bread or use as spread for sandwiches or simply cut vegetables into the Baba Ghanoush for a healthy snack.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Tahini
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit (200° Celcius).
2. Prick the eggplant with a fork. Then place on a tray put into the hot oven.
3. Roast the eggplant for about 40 minutes or until very soft inside. (you will know eggplant is done he there is no more liquid coming out from it )
4. Cool completely.
5. Scoop out the eggplant's pulp and place in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients into the food processor. Pulse until pureed, but still has some texture.
6. Refrigerate. Serve chilled with fresh pita bread.

Exams and High School Musical 3

2008-11-05T12:51:00.000+08:00

It has been quite a while since I posted anything. The reason is because of the exam season here in Malaysia. Children in primary, secondary school and and pre-U will be sitting for their final exams in the month of October and November just before the school term break. Having kids all in primary, secondary and Pre-U can cause any mom to go nuts what with all the driving to and fro from school, tutoring, cooking balanced meal, going to school during lunch break to give moral support and the list goes on..My two daughters the eldest doing her SAM program ( South Australian Matriculation) and my youngest in year three are the most stressed out girls I have seen. The little one is ditto her big sister and a perfectionist when it comes to her work. My son on the other hand is such a happy go lucky fellow and is always cool in what ever circumstances. Looking at my children it make me realise how different and how well defined their personalities are. Sometimes the cutest of things that they say can make any mum do the craziest things. For instance, when I knew about the movie High School Musical 3 coming to my town cinemas I specifically told my eldest who is so crazy about this movie not to mention about it to the little one. My little Sofi is also a big fan of high school musical and even had performed a dance for the song 'What Time Is It' earlier this year in her school concert. While I do encourage my kids to follow their passion as long as they are good Muslims and obedient children, this HSM thing was going out of hand.So I banned Sofi from watching replay of the movie and talking about the movie. (although she begged me to allow her to listen to the songs in the weekend). So now back to HSM3 , I was quite sure this movie was out of the question and no one dared to talk about it. Until last Saturday when my eldest called me from KL asking my 'permission' to watch the movie . Her excuse was that all her room mate in the hostel will be going for the movie and she will be alone in the apartment. Sigh..! What can I do? So after consulting with her father , I allowed her to go for the movie. Now that should be it, right? Nope.. Little Sofi overheard and started sulking. When I asked her what was wrong she very timidly replied that every single girl in her class have seen the movie, except her. She also added that she feels awkward and embarassed because she was the only one who has not seen the movie, and since her exams are over and she did work very hard, we should at least consider taking her for the movie. Talk about peer pressure. Just then her best friend called to tell her that she was going for the movie, again! Little Sofi had such a miserable look on her face that hubby and I instantly gave in and decided to take her for the 9pm show. But there was one problem though. My son MS hates HSM 1, 2 or 3. He refused to follow giving all kind of reasons why he should stay at home. Finally after some coaxing he agreed to follow but on condition that he be allowed to cover his eyes with an eye patch. What a mom has to go through to please her kids. So we agreed. The movie HSM3 was not so great after all the Boohoohaa.In my opinion the movie was definitely not suitable for kids. There was too much of romancing and very little story in it. Many a time I had to distract sofi so that she does not watch all the romancing that was going on. So after the movie, I had a talk with her and asked her opinion of the movie. She agreed that it was not so nice and she wished now that she did not go for it. MS was happy saying again and again 'I told you so'. But all in all it was a lesson learnt for all of us. For me and Hubby, as parents we should say no and be firm with our answer when we are sure of something. For Sofi, she should not allow friends to influence her and for MS...ehm.ehmm advice his mom when he thinks her heart is controlling her head. Anyway no offence to those of you who enjoy HSM 3... this is only my view of the movie. Happy Days !!!

Homemade Burger in a jiffy

2008-10-23T11:36:00.000+08:00

Yesterday my son MS had a big complain. According to him I am not making any of his favorite dish anymore. He also added that everyday lunch comprising of rice, vegetable and meat/seafood so boring . So being a very obliging Mom:), I decided to prepare his two most favorite dish. That is spaghetti Bolognese for lunch, and homemade chicken burger for dinner. I’ve already entered the Bolognese recipe before. Here is the recipe for the homemade chicken burger.

500gm chicken meat
1 large onion
3-5 slices of capsicum ( red, green & yellow)
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of fennel powder
1-2 tsp chilly powder
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a paste. Scoop then into several balls. Heat a little oil a heavy bottomed pan. Pat the balls into chicken patties and shallow fry them on slow fire two at a time. Your chicken burger is ready.

There are several ways to serve them. You can put them in a burger bun and top with lettuce, salad, carrots, mayo, and cheese.
Alternatively you can cut the burger into strips and put them into pita bread with coleslaw .You can also cut up these burgers and use them as pizza topping. Happy cooking
Note:
I put in the capsicum for some added nutrients,you can add other vegetable such as sweet corn, beans,chives or coriander leaves

Biryani Recipe with Dalcha and Spicy Chicken Fry

2008-10-18T15:54:00.000+08:00

Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a family of primarily South Asian rice dishes made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat/vegetables. This dish was widely spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia (and Southeast Asia to an extent) by Muslim travellers and merchants, and is very popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The name is derived[1] from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted". Today there are many kinds of biryanis, Dhum Biryani, Malay style Biryani, Burmese, Indian Sri Lankan biryani, and much much more. I still remember how my mother used to take many hours to prepare the spices which firstly would be cleaned, air dried pounded before actually going into the pot. But now pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.

As I mentioned earlier , the various types of biryani available now differs from one another because of the types of spices used in these dishes. The usual spices and condiments used in biryani may include but are not limited to: cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander and mint leaves. For a rich taste many choose to cook with ghee. The other ingredients which is a must are ginger, onions, garlic and yoghurt. The premium varieties include saffron. For a non-vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat—beef, chicken, goat, lamb, or shrimp, though vegetable biryani varieties are also popular. The dish is served with dalcha in Malaysia, whereas in Indian restaurants it served with chutney or Raita, while some middle Eastern dining serve this dish with meat korma, curry or a sour dish of eggplant (brinjal).

My recipe today is a simple biryani. I got this recipe from a friend, who is doing catering business. She is a Pakistani and I guess this Biryani could be Pakistan version Biryani. I had opted to make it without any chicken in it. But you can still add chicken or meat in this dish. My other dish is Dalcha. The base of this curry dish is lentil/dhal cooked with utton/chicken and a variety of vegetables.It's a south Indian recipe.My Dalcha is a family recipe and no matter how many times I cook it I still think the best Dalcha is my Mom's. And finally is the spicy chicken. well this is my own concoction. I don't follow a strict recipe for this. You can add and adjust to your liking. Here are the recipes and happy cooking.

Biryani

Ingredients:
A
2-3 cm cinnamon stick
4 coardamoms
1 star anise
4-5 pieces of cloves

B
2 large onion chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves chopped
1 spray mint leaves chopped
3 screwpine leaves
3tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup cashew nut grind to a paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2tbsp yogurt

4 tbsp ghee
4 cups of Basmati Rice ( soak them in water for half an hour )

some roasted cashews and raisins for garnishing

Method

1. In a large pot put the ghee and fry onion till golden then add A.
2. Fry for a couple of minutes then add mint, coriander and screwpine leaves. Saute till there is a fragrant.
3. then add ginger garlic paste and all the tomatoes and cashew paste,turmeric and yogurt.
4. Now add the water,( which is 1 1/2 cup of water for one cup of rice ) and the evaporated milk. Put some salt and simmer for awhile before adding the rice. Lower the heat to a minimum and cook till the rice is well done.
5. Garnish with cashew raisins and more chopped coriander.

Dalcha

Ingredients

A
2-3 cm cinnamon stick
4 coardamoms
1 star anise
4-5 pieces of cloves

1/2 kg mutton/chicken

3-4 tbsp curry powder added with some water and stirred to a paste
1 tbsp tamarind with some water to form a paste
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp garlic ginger paste
2 green chillies, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Brinjal, sliced according to taste
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, cut into quarters
1 unriped mango, unpeeled, seeded and sliced (optional)
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 bowl of water
1 cup full Dhal or yellow lentils, soaked in water for 30 minutes then boiled and partly mashed
1 bunch of coriander chopped
some mint leaves chopped
some curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a big pot, when the oil is ready add in A.
2. Add sliced onions and curry leaves, fry for a while, till onions are yellow and fragrant.
3. Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the mutton and the curry paste. Cover and leave it for 10 minutes.
4. Now add the vegetables except mango.
4. Add the water and cook till the vegetables are done.
6. Now add the tamarind, the cooked lenthis and coconut milk.
7. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add mango and seoson with some salt.
8. Finally garnish with chopped coriander and mint. Serve hot with Biryani or Pilau.

Fish Curry for my daughter in KL

2008-10-14T12:22:00.000+08:00

Ingredients

1 large pomfret/ mackerel or any fleshy fish of your choice
2 big onions sliced
2 big tomatoes chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
4-5Tbsp Fish curry powder ( mix this in a little water to form a paste)
lime size tamarind pulp mixed with 1 small bowl of water
5 tbsp evaporated milk ( or coconut cream )

To sauté (A)
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
A few curry leaves

3tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
1.Heat oil in a earthen pot and fry the (A) well.
2.Now add sliced onions and garlic. Fry till there is aroma.
3.Then add tomatoes and the curry powder. Fry well till the oil separates
from the spices.
4.Add the tamarind juice and 1 large bowl of water. Simmer for 15 minutes
5.Now add the milk.
6.Then add the fish and your choice of vegetable such as ladies finger or brinjal.
7.Season with some salt.
8.Serve this delicious fish curry with some hot rice and popodums.

Note:
This dish improves with keeping. Green mangoes can also be added but you have to reduce the tamarind juice.

Mee Jawa ( Noodles in prawn and tomato gravy)

2008-10-14T12:17:00.000+08:00

Eid Mubarak !!

2008-09-30T15:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Eid everyone. Alhamdulillah and syukur to Allah swt we have completed Ramadan. May all our fasting and good deeds accepted by the Almighty. Tomorrow is 1st of Syawal and muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Eid dul Fitri. Eid means 'a recurring happiness or festivity'. There are two Eids: Eid-dul-Fitr, celebrated on 1st of Shawwal following the month of fasting to celebrate Festival Of Fast Breaking , and Eid-dul-Adha, celebrated on 10th of Dul-Hijja, following the course of hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca )
Eid al-Fitr is the time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy. Before the day of Eid, during the last few days of Ramadan, each Muslim family gives a determined amount as a donation to the poor. This donation is of actual food -- rice, barley, dates, rice, etc. -- to ensure that the needy can have a holiday meal and participate in the celebration. This donation is known as sadaqah al-fitr (charity of fast-breaking).

On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer. In Malaysia we greet each other with 'Selamat Hari Raya' on this day. Family and friends will take this opportunity to visit each other and may also will be having ' Open House' with an array of mouth watering local delicacy such as lemang , ketupat, rendang, serunding, nasi impit, nasi bryani and various meat dishes to offer to their guests.

Well I too as usual will be having my Eid open House, InsyaAllah. I will be posting more about the Eid celebration after one week break. InsyaAllah.

Eid Mubarak !!

2008-09-30T15:35:00.000+08:00

Ramadhan Aspiration

2008-09-25T10:38:00.000+08:00

Today is 25 Ramadhan. There is only another 5 days to go before this holy month with all the doors of blessing open, ends. The last ten night which is considered the most impotant nights of this month. Lailatul Qadar ( The Night of Power) could fall in any one of these nights. The Night of Power is full of blessings, because the Noble Qur’an descended on this night. The Qur’an is send to Rasulullah Saw. It distinguishes between the good and evil and shows to the way of peace and the eternal joy for all humanity. Being this thus, the night in which this Divine Book was sent down is worthy of great esteem. The Qur’an says:

“Surely We revealed it [the Holy Quran] on the grandest night. And what will make you comprehend what the grandest night. The grandest night is better than a thousand months. The angels and Gabriel descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair. Peace onto it until the break of the morning.” (97:1-5)

On the Night of Power, pray to God with all your heart and He will definitely respond to all your prayers. During this night, as quoted in the above-mentioned verse, the angels and the celestial spirit (Gabriel alaihis-salaam) descends. Its proximity to the Earth gives to a spiritual brightness to the hearts and souls of the believers. The Prophet (SAW) on this night spend time in oration and adoration of God. To that they spend his night in oration, the unimaginable experience joy, a deep feeling of great pleasure, like result of immense celestial blessings in tonight.

Recite the Qur’an, look for the pardon of Allah and pray for the good of this world, as well as in the next.

Iftaar invitation in Alor Star

2008-09-24T10:53:00.000+08:00

Yesterday my kids and I followed Hubby to Alor star ( his office is there). They were having their annual Iftaar and all was invited. It has been awhile since I went to Alor Star, and I was looking forward to this trip. So, early in the morning we left for Alor Star. I was a little worried though because it was quite early and I did not know how long my two children can hang around the shopping mall before they get tired. But I was pleasantly surprised because hubby had arranged for the company's apartment for us to use for the day. Soon after we reached I got my two kids organize their time table so that one get to play computer while the other does homework and vice versa. Then I dropped off hubby in his office and headed straight to Star Parade which is one of the biggest shopping mall in Alor Star. The atmosphere in Star Parade was quite amazing with Eid dul Ftri songs in the air there was a festive scene everywhere. There was also scores and scores of shops selling traditional Malay dresses, Jubahs, Abaya, scarfs, hijabs and much much more. After purchasing a few stuffs, I headed back to the apartment for some rest. Later in the evening we all gathered at the Al Bukhary mosque for iftaar and Maghrib prayers. Although the day was tiring for my kids and me, I feel it was worthwhile because we get to meet my hubby's staffs and sit together (orphans were also invited) this Ramadhan and enjoy our meals. After all, what better way to strenghten our silarturrahim?

Sami Yusuf- Hasbi Rabbi - The Video!

2008-09-22T11:48:00.001+08:00

Sami Yusuf- Hasbi Rabbi - The Video!

Posted using ShareThis

No time to blog?

2008-09-20T21:33:00.001+08:00

It has been more than a week since I last posted anything. The reason is because of the never ending chores in preparation for Eidul Fitr. Despite all the organizing, I think I am one of the last ones to bake cookies and sweets for this festive season. Last week I spoke to mom in law and guest what? She had already prepared 3 types of cookies and even had them posted to UK for my brother in law who is studying there. Then my sister in law called and told me she had already baked 5 types of cookies and now she is free to do her shopping and other stuff. I don't believe it. It is only 21st of Ramadhan and there is still a good 9 or 10 ten days to go. How come everyone is super fast this year. Even some of the other blogger had started to make their cookies. Sigh!! Anyway, I entered my kitchen today with zest and determination and baked 2 types of cookies, Almond crunch and Choc Rice Cookies ( Sarang semut ). It turned out quite well, after 4 hours of toiling in front of the oven that is. So now I am in the same squad or gang or whatever it is with everyone. And if anyone ask me ' Have you started making any cookies?' I can give them a brilliant smile and invite them to come and taste my cookies of course after breaking fast. As they say better late than never.

15 punshiments of missing prayer...

2008-09-12T14:47:00.000+08:00


The one who disdains the prayers will receive Fifteen punishments from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.Six punishments in this lifetime,Three while dying Three in the grave & Three on the Day of Judgment. I thought this would be interesting to share with all of you... THE SIX PUNISHMENTS OF LIFE: 1. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala takes away blessings from his age (makes his life misfortunate) 2. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aladoes not accept his plea (Dua's) 3. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala erases the features of good people from his face 4. he will be detested by all creatures on earth. 5. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala does not award him for his good deeds. (No thawab) 6. he will not be included in the Dua's of good people. THE THREE PUNISHMENTS WHILE DYING: 1. he dies humiliated. 2. he dies hungry. 3. he dies thirsty.Even if he drinks the water of all seas he will still be thirsty. THE THREE PUNISHMENTS IN THE GRAVE: 1. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala tightens his grave until his chest ribs come over each other. 2. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala pours on him fire with embers. 3. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala sets on him a snake called "the brave", "the bold" which hits Him from morning until afternoon for leaving Fajr prayer,from the afternoon until Asr for leaving Dhuhr prayer and so on. With each strike he sinks 70 yards under the ground. THE THREE PUNISHMENTS ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT: 1. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala sends those who would accompany him to hell pulling him on the face. 2. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gives him an angry look that makes the flesh of his face fall down. 3. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala judges him strictly and orders him to be thrown in hell. THOSE WHO DO NOT SAY THEIR PRAYERS OF: FAJAR: the glow of their face is taken away. ZOHAR: the blessing of their income is taken away. ASAR: the strength of their body is taken away. MAGHRIB: they are not benefacted by their children. ISHA: the peace of their sleep is taken away. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect us and show us the right path all the time Ameen

2008-09-11T09:44:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday G!!

2008-09-11T09:23:00.000+08:00

That's how I call my hubby ..G. Today is his birthday and for the first time it falls in the month of ramadan. Well since everyday in Ramadan is a celebration, today will be extra special and today the kids and I will try and cook up his favorite food for breaking fast. Anyway I would like to wish G Happy Birthday!! May you have good health, long and prosperous life. Ameen.

Ramadan Feast in my home

2008-09-06T21:21:00.000+08:00

These are some of the dishes I prepared at home in this holy month of Ramadan. As a start I"ve decided to reduce the variety of dishes on each day so that there is no wastage. Once again I would like to remind myself and all brothers and sisters out there to increase our 'ibadah i.e read the Quran and do other little things like sadaqa, help the needy, istigfar, zikir and much much more. May Allah swt grant us an easy and rewarding Ramadan.

2008-09-06T21:16:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Shak!!

2008-09-03T10:21:00.000+08:00

2nd September is a very special day for me. It is my eldest daughter Shak's birthday and my wedding anniversary. We used to have only one celebration, but as Shak got older and my other kids became conscious about getting treats on special occasian, they requested that we celebrate twice. " I just want to be fair. My parents get their own special day and I get mine. " assured Shak. " Yes, than we also get to eat two special meal." MS who is all in for gourmet food coaxed. My little one Sofi squeeled " Yeah...!! Than Aka will get two presents on both days." Well that's how the children get what they want from hubby and me. I call them partners in crime. When all three of them want something, they can debate, convince and assure us that it is actually good for all of us. Most of the time hubby and I let them get their way. Not because we were forced to but it is so amusing to see all three children trying their best to agree on something ( they usually don't ). Well anyway this year since 2nd September falls in the month of Ramadhan, we just decided to to have only one celebration that is on last Saturday night. We went out for dinner at Tandoori House located on Transfer road. The food there was ok. It used to be very good before. I even had Sofi's 4 year old birthday party here. But now I noticed the standard had dropped. Nevertheless we still had a good time together.

2008-09-01T19:18:00.000+08:00

Ramadan Al Mubarak to all Muslims

2008-09-01T18:52:00.000+08:00

Ramadan Al Mubarak to all. Once again the time is here which all muslims look forward to.. the fasting month. I pray and doa that Allah swt gives us strength to complete the fasting month and come out victorious.

MerDeka !!!! MerDeka !!! mERdEKa!!!

2008-08-31T21:28:00.001+08:00

Tonight on 31st August 2008, we are going to celebrate our nation’s 51st birthday or Independence Day. 51 years ago, while we were still called Malaya, our first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, led a delegation of ministers and political leaders of Malaya negotiating with the British in London for Merdeka, or independence along with the first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) Tun Dato Sir Tan Cheng Lock and fifth President of Malaysian Indian Congress Tun V.T. Sambanthan. It was decided that the official proclamation of Malaya independence would be made on August 31, 1957, at Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), in Kuala Lumpur, and we are then named as Malaysia, until today.

Thus my kids and I being the patriotic lot decided to paint and express our love for our country through our art. Here are the pictures:)

Artist Extraordinaire

2008-08-20T20:33:00.000+08:00

My family and I had just came back from Kuala Lumpur after visiting my eldest Shak whose in college there.Since it is still the school holidays and hubby is also on leave, we decided to do painting with our two other kids MS and Sofi. My children just love painting and sometimes they become very competitive and try and out do each other. Most of the time it is fun watching them but other times it can go out of control and they will end up quarelling. This time I decided to let everyone to choose whatever they want to paint without a specific title. The end result was quite amazing. Hubby Ak painted a night scenery,my son MS who is so into the Beijing Olympics, painted the logo, Sofi decided on a daylight scenery and I chose Batik design. Here are the pictures of the painting.

Reflect on this

2008-08-19T15:27:00.000+08:00

Don't be Sad is a book I'm currently reading. There is a particular paragraph in this book which I have reproduced below to allow others to recite this as their Do'a/prayer and ask Allah swt to grant us a good life and success in the world and the hereafter. I write this doa/prayer in a clean sheet of paper and keep it in my handbag. This gives me a sense of security and feeling of protection from Allah. Try writing it down and you will know what I mean.

" There is none worthy of worship except Allah, the Ever-Forebearing, the Most Great. There is none worthy of worship except Allah, the Lord of the Tremendous Throne. There is none worthy of worship except Allah,the Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the Noble Throne. O'Ever-Living, and O'One Who sustains and protects all that exists, there is none worthy of worship except You and by Your mercy do we seek Your aid."
O'Allah, Your mercy do I hope for; so do not leave to myself, not even for the blinking of an eye. and make well for me all of my affairs. There is none worthy except You."
" I seek forgiveness from Allah: none is worthy of worship except Him. He is the Ever-Living and the One ho sustains and protects all that exists, and I turn to Him in repentance."
" There is none worthy of worship except You, and how perfect You are: verily; I am among the wrongdoers."
" O' Allah, verily I am Your slave, the son of Your slaves; my forelock is in Your hand. Your order concerning me will be executed and just is Your judgement upon me. I ask You by all of Your names that You have named Yourself with, have revealed in Your book, have taught to one of Your creation, or is in Your knowledge only (from the matters of the unseen)-make Qu'ran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sadness, and the purger of my anxiety."
"O' Allah, I seek refuge in you from anxiety and grief, from inability and laziness, from avarice and cowardice, from being engrossed by debt, and from being overpowered by men."
" Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)." Ameen

Doli Kuew Teow

2008-08-18T11:02:00.000+08:00

Last weekend hubby AK and I decided to visit his Mom who is staying 80km away from us. You see we did not visit her on her birthday because it was a working day, so last Saturday we packed all the presents, bought lots of durian ( her favourite and mine too) and went to visit her. Coincidentally AK's other brother was also there. So it became like a family gathering with lots of tea, durians and rojaks. Later that night mom in law suggested that we go out for dinner in this new restaurant in Taiping. Being a small town, Taiping does not have many restaurant to boast, so the locals were a little excited when this new Malay restaurant opened a few months ago. It is called Doli restaurant, located near Tupai opposite the new Taiping Polyclinic. According to mom in law their special dish is Fried Kuey Teow and it is individually prepared for customers. There was 12 of us and one of Ak's aunt had gone earlier to book a place for all of us. Everyone ordered the Fried Kuey Teow, except for AK and Sofi, they had Chicken Rice. My son MS had Curry Mee and I ordered an extra plate of Mee Rebus (Noodles in spicy Sweet potato and prawn gravy) just to taste. The Kuey Teow was very nice with lots of shrimps and vegetables. A little salty for me though. The Chicken Rice was unique because instead of the usual boiled roasted chicken this was chicken roasted and served with peanut sauce. Very nice. Ms enjoyed his Curry Mee. Since MS is the biggest food critic around I was surprised that he ate his noodle quietly. Later he acknowledged that the noodle was very good. The Mee Rebus was also good. But Ak did not like the strong dried shrimp smell from the gravy. But then you have to be a through and through Penangite to savor the taste of Mee Rebus and I give them the Thumbs UP! The restaurant also serve a variety of fruit juice. You have to come early though in the weekend because the place will be full. The picture above is only of CUrry Mee and Mee Rebus. I actually forgot to take picture of the Fried Kuey Teow but will do so another time. Restaurant Doli will be opening their new branch in Taman Tun in Kuala Lumpur soon according to the Proprietor.

Ouch!! My leg Hurts

2008-08-14T10:48:00.000+08:00

When I tell people my legs can act as the weather man, I usually get the disbelieving look, or an annoyed look and sometimes teasing remarks. But really I am telling the truth. When there is a change in the weather, somehow my legs seems to get the signal first. Way before the rain comes, I will be telling my hubby AK to drive carefully because it will be raining InsyaAllah shortly. Ak did not believe at first. After sometime he admitted that my legs did indicate the rain.
I started noticing it myself in the late 90s. My legs will start to cramp and I will get pain in my calf just before it rained. The pain will subside as soon as the rain stops. Just before Tsunami in year 2006, I was having severe leg pain for a couple of days. It did rain at that time where I was staying. And I sometimes do wonder if the severe pain in my leg was any indication for the devastation that took place. But of course I can’t go telling people that there is going to be a Tsunami just because of my leg pain ! This will probably put me in a lot of trouble for causing anxiety, unrest, turmoil, apprehension, disorder, disturbance……..to society at large and I might then be on the Wanted List !! God Forbid! Now back to my leg pain , I did finally meet someone who had this ability (or disability because you will be unable to move about freely ) to forecast the weather with the condition of her legs. She is Kak A as I call her. We used to stay in the same neighborhood when I was staying in Kuala Lumpur. One day when she came for a visit, she casually told me that she had to do her marketing fast because it might be raining later today. When she saw the look of dismay in my eyes, she started the lengthy explanation of how her legs can forecast the weather. Then she started to utter apologize for frightening me. I on the other hand was shocked to see somebody else who had the same ability as me. Soon we became good friends and used to exchange weather notes with each other until she moved to Cheras and I to North.
But lately for the past few days I have been having leg pain but I did one mistake. That is, I went for a foot reflexology and it had aggravated my pain and my ankle is a bit swollen now. Sigh!! All I can do is put on my Super Socks and mooch around the house. But hey!! It did rain this morning not heavy but just a drizzle..

To pressure or not to pressure

2008-08-13T12:52:00.001+08:00

It had been a long time since I last cooked mutton. This is because when I was staying in Kuala Lumpur, I could not buy any local mutton. Mostly Australian lamb was available. This Australian lamb has very strong smell and does not taste very good with Indian or Arabic style of cooking. But last weekend my sister offered to buy me some local mutton from her regular butcher. I was of course delighted because I really do not know how to buy mutton, for example, which part is good for curry, or to make meatball on so on. So at 12 noon on Sunday morning my brother in law brought fresh mutton to my house. After deciding what to cook I realised I had one big problem."Where was my pressure cooker." I got my son MS to search for the pressure cooker. After all he wanted to eat mutton so much. After a while we found the pressure cooker but now the weight which controls the steam was missing. SIGH!! It was a Sunday and here I am looking high and low for the weight and I have not even started lunch yet. Finally hubby had an idea. You see, my hubby Ak who was the eldest in his family used to help his mom a lot when he was small.
( Another reason was because mom in law has no daughters). So with his vast experience and knowledge, he advised me to use the pressure cooker as normal. Wait for the steam to build then put a thick wet towel instead of the weight on the cover. So I obediently did what was told and to my surprise in less than 20 minutes the mutton was cooked to a nice tender and juicy texture and my house was filled with the aromatic smell of cardamons ginger and all the spices which was in side the pressure cooker. After whipping up a simple vegetable dish we all sat down for one of the most delicious and satisfying home made lunch. So if you have pressure cooker at home and you have lost the weight like I did. Don't despair, just put a wet towel and you will be surprised of the result. HAppy cooking

Arab Bread with Sardin gravy

2008-08-12T11:04:00.001+08:00

When I was staying in Alor Star a couple of years ago, I used to buy roti Arab or Arab Bread. This bread is available all the time in their night market. I used to buy and freeze them and it use to be so easy to just pull out an arab bread and prepare some gravy and dinner or breakfast is ready in a jiffy. Now in Penang, I can't find this bread anymore. I have tried in most of the night markets, frozen food stores, but still nobody even knows what this roti arab is in Penang. After some googling I found one recipe for this delicious bread. But of course, being a little health conscious, I have altered the recipe and in future I even might try to substitute the white flour with wholemeal flour. I will give both the original recipe and my own version of the Arab bread, but seriously there was not much difference in taste, but calories wise, mine is much lower than the original recipe. Here it is.

Arab Bread (My recipe)

500gm bread flour/high protein flour
1 tbsp canola spread
5 tbsp olive oil
1 packet Mauripan yeast
2 tbsp brown sugar
250 ml warm water
salt to taste

Method

In a bowl mix the yeast, sugar and water. Leave it for about 15 minutes until it froths. Now mix flour salt and the oils. pour the yeast mixture slowly kneading all the time. Add more water if necessary. Knead well for 20 minutes and let it rest for 30 min or until double the size. Punch down the dough. Divide the dough to about the size of a tennis ball. Pat the dough to a circular shape of 10 inches. Leave it rise again for 15 minutes. Now put the bread on a non stick pan and cook it on a very slow fire for approximately 3 minutes on each side. (Do not use any butter or oil).
Take out the bread and serve immediately with meat gravy or sardine gravy.

NOTE:

If you are not going to eat immediately, than microwave it for 30 sec before eating. You can even freeze the bread and heat it on pan before eating.

Arab Bread (Original Recipe)

500gm bread flour/high protein flour
6 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening
1 packet Mauripan yeast
4 tbsp sugar
250 ml warm water
salt to taste

Caramel Custard

2008-08-05T01:30:00.000+08:00

My daughter Shak is coming back today fo r a visit. Thus I have decided to make her favourite dessert caramel custard. My version of caramel custard is extremely simple but satisfying. You don’t have to worry about calories because there is no eggs. I personally do not like the original caramel custard recipe which uses a lot of egg making it look more like an egg custard. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

For the caramel
1 small bowl of sugar
½ bowl of water

Mix water and sugar in a pot simmer till it becomes thick syrupy and golden brown. Pour 1cm high in individual containers.

For the custard

1 liter of low fat milk
6 tbsp custard powder

Mix the custard powder with ½ a cup of milk until it becomes smooth. Now pour the remaining milk into a pot and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and pour the custard mix slowly into the hot milk stirring all the time. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the custard into the containers with caramel. Cool and chill them for at least 2 hours before serving. For variety you can cut some fruits like strawberries, peaches, pineapples on top with a little squirt of whipped cream.

Note

It is important to buy good quality custard powder to get a rich custard. You can also add vanilla or rose flavour in the custard for a change. The caramel can also be flavoured with cinnamon . Just drop in 2cm cinnamon stick when making the caramel. Remove when it is done.

Al Isra' Al Mikhraj' 27 rejab

2008-07-29T10:29:00.000+08:00

All praise and thanks are due to Allah swt the Exalted,the Lord of the universe. May the choicest blessings and peace be upon the last of the messengers and prophets, Muhammad saw, his family, Companions and all those who follow his footsteps till the end of this universe.

27 Rejab is the day of Israq Mikhraj. The Prophet’s Journey by Night and Ascension to the Heavens.It is sunnat for all Muslims to fast on this day the day Allah swt commanded the five daily prayers directly to Rasullulah saw.

Please read on to discover the magnificent journey Al Isra' Al Mikraj'

Glorified is He Who took His slave for a journey by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram (in Mecca) to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him some of Our signs. Verily He is the All-Hearer the All-Seer.　Al-Isra: 17.1

INTRDUCTION
The Prophet’s wife Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, would sometimes fast until we never thought he would break his fast, and sometimes he would refrain from fasting until we thought that he would never fast. Yet, every night he would recite Surah Al-Isra and Surah Az-Zumar.”
After the ‘Year of Sadness’, when his beloved wife Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, and his dear uncle and protector Abu Talib died, the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, went to Taif to call the people there to Islam. They rejected his invitation to Islam and treated him cruelly. How much pain could the compassionate heart of our Prophet withstand? The people of Mecca had exiled his small band of believers and now the people of Taif had stoned him because he called them to leave their idols and worship Allah. As he sat, wounded and bleeding in the garden of the sons of Rabi’ah he raised his hands and prayed in despair to Allah: “O Allah, I complain to you that I am weak, and the people treat me with contempt. O Most Merciful of the Merciful! You are the Lord of the Oppressed, and You are my Lord. Would you leave my fate to those who insult and dominate me? I only seek to please You and pray that You are not angry with me. I take refuge with You and beg You for Your support. There is no power and no strength except in You.”
In spite of his suffering at the hands of the people of Taif, the Prophet’s heart was so compassionate that he would not permit the angel of the mountains to punish them. He returned to Mecca accompanied by his faithful slave and companion, Zaid, may Allah be pleased with him, who advised him to enter the city under the protection of one of the powerful idolaters because the Quraysh were plotting against him. In spite of his humiliation and rejection by the people, the Prophet had born every trial with patience and courage, only seeking the pleasure of his Lord.
Allah ta ‘ala had not forsaken His beloved Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and answered his prayer by inviting him to the journey of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj, to reassure him that in contrast to his low esteem on the earth, he had a high status amongst the people of the Heavens.
On the night of Al-Isra, the Prophet Muhammad was staying in the house of his cousin Hind, also called Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib. Umm Hani related: “The night journey of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, took place while he was staying at my house, after the Prophet had retired to sleep, after we had prayed the night prayer and before we prayed the morning prayer . After he had prayed the dawn prayer with us, he said to me: “During the night I went to Masjid Al-Aqsa and prayed in it.” I advised him not to say anything to the Quraysh about this experience, because people would call him a liar and harm him, but he said: “By Allah, I will tell them!”
He went out and soon met Abu Jahal who asked rudely: “What happened to you last night?”
The Holy Prophet replied: “I visited Bayt Al-Muqadis (Jerusalem).”
“And you are with us now?” Abu Jahal asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” replied the Holy Prophet.
Abu Jahal asked him: “Could you say that to the Quraysh?”
“Of course,” replied the Holy Prophet. Abu Jahal gathered the people of the Quraysh together to hear what the Prophet would tell them.
The Allah’s Messenger said to them: “Last night I went to Jerusalem.” They were surprised. How could he go to Jerusalem and return back in the same night; a journey which normally took forty days by camel to get there and another forty days to return? They were suspicious and one of them asked: “As you say you have been there, can you describe Jerusalem to us?” The Prophet tried to remember what it looked like but to his dismay, he couldn’t. Then he saw it in a vision. Allah displayed Jerusalem in front of the Holy Prophet and he described it to the Quraysh while he was looking at it.

The Story of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj
This story is reported in well-known authenticated hadith literature, and so we will just study some of the main points. On that night the angel Jibril (Gabriel), peace be upon him, came to the Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and took him to the Masjid al-Haram where he prayed two rakats. Then Jibril brought the Buraq, a white animal smaller than a mule but bigger than a donkey, which was so swift that each step was as far as the eye could see. It would not let the Prophet mount it so Jibril said to it: “No one like Muhammad, peace be upon him, will ever ride you, for he is the Best of Creation.” At this the Buraq was ashamed and broke into a sweat. The Prophet mounted the Buraq and they began their journey accompanied by Jibril. On the way he saw an old woman. “Who is that?” asked the Prophet. “She is Al-Dunya,” replied Jibril. “The time remaining for the Dunya is equivalent to the time which remains before that old woman dies.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him arrived at the Holy Mosque in Jerusalem and Allah gathered all the prophets and messengers together for the prayer and the Prophet Muhammad was their imam.
Then they ascended to the First Heaven. When he asked for the gate to be opened, Gabriel was asked: “Who is it?” “Jibril,” he replied. “And who is with you?” he was asked. “Muhammad,” replied Jibril. Then he was asked: “Has he been summoned?” “Yes,” replied Jibril. Muhammad, peace be upon him, entered and met Adam, peace be upon him. Adam welcomed him and prayed for him. Then he ascended to the Second Heaven. He entered in the same way and saw ‘Issa (Jesus) and Yahya (John), peace be upon them, and they greeted him and prayed for him. He ascended to the Third Heaven and the same questions were asked at the gate. Here he met Yusuf (Joseph), peace be upon him. In the Fourth Heaven he met Idris (Enoch), peace be upon him. In the Fifth Heaven he saw Haroon (Aaron), peace be upon him. In the Sixth Heaven he saw Musa (Moses), peace be upon him. In the Seventh Heaven he saw Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, sitting with his back to the Bayt Al-Mamur, Allah’s Sacred House where seventy-thousand angels enter and perform prayers daily and when they leave they never return it until Yaum al-Qiyamah (the Last Day). Jibril brought him three cups, one of wine, one of milk, and one of honey. He asked the Prophet to chose one and he chose the one of milk. Jibril said: “Allah has guided you to the fitra (the natural way).” Then he was shown the Sidrat ul-Muntaha (lote tree of the farthest boundary). Its leaves were as big as elephant’s ears and from its base flowed four rivers. He was taken to a place which Jibril could not pass beyond, and fifty prayers were enjoined on him. He descended until he met Musa, peace be upon him, who advised him to return and ask for less until Allah reduced the number to five.
It is significant that Jibril brought all of the teachings of Islam to the Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in revelation except for the five prayers, which the Holy Prophet received directly from Allah. We can understand from this the excellence and importance of performing the daily prayers. They are a pillar of Islam and the one who fails to perform them has broken this pillar.
During his ascension the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, saw many strange things, and asked Jibril about them. He saw men sitting at a table loaded with delicious fresh meat and stinking bad meat. They were leaving the good meat and eating the bad. “Who are they, O Jibril?” the Prophet asked. “They are men who left their pure wives and ran after other women illegitimately,” replied Jibril.
He saw some men who were continually eating red-hot balls of fire. Jibril explained that they were men who stole the inheritance of orphans. Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only fire in their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing fire. Surah An-Nissa, Women, 4:10.
He saw some men whose stomachs were as big as houses. When they got up they toppled over again. Jibril said that they were the ones who profited from interest. Those who eat usury will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytan (Satan). That is because they say: “Trading is only like usury.” Whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden usury. Al-Baqarah, The Cow:2:275.
He saw some people cutting meat from their own sides and eating it, and the angels said to them, eat as you ate the flesh of your brothers in the Dunya. Jibril told him that these were the detractors and spreaders of slander.

Sahih Al-Bukhari
Before Al-Mi’raj, the Muslims prayed twice a day, at dawn and at night.

Allah Tests the Muslims’ Belief

Allah tested the faith of His slaves by requiring them to believe in His Messenger’s account of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj. And remember when We told you: “Verily, your Lord has encompassed mankind.” And We made not the vision that We showed you but a trial for mankind, and the accursed tree in the Quran. We warn them and make them afraid but it only increases their disbelief, oppression and disobedience to Allah. Surah Al-Isra, The Journey By Night, 17:60.
The Iman (Belief) of some of the Muslims was weak. They returned to disbelief because they could not accept that it was possible for Allah to cause the Prophet to travel to Al-Aqsa and return to Mecca in one night. But we are Muslims and we believe in the Power of Allah. Verily, His command when He intends a thing is only that He says: “Be!” – and it is. Surah 36, Ya Sin,36:82.
So we must not compare our ability with the Ability of Allah or our power with the Power of Allah. Allah is the Lord and Sustainer of the Universe and He is the Lord of His Messenger’s journey by night and his ascension to the Heavens. Everything is possible for Allah. He controls time and so He stopped time in order that the Holy Prophet could return to his bed while it was still warm.
Imam ibn Kathir mentions in his commentary from a work called Dhalail an-Nubaway that Abu Sufiyan went to As-Sham on business and the Roman Emperor, Heraclius asked him about the Prophet. Abu Sufiyan wanted to denounce the Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upomn him, but he was unable to lie about him. Then he remembered the story of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj, and he said to the Emperor: “I will tell you something which will prove that this man is a liar. He pretended that he had traveled to Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and returned to Mecca in the same night.”
The Bishop of Jerusalem happened to be with them and when he heard this he said: “I remember that night!”
Caesar looked at him with surprise and said: “What do you know. Please tell us!” The Bishop continued: “Every night before I sleep I go around and make sure all the doors of the mosque are locked, but on this night I locked all the doors except for one. I could not shut it. I called one of my workers and he tried without success. Then I called some carpenters, but they could not make the door close. Eventually, I left it open and I went to sleep. In the morning I was so certain about it that I told my congregation that the door could not be closed because during the night a prophet had come and prayed in our mosque.”
Abu Dhar, may Allah be pleased with him, related , “I asked the Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: “Did you see your Lord Allah?” The Holy Prophet answered: “My sight was blinded by an overpowering light.” In another hadith from the same sources, Abu Dhar related that the Holy Prophet told him: “Allah showed me Paradise. I saw that its mountains were made of pearls and its dust was musk.
Later, when Urwa ibn Zubair asked his aunt Aisha: “Did the Holy Prophet see Allah in the Mi’raj?” She replied: “You have made my hair stand on end!” (How could you ask such a question?)
The idol worshippers went to Abu Bakr and told him about the Holy Prophet’s night journey. “Your friend pretended that he traveled to Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and returned to Mecca in one night.” They scoffed. They did not mention the Holy Prophet’s ascension to the Heavens. Abu Bakr said: “Did he really say that?” “Yes, he did.” They replied. Then Abu Bakr said: “By Allah, if Muhammad himself has said so, then it is true. He tells us that the revelation comes to him directly from the Heaven in the night or the day and we believe him. Isn’t that a greater miracle? I swear by Allah that if he told me he had ascended into the Heavens I would still believe him.” Abu Bakr went directly to the Holy Prophet and said: “You spoke the Truth, O Prophet of Allah!” From that day on the Prophet called Abu Bakr “As-Siddiq”.
Ahl As-Sunnah (The people of the Sunnah), believe that the Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, made Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj with his body and soul. If the journey had only been by soul the unbelievers would not have accused him of lying because, in a dream, the ordinary man can see anything that he wishes and no one will argue with him. If Al-Mi’raj were only by soul, a lot of Muslims would not have reverted to disbelief. However, Allah says: “The eye (of the Prophet) did not turn aside, nor see beyond what was permitted.” An-Najm 53:17. And the eye is a part of the body. And He also said: Glorified is He Who carried His slave by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Masjid Al-Aqsa. Al-Isra: 17:1.
Here the Holy Quran clearly states that Allah carried His slave, not the soul of His slave. This makes it clear that the Prophet, peace be upon him, traveled to Jerusalem and returned to Mecca in his body.

Sahih Bukhari and Muslim.

Chicken Bryani in Tajudeen HusseinPenang

2008-07-25T11:44:00.000+08:00

Today, I was feeling a little lazy to cook. Moreover Hubby Ak had work in Penang, and was around for breakfast. By the time I cleared up it was already late in the morning. Then Sofi had some problem with her school work. I had to sit down and guide her which again took an hour. By this time, the cleaner who comes weekly to clean my house came. So I taught of just buying food from town for lunch. There is this shop in Little India Penang which sells excellent Bryani. You can find chicken cooked in various style, mutton masala, turkey masala,an assortment of vegetables, chutneys and dalcha. The food will be available for lunch as early as 11 am. Most of the time there will be a huge crowd waiting outside the shop. If you go there say, at 2pm, chances are you will return empty handed. Everything will be sold out by then. Ramadhan month, when all Muslims around the world fasts, is another time when this place wil be crowded.Anyway Ak just came back with lunch. I can smell the wonderful aroma of chicken Bryani in the air as I'm typing at my computer.For today AK bought chicken Bryani, spicy Chicken Masala, Mutton Kurma, Chicken Dalcha, pineapple salad and their trademark coconut chutney! MMM..mmm... I guess thats all for now, my stomach is growling and I can feel the gastric juices reacting to the smell of this wonderful food. By the way the name of this restaurant is Tajudeen Hussein, located in Market Street, Penang.

Pearls from the Prophet's Lips

2008-07-24T10:43:00.000+08:00

The Almighty is sufficient as an intimate friend.

The Greater Holy War is against the self.

No father can give a better gift to his children than good manners.

The best Muslim home is one where there is an orphan who is treated well.

Worship Him as though you see Him, and know that He sees you.

The Almighty said, " If anyone is distracted from asking Me by his remembrance of Me, I will give him better than what I give to those who ask."
Missing a prayer is like suffering a great misfortune in one's family and wealth.

Do not go to the mosque running. Go with calmness. Pray what is left and complete what you miss. You are in prayer as long as your aim is the prayer.

The person who prays is conversing with his Lord.

No one is a true believer until he wishes for others what he wishes for himself.

Brocolli chicken casserole

2008-07-22T10:47:00.000+08:00

I came across this recipe the other dsay and decide to cook it. I have altered the recipe to suit my family's taste. This recipe is easy to cook and takes very minimal time for preparation. Not much of cleaning up because it is a one dish meal. I forgor to take picture of this dish and will try to post the photo the next time I make this dish. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients
•500gm chopped fresh broccoli
•1 1/2 cups, cooked chicken meat
•1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup ( or cream of mushroom soup)
•1/3 cup milk
•1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
•1 tablespoon butter, melted
•2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

Method
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2.Place the broccoli in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
3.Place the cooked broccoli in a 9 inch pie plate. Top with the chicken. In a bowl, mix the soup and milk, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the cheese.
4.Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown

Note:
Get chicken fillet put some ginger juice and pepper and bake in 180c oven for 20 min)then cube it.
You can also substitute the brocolli with other vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots or sweet potato.For those who wants it to be spicier add lots of chopped green chillies, cilantro leaves.

30 something blues

2008-07-19T15:46:00.000+08:00

The other day while waiting for the traffic light to change , I pulled down the sunshade and looked at the mirror to adjust my scarf. To my utter horror I saw 2 red spots on my cheeks. ( That’s the tell tale sign of a new pimple on the way !) WHAT!! Not Again ! I thought. Just recently I struggled to get rid of one pimple on my jaw, now another two!! What’s happening to my Hormones! I must have had such a miserable look on my face that one of the moms (Mom A) in Sofi’s school came over to ask me what was wrong. I pointed at the red spot on my face. Surprisingly Mom A told me she has breakouts too and she stays indoors on those days. Embarrassing, it is a teenage problem, she said. Good for her I thought. Her daughter is only 8 years old. Whereas I have teenagers at home using acne products. Now I guess I need to use some of these myself. Sigh! I wonder how come all those Bollywood and Hollywood actresses have such flawless skin. I was clouded with such self pity that my kids and hubby AK, planned a surprise for me. You see I used Lancome Blanc Eraser a few years ago for my freckles and it worked. So thinking that they would be doing me a great favor they decided to buy me the whole Lancome whitening set. But then again they forgot that this time it is not the freckles , but Pimples! Still, I have one rule and it is simple enough to adhere too. That is never give any negative remark when your kids or husband buy you a gift. You may not get one the next time around. Anyway I wonder what products Naomi Campbell who’s same age as me use to have such flawless skin.. But then are we really looking at the natural skin or digital impression of a perfectly powdered face ?

Fried Fish

2008-07-17T12:56:00.000+08:00

This is one of the easiest fish recipes to make. I know fish is good for our health, and I try cooking fish at least twice a week nowadays. But there was a time I could not bring myself to eat them, up to the time I got married. Then one fine day my grandmother in law made a dish with fish flakes and lots of onion, garlic, spices and curry leaves. She tricked me into eating it and I devoured it thinking it was scrambled eggs in spices. It was so delicious that I kept bugging her for the recipe and to my surprise I saw FISH! as the main ingredient. That was when I got hooked to fish. There are many ways to cook this heavenly seafood, but today I made one of the easiest dish which can be eaten with white rice, and stir fried vegetables. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

1 large pomfret ( ask your fish monger to cut them up )
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp chillie powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 stalk of curry leaves
salt
oil for frying

Method

1. Clean fish by washing it in salt water and turmeric.
2. Mix the chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, garlic paste, with the lime juice.
3. Spread over the fish slices. Marinade for 15 minutes.
4. Just before frying pinch the curry leaves and sprinkle all over the fish. Now fry the fish in medium high heat till golden brown.

Note:

I use black pomfret because its firm flesh does not break during frying and the flesh also has a sweet taste.
Fish should be fried in medium high heat quickly so that you still retain the moisture and do not dry up the fish. Happy eating.

Pan fried fish fillet in sweet sour sauce

2008-07-16T10:42:00.000+08:00

Ingredients

For fish
5 slices of fish fillets ( white fish )
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp chilli powder
a dash of white pepper
salt
wheat flour for coating the fish

For the sauce

i onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic minced
5 cherry tomato ( can use ordinary tomato )
5 birds eye chilli
1 tsp chilli paste/powder
4 tbsp tomato ketchup]
1 tbsp white vinegar ] mix together
salt and brown sugar to taste
oil

Garnish

Celery leaves
pineapple rings/cubes
cucumber cubes

Method

1. Saute the garlic and onion till golden.
2. Now add a litthe chilli paste with a little water. Sir quickly to avoid burning.
3. Now add tomato ketchup mixed with vinegar and 1 1/2 cup of water.
4. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Add cherry tomato and birds eye chilli.
5. Let sauce simmer and reduce a little. Now put salt and sugar to taste.
6. Put the fish into the sauce and garnish with celery leaves, cucmber cubes, and pineapple rings.
7. Wash fish thoroughly. Season with turmeric, chilli powder, pepper and salt. Leave aside for 15 minutes.
8. Coat the fish lightly with flour and shallow fry in little oil one at a time till golden brown
9. Drain and put it in gently into the sauce. Alternatively you can put fish in a plate then pour the sauce over it. Serve with piping hot rice. Enjoy

Note

Use fresh fish for this recipe. You can make the sauce earlier but only fry the fish just before eating. Alternatively you can also use chicken fillets, prawns or squids instead of fish fillets.

Colmar Tropicale Bukit Tinggi Holiday

2008-07-14T14:47:00.000+08:00

This is one of the best highland resorts in Malaysia. The small french theme resort town has buildings and cottages lined up European style. Colmar Tropical is sited on the Berjaya Hills which is about 2700-3,500 feet above sea level. Its many attractions includes a French Themed Resort, Berjaya Hills Golf & Country Club, Japanese Village and the Rabbit & Deer Farm. My family and I took the 2 days and 1 night package. We stayed in one of the apartment in Colmar town itself. This place with its lush green rainforest and fresh invigorating air is certainly your perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. As soon as we arrived, we went to the rabbit and deer park where we were able to touch and pet these animals. There was also donkey rides and Sofi rode on one. My son Salman had fun playing with his father paint ball and archery.

That night we watched life acrobatic show. It was a stunning performance by acrobats from China. Later for dinner we had Italian pizza. The next day we again were treated by street performance, tricks by clowns,and magic shows. My husband AK really enjoyed himself when we went to the clay work and hobby shop. All of us chose certain clay artwork and painted and decorated it ourself. It was fun doing this activity together and the children really enjoyed having both their parents together helping them. The beauty of it was nobody was in a rush to go anywhere thus we could all finish painting in a relaxed manner. One word of advise though, all restaurants and cafe closes at 7 pm.So for those who napped and came out late, there werenT any shops open to buy even a bun. The only food available is maybe in Berjaya Golf Resort which is about 15 to 20 minutes drive out of Colmar Tropicale. All in all It is a Beautiful place and we might go there again sometime.

South Indian Restaurant

2008-07-13T16:38:00.000+08:00

The other day we wanted to eat something light for dinner.So we headed for some Thosai with sambar or lentil gravy. One of the most famous South Indian Restaurant in Penang is Ananada Bhavan located in little India. This is your usual Kopitiam kind of place where they have air cond and non air-cond area.

Ak and I ordered plain dosa/thosai, while Sofi ordered her favourite Ghee paper thosai. Shak ordered Kottu Paratha which is somewhat like a pancake chopped and fried with spices, vegetables and eggs. MS ordered the famous prawn fried rice though you can say it is not a typical Indian dish.

The food here is very good especially the thosai varieties which comes with various chutneys and piping hot sambar. The kotthu paratha was excellent. the spices was well blended and did not leave any bitter after taste. This dish also comes with fresh yogurt chutney. The prawn fried rice, is one of the best we have tasted. Basmathi rice is cooked in high heat with fresh vegetables, prawns,and eggs.

For drinks I as usual ordered fresh milk Bru coffee, Shak and her father had Nescafe, MS ordered fresh mango Lassi and Sofi had milk tea. We had been here many times and we always go back with satisfaction. Ananda Bhavan has another branch located in Gurney Drive which caters mostly for tourist. My children prefer this place for their ambiance. I don't mind either because the place is clean, and airy near the sea but only slightly more expensive than the one in town. Happy eating

A new chapter

2008-07-12T15:54:00.000+08:00

My eldest stepped into a new chapter in her life today. We enrolled her in Taylor's University College, to do her South Austalia Matriculation Program. She is a JPA scholar. After 1 1/2 years she will be going to New Zeland insyaAllah to do her first degree. She has heavy responsibilities on her shoulders. One is to continue showing good examples to her younger brother and sister. Next is to bring good academic results as expected of JPA scholars. To be caring towards her parents. Finally to perform all religious duties and be responsible of all actions said and done. Whew!! That sounds Huge! Well my dear daughter, welcome to the real world. You are now a young woman in charge of your own life. May Allah swt guide you in your journey and never leaves you " even for a blinking of an eye." Ameen.

Sayings of the Prophet

2008-07-08T06:42:00.000+08:00

If you give alms publicly,it is well; but it is better to give them secretly. The Almighty knows what you do.

The Almighty does not show mercy to the one who does not show mercy to others.

Pay the labourer his wages even before his sweat dries up.

To Hike or To Shop?

2008-07-02T03:47:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, we decided or rather Sofi decided that we should go hiking. "It's boring ! I don't want to go to malls or bowling." She explained further, that we should go outdoors and do family activities together like Hiking. Yeah, right. Easy for her to say. But my worn out and Ronaldo look alike knee ligaments did not agree with her. Lets vote,I said. "Who wants to go to Queensbay Mall for some window shopping, and maybe some ice cream treats afterwards, hands up." What no hands up. Surprisingly, my two other kids were silent. Come on I need your support here. I winked at my hubby AK, but he looked away grinning and shaking his head. " Who wants to go hiking and exercise while having fun, hands up." Now to my disbelieving eyes four hands shot up. And so at 5.30 on Sunday evening we went to the hiking spot at Bukit Jambul. Amazingly there were many people there. Not to mention half of them were older than me, or had worse knee condition than me. So with a sigh I agreed to go ahead and climb the hill. This hiking spot is very well marked and the trail which is used well can be easily followed. There are some steep slope that we had to climb over but all in all it was fun. My kids definitely enjoyed themselves. After about 40 minutes of hiking, I was getting a bit tired, and decided to ask a fellow hiker who was passing me how long more to reach the top. To my surprise he said that we have only started and there is another 60% to cover before we can reach the top!!Whew, that is VERY high!! Since it was getting dark, everyone decided to go down. Going down the hill was much difficult on my knee. I had to hold on to a stick while walking. Nevertheless it was fun to be one with nature...although my legs, knee and back think otherwise.

Don't Be Sad

2008-07-01T08:43:00.000+08:00

Currently I am reading this book titled “DON’T BE SAD”. It is written by ‘Aaidh ibn Abdullah al Qarni and published by the International Islamic Publishing House. Actually I think I was probably destined to find this book. There was a time when I had a lot of questions in my heart which I could not find answers to. I prayed to Allah for all the answers and asked for Divine guidance so that I get peace of mind. Then one day I took my children to the local bookstore to get them some revision books. At this shop, I went to the religious book corner and there I found this book. I treasure the book so much, since the author with his simple and convincing method eased the burden that I had. To date I have given this book as gifts to family members and also recommended the book to others who need guidance and examples from the Muslims who came before us. It has been more than six months since I bought this book but I still had not finish reading it. The reason is because, I need to pause and reflect on all the messages from the Quran and sunnahs that I read from this book.

I would like to quote this book especially on the verses of the Quran so that we will be able to as the author says “ get answers to the doubts that besiege us when we are afflicted with hardship or depression.”

The first few pages of this book teaches us how to contemplate and be thankful for all the blessings that we have.
“health, safety, nourishment, clothing, air and water-these all point to the world being yours, yet you do not realize it. You possess all that life has to offer, yet remain ignorant. You have at your disposal two eyes, a tongue, lips, two hands, and two legs.”

(Then which of the blessings of your LORD will you both (jinns and men) deny?) ( Qur’an 55:13 )

This book also teaches us how to deal with bitter sarcasm and criticism.
“ You will always face criticism. As long as you shine, give, produce, and have an effect upon others, then disapproval and condemnation will be your lot in life.”

“ So remain firm and patient when facing their insults and criticism. If you are wounded by their words and let them have an influence over you, you have realized their hopes for them. Instead, forgive them by showing them the most beautiful of manners. Their disapproval of you only increases you in worth and merit.”

Apart from the above this book teaches us how to give comfort to the heart. How doing good to others and repelling boredom with work gives comfort to the heart.
Nowadays our minds have been distorted and we are not sure what happiness is. Some people think having expensive or branded stuffs bring happiness, others may think good food brings them happiness. Then why is it we find more and more people especially in the western world, turning to meditation and yoga to find relieve and happiness?

“ Show kindness to others, and you will be the first to find solace and comfort. Give to the needy, defend the oppressed, help those in distress, and visit the sick.. you will find that happiness surrounds you from all directions.”

The Prophet saw said:

“ Do not dismiss certain acts of kindness by deeming them to be insignificant, even if ( such an act) is to meet your brother with a smiling face ( for that is a deeed which might weigh heavily on your scale.”
There is still so much to write about this book. I find such happiness when I read the verses of the Quran and how it totally relates to our lives. I will keep updating on this book title “ Don’t Be Sad ” Happy reading

Spaghetti Bolognese

2008-06-30T08:30:00.000+08:00

This is my son Salman's favourite dish. I will try and make this recipe at least once a week. The spaghetti sauce can be eaten with pasta and the leftover gravy can be used in many ways. Put a few slices of bread on a baking tray, spread the sauce over the bread and top it with cheese and bake for a quick snack/breakfast. Otherwise, get ready made lebanese bread or pita bread. Spread the sauce add sliced capsicum, pineapple, mushrooms and grated cheese and bake for a speedy pizza your kids will love. ( lebanese bread gives a crunch base and pitta bread gives a softer chewy base )Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

500gm minced chicken meat
4 large onions chopped fine
4 large tomatoes chopped fine
2 tbsp chilli/paprika powder
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tin tomato soup ( not puree)
2 tins of water
1 Packet Maggi Bolognese Mix (opt)
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
a pinch of oregano/italian seasoning
salt, olive/canola oil

Spaghetti pasta 1 packet

Method

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, pour some oil and saute chopped onion till golden brown. 2. Now add chicken which has been mixed with ginger paste and chilli powder. Stir and cook the meat until it is browned.
3. Put in the chopped tomatoes and the Maggi seasoning.Mix well on slow fire.
4. Pour the tomato soup with all the water. Mix well. Let it come to a boil. Now simmer for 30 minutes. Season well with salt and oregano. Just before turning off the fire, put the cheese.
5. Cook the pasta according to the packet instruction. Put some pasta on the plate and pour the gravy on top. Enjoy!

Chillin Out

2008-06-27T15:49:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday we decided to eat out. I think my family and I are probably the only ones who had not eaten in Chili's. Not that we don't want to but because of personal choice. But anyway after listening to all those "Have you tried their Chicken Tacos..?" or " Wow you must try the Chicken Fajitas..mmm..mmm", I finally bowed down to pressure and decided to give Chili's a try. In Penang there's only one outlet and that is in Gurney Plaza which is 30 minutes drive from my house. When we reached Chili's, we were told that it will take least half an hour before we can be seated. My kids who are quite adventurous when it comes to food did not mind the long drive and the longer wait. After about 35 minutes, we were taken to our seats. My son ordered Fajitas Quesadillas, my eldest daughter wanted Chicken Tacos and my hubby ordered Chicken crispers. My youngest who is nine years old ate for free. Hers was Kids Hot dogs with fries. Me... I ordered nothing. I was told that the portions are big, and the food looked too rich that I decided to share with my daughter. (You can say I'm the picky one of the lot.)For drinks we all had fruit juices. The food came after awhile and I was amazed at the portion. It was quite big. Then we started to eat. I honestly can say that we have eaten better food. What a let down!! The chicken taco was tasteless. The chicken filling was bland and the vegetable salad was not so fresh. Next the chicken crispers. The chicken was oozing with oil and the fries that came with it looked burned. My son's Fajitas Quesadillas was the only one that tasted okay. But the black bean rice that came with was uggh!! Finally the free kids meal. The sausage was hard and the bun was dry !! I don't know what is the hooohaa about this place. I don't think its only me who thinks the food was not good. My whole family felt dissapointed. Thank God I did not order anything. First time in history nobody wanted to eat the fries. Usually the french fries will be the first to finish but here, we just left them on the plate. Anyway this is my experience. If any of you want to eat here I have no comments. Maybe Chili's might want to change their recipe and hire people who don't burn the fries. Happy eating...

Healthier Choice

2008-06-27T15:22:00.000+08:00

Normally on Fridays I will cook extra special. You can say it’s a kind of tradition in my family. You see my mother will show off her culinary skills on Friday. Maybe because we kids used to be back earlier from school, or because as Muslims we consider Fridays as a special day. If you go to any of my three sister’s house on Fridays, wherever we maybe, our menu might be the same. There’s always Nasi Minyak, Dacha Ayam, Fried Chicken, Brinjal Pajedi and Tomato Pajedi.

But due to health concerns and more awareness, I have opted to cook white rice or sometimes nasi ayam on Fridays. This week though I decided to cook Nasi Bryani Ayam with Chicken Masak Merah and Mixed Vegetable fry. My eldest daughter will be going to college next week in Kuala Lumpur, so I thought cooking her favaorite dish would be nice. This bryani recipe is quite mild and is not the usual type which is more rich and greasy. So if you are health conscious and occasionally crave for bryani, this recipe could be ideal for you. For those who do not want to hold back, then replace oil with Ghee/butter, evaporated milk with coconut milk and add some cashew paste for the extra richness.

Chicken Bryani

Ingredients;
( A )
Six red onions chopped
Cinnamon 4cm,
Cloves and cardomons
2-3 pandan leaves
Some chopped mint and coriander leaves
3tbsp ghee/butter or 3tbsp canola oil

(B) Marinate
3 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
5 pieces of chicken
3 tbsp Faiza Bryani Masala
3 tbsp yogurt ( lowfat )
juice of 1 lime

(C)
2cups of homemade chicken stock
½ cup of evaporated milk mix with
31/2 cups of hot water
4 cups of Gred A Basmathi Rice

(D)
Fried/roasted raisins,cashews and almonds

Method

Fry the ingredients (A) in oil till fragrant. Put ingredients one at a time to get best aroma. Then add the marinated chicken (B) and fry till the oil separates from the spices. Now add all the liquid from (C) and put some salt to taste. Bring this to a boil then slow down the fire and add the cleaned rice. Stir using a fork so as to not break the rice grains. Transfer this to rice cooker and cook till its done. Now open the rice cooker and stir once more to dry up any remaining liquid. Turn off the the cooker otherwise the rice will become too soft. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with roasted cashews, almonds and raisins. You can serve this rice with Chicken Dalcha or Ayam Masak Merah.

Note:
I usually make my chicken stock and keep it in a few Tupperwares and freeze it. Then whenever I need to use chicken stock its readily available. Here’s a recipe for chicken stock.

Chicken Stock

In a pot , put the bones of 1 whole chicken. To this add bruised ginger pieces and 6 cloves of garlic. Also put in one whole onion, 2cm of cinnamon and some salt. Add about 2litres of water. Boil the stock for at least 2 hours on slow fire. Add more water if necessary . Then turn of the fire and let it stand for at least 1 hour before straining the stock. Discard everything else. Now pour the clear stock in several containers. Coolthem completely before freezing them. You can use this stock to make chicken rice, base for chicken soup, noodles in soup etc.

A day out of Focus!!

2008-06-25T13:15:00.000+08:00

Today the water from the main pipe into my house will be turned off. Why? Because the plumber still could not find where the leak is coming from. So to make sure, he said, that it is from my house we have to turn off the water. Otherwise it could be from my neighbour’s house. So last night we bought 4 extra pails and a 30 gallon drum to fill water. One day with no water itself is terrible, imagine 3 days without water! Sigh!! Anyway exactly at 9.15 am today I turned off the water. Hmmm… that was easy, I thought. By 10:15am, there was no problems. I could catch up on chores that I have put off. I could call my sister and hang on the phone for awhile. And I could even give Sofi some mathematics to work on. At 12 noon, I walked over to the restaurant opposite my house to get Sofi lunch before sending her off to school. This is very easy... Now where shall I and Shak my eldest can have lunch. I took the car out and drove straight to a Mamak restaurant. We both ordered fried Beehoon ( no need to count calories today…heeheeeheee) and iced tea. I was still in the mood of self indulgence when suddenly there was a loud angry voice near me. A man was shouting and scolding the waiter for leaning against the table. How absurd, I hope he does not sit near us, I said to Shak. I think I spoke too soon. The man sat directly next to my table. Then turned his chair and faced exactly to me. I don’t know why but many times in my life even as a teenager I have come across this kind of people. I call them Mentally Out Of Focus (MOF). And I have told all my kids how I have been chased by one MOF when I was 15 years old. I ran for my life carrying my heavy school bag. Thank God I was near my father’s shop. I ran straight inside and hid from this MOF. Even today I still shudder when I think about it. Back to now, this MOF person was trying very hard to get my attention, that’s what they usually do. I on the other hand tried to signal to Shak to ignore him and to my dismay Shak was laughing or maybe controlling her laughter with a look saying she knows this is one of the MOF’s I usually talk about. I bend down low trying to ignore him. The MOF person trying his best to irritate me crossed his leg, then switched then crossed. Then to my horror he took out a lighter and started to burn the bottom of his trousers. By then I was shivering from the inside but sweating profusely from the outside. My day which started in a slow pace turned upside down. I was literally stuffing the Beehoon into my mouth. The Fried Mee that I ordered for my son MS soon came. Trying my best to sound calm, I asked Shak what the time was. Suddenly I heard the MOF person calling out….!! “ Sister..,sister…SISTER…..!!!!! What is the time ahh??
I shot out of my chair and literally ran to the cashier with Shak following me behind. I lingered and pretended to look for my wallet at the cashier. From the corner of my eyes I can still see the MOF person staring at me. Now I looked at my food bill as though it was the most important piece of paper in my life. To my relieve the MOF person got up and left the restaurant.. Sigh..!! I went straight into my car and drove back home. What a day I thought . And I still have another two days with no water. Maybe I’ll have Maggi tomorrow…....at home !!

National Robotic Competition

2008-06-24T12:44:00.001+08:00

My son, MS, will be taking part in the National Robotic Competition which will be held on 25th June 2008 in Kepala Batas. I have always known his passion for building or dismantling stuffs ( which was more often ), especially electronics since he was small. When he was a toddler, the first thing I remember him dismantling was the video tapes. Then he moved on to his remote control cars. When we buy him a new toy, MS is more interested in the inside of the toy then the outside. Most of his toys will not last even a few weeks, because after playing for a few, he will soon be bored and start to open up the screws. Even when he did not know how to use screw drivers, MS used his tiny fingers to turn , pull,and open up the screws. Then when he was 7, his father bought him a toy tool box. He was so excited with the various tools that he started to unscrew tables, chairs and anything he gets his hands on. To take his mind off we use to give him different kinds of toys, matchbox car, construction set ( that occupied him awhile ) but to no avail. But finally he did grow out off this interest but to a new one "PlayStation and computer Games."

I personally prefer his old interest but as I always say, as mothers we must always check on our kids but not restrict them unless their interest go out of control. Now back to present, MS had been so busy this past two months building his new robot. His dedication to his work showed off when he brought the robot home to do some minor adjustments. Tomorrow will be his big Day and I wish him all sucess...

What price to pay to excel in studies!

2008-06-22T03:25:00.000+08:00

Two very important things happened in my house today. One was, open day in my youngest daughter Sofi's school. Her father went to collect her report book. I didn't go because I had some chore at home. Sofi is a bright student.But she did not do too well in two subjects. That gave her number 12 in her class. She was quite upset and vowed to do better in her next exam. I on the other hand was not too worried. She is only in Year 3. What is important right now is for her to be able to follow what's taught in school and be responsible of all homework and assignments given to her by her teacher. On that aspect, I will give her 100%. Sofi, praise be to Allah, had never not done her school work before going to school. Parents nowadays put so much pressure on their kids to perform extremely well. I mean produce a 100% results in all subjects. This causes a lot of stress to these young children. Most of the primary school kids have no time to play, or explore their little world.

The second thing I mentioned earlier was a function my family and I attended. It was for form five students who received High Achiever Award from our Second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohd Yackop which my eldest daughter Shakira received. As a mother I feel proud, happy, awed and blessed to have a child who excelled in her studies thus bringing good name and setting a good example for her brother and sister. Many of my friends and relatives had asked what was my secret. My answer is simple "A solid family , good foundations and instilling moral values." A child should be brought up in a happy, nurturing and educational environment. You see, when my family and I are travelling in a car, we always have conversation with our kids. We usually ask them many general Knowledge or even scientific questions. They normally see it as a game. When any one of them answers, the other kids will be listening, thus expanding their General Knowledge. Sometimes we play I Spy, and this actually enriches their vocab especially my younger kids. See, education is a process. You don't just have to read books and go to library to be clever. Of course, studying school books, is undeniably the most important thing to do for a student. But after that, we must look at the whole world as our school. When I saw those kids who received the High Achiever Award, I was amazed to see how different they all were. I saw, some who looked so studious, with no smile and almost a blank look on the face. I also saw cheerful, happy and light hearted kids. I definitely want my children to be in the latter group. It is a pity,to see these kids who apart from their excellent academic, they actually don't know much about life. Most of them InsyaAllah, will be successful, but they will never get back their teenage life that they lost. There is a saying " Extract the Honey, But Do Not Break The Hive." Let us bring out the best in our children without stressing them.

Chicken Kurma Curry

2008-06-21T07:25:00.000+08:00

This is simple but delicious curry which is milder in taste than the usual Chicken Curry. Chicken Kurma is mainly a south indian dishbut in here I have added Malaysian flovour to it. Do try this recepi which can be eaten with white rice, any type of breads, Chapatis, Dosa/Thosai or even on cooked noodles.

Ingredients
(A)
1 chicken cut into small pieces
2large onions diced
2 large tomatoes diced
3 baby potatoes/2 large potatoes halved
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of evaporated milk/coconut milk
1/2 cups ground cashew nut
1/2 cups of low fat yogurt

(B) (grind to a paste than mix with the chicken to marinate)
5 cm ginger
1 pod of garlic
5 tbsp of chicken Kurma powder

(C)
2 cm cinnamon
2 cloves
3 cardomoms
some fresh mint leaves chopped
some fresh coriander leaves chopped
3 pandan leaves knotted

oil
salt

Method
1. Put some oil in a heavy bottomed pot and fry the onios till golden
2. Add (c) to this and fry till there is a nice aroma
3. Add tomatoes and fry for a short while
4. Now add (B). Mix the chicken well with all the spices. Let it cook for awhile, add alittle water if necessary. Wait until the oil separates.
5. Now pour the evaporated milk and add the cashew paste and yogurt. Mix well.
6. Finally add enough water, add salt to taste and bring the curry to a boil. Now put the fire on low and let the curry simmer for 40min.
7. Your curry should be ready now garnish with some mint leaves and Enjoy!!

Note:
For those who do not have Kurma powder,
here's a simple recipe to make your own. This is one portion please increase the portion if you need more.

3tbsp coriander powder
1tsp aniseed powder
1tsp white pepper
i/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

WHAT A MORNING!!!

2008-06-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

Everything that can go wrong went wrong this morning. I got up later than usual because firstly the plumber who came yesterday had stopped the water into the tank, thus I can't wash clothes today. Next, since every thursdays I cook something light, I did not have to rush to prepare lunch for my afternoon school kid. But this had proved to be the cause of my disastrous morning. I went to the kitchen to put water to boil and guess what? The gas had finished.So I put some water to boil in the thermopot. Then I put the leftover chicken curry into the microwave. My eldest came down to help out which again proved wrong. She dropped the whole bowl of hot chicken curry onto the table, under the table and around the table!!!Luckily no one was hurt. Now there was a big task to clean up the mess. The gas man still did not come. I said out aloud when my youngest thinking she would be of help if she asked for a simple breakfast caused another disaster. Bread and nutella! Hmm.... that sounds simple, right? WRONG !! The nutella was hard and frozen. So I put the bottle into the microwave. SPARKS!! FIRE!! I screamed, my daughters screamed, and finally I turned off the switch. Phew ! What a way to start your day and the gas man still did not come. Fried beehoon would be a simple lunch. Since there was no gas and it was gettting pretty late, I soaked the bihun in hot water. The beehoon become too soft to fry. And then finally I heard the hon. It was the gas man. He is finally here! So what the heck, I thought. I still have the rest of the day. I can now choose to cook fried beehoon, beehoon biryani or even beehoon soup. Because i can use my stove again:)These incident reminded me of a saying " BE OPTIMISTIC , EVEN IF YOU ARE IN THE EYE OF THE STORM."

Thought of the day

2008-06-17T14:54:00.000+08:00

This blog is the gathering of memories of the little things that happens in our lives which many of us brush off as insignificant incidences. For example not many people remember their kids first day in school or what they did during a holiday etc. But to me these little things are the ones which brings happiness and joy, especially when I sit down with a cup of hot coffee on a rainy day reading about my family, children, friends and other things that has happened in my life. I am also going to try and add recipe corner in my blog. This was a request from my eldest daughter who will be going to college soon. Hope you will try out the simple but nutritous recipes.

I am Back again

2008-06-13T15:49:00.001+08:00

My not so new but already repaired modem just came. So now I can sigh a breathe of relieve. My fingers had been paining typing using my phone not to mention the pain in the eyes squinting over the tiny alphabets through the phone. Hopefully the modem will not cause anymore problems.But hey psst, pssst, I forgot to mention that my beloved hubby bought me a new modem just in case. heeheeheee

Domestic duties

2008-06-13T15:25:00.000+08:00

Lately I have this passion for baking and cooking new recipes. I thought, hey how long can you look at pictures in cookbook without actually cooking them. On top of that, my son Salman, very timely gave me Nigella Lawson's cookbook titled Nigella Express for my birthday.
I honestly can say that I actually tried and succeeded in making 3 recipes from the book. One was pancake. Okey don't laugh. It is a different type of pancake. Maybe a little exotic I would say. Next was the Cupcakes. Yehhh. Cupcakes are always a winner. True enough it became a big hit in my house. With all those buttercream decos, my sweet tooth daughters naturally made a beeline to gobble them down. My third adventure was Chocolate Mint Cookies. It was a let down though because the cookies did not turn up quite well. But anyway my 'ever loyal and devoted fan of my cooking'daughter Sofi loved it. So what the heck, as long as I had loyal fans and admirers of my so and so cooking, I will continue to perform my domestic duties. Though I must admit that sometimes the food may not look as good as it taste... ADIOS!!

Fried Beehoon ( Rice Noodle )

2008-06-13T11:10:00.000+08:00

I was thinking of making something simple today. On Thursday night we usally eat out. So I only need to prepare for lunch and on Thursdays I don't have much time for elaborate cooking since I have to take my son for his guitar class than drop him home before going back to Sofi's school to pick her up and where I have to squeeze in time for my 2.5km brisk walk. So Fried Beehoon would be the easiest. Here's the recipe.

Fried BeeHoon

Ingredients
1 packet of Beehoon (soaked in warm water)
4 pieces of tauhu/beancurd ( I roast them in 190C oven for 20min instead of frying)
2 chicken fillets sliced
1 bowl of tauge/beansprout
A few stalks of sawi/mustard greens chopped
SOme celery leaves chopped fine
3tbsp chilli paste (blender dried chilli,onions,garlic and keep in bottle in fridge)
some dark soy sauce
2tbsp tomato ketchup
salt and sugar to taste
oil
garnish

2 eggs beaten and fried into omellete
some fried onions
fresh red and green chillies cut into rounds

Methods

1. In a large wok, fry the chillie paste in some oil thill there is a nice aroma
2. Add chicken fillets to this and continue to fry
3. Now put in the tomato ketchup, soy sauce, some water, salt and sugar. Bring this to a simmer.
4. Add the beansprout, mustard green,celery leaves, and the cubed tauhu/beancurd.
5.Mix well,and finally add the well drained Beehoon into this sauce. Please add more tomato ketchup and water if the Beehoon is too dry.
6. Put it on slow fire and let the rice noodle soak up the sauce.
7. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with cut ommellete, fried onions and the chillies.
8. Serve and enjoy with a cool glass of iced lemon tea.

Note

Try making more of the chilli paste and keeping them in the fridge. I sometimes keep them in small containers and freeze them. So when a recipe requires for chilli paste I already have them in the fridge. Try not buying the chilli paste sold in the supermarket because normally it has boric acid in it.

sofi's birthday!

2008-06-11T08:15:00.001+08:00

11 of June is my darling daughter Sofi's b'day. she had been so excited since 1st of june. she wil be 9 this year. How time flies. Sofi has changed so much since her 8 year old bday. Now she is more confident, n she also knows what she wants at this tender age. Looking at her, i sometimes think that parents too can learn to become better by just obseving their kids. Anyway i would like 2 wish Sofi "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" MAY ALLAH gives u good health, a long n happy life n grants all ur wishes. Ameen.

modem frustration

2008-06-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

Although technology has advanced a thousand times, it still can't guarantee us a borderless world. Look at me now, i m typing from mY Fön coz my modem is "out of order". I feel so @/*% without being able to have info at may fingertips. Anyway adios for now. Yawnnn to sleepy to type.

The Journey Of Discovery

2008-06-02T15:20:00.000+08:00

All praises to Allah swt.
As I have mentioned before, one of my greatest interest in life is learning about my religion, ISLAM. Firstly I am most grateful to be born as a muslim in my country for I'm able to perform my obligation to the religion freely. In this world of moral decadence, we need our religion to keep us in check and also find solace and comfort. I find great relief especially when I read the verses of the Quran which relates to certain incidents that happened in my life. It's as though, God himself spoke to me. Islam as we know is a Total way of life. How we live, eat, dress, learn, get married, have children, righr up to the roles of woman, man husband, wife, children, parents and everything about life. I also would like to remind myself what Aisha Lemu said in her book " Women in Islam " that Islam is to be taken as a whole.We should not take part of certain law in isolation from the other parts of the law.

I am writing about the religion here in the hope to educate myself and my children as learning is a process and it never ends.
The Prophet saw said, " The search for knowledge is a duty for every Muslim (male/female)."
"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave."

KOTA KINABALU HOLIDAY

2008-06-01T23:13:00.000+08:00

On 28th June 2008, my family and I made a trip to kota kinabalu for the school holiday break. We stayed at the famous Sutera Harbour Resort which is nestled along the coastal road overlooking the South China Sea. It was a beautiful resort and the first thing that caught my attention was how friendly and polite the Sabahans were. Most of the people there spoke very good english. Kk is also a very clean town. When we went about KK we were quite surprised to see clean roads, parks, and even their public toilets. But one thing I don't understand is why there was no air -con in one of their biggest shopping centre. When we asked around, we were told that there was some problem with their air con system.But later when we went to another shopping parade there was still no air con. So I am not sure if this is normal in KK but it was very hot and customers looked annoyed and agitated. Imagine eating in Pizza Hut in a shopping mall minus the air con.

Anyway back in the hotel the kids were having such a good time eating swimming and just enjoying the ambiance. The rooms were quite comfortable and their food in Cafe Boleh can be considered excellent. I am saying this because we have experienced eating food which is not tasty in good hotels. The dessert normally looks good but taste horrible. But in this restaurant the selection and the food tasted good. One place to go is the Filipino Market near Sinsuran. There are many handicraft things and souvenirs here with reasonable price. But you must be able to bargain to get a good price.

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY SMK BUKIT JAMBUL

2008-05-22T18:18:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow my son 's school is celebrating Teachers Day. He came home today and coolly said to me that he had promised to bring a delicious home made dessert to his teacher. Now with such a short notice, what can any mom prepare? Well after going through some of my old collections of recipes I decided to make Thriffle . You may ask why I did not make any jellies. Believe me that was in my mind until my son told me" No jellies please. Somebody else has offered to bring one tomorrow" So here it is after 2 hours of baking and cooking . Anyway I would like to wish all the teachers who had taught all my kids, especially my eldest daughter who will be joining her overseas program soon, for all their hardwork and dedication this is the least I can do for them. Happy Teacher's Day!!!

Something to ponder

2008-05-16T03:54:00.000+08:00

As As I was sitting thinking the other day, I realised how many of us are not thankful to a lot of things that we get in our lives not to mention in a day.The recent disaster in Myanmmar and China again open our eyes to be thankful that we are alive this very minute. It takes only a few seconds for the Almighty to wipe out an entire community. What happened to all the dreams, ambition, and needs of all this people who have perished? Human being in this modern age had become very materialistic always chasing for time to make money and more money. When this kind of catastrophe happens it jerks everyone from their dreamland. These events leads to that small voice telling us what is more important in our lives. Think about it. I started thinking some time ago...

Alif the Rooster tricks the Fox

2008-02-26T17:08:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time there lived a rooster called Alif on a farm. He lived there with other animals like Kabil the camel, Gazi the goat, Saad the sheep, Hera the hen and Dodi the kitten. They all lived happily with their master the farmer who loves them all very much.

Every morning Alif wakes everyone up by crowing. “CORCOROCOW……” Alif crowed. Suddenly there was a loud growling sound. To Alif’s surprise, a fox was standing near the bushes. “Hey rooster, if you have finished crowing why don’t you jump down over here from your chicken yard and we can play.” said the fox. “What! Play with you? I know what you will do if I jump over there. You will eat me!” crowed Alif.

The fox knew it was not easy to trick the rooster, so he went away. Later that day Hera the hen was very happy because all the eggs had hatched. Now she has seven adorable chicks. Alif and Hera take the chicks out to the yard every morning and evening. Even Dodi the kitten likes to play with the chicks.

One day Alif the rooster stood with a worried look on his face. “Why do you look so worried, Alif? Is something wrong?” asked Kabil. “Yes, I am worried. The chicks are getting bigger and more difficult to control. Do you know that there are a few foxes living near our farm? I am afraid they might snatch the chicks when no one is looking,” sighed the rooster. “Don’t worry, we will all help to look out for the chicks. After all what friends are for?” assured Kabil. Just then they heard a loud clucking sound. Hera the hen was running up and down frantically. One of her chicks is missing and she is very mad! “Cluck…Cluck…..Help my chick is missing….Cluck…. Cluck……!”

Alif quickly circled all the chicks and the hen. He whispered to the flock that he knew who had taken the missing chick. Then he ordered the flock to go back to their coop and stay inside. Alif thought hard. He knew the fox and his friends must have snatched the poor little chick. “We must trick the fox somehow and get Mr. Farmer’s attention.” Crowed the rooster, fluffing his feathers. “Yes, Mr. Farmer has that long thing that can shoot. I have seen him shooting at a wild boar the other day. Boy, it was so loud. The wild boar ran so fast, I never saw it again.” bleats Saad the sheep. “That long thing is a shotgun and they are very dangerous. I am sure the fox will not like the farmer to shoot him. But how do we tell Mr. Farmer about the fox?” sighed Kabil the camel. All the animals stood very still thinking about how to get Mr. Farmer to chase the fox and his friends away from their little farm, when suddenly, “ Wait I have an idea.!” crowed the rooster. All the animals got together that night and worked out a plan.

The next day as usual, Hera the hen took her chicks out. As they were walking, the fox and his friends came out calling them. “Hey chicken why don’t you come here. I told you the other day we just want to make friends with all of you,” snarled the fox.
The Rooster crowed, loudly "NOW, EVERYONE!!!"
All the chickens flopped around, crashing into fences, clucking as loud as they could at the top of their beaks. The camel groaned, the goat and sheep bleat thunderously. The kitten meowed and ran up and down the tree while the rooster crowed loudly fluffing his wings. The foxes did not know what was going on.
Mr. Farmer heard the noise and came out of the hut with his shotgun in his hands." WHAT IS GOING ON OUT THERE?" shouted the old farmer. To his surprise he saw four foxes standing near the fence snarling at all his animals. The farmer quickly fired two shots over their heads then he waved his hands vigorously shooing the foxes. The poor fox did not see anything at all. As soon as he heard the shots he ran away with his friends following behind. The animals knew that will be the last time they see the foxes near their farm again. Hera the hen thanked her friends for helping her and her chicks.

The end
By
Sara G 2008

Kabil And The Colourful Ball

2008-01-21T00:10:00.000+08:00

There was once an old farmer who had a little farm. He lived alone
in a very small hut. The old farmer did not have any family but he had his animals who loved him very much.
There was Kabil the camel, Gazi the goat, Saad the sheep, Alif the rooster and Dodi the kitten living on the farm with him.

One day the old farmer had to go to town. He fed all the animals and left them in the field near the farm. Kabil, Gazi, and Saad were good friends.They like to do things together. They were playing happily and grazing in the field. All of a sudden, Kabil kicked on something. It was round and colorful. Kabil found a colorful ball. All the other animals ran to look at the ball. Kabil was very proud he found it. Kabil kicked the ball and it rolled. Gazi chased after it. “Stop!” cried Kabil. “That ball is mine. Only I can chase it. I don’t want to share it with anyone!” he said. Gazi and Saad were very angry with Kabil. They decided not to play with him.

Kabil was left alone with the ball. Gazi and Saad played together. They had lots of fun. Aun the owl joined them. So did Alif the rooster and Dodi the kitten. Kabil still did not care. He kicked the ball and chased after it. He then kicked the ball again and chased the ball again. But no one was looking at him. Worse! He was getting tired of chasing the ball all by himself. Kabil glanced at his friends. They were having lots of fun together. “How nice to play ball with my friends.” he thought.” I am sure everyone will enjoy playing together.” He sighed and trotted back to the field. Kabil knew he was not kind to his friends. All they wanted was to play together. He stood and watched his friends chasing each other.

Suddenly Gazi shouted.” Hey, Kabil. Do you want to play with us?” Kabil was surprised. “Yes. I would love to play with all of you. Here, take this ball. We can all play together." He galloped cheerfully. All the animals played with the ball happily together. Kabil knew his friends were very kind. “From now on, I will share everything with my friends.” he thought.

By
Sara G 2008

Kabil Learns A Lesson

2007-12-23T23:50:00.000+08:00

Once there lived an old farmer in a faraway village. He had a small hut and only a camel and a few other farm animals for his company. Everyday the old farmer worked very hard on his tiny farm. Although he had very little money, he always had enough of food to eat and feed the animals. The farmer loved all his animals especially the camel. The farmer called the camel Kabil.

Kabil is a good camel. Everyday Kabil helps the farmer without grumbling. One day Kabil met a few camels passing by his hut. They were stray camels and did not belong to anyone. One of the camels said boastfully, “ We are free animals. We do not have to work day and night like you. We can sit and sleep the whole day, while you Kabil have to work all day long!”. They teased Kabil and went away laughing at him.

Kabil started to think about his hard life. He had forgotten how much the farmer loves him. Kabil also did not think about how safe he is staying with the old farmer. That night Kabil pulled free from his rope, and ran away from the farm. Kabil ran aimlessly not knowing which direction to go. Finally he became very tired and stopped to rest under a tree. Soon he felt asleep.

After a while when he woke up, Kabil found a rope around his neck. A stranger was standing next to him. The man took Kabil to a crowded market. He kept Kabil in a small cramped cage together with other animals. There Kabil met the stray camels who teased him before. They looked sick and tired. “ Kabil, why are you here?” asked the camel. “ Did the old farmer send you to be sold in the market?” Kabil kept silent. He was ashamed to tell them that he had ran away from his master who was a kind and gentle man.

Kabil stayed in the market for many days. He was very afraid. He was hungry and longed for his beautiful farm where the farmer and all his friends were. A few days later, Kabil saw the old farmer in the market. The old farmer quickly recognised Kabil. He came and talked to the man who brought Kabil to the market. Kabil saw the old farmer give five shiny coins to the man. Soon Kabil was freed from his cramped cage, into the safe hands of the old farmer.

Kabil knew the farmer had very little money and yet he had used them to save him. He felt so ashamed to have caused so much trouble. Kabil vowed he will work extra hard and never run away again.
By
Sara G 2007

Chicken Rice Special

2007-11-21T00:19:00.000+08:00

Ingredients

For the rice
3 cups of basmathi rice
5 1/2 cups of chicken stock
Some pandan leaves
salt
margerine (opt)
turmeric powder 1tsp
salt

For the stock (boil all together with ten cups of water)
1 bowl of chicken bone
cinnamon 3cm
star anise 1
3 cm ginger bruised
some garlic bruised
1 whole onion

For the chicken(marinate for 1 hour)

7-8 pieces of chicken fillet
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of brown sugar
salt and some soy sauce

Method
Take 5 cups of stock and pour on cleaned rice add some salt and turmeric powder. Cook in rice cooker. When rice is done put 1 tbsp of margerine inside the rice and stir.

Now for the soup. Take the remaining stock, add water if necessary. Put some white peper and half a chicken granules. Simmer a while. Garnish with chopped celery and fried onions.

For the chicken, take the chicken which had been marinated and assemble them onto a rectangular foil. sprinkle the fillets with 1 tsp of oil. Now fold the foil to make a neat packet. Put it on a baking dish and bake for 20mins. Then open the packet and bake again for another 10mins or so.

Serve rice with chicken, sauce and some slice cucmber

For the sauce ( blender )
10 red chille
2 clove of garlic
lime juice
salt and sugar
sweet chilli sauce

Sayur Kailan Tumis

2007-11-19T08:20:00.000+08:00

BAHAN- BAHAN

1 ikat baby kailan dihiris (asingkan daun dan batang)
5 ulas bawang putih dicincang
1 biji cili merah dihiris
1 sk ikan bilis
garam lada putih
minyak menumis

CARA-CARA
1. TUMIS BAWANG PUTIH HINGGA WANGI.
2. Masukkan ikan bilis dan hirisan cili merah
3. Masukkan batang dan goreng sebentar. Tambah air jika perlu.
4. Sekarang masukkan semua daun, garam, dan lada. Tutup api. Hidang bersama nasi putih dan hidangan makanan laut.Enjoy!!!

Ikan Cencaru Belah belakang

2007-11-18T16:22:00.000+08:00

Bahan-bahan

Ikan cencaru 5 ekor
serbuk kunyit 1/2 sk
serbuk cabai 1 sk

BAHAN SAMBAL DIGILIN HALUS
10 biji cili kering
3 ulas bawang putih
4 ulas bawang merah
1 batang serai
sedikit air asam
belacan garam gula secukup rasa

CARA-CARA

1. Gaul kunyit, serbuk cabai dan garam dengan ikan. Diperap 30 minit
2. Untuk sambal, tumis semua bahan-bahan giling sehingga naik minyak. Biar sejuk sebentar
3. Sekarang goreng ikan yang disumbat dengan separuh sambal hingga garing. Hias dengan hirisan tomato dan timun. Sambal yang lebih boleh dituang diatas ikan.Sedap dimakan dengan nasi putih dan sayur kailan tumis. Enjoyyy!!