Mom’s Ramadan Recipe: Chhole

What you need:

2 cans chickpeas, drained and washed
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon yogurt
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Salt, to taste
Water, as required
Optional: 1 cubed potato

For garnish:
Chopped cilantro
1 sliced tomato
1/4 sliced onion
1 chopped green pepper

How to make it:

In a small bowl, mix the turmeric, salt, red pepper, ground cumin powder, and 3 tablespoons of water.

Heat oil in pan on low heat. Add above mixture and stir well. Keep adding 1 tablespoon of water every 30 seconds for 3 minutes while stirring (so that the mixture doesn’t dry out). Finally, add potatoes with another 2 tablespoons of water and stir. Add chickpeas and 2 cups of water. Cover and simmer on low heat.

Meanwhile, mix yogurt and tamarind paste in a separate bowl and keep aside.

Once water has evaporated and potatoes are tender, remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes (the chickpeas should be tender as well, but not too soft).

Add tamarind and yogurt mixture to the chickpeas and mix well. Place in serving bowl and garnish as desired.

Technorati Tags: recipe,food,ramadan,muslims

Ramadan Season 2011

Today was the first day of Ramadan. Out of the 12 months in the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is when Muslims are supposed to fast. Fasts begin at sunrise and last until sunset. My family starts their day by waking up really early and then fueling themselves for the day ahead. After the morning prayer, everyone goes about their day as they normally would, but without eating or drinking. About an hour before sunset, preparation begins for Iftar, the time at which we break our fast.

People usually greet each other by saying Ramadan Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem. [Because of the recent events in the Middle East, many Egyptians are avoiding anything with the term Mubarak in it.]

Click here to read last year’s post on Ramadan.

I have a few goals this Ramadan that I wish to accomplish:

(1) Memorize Juz ‘Amma

Explanation: The Koran, the Holy Book of Muslims, is divided into 30 parts to make it easier to read in a month, or to memorize it. The whole Koran contains 114 Surah (chapters). Juz ‘Amma is the 30th part of the Koran. Since the Surah are shorter in this part of the Koran, Muslims start memorizing the Koran with Juz ‘Amma.

For a better explanation of what a Juz is, click here.

(2) Memorize Surah Mulk

Explanation: In simple terms, a Surah is a chapter of the Koran. Each Surah has a name and this particular one is called Surah Mulk. Since Surah Mulk is 30 ayaat (verses), it is an ideal Surah to memorize during Ramadan (which also lasts for 30 days), which means we memorize one ayah (verse) per day.

To access Surah Mulk, click here.

(3) Read Islamic fiction/non-fiction

Explanation: To keep with the spirit of Ramadan, I want to promote Muslim women writers. I will read books, essays, short stories, and anything else written by Muslim women and review it on my blog.

I will be using a Facebook page created by a friend for recommendations. Click here to take a look.

(4) Reach out to my non-Muslim connections

Explanation: This is probably one of the most important goals I have this Ramadan. I have a lot of non-Muslim friends and acquaintances, which is why I wanted to reach out and include them in my Ramadan celebrations [I have already asked one of my friends to fast with me for one day].

In the coming days, I will be sharing book reviews by Muslim women writers and some recipes of my mom’s Iftar dishes.

^Iftar feast, clock-wise starting from upper left: dahi bade, chhole, pakore (traditional Indian/Pakistani cuisine for Ramadan).

How are you planning to spend your Ramadan? Do you have any goals? If you are not Muslim, what are your thoughts on Ramadan? If you have any questions, feel free to ask them too!

Technorati Tags: ramadan,muslims,islamic,food,koran

She Writers 2nd Anniversary!

How cool would it be if there was a place for women writers of all backgrounds to come together, share ideas, learn from each other, and grow in the process?

Wouldn’t it be great if aspiring writers could connect with established ones to gain insight on the process of writing and publishing?

How about two women from different religious faiths sharing their stories about their experience growing up?

Well, there’s something out there just like that and it’s called “She Writes”. I joined this network of female authors, publishers, and bloggers almost a year ago (August 2010) and am enjoying the virtual company of my fellow writers.

Here’s a chance for you to not only join She Writes, but also meet some of the lovely ladies face-to-face at a meet-up near you!

She Writes 2nd Anniversary is coming up on June 29th, 2011 and there are meet-ups being held all over the place! To give you an idea, just in Southern California where I live, I know of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties each having their own meet-ups! That gives you a chance to meet your fellow writers without having to travel too far from where you live.

If you see that there is no meet-up near you, you can start your own. It doesn’t take too much planning! Follow these easy steps to celebrate She Writes 2nd Anniversary:

1. Join She Writes, if you haven’t already (Just do it!)

Visit She Writes

2. Click here to visit the Volunteer HQ page, where you can find more information about the She Writes celebration. Read the discussions and posts.

3. Click here to find a meet-up near you or create one of your own.

4. Attend a meet-up, have fun, and make some new connections!

Here’s the info about meet-ups in Orange County:

Nirvana Grill, 303 Broadway Street, Laguna Beach, CA
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 6:00 PM

Java Joe's, 4973 Yorba Ranch Road, Yorba Linda, CA
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 7:00 PM

Technorati Tags: she writes,she writes anniversary,event,she writes celeration,celebration,community news,social networks

Yearning for that ‘little girl’

I used to be obsessed about God. I really thought about Him and called on Him for the littlest of things. I remember that thick, silky curtain that separated the living room from the rest of the house (it was used when guests were over). I used to wrap myself in that curtain and pray. It made me feel like I was invisible from the rest of the world.

I remember I used to pray all the time (no joke). I was hopeful at every moment during the day. I would hide behind those curtains, form a cup with my hands, and ask for things. A doll house. Australia. A pet. America. I wouldn’t quit asking. I wanted to leave Pakistan. My uncles were living in Australia and the U.S. and I wanted so bad to leave and live life in a better place.

“Allah* mian  mujhe kahin bahar janaa hai” (Allah*, I want to go outside, i.e. abroad).

“Allah mere test mein achhe scores deejiye ga” (Allah, please give me good scores on my test)

“Allah please mujhe aaj Papa se ice cream dilwaiye ga” (Allah, please make my dad buy me ice cream today)

So many years later, after having moved to the U.S. at the age of nine, that little-sparkly-eyed-girl has become extinct. A once-upon-a time-species. She is similar to those birds that I talk about during my naturalist meetings. The ones that used to exist, but now are only in the memories of the birders that were enthusiastic about them.

I wonder where she is now.

I know she’s here somewhere. She’s overshadowed by years of so-called “adulthood”. Morose-hood is a better term. We don’t just become adults. We somehow become epitomes of pessimism. Why should we define when childhood ends, and adolescence starts, and when that is overtaken by adulthood? Why can’t we just live as innocent, little, curious creatures? (Yes, I understand that I might not be making any sense).

Now, it feels like a chore to ask God for anything. It makes me sad and frustrated. What happened to that little girl? Where did she fly off to? Will she ever return?

Maybe one day I will go back to being the girl that asked, asked and asked from Someone who gives, gives, and gives. Today I ask God for something –I want that little girl back.

*Allah= literally translates as ‘The God’ in Arabic. It’s unique because it is neither a masculine nor feminine word.

Technorati Tags: little girl,about me,God,prayers,childhood,memories

Blindisms- Are you guilty of these?

[This was my second speech for Toastmaster’s International. The objective was to organize my thoughts with a clear goal in mind. I talked about a topic that I have always wanted to share with people ever since I started working at the Braille Institute.]

A person with a badge with the letters V.I.P is standing next to me. A conversation occurs:

Me: Excuse me, I am trying to get to DeAnza Boulevard and Prospect Drive. Do you know where that is?

Other: Sure. Take this bus and get off at the third stop. Walk about 5 feet and take the bus at that stop. That should get you where you need to go.

Me: Thank you!

A similar conversation took place about five years ago. It wasn’t an unusual exchange as you saw. I asked for directions at a bus stop and was kindly given an answer. Instead, I want to bring the entire focus on the man that helped me. He is someone who one of my acquaintances would call a VIP; in other words, a ‘visually impaired person’. This acquaintance is herself blind so she uses this acronym in a light-hearted way.  

Today, I want to talk about a concept that is frequently discussed amongst VIPs called “blindisms”.“Blindisms” is a term coined by one of the instructors that I assist at the Braille Institute. These are ideas, perceptions, and mainly misconceptions that many of us sighted people might fall into. I want to focus on only two of these “blindisms” that the visually impaired community wants the rest of us to know. I talk about the following two specifically because they come up often in conversations amongst the students at the Braille Institute.

First, you can’t always tell whether someone is blind.  Although we might imagine a blind person to ‘look’ or ‘act’ a certain way, like carry a cane or perhaps have their eyes look ‘different’, there will be many VIPs that do not fit into that mold. As an example, although a white cane can be an identifier for us to know if someone is blind, not every VIP feels comfortable carrying one. I met an elderly lady who lost her sight due to glaucoma and macular degeneration and because she was an independent woman all her life, she said it was hard for her to rely on a cane. She refused to use one and thus, most people would not know just by looking at her that she is actually blind.

Secondly, visual impairment is not only limited to complete blindness. In fact, only about 10 percent of all blindness is one that causes its recipient to be in ‘complete darkness’. The rest either have only light perception, or their central vision is intact and they see nothing in the periphery.  For example, I met someone who said that people at the grocery store wouldn’t believe her when she said she was legally blind because she was previously seen reading (or trying to read) some signs (though she had to stand touching her nose to the sign to figure out what it said). So, you might have some vision, but this certainly does not mean that it is any easier to complete daily tasks in a sighted world.

Like I said earlier, there are many “blindisms”, but I presented you with the two most common. The reason I talked about these was the frequency with which they occur and with the hope that by sharing  them, I inspired us all to recognize the diversity that exists in the VIP world.

[The speech was very good, according to my evaluator, but the conclusion was too abrupt. I felt that I stumbled many times, but apparently no one noticed.]

Technorati Tags: toastmasters,speech,blindisms,braille institute,visual impairment,VIP