Understanding and Appreciating Ramadan.

We moved to Dubai a year and three months back. It was both an unexpected and a sudden move but one that we welcomed. They say that there are two gifts that you should give a child. One is roots and the other is wings. Moving to a country that is unfamiliar to you, experiencing a new way of living, becoming one of “them” and making it your home is part of the roots and wings course.

In little more than a year, home for Sara means only one place on the globe; Dubai. What do you like about Dubai we ask her? I love that park with swings, all my “best friends” are here, I like going to the beach (with truckloads of beach toys), I love my school because it is the best in the world, she says. UAE is my favorite country in the world,she adds. I smile. What is home after all; a place where you are surrounded by friends & family and where you make memories and this is exactly what my five year old is happy doing. Dubai is her home.

There is another side to it though and that is embracing the culture of the country you start calling home and ever since we moved to Dubai we are helping her do that. Be it learning the national anthem of UAE or taking baby steps to learn Arabic. Social science lessons at school were very pretty interesting this month where she studied both India and UAE and it made me grin with joy that the school was making her revisit her roots and helping her understand and see UAE closer.

Last year during Ramadan we were not in the city. This year things are a little different;  we are here, Ramadan has come much earlier, Sara has graduated from kindergarten and is a “big girl” now which means she can understand and appreciate Ramadan more than she could the year before. At school the children were taught about Ramadan and how some of her Muslim friends might be keeping their first Ramadan and it would be nice to support them.

We too have been discussing the significance of this holy month with her. I want her to understand why this month is so special for all her friends who are observing it and how she can be a part of this.

A couple of weeks back she got an opportunity to be a part of the Haq-Al-Lailah celebrations here where she received dates and sweets from some of our friends and we made fruit bars to share with everyone. We also had a little chat with her about the why’s and what’s of Haq-Al-Lailah. I am looking forward to doing the same with her for Ramadan and ofcourse Eid. I’d like her to appreciate the traditions associated with Ramadan and how sharing and giving are the fundamental principles behind it. Just like during Diwali when we share what we have with the less fortunate and thank God for what we he has blessed us with I’d like her to do her own little bit this year during this month of introspection, charity and gratitude.

Here’s what we have planned. 

• She is going to be giving away toys and clothes (some new and some old) that belong to her to the needy. Giving away what is hers will make her understand that sharing is about having a big heart. 
• She has a little piggy bank where she has been collecting coins for over a year now. It is not a huge amount but they are a invaluable for her. They are hers. We are going to take some of them and buy some icecreams or a candies or a doughnuts (clearly her list and not mine :)) for some children who have never had one for no childhood is complete without licking a lollipop or licking the ice-cream off your lips. 
• Sara loves to bake and we have planned an entire afternoon of baking some yummy goodies that we are going to pack in pretty boxes and give away as gifts to both the underprivileged and our lovely neighbours for only when you make something with your own hands you realize the amount of work that goes into making someone happy. Sharing them with her neighbors and friends will teach her the importance of building a community spirit.

All of the above are really simple gestures for often simple is most meaningful.

I also came across some lovely books for the kids for the Non-Muslim expat children to understand Ramadan better. They ofcourse are great for kids who are observing their first Ramadan this year as well.

  Ramadan & Rashad's Ramadan and Eid-al-fitr

My First Ramadan & Ramadan Moon

My little chefling & I wish all those who are observing Ramadan; Ramadan Kareem and are sharing a healthy recipe we often make at home. Also here is a little gift to all those little kids who are fasting with their mums and dads this year. 

A countdown calendar of sorts to encourage them and reward them for nothing excites a kid more than a star sticker (take it from me). You could print this and give your little one a star sticker at the end of the day for being able to complete their fast successfully and ofcourse to keep a track of how many days until Eid :)

Brown rice, spinach and pomegranate salad

This power packed wholesome salad is a great way to introduce your children to the joy of eating brown rice and green leaves.  It is a salad but doesn’t quite feel like a salad for it has rice and kids love rice. There are dates and peaches take care of the sweetness that they love and cutting down any little bitterness from baby spinach. In addition this one pot meal has the goodness of the coconut oil, the anti-oxidant properties of turmeric & pomegranate and the vitamins and minerals from dates and ofcourse the good fats from the peanuts. Just what the little bodies will need after a day of fasting.

Ingredients (Makes 4 large portions)

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp coconut nut oil
• 1/8^th  tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar or any other of your choice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sumac or any dry herb available
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 cup peaches or any stone fruit
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 100 grams baby spinach
• 1 cup salted peanuts

Instructions:

1. Cook the brown rice according to instructions on the pack. Simply add turmeric to the water in which you are going to cook it.
2. Combine the vinegar, olive oil, 1 tsp of sumac, salt, chilli flakes, lemon juice and salt if using to make the dressing.
3. To the dressing, add the dates, red onion, nectarine, pomegranate seeds and leave it to develop flavours.
4. Place the spinach in a large salad bowl.
5. Just before serving, dress the salad. Add the boiled rice. And mix gently Sprinkle the remaining sumac and the peanuts and shake some extra olive oil on top if you like. 

Images : Personal Album. All images belong to orangekitchens and are subject to copyright. The printable is only for personal use. 

Playing with food: Solar System

The Solar system has been on Sara's mind ever since all her friends at Kindergarten put up a spectacular show called what else, the Solar System.

She was part of Team Neptune and thee children looked so cute dancing to "Neptune, Neptune that's the place to be". In their shimmery black costumes with a big blue circular patch that represented Neptune complete with a glowing antenna they won our hearts.

During the months that led up to the performance the children were exposed to the names of different planets, the characteristics  of each planet and ofcourse nothing is complete without music so they sung planet songs.
Night sky on the screen, sparkling costumes, dazzling smiles, twinkling eyes and great confidence. A morning to remember.

It was a beautiful performance for which I am sure the teachers must have slaved over and spent many sleepless nights. It was also the day when they graduated from Kindergarten to Primary. Many silly mums like me had teary eyeswhen they saw their not-so-little-anymore babies walk up to the stage to receive the graduation prize. It is perfectly normal to feel like that, right? Please agree:)

Anyhow, coming back to the Solar System and its eight planets (There was a really funny Pluto in the show who wanted to come back to the Solar System family but was kicked out each time:)) Sara wanted to live in her Neptune pants and it had been a while that we kept going back to her show and how much fun they had. Her dad, aunt, uncle and ofcourse her mum were also taught the dance steps. 

So, the other day when she asked me for some snack I gave her this. 

And I don't need to tell you her reaction or do I? She screamed with joy. The Solar System, Mamma! On my plate!

She was really amused for she was "eating planets". we talked about how Jupiter was so big and Mars was so tiny. And how Neptune was so cold since it was at a distance from the sun and Mercury was hot because it was right there kissing Mr.Sun:) 
We talked about how the planets were going "round and round" the sun singing Ring-around-the-roses. It made her a little sad that they were doing it alone and not holding hands which is why they will never meet.

I didn't have a black plate larger than this on hand else I would have preferred to have the orbits drawn to scale. Having said that, all the planets were in her tummy so why complain. I used cream cheese in a regular icing bag to pipe out the orbits and just for fun used a cloth that had stars on it as her place mat. If your little one is into planets, do try this out and I can guarantee you lots of happy giggles.

Food is such a great medium when it comes to learning new things. Isn't it?

Solar System Fruit Platter

Serves one little crazy planet fan

Ingredients
A slice from a boiled egg for the sun
A blueberry for Mercury
A sliced raspberry for Venus
A dry apricot for Earth
A sliced strawberry for Mars
A slice of apple for Jupiter
A slice of kiwi for Saturn
A slice of plum for Uranus
A banana slice for Neptune

1 tbsp of cream cheese (yogurt, cream;anything will do)

(Any fruits that you have on hand would do. I just made sure that the sizes were more or less to scale when I assigned them each a planet)

Black platter (or any plate of your choice) to represent the night sky and any fabric/ paper with stars for a place mat (Optional)

Let's just assume that you didn't see the grubby finger marks on the platter, OK? 

We agree?

Instructions:
1. Start with sun right at the center.
2. Fill up the cream cheese in an icing bag and pipe out 8 concentric circles around the sun for the 8 orbits.
3. Place the fruit slices to represent the planets.
4. Surprise your little one!

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Stone fruit crisp.

Okay...so what does one do when faced with a situation like no power for almost 16 hours and loads of stone fruit in your refrigerator going all mush.Well, you wait for the power to come back and rescue them by making a stone fruit crisp. 

It takes all of five minutes to put together (well, anything longer and you don't want to do it because you are not sure if the power is here to stay) and tastes absolutely wonderful. 

The stone fruits lending the acidity to the crisp, the chewy texture of the muesli and the sweetness from the brown sugar...yum...I also added a  splash of red wine when I made a second batch that very evening.

Stone fruit crisp
Serves 8


Ingredients
4 cups sliced peaches
2 cups sliced plums 
2 cups sliced apricots
1 cup soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour (atta)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup muesli
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter

Instructions

1. Combine the peaches, plums, apricots, half of the soft brown sugar, flour and the muesli in a large bowl; let it stand for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 

3. Spoon the fruit mixture into a ceramic baking dish (coated with oil).

4. Combine the muesli, the remaining soft brown sugar (1/2 cup), 3/4 cup of the whole wheat flour and salt in a bowl. Drizzle with butter, stirring until crumbly. Sprinkle the muesli mixture over the fruit mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly. 

Serve with cream if you like.

Image : Personal Album
Recipe: Adapted from Cooking Light

While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. 
They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt.

I have fond childhood memories of wiping off bowls and bowls of jamun (with rock salt ofcourse). 

And in July, I was handed over several boxes of these, thanks to mom. After consuming many of these babies just the way we did when we were kids and comparing the purple colour on our tongues (like all mature adults are expected to) I was left with a huge batch resting patiently inside my fridge.

Like frozen yogurt? Like jamun?

Time for some Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt. 

And trust it was really the best fruit yogurt I've ever had/made. The flavor was really fresh, the texture was creamy, the colour...well simply gorgeous and the yogurt did total justice to the succulent and tangy jamuns. Its now the family's favorite yogurt. A pity that the jamun season has almost come to an end:(

Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt
Ingredients
500 gms jamun
400 ml yogurt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1.Remove the seeds from the java plums and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar ,stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand for an hour.

2. Puree the java plums and their liquid with the lemon juice and the yogurt in a blender until smooth. Press the mixture through a strainer, if you wish.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacture's instructions.

Images and Recipe : Personal
While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. 
They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays

                                 Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours


Image : here

C is for Chinese Oranges

Definition of CHINESE ORANGE

1

: a kumquat (Fortunella japonica) having globular fruit

2

: a vivid yellowish pink to strong reddish orange that is very slightly redder than capucine red —called also Japanese yellow

Yay! And finally after a long long wait ours just turned into these warm amber beauties. I got the plant many many months back and have been waiting patiently ever since for it to bear fruit.

And now for a little thinking...write to me if you have some wonderful recipes. 

Mmm...will they be a part of a marmalade or simply candied? Or how about soaking them in rum? :)

Images : Personal Album