Omani Sweets: Chaklama

This is a great treat to make with your kids for Eid! :-) 

Serves: about 40 small balls 

Ingredients - Checklist: 

O 4 cups coconut powder

O 1 tsp vanilla sugar 

O 1 tsp baking powder

O 1 tbs melted butter 

O 1 tin Nestle sweetened condensed milk (397 g)

Preparations: 

• Melt the butter in a little saucepan. 
• Mix the coconut powder, vanilla sugar, baking powder and melted butter together in a large bowl. 
• Pour in the milk and mix everything together with a wooden spoon until a soft, crumbly dough forms. 
• Preheat your oven to 180 C celsius. 
• Cover an oven tray with a sheet of baking paper. 
• Shape the dough into small balls and place them on the baking paper, leaving spaces between each ball. 
• Bake for about 10-15 minutes. (Until the balls turn golden brown.)
• Allow to cool and serve. 

July`s Cooking Challenge: Oman

I was really excited to find out that at MENA Cooking Club we`ll be exploring the Omani cuisine this month!

Oman isn`t that far from Qatar at all, it is located in the south of the Arabian peninsula, bordering Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A sultanate, governed by Oman`s sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Oman is home to about 3.2 million people. 

National Geographic Traveler. 

This country really speaks to my imagination and I`ve told my husband ever since we came to live in Doha, that I want to visit it. I`m not sure what it is that attracts me so much about Oman, but I think it has something to do with the rich history of the country. It is the land where frankincense was cultivated and exported from to every corner of the world and the landscape of the country is dotted with mosques, castles and fortresses.

Muscat, Oman`s capital. National Geographic Traveler.

The vast majority of the country is desert. In the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, partly in Oman, you will find what is called *Rub` Al Khali* or the empty quarter: the world`s largest contiguous sand desert. 

The empty quarter, as seen in Saudi Arabia. National Geographic.

But Oman is also home to some incredible fauna and flora: every year in the most southern part of the Arabian peninsula near the Indian Ocean, the Dhofar mountains and the monsoon work together to turn this desolate land into a little Paradise: the transformation it undergoes is absolutely breath taking. The second episode of the BBC`s documentary series Wild Arabia, titled *The jewel of Arabia*, covers this amazing spectacle of nature.

Did I convince you already? Oman is definitely on my countries-to-visit-list, but for now I`ll have to be content with exploring its rich heritage in my own kitchen. 

This month`s host is Rafeeda from The Big Sweet Tooth and here are the two recipes I worked with: Omani Lamb Kabouli and Omani Chaklama.

Enjoy!

Omani Lamb Kabouli

Serves: 2-3 

Ingredients - Checklist: 
O 400-500 grams of lamb pieces with bones
O 4 1/2 cups of water 
O 1 cinnamon stick 
O 1/2 tsp whole cardamom pods 
O 1/2 tsp whole cloves 
O 1/2 tsp whole black peppers 
O 1/2 cup of water (extra)
O 1 large onion, diced 
O 2 tbs olive oil
O 2 cloves garlic, diced 
O 2 tbs raisins
O 1/2 tin canned chick peas 
O 2 tbs Omani mixed spices
O 1/4 tsp saffron powder 
O 1 1/2 cup basmati rice 
O 2 cubes Maggi chicken stock

Preparations: 
Omani mixed spices:

I bet you don`t have an Omani spice mixture hidden in your kitchen cabinets, but rest assured, neither do I. :-) You can easily make it yourself as you do probably have most, if not all, of these spices at home. I used this recipe to make my Omani mixed spices and it turned out really nice in this dish. 

*****

Lamb pieces: 

• Put the lamb pieces and 4 1/2 cups of water in a large pot. 
• Bring to a boil, then add the cinnamon stick and the whole spices. (Cloves, cardamom pods and black pepper.) 
• Cover, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat becomes tender. 
• When the meat is ready: remove the pieces from the pot, put them on a plate and set aside. 
• Drain the stock and set aside. 

*****

Onion mixture:

• Cook half of the extra water (1/4 cup) and the onion in a large sauce pan. 
• Turn to medium heat and stir occasionally until most of the water has evaporated and the onions become tender. (About 5 minutes.)
• Add 1 tbs of olive oil and stir until the onions turned golden in color. 
• Add garlic, raisins, chickpeas, 1/2 tbs of Omani mixed spices, 1/4 tsp of saffron and the remaining of the water. 

*****

Final stage:

• Add the drained stock to a large pot with an additional 2 cups of water.
• Add 1 tbs of olive oil, 1 1/2 tbs of Omani mixed spices, Maggi Chicken stock cubes and rice. 
• Bring to a boil, stir occasionally, cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until the rice is semi cooked. 
• Add the lamb pieces, mix, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. 

*****

Serve on a big platter and top with the mixture of onions, garlic and chickpeas.

Tastes great with a fresh salad on the side. 

Oh Ramadan...

Oh Ramadan, your days went by so fast,  

And most of them have already passed. 

Your time has almost come to an end,  

I can only hope my days fasting were well spent.  

Oh Ramadan, I am not ready to say goodbye,  

I want to cling to your presence as these last hours are passing me by,  

Because there is definitely a fear,  

That this time around next year, maybe... I won`t be here? 

Oh Ramadan, I don`t want you to leave.  

There are still so many good deeds left for me to achieve,  

And after your blessed presence has gone,  

There is still so much work left to be done.  

Oh Ramadan, promise next year we will meet? 

I will do my best! Will do more good deeds! 

Maybe next time I will take head,  

And stop my wrongdoings that I seem bound to repeat. 

Oh Ramadan, you will be missed, again and again,  

As it feels like I am seeing off a dear friend... 

But before you step out of the door,  

I`ld like to ask you for something, just one thing more... 

Oh Ramadan, intercede for me on that Final Day.  

With the days I fasted and the nights I prayed.  

So out of His Mercy I can be forgiven,  

So out of His Mercy I can be saved...  

About me...

If you`ld like to know a little bit more about me: I was recently interviewed in a series of Belgians living abroad. If you click here, you`ll be directed to my interview, in shaa Allah!

Bruce Bogtrotter`s Chocolate Cake for Eid

Whenever I bake a chocolate cake, I always use one recipe. The first time I tried out this recipe, I was about 10 years old. Fast forward almost 20 years (sic) and this is still the recipe I`m using. I never felt the need to try out other recipes as this one is just perfect! 

The Roald Dahl books are an important part of my childhood. I got *Matilda* as a gift when I was about 8 years old and it was the first real book I read and loved. Over the years I would read many other books written by Roald Dahl and one of the books I`ve kept until today is Roald Dahl`s *Revolting Recipes*. This cook book contains the recipes to most of the treats and sweets Roald Dahl describes in his books. If you`ve read *Matilda* too, you will definitely remember the giant chocolate cake Bruce Bogtrotter was forced to eat... I bet you imagined how it would taste like and I can guarantee you that it tastes amazing... :-) 

This is a perfect cake for Eid-ul-Fitr, so I`m sharing the recipe with you all... 

Enjoy! 

This year`s Ramadan decorations (2015)

I love to decorate my home during Ramadan and Eids. From the moment I had my own place, I would put my crafting skills to use and make my house as festive as possible during the holy days! Now that I have a son I believe it is even more important to bring that Ramadan atmosphere into our home. Although he is still tiny with his nearly 8 months of age and high likely won`t remember all the effort his mom was putting into decorating the place when he was a baby, lol, I strongly believe islamic education starts from the day a child is brought into this world. (And even before that.) Of course I don`t just decorate our house because of my son, I just love to craft and create pretty things to create a cozy and warm atmosphere at home. And Ramadan and Eid our the perfect times to do so. :-)

This year`s decorations were very budget friendly. A few weeks before Ramadan I normally set out to buy new crafting supplies, but this year I decided to work with what I already had lying around at home. Take a peek...

There are some crafts that I make every year, one of them is a *Ramadan Mubarak* banner. If you`ld like to know how to make the tassels, here`s a tutorial on how to do that. 

Moons and stars can`t be missing during Ramadan! These shiny stars and moons are made from the same paper as the one I used to make the tassels for the banner: golden and silver crepe paper. These are hanging from the ceiling in my hallway and are the first thing you see when you walk through my door. 

This lovely *Ramadan Mubarak* banner is hanging on my front door. It is designed by Sweet Fajr and you can find this and more printable banners on her page. 

Below the banner I made a garland with yarn and different colors and types of washi tape. Here`s a close up. 

I like to visualize the passing days of Ramadan and the countdown to Eid.

 

I drew the design in the frame myself, but you can find some nice printables online like this one. To be able to change the number of days every day, you place the printable behind the glass of your frame, you can then write the number of days with a whiteboard marker on the frame. Be sure to not use a permanent marker, so you can easily wipe it off every day. 

The printable on the right is from Sweet Fajr and you can download it here. 

My love for crochet and candles resulted in this cozy candle light. A great way to recycle all those glass jars you`ve got lying around. Click here for the pattern. 

No Ramadan without a *fanoos* in our family. The streets of Cairo are filled with these (Although nowadays they are mostly electrical) and this brings back memories of Ramadan in Egypt!

The little glass cup is actually a typical Qatari coffee cup, but it can also serve as a candle holder. 

AlhamdouliLlah for a cozy Ramadan home! 

5 years of being a hijabi

This summer marks the 5th anniversary of me wearing the hijaab, alhamdouliLlah.

5 years ago, at the beginning of the summer in 2010, a few days after graduation and a few weeks before my marriage, I decided to wear the hijaab and I have, alhamdouliLlah, never taken it off since.

Even more so then deciding to become a muslim, wearing the hijaab had far reaching consequences: I lost friends, family members wouldn`t speak to me anymore and I saw my chances of working as a teacher in Belgium diminishing drastically.

But looking back, wearing the hijaab didn`t make me *lose* anything. By losing friends, Allah directed me to better people who turned out to be better companions. By not being welcomed anymore into some of my family members` homes, Allah protected me from a lot of fitnah and again, replaced the family that I lost, for a family of sisters. By choosing Allah over my passion for teaching, he eventually blessed me with an exceptional teaching position where I was able to work with hijaab: I look back on my years at the school as some of the best of my life, alhamdouliLlah.

Living in a muslim country now, where I am valued and respected because of my hijaab, I will never forget how hard I fought for my religion and my hijaab. And I experienced first hand how Allah will help you in ways you don`t think are possible. When you take one step towards Allah, He will come running to you...

Wearing the hijaab is a personal jihad. Especially in these times. And over those 5 years and especially in the last one, I saw several sisters take off their hijaab. I understand. Wearing the hijaab is hard. Very hard. But I want you to remember: your struggle isn`t in vain. You are not struggling alone. Thousands of sisters are struggling with you. Don`t give up. Allah is with you. And those friends you are afraid of losing? Allah will replace them with better ones. 

Those family members who don`t want to see you anymore? Allah will make them come around or replace them by a different kind of family. 

That job you will lose? Allah will guide you to a better opportunity.

Be proud of your hijaab, ladies, keep struggling for the sake of Allah!