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Foody Fridays: Sort-of-fish-breyani

The other day someone asked me if I liked cooking. My answer was "no I don't like cooking, but I love food so that trumps my dislike of cooking". I also like it when others enjoy my cooking. But as a busy mom of 4, cooking can, at the best of times be a tedious chore. So I break the rules and take shortcuts wherever I can to still make those hearty homecooked meals with as little effort and in as little time as possible. Any mom will tell you that the first hurdle is knowing WHAT to cook. You get bored of making and eating the same food week in and week out, but you still have to consider the likes and dislikes of your family. Anyway, I try to make fish once a week, so Wednesday I was stumped about what to cook and I saw some frozen hake fillets in the freezer. I was not in the mood to make battered fish so I decided to give fish breyani a try. Having never made fish breyani I turned to my trusty recipe books. There was a fish breyani but the method was just so laborious so I skipped pass. Then  there was a tuna breyani recipe which seemed quick, but with not alot of spices because it uses tinned tuna which already has a distinct flavour. So I called up Yaasier's gran because I know she makes mean fish breyani. And then I combined all 3 recipes to make something quick, easy and tasty...my sort-of-fish-breyani.
You wil need:
2 cups rice
5 or 6 medium sized fish fillets (fresh is best but I used frozen and it was still delicious)
3 cardomon
3 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
Salt
Fish masala
Lemon juice
Grated or chopped tomatoe
Oil
Garlic
Chilli powder
Frozen veggies of your choice
Potatoes (optional)
Method:
Parboil your rice for approximately 10 minutes in the microwave. I used basmati rice but fragrant jasmine will also be fine, it will just have different texture. In the water you boil the rice in, add the cardoman, cloves and stick cinnamon. While the rice is in the microwave heat some oil in a heavy-based pot. If you are using frozen fish theres no need to defrost first. Simply dip the fish in warm water before marinading. I read somewhere not to marinade in a metal dish when using lemon juice because it apparently changes the flavour of the lemon juice. I don't know if this is true, but I always use glass just in case. Anyway, you add to your fish some oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp fish masala, 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder (to your taste preference), and grated or chopped tomatoe. I always use the tinned chopped tomatoe so I use about 3 tablespoons full, but if you are using fresh whole tomatoe,1 peeled tomatoe should suffice. Now when I made this I was too lazy to peel potatoes so I just left it out, but if you want potatoes, cut them into quarters and flSh fry them in the oil you were heating up just to give it a light brown then remove. Now you can start layering everything in your pot. Drain your rice but keep the spices that were floating in the water. In your pot add half the parboiled rice and toss lightly in the hot oil. Then add some frozen vegetables. I used frozen peas and frozen corn, but you can use any vegetables you prefer. You can also add as little or as much as you want depending on your preference. Whatever amount you want to use, place only half on this layer. Then place your potatoes ontop (if using)  followed by fish then the other half of your frozen vegetables. Finish off with a layer of the remaining rice. Pour about 1 cup of water in the dish you used to marinade your fish and pour this spiced water over you rice. Now seal your lid onto the pot and cook on medium high for about 5 minutes to get a steam going, then turn the plate down to low heat and forget about it for about 45 mins to an hour. Thats it! Preparation time only 15 minutes! I would have loved to have pictures of the dish, but they ate it all up before I even had a chance to get my camera. Hope you enjoy!

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Foody Fridays: Banoffi pudding

A few weeks back my neighbour Mary sent me a whole banoffi pudding. You have to understand that caramel is one of my FAVOURITE sweet indulgences. So you can imagine how amazing it was to get a whole pudding just like that for no reason at all. Sumayah,Yusuf and I had some, while Bilaal was a bit sceptical because he's not a fan of bananas. He decided he would have some another time without the bananas. ANOTHER TIME! How long did the kid expect the pudding to last?! The next day when Bilaal came home from school and wanted some it was all gone. Yusuf and sumayah had the last bit...but mom was the true pudding gobbler! I just couldn't help myself, everytime I walked past the fridge and just so happened to have a spoon in my hand...I took a mouthful. Admittedly I also had some for breakfast...and for lunch. Needless to say Bilaal was not impressed with me. So I promised him I would buy ingredients and he could make another one himself given that he is so keen to learn how to cook and bake. So yesterday he and Sumayah made a Banoffi pudding by themselves. Bilaal is still quite awkward with utensils so it took great restraint not to help too much. I tried to give them both free reign to just follow instructions. It wasn't perfect but it tasted good and they enjoyed making it. They were very proud to tell their dad they made dessert all by themselves. If you don't know how to make Banoffi pudding, it's quite simple. All you need is:
1 pkt tennis or digestive biscuits
100g butter
250ml whipping cream
1 tin caramel
1 banana

Method:
Crush the biscuits. If you want it really fine you can use a food processor, but as you can see in the picture I just put it in a packet and got the kids to wack it. I would have used a rolling pin, but I borrowed mine to Mary so we improvised.
Melt the butter and combine it with the crushed biscuits. Press the biscuit mix into a small casserole dish making sure it goes up the sides too. Place in the fridge to chill as this sets the base. If like us you don't have the time or patience to wait for it to set you can just go ahead and pour the filling on.
Lightly whip the caramel to a smooth consistency. You can do this by hand, no need for a mixer.
Spread the caramel over the biscuit base. If you didn't allow the base to set first it will still be quite crumbly and come up slightly as you spread the sticky caramel so you want to spread quite lightly. It will also look a bit messy...but this is not Masterchef.
Then you evenly place slices of banana all over the caramel. We left the banana off because Bilaal and Yaasier don't enjoy fruity desserts unless it's fruit salad. So I guess ours if mor of a no-ban-offi pudding.
Then you whip the cream and spread it all over the top yum! If you want to be extra decadent you can grate some chocolate over the top.
And it's ready to enjoy!
Licking the utensils and bowls afterwards is highly recommended.

Now excuse while I go have some pudding for my mid morning snack.

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Summer Lovin'

With the hot summer afternoons already here comes the Abrahams family favourite weekday activity...sprinkler play! When I've finished my cooking and Bilaal has finished his homework, it's the perfect cool down to the day. I usually turn the sprinklers on at about 4.30 in the afternoon when the sun is not so glaringly hot and its just before bath time. Sometimes we change into swimwear other times undies will do. Sometimes we don't use the sprinklers at all and just mess in the clam. When Samantha the au pair comes at 5pm they go straight into the bath. The kids absolutely love it and I get to just chill outside with Uthmaan before crazy hour kicks in.

Foody Friday: Poached Egg

It's been a long time since I've published a foody friday post. My cousin in Cape Town has also adopted the phrase Foody Friday for her business making yummy scrummy foods to deliver or collect. If you live in Cape Town you should check out her facebook page. One of the things I miss about Cape Town is the abundance of delicious halaal food no matter which part of Cape Town you're in. But I digress. Bilaal is actually the inspiration for this post. Since baby, Bilaal has loved food. Of course he has his particular dislikes, but in general he has always loved eating. I've posted previously about his recent interest in cooking. Admittedly I have not had the patience nor the nerves to cultivate this interest. I sometimes watch Junior Masterchef and wonder how those little people became so proficient with knives and hot burning stoves! The few times I have let Bilaal cook I hovered beside him like shadow, didn't let him cut with a sharp knife, and held the pot steady when he needed to stir! I noticed the other day that he is very awkward when spreading margarine on bread and realised that he needs more opportunity to practice. So what does this have to do with poached egg? Well Bilaal loves egg, especially boiled egg. But when my parents were here he stayed over at their hotel and discovered poached egg and he was hooked. I said to him, 'does this look like a hotel? Please don't expect me to make you poached egg anytime soon!' My sister was also visiting at the time and shared with me the best trick for making poached egg and it's even quicker than any other way of having egg! Now Bilaal and I both have poached egg regularly and he can even make it himself. So I thought I'd share this method for any other egg lovers out there. Bare in mind I didn't write down the measurements and I'm not an exact measurements kinda cook but here it is:

Pour water into a tea cup about half full. Add approxinately 1 teaspoon vinegar (I use white but Im sure brown works just as well). Break an egg into the water being careful not to break the yolk. Place the tea cup in the microwave. Now here's where you have to test this method on your own microwave to see what time produces the perfect poaching to your liking. Bilaal and I both like our eggs medium poached, meaning the yolk is slighly soft but not completely runny. I have no idea what wattage my microwave is but it's probably about 1000W and I am able to achieve this result at 50 seconds. Then I just scoop the egg out of the cup with a spoon and add seasoning. I've made 2 at a time with this method and just nuked it for a few more seconds and it was fine.

Now I realise you do get microwave egg poachers with probably better results, but I already have a tea cup so I personally would rather spend my R200 plus rands on something else. Bilaal makes his own egg now and just the other day had it for lunch with chicken nuggets. Here is a picture of his 'plating up'

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The terrible 2s...at 1!

Yusuf!
No Yusuf!
Noooo!
YUSUF!!!!

Thats all we seem to say in our house...and that's not only me! Even Sumayah has joined the no-yusuf brigade. Yes I know it's the age, the terrible 2s...oh but wait he's only a year and a half! So in other words the worst is still to come?!

Yusuf is that child that you cannot take your eyeball off for even 1 second. When I need to feed Uthmaan I find myself following Yusuf from room to room (Uthmaan firmly attached) just to make sure he's not catching up to mischief. He's ALWAYS catching up to mischief. If I decide to just make myself comfy and stay where I am, it will be a matter of seconds before I hear Sumayah shouts out 'Yusuf! Get off Bilaal's bed!' And then I have to go running to grab him one- handedly off the top bunk (Uthmaan still firmly attached). He is constantly opening cupboards to throw everything out, pushing buttons, turning dials, climbing into onto over under anything and everything. You can scold him, ask nicely, shout, slap on the bottom, distract him, silently take him away; tie things up, tie things down, hide things away, place things high; you can tie him in or lock him out...but somehow he still manages to get to where he wants to be and do the thing he wants to do! He can do something one second and you take him away and reprimand him and the next second he does the very same thing. It can be exasperating to say the least. The main thing is to see him at all times. He is able to achieve maximum naughtiness in a very short space of time. For instance, today I decided to make muffins. While the muffins were in the oven I saw him run into the kitchen. I immediately ran after him to keep him away from the oven. I grabbed hold of him just as he was running pass the oven toward the scullery. Potential danger averted I go back to what ever it is I was doing. A short while later I smell the muffins burning, yet the timer hadn't finished yet?! So I go check and find that the muffins were charred on the top and then I notice that the dial had been turned to grill! In that second that he ran pass the oven he managed to turn the oven dial to grill without me knowing. So we now have a batch of headless bran muffins courtesy of Yusuf. He is also so incredibly quick at climbing on to the top bunk. He scurries up the end of the bed and with a look of complete exhiliration he proceeds to walk on the bed and smiles his naughty 'I know I shouldn' t be up here' smile. There certainly is no end to the crazy with Yusuf around...and next thing you know Uthmaan is going to be following his lead to give us double the trouble...now THAT is the real meaning of the terrible 2s!

Rub-a-dub-dub 3 kids in a tub

My super awesome hubby has provided me with the welcome support needed to maintain my sanity during the bath/ bedtime routine during the week. I am a very lucky lady with the priviledge of an au pair who comes monday to thursday from 5pm till 8pm to help me get the kids ready for bedtime. Thanks babes. It takes the edge off, minimises the shouting, permits me to laugh more with the kids, and enables me to have some quiet bonding time with Uthmaan without needing to pull Yusuf off the top bunk while Uthmaan in attached to the dairy.

And then the weekends happen... Because the routine is more lax and theres less pressure to get everybody to bed for school the next day, I don't feel stressed by this time of day on the weekends. Having said that, the evening wind down with 3 kids under 4 (Bilaal is thankfully very independent) is still quite chaotic. But with Uthmaan getting bigger and more sturdy, I have discovered that co-bathing them is fun for the kids, contains them all in one space at the same time, and is less chaotic for me. When you have so many kids, you find what works for you until the next challenge comes along. All part of the mumdrum of life.

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Model for a day

A few weeks back I received a pleasantly surprising email from the features editor of Essentials magazine, Taryn Arnot. She said the feature piece for the magazine's December issue was about how 'inspiring', 'real women' would be celebrating the festive season. She had read my blog and thought I would great for the feature! Well first of all to be thought of as 'real' is a huge compliment and affirmation that I am being authentic about who I am on my blog. But then to also be referred to as 'inspring' was amazing! I agreed to take part in the feature, which entailed answering some questions pertaining to the topic and then going for a photoshoot. It was immensely exciting.

Myself and two other bloggers (Laura from Harassed Mom blog and Melinda from Diaries of a white mother raising a black baby) were to meet Taryn and the photo shoot crew at a boutique hotel and wedding venue called Morrells Manor in Northcliff.  We tried on a few different clothing ensembles and then had hair and make-up done. While we waited for our turn in front of the camera we were treated to some delicious snacks and beverages. It's so funny how nervous I was, but then so were the other two women for whom it was also a new experience.

I was first up in front of the camera. I think I was nervous because I envisaged a whole Tyra Banks Americas next Top Model scenario where you have to pose in different positions with specific 'looks'. It was of course nothing like that seeing that this was obviously not a fashion shoot. I was photographed in two different settings and the poses were very 'portrait' in nature. It was finished very quickly and then we were free to go. I stayed and chatted with the other ladies for a bit before heading home.

It was certainly an experience I will always remember, not least because I spent a relaxing afternoon without the kids, being preened and pampered and treated like a star. Thanks to Taryn Arnot for choosing me and thanks to Essentials magazine for the opportunity. So look out for the December issue of Essentials, I certainly am excited to see it!

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Meet the Parents

Two weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from my parents who live in London. It was just last year that my mom visited us to meet Yusuf a few weeks after his birth. Unfortunately my dad was not able to come, so this year he came to meet not one, but two new grandchildren! The weeks leading up to their visit I could hear the excitement in their voices. Thanks to facebook, whatsapp and my blog, they have been kept in the loop with detailed updates of their grandchildren's development and stories of their daily antics. Still, Skype video and beautiful pictures can never match being physically present in the company of those you love.

Their trip here was not without drama though. They were scheduled to arrive at 7am on a saturday morning. My phone rang at about 2am that saturday and I recall looking at my phone through sleep encrusted eyes, thinking I was dreaming at the sight of 'UK;dad' on the screen. I was not dreaming! My dad was calling to inform me that theybhad just landed back at Heathrow! Their plane had to turn back almost halfway on the flight path due to problems with one of the engines! All the ypassengers were put up in a hotel until an alternate flight could be arranged, but my parents had no overnight luggage as their carry-ons were stuffed with gifts! Needless to say, by the time they arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday morning, they were exhausted and craved the simple pleasure of a hot shower. But this of course was overruled by the sheer excitement of reuniting with their grandkids and meeting new ones. It was actually quite funny to see their reaction as we approached them at the airport. They were both beaming from ear to ear, my mom even tearing up a little, but they were also completely muddled because they didn't know which child to hug first. At one point my mom even had Yusuf on one arm and Uthmaan on the other. In the months leading up to their visit my dad kept saying that he hoped Yusuf would like him. By thenend of their visit one short week later, the two were best buddies. My sister also visited from Cape Town for a few days so us gals had a good old mom and daughter catchup. It was a really a beautiful, funfilled week with my folks, and the best part about having them visit us in Johannesburg is that we had them all to ourselves. The following week they visited the rest of their families in Cape Town where they had a super busy, jam-packed itinerary. My one aunt fondly jokes with me that I should have a child every year so that my parents will visit South Africa!

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