Head, heart, spirit

Another year, another Ramadaan, another addition to the family. Amidst all the angst, the excitement, the joy, and the stress of having another child, comes the dawning of another month of Ramadaan. And with all the intensely spiritual atmosphere it brings to the home, it also makes you truly appreciate family. So what beautiful perspective it brings when you realise that we are welcoming another little soul into the home. And that the pureness of his soul as a new human being is but a blessing in this holy month. For acwhile now I have been reflecting on certain things I wish to improve about myself, many very spiritual in nature. It's not easy but then nothing truly worth doing ever is. For many this month is, to muslims, what new years resolutions are to non-muslims...a chance to reset...a chance to detox the body, the mind and the soul...the chance to be the best muslim you can be for the sake of your creator. And I think it is that awareness of creation and the gratitude to the creator that makes us long to share this beautiful month with our loved ones, especially those physically far and no longer with us. So we make our resolutions to be better and we practice as best we can...but we all know that resolutions are not easily kept. Sadly when the month passes and celebrations have passed the difficult task of maintaing that spiritual growth begins and it is here that the true transformation begins. I have some personal goals which are not new but I will not give up in pursuing them. I almost didn't write this post because for me issues of faith and spirituality are so personal because it is about your relationship with your creator. But speaking to a good friend today who has some similar goals I realised that the struggles I face are shared by others and perhaps by being honest about my spiritual flaws I will be more committed to improving them because it is out there, but also that it need not be a journey taken entirely alone. So may tonight be the first night of a beautiful transformation for me in head, heart and spirit Insha Allah and I wish all the same to all my gorgeous family and friends observing this sacred month together Insha Allah. Love to you all.

Foody friday: yummy coconut filled pancakes

Since it is Ramadaan I thought it only fitting that the recipe for todays foody friday is pancakes; traditional cape malay style coconut filled pancakes which we break fast with almost every single night of Ramadaan.

Ingredients:
11/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1egg
1cup milk
1/2 cup water

For the coconut:
3 cups coconut
1 cup sugar
3 stick cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup sugar
5 cardomon pods

Method:
Whisk egg in milk/water mixture, add flour, baking powder and salt and whisk till well blended and smooth. To fry, melt a little butter and mix with some oil and heat the pan to medium high. The butter/oil mixture should sizzle and when the pan is ready. Pour batter in and swirl to cover the base of the pan and fry on both sides till golden. I must stress that this recipe is pretty flop-proof ONLY if you use a non-stick pan. I have used old battered pans where the non-stick was all worn off from years of use before and have usually managed to adjust the batter (after the first few pancakes broke) so that it would flip nicely. So if don't want to go through all that DO use a non-stick pan! The amount of batter you pour in also just depends on how thick you like it, and then of course to get a nice smooth even pancake...its all in the wrist ;-). If you're brave you can even try flipping in in the air.
For the coconut add all ingredients to a pan and heat till the mixture boils, then simmer to form a slightly sticky, moist consistency.
Spread generous amounts of coconut onto each pancake and roll up. Enjoy!