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Just a wee bit late. Oh well, better late than never. As always in Ramadan Diary we’ve decided to compile some appetizing recipes that are easy to follow and cook, yet jam-packed with aromas and flavors, surely to tantalize your taste-buds. Enjoy!

Supplication for today:-

Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower.

Today’s To-Do:-

Start reading and understanding Quran or learn some special Dua by heart, a something that you’ve always wanted to do.

Thought of the Day:

Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, image big, love big, live big. Carry that list and you’ll start feeling big. Be a believer and you’ll be an achiever.

Recipe of the day —Chocolate Brownies:-

Ingridients:-

Butter 200 g
Brown sugar 350 g
eggs 4
Cocoa Powder 4 tbsp
flour 250 g
baking powder 3 1/2 tsp
walnuts (optional) 85 g
milk 50 ml
Procedure:-

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Grease and line pan 9” into 13” .
2. Sift flour once and twice with cocoa and baking powder.
3. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat till light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one by one and beat well.
5. Add flour and beat till well mixed.
6. Stir chopped walnuts if using.
7. Stir in milk.
8. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool in the pan and then cool on a rack.

I’ve tried out this recipe five to six time and comes out just perfect each time.

Happy baking,

Happy Ramadan!

Lahoris are in love with doodh soda. It (sort of) runs in our blood. Aftars in Ramadan are incomplete without pakoras and this enchanting beverage. I wonder who would have come up with the idea of mixing two liquids of entirely opposite characteristics? Perhaps the following excerpt from its urban dictionary definition can explain its archeological origins. Even if it doesn’t, it is an amusing read:

Raj: “Auntie ji, can I have something to drink?” 

Auntie ji: “How about some goat milk?” 

Raj: “Nah, goat milk is soo yesterday, anything else?” 

Auntie ji: “I have just the thing!” 

(Auntie ji pours some cola into the milk, thereby pioneering the greatest beverage of all time.) 

Raj: “What’s this?” 

Auntie ji: “Its dudh soda, you‘ll love it!” 

(Raj takes a sip) 

Auntie ji: “And?” 

Raj: (speechless, lost in euphoric bliss)

I have no intentions of spoiling the buzz you get out of this, but here is something important for you to know

• All soda beverages contain phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid loves to react (bind) with and consume calcium [source: this link]. 
• Milk is an excellent source of calcium. 
• When combined together, soda will consume almost all the calcium from the milk by the time it reaches your lower intestine. This calcium was originally meant to strengthen your bones, teeth and what not.
• After having a roza for 12-14 hours, your body is in dire need of some sugar (to avoid hypoglycemia) which is fulfilled by the soda and you feel refreshed. However, you also need calcium and magnesium which have gone down the toilet (literally) due to phosphoric acid [source: my wife]

Enough of the healthcare. If you like it, don’t think twice, have it as much as you want. If you want to be a little creative, try this italian style doodh soda. Have a thanda thaar Ramadan .. !!

Opee says: Yummmy to Tummmy

Though the prices at the various eateries of the city have substantially increased as compared to last year, this has not barred Lahoris from going out for iftar or sehr, a restaurant manager at MM Alam Road said. The restaurants across the city have introduced special Ramazan offers to lure costumers and are attempting to counter inflation to an extent by offering dinner in addition to iftar.

An official of a multinational fast food restaurant on MM Alam Road said that the restaurant is actually more packed than it had been last year, adding that seats were available on first-come-first-serve basis, and that they have had to bar customers as there were no tables available. Another restaurant official said that restaurants have offered all sorts of deals to accommodate all sorts of customers.

The manager of a restaurant on MM Alam Road said that more people have also started going out for sehr as compared to last year.

Another restaurant manager said that they only offer iftar packages after a reservation has been made, as otherwise many customers cannot find an available table. Saqib, a customer at a restaurant, said that iftar parties were held in Ramazan as late night parties could not be held because of sehr, adding that restaurants had also countered inflation by offering all sorts of economical deals.

Here are a few eateries and what they have to offer during Ramazan

Salt ‘n Pepper Village

The restaurant is a popular dining spot for Lahoris and it is offering a sehr buffet for Rs 390. An Iftar plus dinner buffet is for Rs 750, while the regular dinner buffet, after iftar, is for Rs 690.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

Lahoris have taken a liking to this fast food outlet because of its chicken meals. KFC has three special Ramazan deals. The value deal for iftar includes a zinger, a chicken piece and a drink for Rs 300. The family deal, which is generally available for Rs 900 has been made available for Rs 700. The sehr deal is available for Rs 300 and is available from 2am to till sehr.

Ziafat

This eatery is offering an iftar plus dinner buffet for Rs 670, while a dinner buffet is offered for Rs 620.

Nando’s

Nando’s is offering three special Ramazan deals. A quarter chicken is available for Rs 300, steak for Rs 350 and a half-chicken for Rs 400.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut has also arranged special iftar and sehr packages for Ramazan. Iftar Buffet (of course, the notorious all-you-can-eat-deal): Rs 388 (exclusive of tax). It is offering three packages for sehr; a personal pan pizza with a soft drink for Rs 160, a regular pizza with two soft drinks for Rs 320 and a large pizza with a 1.5 litre bottle or pitcher of a soft drink (all packages are exclusive of taxes).

Although the eateries mentioned above only manage to scratch the surface of Lahore’s vast list of eateries, they are amongst the most frequented by Lahoris during Ramazan. There is ample time to get together with friends or family and book a table at any one of the above-mentioned places for either sehr or iftar or both.

Source: Ali Usman @ Daily Times.

Yesterday, the Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said that there would be no unannounced loadshedding across the country during “Sehr” and “Iftar” time, adding that people can contact him on his cell number 0333-5210000 in case of loadshedding during Sehr or Iftar. He failed to mention our options for ‘announced loadshedding’ during Sehr and Iftar, or ‘unannounced loadshedding’ during the remaining 22 hours of the day, but we won’t go there.

I am a big fan of loadshedding and consider it a permanent part of the Lahori lifestyle, but I just HAD to try to call our minister during today’s three hour long unannounced loadshedding spell between 6PM to 9PM (which is Iftar time) in the Cantt area. I tried dialing for 20 minutes but his cell (0333 5210000) was turned off.

All I wanted was an opportunity to thank him for being so approachable and open, and for giving us the unplugged time that we Lahoris desperately need. I also wanted to thank him for turning me into a prolific Realist painter, which is a miracle as I have had no formal training.

Here is my masterpiece from yesterday, called ‘Starless Night in Lahore’:

Starless Night in Lahore

and the one I did today – I call this one ‘Lahore by Candlelight’:

Lahore by Candlelight

None of these are for sale, sorry! – but you might see them in an exhibition titled ‘Lahore in the 21st Century’ in the near future.

Anyway, besides our beloved Minister (0333 5210000), I also tried

1. the LESCO “Electric Supply Failure Contact” 042 9220425
2. the SDO’s number 0321 4951542 and
3. the cell number 0321 4951540 for the “XEN” (which is probably the coolest title abbrev. ever).

So I hope that you will write these numbers down and spare some time to call them the next time you experience an ‘unannounced loadshedding’ time. If you manage to get through, please share your experience here. Meanwhile, I’ll be out there, working on my next painting.

Supplication for today:-

“O Allaah, I beg You, please guide my parents and my brothers toward You. Do not let them die without realizing who their Lord is. Let them see the truth and help them resist the pressure of friends who try to turn them away from You.”

Today’s to do:-

Since the training period, “Ramadan” has almost come to an end. So make most out of it.

Recipe of the day — White Custard:-

Ingridients:-Milk 1 litre

1. Corn flour 4 tbsp
2. vanilla Essence 1/2 tsp
3. Cream 1 cup
4. Sugar 1/2 cup

Procedure:-

1. Boil milk, add corn flour and sugar.
2. Cook for ten minutes.
3. Take off heat.
4. Add cream and vanilla essence.

Variations: Either
1. Mix fruits in it.
2. Make a trifle
3. Spread fruits on top of it and drizzle choclate.

viola!

Supplication for today:-

According to The Holy Quran, Surah-e-Al Imran, Aayat 147:-

“Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.”

Today’s to do:-

Make someone’s day. Especially your servants. Cook them chicken or anything for iftari as a treat. Do iftari with them. Do the dishes for them or anything like it.

Recipe of the day — Chocolate Mousse:-

Ingridients:
Dark chocolate 250 grams
eggs 3
Cream 250 ml
sugar 1/4 cup

Procedure:-
1. In double boiler, melt chocolate
2. Whip cream till fluffy.
3. Beat eggs and sugar till soft and creamy.
4. Add melted chocolate and beat a little.
5. Add whipped cream, mix it and put it in the refrigerator for three or more hours to set.

Viola! :)

One needs to see if ‘Special Ramadan Bachhat’ schemes like the list from Utility Stores Corporation seen here, really benefit the poorest of the poor in this holy month…

Well, you can stuff yourself with your favorite salad fillings and sauces at Subway for the last Rozas…

Supplication for today:-
Dua of the day has been taken from the holyQuran, Surah-e- Bakarah (The cow) AAyat 286:

“…Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.”

Today’s to do:-
Think about this verse of the Holy Quran: Surah-e-Nisah (women), Verse 115:-

“If anyone contends with the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that becoming to men of Faith, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in Hell,- what an evil refuge!”

Recipe of the day— Tandoori Chicken:-
Ingridients:-

Chicken 1 1/2 kg
Salt 1 tsp + 3/4 tsp extra
Green chillies paste 2 tsp
Allubhukharay 6
Cumin seeds powder 1 tsp
All spices (Garam masala) 1 tsp
Orange color pinch
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Garlic/ginger paste 3/4 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp
Yogurt 2-3 tbsp
Black pepper 1 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies powder 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Give cuts in chicken and rub salt.
2. Keep for half an hour .
3. Soak and boil allubhukarai. Remove seeds and mash.
4. Mix in seasonings, All of the above ingridients along with de-seeded allubhukharay.
5. Marinate chicken in it for 2 hours.
6. Bake at 200 C for 30- 45 minutes in a greased pan, in pre heated oven.