Smiles, Re-Hashed Scandals, and Bitter Melons

Instead of focusing on the negative, today I want to bring you a little treat, courtesy of Mohammed Yousef's amazing teeth.  Now we've all seen people commenting on how sauci-licious Shahid Afridi is, or how good-looking Wahab Riaz is, or how nobody approaches Imran Khan in the handsome devil department.   Well, here is someone who's been flying under the "handsome" radar, so to speak.

Mohammed Yousef is,what we North Americans call, a badass.  He looks mean when he's at the crease, like he's out to do some damage to the opposition.  Seriously, if he gave me that famous sneer of his, I'd burst into tears from fear and hurt feelings.  His nasty, grumpy glare has that effect on people.  Opposition bowlers must be quite apprehensive when bowling to him; they must be rather afraid. 

Mohammed Yousef, AKA "Grumplestiltskin"

But here's the awesome news:  Mohammed Yousef has the greatest smile in all of international cricket-dom.  Not only do the heavens smile down on him when he's at the crease, you can almost hear angels singing when he breaks into a smile.  This is no joke, people, just take a look, and you'll see what I mean:

Dental Perfection!  Beautiful, like art!

So look after your teeth, and you'll have a smile as beautiful as Mohammed Yousef's.  He really needs to smile more...the world demands it!  You don't hide teeth that exquisite behind a scowl.  Good on ya, Moyo!

And here's a bit of bad, re-hashed news.  Cric info reports that Mazhar Majid, the shady "agent" involved in the spot-fixing scandal, implicated a further four people in the whole mess.  This information comes from a News Of The World secret video which got leaked to the press, Geo TV in particular.  Well, we already knew that other guys were named, but they were investigated and cleared of wrong-doing.  What gets my goat about this situation is...how did this video get leaked to the press? 

My goat has been gotten.

Was it one of the defense lawyers?  If it was, then our lovely lads need new lawyers; they need good, solid, legal representation; not shenanigans like this!  My favourites deserve the best, and only the best!

And now to the cooking bit.  Yesterday we looked at a variation of a basic vegetable salan, called Bhindi.  Today, we're going to look at another variation of Qeema.  Instead of adding potatoes to the qeema, we're going to prepare and add a very traditional vegetable:  Karela or Bitter Melon.  So here we go with Bitter Melon Qeema.

First things first:  prepare qeema, no potatoes.  Here's the link if you've forgotten how to make it:

http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/queen-kamran-akmal-and-delicious-qeema.html

You can also use left-over queema.  No problems with that.

Now, you'll need about 7 or 8 karelas.  These things.


This veg takes a bit of time to prepare.  As the name implies, it is very bitter indeed.  We're going to take 98% of the bitterness away, leaving a slightly bitter, delicious veg which will add another layer of flavor to the queema.

With a sharp paring knife, scrape off the bumps on the karelas,or cut the skin off in strips, just getting the knife under the bumps.  Cut off the top bit.

Now slice the karela lengthwise, and remove all of the seeds.  You can scoop them out with a spoon.

Now rub the insides and outside of the karelas with enormous amounts of salt, like handfuls of it. This will suck out most of the bitterness. Leave the salt on, and set the karelas aside for at least an hour. 

After an hour, rinse the karela very well,getting all of the salt off.  Soak the karela for a while (1/2 hour)  in water to get the rest of the salt out and rinse again..  Some people are happy just rinsing the karelas, and don't bother soaking.  I find it's too salty without the extra soak session.

Cut in 1 cm slices, and then fry over medium heat in a little bit of oil, until it's lightly browned.

Add to the qeema, add some water, and cook several minutes over medium heat so that all the flavours can blend.

Eat with roti or pita bread, or, if you can find it, fresh naan from the tandoor bakery.

Tomorrow I'll show you another variation of Bitter Melon Qeema, so keep you little eyes open for that.

There's cricket on today, thank goodness!  So have a good one, don't let the re-hashed news of the "scandal" get you down, and keep smiling...just like our favourite smilin' handsome fella, Mohammed Yousef.

Happy Eating, Happy Cricket, and Happy Smiling!

Ashes, What do you mean no Pakistan match until Dec 26, and Beautiful Bhindi (Okra)

Yikes!  Yesterday was a draw between Australia and England.  Seriously, Australia was on fire for the first two days, then they completely fizzled out.  I honestly didn't think England had it in them but what an astronomical score they got in their second innings.   517 runs.  That's the sort of score you'd expect from India!  Well, good on them, but Ricky Ponting has got some explainin' to do.

Play better and eat better, to turn that frown upside-down, Mr. Ponting!

Right now I'm missing the Pakistan team like crazy.  No other team is as exciting to watch.  The Ashes are fun, Aleem Dar is great to watch umpiring, but nothing is as good to see as Mohammed Yousef's devastating sneer,

Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal call this guy Uncle, no joke.

 (he's still recovering from an injury, get better soon Moyo ), Umar Gul's dramatic bowling, Tanvir Ahmed's cool run-up, Younis Khan's batting and Misbah ul-Haq's awesomeness in general.   And they ain't playin' until Dec. 26.  Waaaaah!  What's a girl to do?

Tomorrow there will be a few interesting matches; New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI, Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI, and Sri Lanka vs W. Indies, 3rd Test day 1.  I have yet to watch Bangladesh, the Windies and Zimbabwe, so if there's any insanity, craziness or pandemonium in any of the games, I'll let you know.

Now I'll get to the cooking bit.  Here's a quick review of the pakistani dishes we've learned so far: 

Karahi Chicken
Test Match Machlee (Fish curry)


Misbah ul-Haq, batting for Pilao and Cuchumber

Basic Veggie Salan                                     Aloo Gosht
Aloo Ghobi
Qeema
Qorma
Daal                                          
Nihari
Pilao and Cuchumber
Samosas
Pita Bread
Roti
FriedChilies                                                               
Raita
Kheer
Cake
Fruit Chat
Zeera Biscuits
Gajjar Ka Halwa                      


Our Lovely Lads, with the amazing Mohammed Amir, whom we miss terribly

 So now you've got good basics; you know how to "bhunna", and if you've been cooking these dishes you're probably finding out what combos and proportions of spices work best for you.  Good on ya!  Now today, we're going to step things up a bit.  We'll revisit the Basic Vegetable Salan, and I'm going to show you how to prepare and make Bhindi (Okra), another classic, delicious dish which will make your dinner guests positively weep with delight.

Okra

First of all, review the Basic Vegetable Salan method here:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/theory-and-practical-lesson-basic.html
Okra, also known as ladyfingers, bhindi, or gombos, is a subtly flavoured pod-like vegetable, that when cooked properly, is absolutely delicious.

To make Bhindi, make the basic vegetable salan, but don't add zucchini, just make the tomato, onion, garlic, lal mirch and salt gravy.

You'll need about a half kilo or more of okra.  Cut off the tops, and cut the okra into 1 cm slices.  You'll notice that a slimy, sticky substance comes out.  Don't worry about it.

Now there are two methods for Bhindi salan.  Here is the first.
In a separate frying pan, heat up some oil, and fry the okra slices until they are slightly browned and crispy, and none of the slimy/sticky stuff is left.  Then add the cooked okra slices to the gravy, add a bit of water, and cook until everything is soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Second method (which I prefer, I find it's more flavourful)
Put the raw cut okra directly into the gravy, and add enough water to cover the okra slices.  Cook until the slimy texture goes away, adding more water if necessary, and reduce the liquid until the okra is totally soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Garnish both versions with green chilies and chopped coriander (cilantro).

So there you have it...now that you know the basics, we'll build from there.  Enjoy the Bhindi, enjoy the day, and thank heavens there will be some cricket to watch tomorrow!

Happy Eating, Happy Cricket!

Aleem Dar Should Be Man of the Match, Gossip, and Pita Bread

The real star of the Ashes show yesterday has got to be Aleem Dar, the umpire!  Talk about an action-packed day...real heart-stopping stuff.  How this guy can make accurate and fair decisions with all of the pressure from the crowds and the players is the stuff of legend.  Even when it looks like he's got it wrong, technology proves him right!  He is the UDRS for the UDRS!  He is that good!  And to make the deal even more sweet...he's from Pakistan.   Not only does Pakistan have the best cricket team with the most awesome players, it has the world's best umpire.

Aleem Dar:  Suave, sophisticated, accurate and composed.  Everything a superstar should be!

  Aleem Dar is making the Ashes even more exciting, and right now, it almost doesn't matter who wins because Aleem Dar is the break-out star.  Good on ya, Aleem!  I'm looking forward to your umpiring today, and may you have a long and glorious career!

Oh, and England's at 309/1.  Andrew Strauss had a really good go with 110, Alistair Cook is still at the crease with 132, and the strangely hypnotic Jonathan Trott is not out at 54.  I sure wasn't expecting such fight from England!  Well, it all makes the match more thrilling, and I do love a good drama!  Let's go Australia !

And here's some gossip about the Pakistan team.  Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik will be rejoining the squad in New Zealand.  Now I know that at the domestic level ol' Butterfingers Akmal did a great job of batting recently, but as the Scottish say, at the international level Ah himma doots.  Well, if he does all right in New Zealand, I'll be the first person to be his cheerleader.  Until then...Ah himma doots.  Shoaib Malik was also underwhelming when he played in the UK.  Just sayin'. 

And some further gossip.  According to some sources at the PCB, there will be an investigation into Pakistan's loss to Afghanistan at the Asian Games.  Some are saying the Karachi players did badly on purpose to "show respect" for their former coach who is now the coach of Afghanistan.  What a flipping mess.  It's quite possible that Afghanistan played well, had good luck or that the Pakistan side had bad luck or had an off-day.  All I'm going to say is...Congrats Afghanistan, your country certainly deserves a victory as a ray of sunshine!  I didn't watch the game, but I'm sure you played well, and don't let rumours of "Pakistan deliberately underperformed" rain on your parade.

Right!  Now let's get to the cooking.  Today's all about pita bread.  I'm not going to show you how to make naan because proper naan requires special training, and special equipment.  If you want real naan, go to a Pakistani or Indian baker that has a real tandoor oven. Buy it fresh.  Don't get the packaged, industrial stuff at a supermarket.  It is no good.   If there isn't a naan baker in your area, then make some pita bread.  Pita bread is a good substitute; you don't need special equipment or a degree in naanology.  I have to say it isn't nearly as good as beautiful fresh naan out of the tandoor, but it works well with all of the salans I've previously posted.  So go get a rolling pin and some elbow grease and let's get baking.

Pita Bread
About 2 cups of flour
About a tablespoon of sugar
About 1/2 teaspoon of salt
About 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
 (If you're using traditional yeast, proof it first, ie soak it in about 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar, wait 15 minutes until it's foamy)
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil
About 1 cup of warm water |( not hot, not boiling, just warm enough to feel it on the inside of your wrist)

Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Stir through it again with a fork, just to make everything kind of "fluffy". 
Add the yeast; if you're using the dry instant yeast, give everything a quick stir.
Add the olive oil and water, stir, if you can't stir, then use your hand to mix everything together.
Add more water if necessary; if you've put in too much water, add some more flour.
Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes; the dough should slightly stick to your hands.  10 minutes of kneading is ideal, you should have an elastic, smooth ball.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp towl, and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.

After 1 hour, punch down the dough and knead it again for a couple of minutes.
Break off  into golf-ball sized pieces, use your hands to make them round, and roll them out on a floured surface.  You might want to dip the piece of dough in flour first if your dough is sticky.  Roll them out to about 1/4 inch thickness, with an 8 inch diameter.
Set the rolled-out pieces on a baking sheet or a piece of wax paper, and cover them with a damp towel so they don't dry out.  Let them rise for about an hour.

Heat your oven to 400-450 F or 200-250 C.  Put the raw pita bread directly on the rack, yes you read that correctly.  Directly on the rack with no baking sheet or tin.  Let them cook for about 3 or 4 minutes.  The bread will puff up like a little football.  When it's finished inflating, that's when it's ready to take out.  If you're using a forced-air oven, the bread unfortunately will not turn a golden colour; if you wait for the bread to get browned in a forced-air oven, it will overcook and you'll get a crispy cracker.

Serve immediately with your favourite salan.  Also it's very nice the next day re-heated in a pan with a bit of butter.

And that's how pita bread is done.  Now I'm off to the TV to watch day 5 of the first Ashes test match.  I'll be cheering for Aleem Dar, and you should too!  Be proud Pakistan!  Pakistan Zindabad!

Happy Eating, and Happy Cricket Umpiring!

Rain, Fire, Ashes and Aloo

And good morning!  And the winner of the second test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies is The Rain.  The fifth day got rained out, resulting in a draw.
 

Windies captain, visibly upset by the turn in the weather.

I've been checking the weather reports for days 4 and 5 of the Ashes, and it looks like the Rain might win again.  I hope for Australia's sake that the rain holds off; that team is on fire right now and it's a flame I don't want doused! 

Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin during their 307 run partnership yesterday.  Boo Ya!

 Rock on, Australia! 

And here's some more Ashes stuff:  Yesterday, M. Hussey and Brad Haddin continued to smack England around with their big runs.  I'm really happy for Australia, because not that long ago they lost their mojo to Sri Lanka.  I was sure England was going to eat them up, especially Graham Swann who allegedly dines on wickets.  The score so far is 260 and 19/0 England vs. 481 big'uns Australia.  Who are you rooting for?

Ricky Ponting has got his eyes on the prize

Now, for food today, I'm not going to post a new recipe because I'm swamped with housework.  I'm going to talk about aloo, which is urdu for potato.  

A few days ago I posted a recipe for qeema...please see the post "The Queen, Kamran Akmal, and Qeema"...and my good friend reminded me that I forgot the potatoes!  Egads!  What kind of a cook am I?  So, when you're making Qeema, after you've added the ground beef and water, add 3 or 4 potatoes that are cut in 6 or 8.  The potatoes add yet another dimension to the qeema, and make this dish especially nice for the winter.  So give Aloo Qeema a try, and I know you'll enjoy it.  So to my friend, thanks, I owe you one for pointing that out!

Another note about potatoes.  There are many varieties out there; when you're making stewed dishes such as salans or qeemas, do not use baking potatoes.  These are the really large ones that have a rough skin.  They'll completely dissolve into mush.  I find that potatoes with a reddish skin or a blue-ish skin add lots of flavour yet keep their shape.  I like to keep the skin on the aloo when I make salans, but my husband hates it.  I believe that most people in Pakistan prefer the potatoes to be peeled.  However, I'll leave that up to you.   

And here's a small theory lesson:  Never let food snobs lecture you  on what's good and what isn't.  A good dish is a dish YOU like, period.   Never let some nitwit tell you differently!

Have a good one today, Happy Eating, and Happy Ashes and Happy Cricket!

Javed Miandad ,Scottish Scones and Milaai

Isn't life great when you get good news in the morning?  I woke up today to find in the Dawn online newspaper that the PCB has asked Javed Miandad to be the Pakistan Cricket Team's batting and fielding consultant, ie: coach.  I certainly hope he accepts when he gets back from the Asian Games.  As things stand right now, the batting improved tremendously in the past month with the guidance of Younis Khan and Misbah ul-Haq ( I really like that guy), so can you imagine how awesome our lovely lads are going to be in New Zealand if Javed Miandad accepts the position? 

Great batsman, great mustache!

For those of you who don't know, Javed Miandad was one of the best batsmen Pakistan has produced.  I think we're going to be seeing some extraordinary cricket from the BESTEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!!! GO PAKISTAN!

And here's a quick Ashes update:  Australia's at 220/5 at the end of the second day, which got called early due to rain.   Michael Hussey's got 81 so far, and he's lookin' good.  As they're saying on cricinfo, so far this test is a close competition; both sides are going to have to fight as hard as they can.  Today's Saturday, so I'll be able to watch and if anything juicy happens, I'll let you know right away. 

And now for the cooking bit.  We're going to make Scottish Scones...and before you give me any flack about this being scottish food, I have something to tell you.
 

Sean Connery, great Scotsman, great mustache.

 I am French Canadian, but I'm half Scottish.  That's right.  My mum was born and raised in the Scottish Highlands, so I grew up eating and making delicious scones.   So do not panic, I'm an expert at this. 

Furthermore, we are making scones because they go so well with pakistani milaai, that beautiful, heavy, rich flavourful cream that you can only get in Pakistan.  Scones with milaai and jam are a match made in heaven, and are lovely to eat at afternoon tea with a good cup of dhudhpatti (milk tea).

North Americans also make something they call "scones" but they are a much drier version and are more like baking soda biscuits.  These are excellent straight out of the oven, but must be eaten immediately.  They go hard after they get cold.  So that is why we will make proper Scottish scones.  They are rich, and you can store them for a couple of days without any loss of flavour or texture.  So go get ready, and let's get all Scottish!

Scottish Scones
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup butter (use that lovely butter which comes from Punjab, if available!)
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (skim milk can be used, but full-fat milk will make a richer scone)

topping: 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 450F or 235 C.
Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a big bowl.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the flour/butter mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
Beat the two eggs in a separate container until they are light, and set aside a little bit to brush over the tops of the scones.
Stir the milk into the eggs.
Add the liquid slowly to the dry ingredients and stir it until the dough comes freely from the side of the bowl.
On a floured surface, pat down the dough to a 3/4 inch thickness or thicker, and cut into squares or triangles.
Brush over the tops with the beaten egg you put aside earlier.
Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top.
Bake on a greased cookie sheet or pan for 12 to 15 minutes.

If you want raisin scones, add a 1/2 cup of kishmish with the dry ingredients, and increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons.

If you want cheese scones, increase salt to 1 teaspoon, decrease sugar to 1 tablespoon, and cut in 1/2  cup of cheddar or other hard cheese with the butter.

To serve, cut the scones in half,  put on a spoonful of milaai and a spoonful of your favourite jam.  Eat straight away, and you'll be in food heaven!

Right.  So if everything goes well, I'll be in New Zealand in person to see how Javed Miandad is doing as a batting consultant.  I'll bring some scones to eat during the breaks, and I hope you'll be doing the same at home.   Have a good one today!
Pakistan Zindabad!  Scotland Zindabad! 

Happy eating, and Happy Cricket!

Pour Mes Amis Bidaouis: Djeja "Karahi" diel Karachi, Bakistan

Et c'est une tres belle journee el yaum.  Assalamu aleikum!  La bass?  Shouia?  Koulchi meziane?  Waha?  Ana meziane, al hamdo li allah!  Tres bien.  Aujourd'hui, pour mes amis de Dar Beida (Casablanca), koulchi l'article sera ecrit en francais et darija.  Il faut excuser mon ecriture:  mon clavier n'a pas les accents necessaire pour ecrire en francais.  Desolee! 

Les maghrebis ne jouent pas le cricket, mais ils aiment beaucoup beaucoup le foot.  Il y a deux equipes professionels a Casa:  Raja et Wydad.   
Les deux sont excellents et il y a une quantite extraordinaire de talent bidaoui.  Tout les jeunes hommes jouent le foot ou sur la plage exceptionelle a la Corniche ou dans le Parque de La Ligue Arabe ou dans la rue...il y a toujours un match de foot!  C'est vraiment un plaisir de voir comment les marocains sont des gens sportifs!

Mon amie a Dar Beida, Siham, sa maman Fatima, sa soeur Ghizlane  et sa tante Mouna (Mina) sont les meilleures chefs dans toute la ville.  Harira, r'fissa,  coucous, tagines - elles savent comment preparer tout- batboute, atay, khobz, desserts, cafe, et kek.  Elles sont vraiment les expertes au Maroc.  Alors, aujourd'hui, pour remercier mes amies, mes soeurs, je dedique un de mes meilleurs plats a Siham, Fatima, Ghizlane et Mouna. Shukran, shukran, shukran! 

Djeja Karahi diel Karachi

1 djeja, muqata ala itnaachar, bla jilda
5 ou 7 gousses tuum, coupees tres finement
4cm morceau skinjbiir, coupe tres finement
5 ou 6 mateicha, coupes finement
zit laaoud
malh
shouia filfla harra, en poudre

Mettre shouia zit laoud dans une grande poele
Faire frire al djeja 3-5 minutes a feu vif
Reduire a feu doux
Ajouter al tuum wa al skinjbiir, faire frire 1 minute (ne brule pas al tumm!)
Ajouter les mateichas, cuire a feu vif 2 ou 3 minutes,
Reduire a feu doux
Ajouter al malh (a son gout)
Ajouter al filfla harra en poudre, a son gout
Laisser mijoter jusqu'au temps que al djeja soit cuit et que les mateichas sont reduits, come une pate, environs 30 minutes.

Manger avec batboute ou khobz ou parisienne (baguette, pas une Parisienne!!!)

Bs'hha!  Bon Apetit, et a la prochaine!

A Hat Trick, a Thank You, and an Explanation

Wow.  Day 1 of the Ashes, the famous re-occurring grudge match between Australia and England, was straight out insane.  It was crazy!  It was pandemonium!  England got siddled silly.  That's right, siddled silly because Peter Siddle, the Australian bowler, claimed a Hat Trick (that's 3 out on 3 balls in a row) and further ruined England's batting order by dismissing 6 for 54.  Oh, and it was also Peter Siddle's birthday.  Happy Birthday Peter!

SIDDLE-TASTIC!

So that's England, all out for 260 on Day 1.  I'm wondering what Graham Swann is going to do.  His bowling is spin-a-licious, so today should be fun to watch.

Today's post is also about Thank Yous.  First of all, thanks to my employers at Sportpulse.net.  I write a column there, and you have to check out all of the writers...very thought provoking stuff and entertaining at the same time.  Thanks guys!
Here's the link:
http://www.sportpulse.net/

And I must thank the administrators for the Pakistan Cricket Team fanpage on Facebook for posting the link to my blog.  Shukria!  I'm very flattered!

And here comes an Explanation:  My next article is going to be written in Moroccan Darija/French, so don't be alarmed to see a foreign language.  I lived in Casablanca for three years and I promised my friends there I'd write something especially for them today.  The dish I'll be posting in Darija/French is Karahi Chicken, and if you want the instructions in English, here's the link to a previous post:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-watch-some-cricket-and-eat-some.html

Right, so have a good one today, enjoy the Ashes, and tomorrow I'll tell you all about Scottish Scones and melai.

Happy Cricket!  Happy Eating!

Misbah ul-Haq, Shakespeare, Injuries, and Kheer

YES!  YES!!  YES!!!  It's raining like h*ll on wheels this morning, but it's a great day!  That hot chili of a captain, Misbah ul-Haq showed everyone how to do things properly yesterday by drawing the match with South Africa.  He was beautiful at the crease!




O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give!
Shakespeare, sonnet 54

 
He's been a really good influence on the team...every player is now batting with style, elegance, and patience.  It was so good to see Misbah ul-Haq and Azhar Ali remain composed while the South Africans were getting visibly frustrated.   Congrats Pakistan, and congrats Captain...you're getting more and more awesome every day!  Even Bill Shakespeare says so!

There were some injuries on both sides during this match.  Graeme Smith broke his thumb, and might be out of tests for a while.   Misbah ul-Haq, unfortunately, while doing a pull shot, hit Hashim Amla of South Africa very very hard on his left forearm.   The captain did not do this on purpose,  it was an accident.  We heard the cracking sound the ball made when it hit him, and the poor guy's arm got swollen immediately.  I hope he hasn't broken anything and that he can play again very soon. 

Karma bit back at Misbah ul-Haq

In a strange twist of fate (or cosmic karma),  almost immediately afterwards, Morne Morkel bowled extremely fast and hit Misbah ul-Haq in his gentleman's parts.  You know what's impressive?  The captain regained his cool after what must have been an agonizing couple of minutes, and continued to bat his way to an unbeaten 58.    Well done, and I hope all three injured men are feeling better today. 

Right.  So today I'm going to show you how to make kheer, or rice pudding as it's known in English.  It sounds boring, but the methodology and cooking method make this a spectacular and thrilling dessert which will impress even the most sophisticated of palates. That is why this sweet dish is served at weddings and other fancy occasions.  Now go get your apron, wooden spoon and a pot and let's get started.

Kheer
Ingredients
3/4 cup uncooked Basmati rice, soaked for at least 1 hour
1/2 teaspoon maximum crushed green cardamom
2 litres full-fat milk
1 and 1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
2 or 3 tablespoons of slivered pistachios
2 tablespoons or more of raisins (kishmish)
1/4 teaspoon kewra essence or 1/4 teaspoon rosewater (optional)
edible silver leaves (optional)

Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle, and remember to take out the fibrous shell.  Grind the seeds until it's a powder.  I find that freshly ground cardamom is very very strong, so I only use the seeds of 3 or 4 cardamom pods.  1/2 teaspoon would be very overpowering.  Remember, you want subtlety and balance, like Misbah ul-Haq's batting.

After the rice has been soaked, drain it and crush it in a food processor or crush it with your hands.

Put the rice and cardamom powder and milk in a pot and cook on medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.

Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat, and keep on stirring.

Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered until the rice is completely mushy and most of the milk has been reduced and it thick.  This will take approximately 40 minutes.  Stir constantly so the mix doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add the sugar and stir constantly; the sugar will make the mix thinner, so cook for another 5 minutes or until it's thick again.

Now here's the important part:  unlike Canadian style rice pudding, kheer "sets" almost like a gelatin.  To test if the kheer is ready, put a spoonful of it on a plate.  If it "sets" in two minutes more or less, then it's ready.

Add the nuts and kishmish, but set some aside as garnish.
Add the optional kewra or optional rosewater (DO NOT ADD MORE THAN 1/4 teaspoon OR IT WILL OVERPOWER EVERYTHING!)  Again, balance of flavours is key!

Give it a good stir, and either transfer to one big serving dish, or divide it up into individual serving dishes.  Garnish with the reserved nuts, kishmish, and edible silver leaves.  Serve warm or cold.

A note about the silver:  Decorative edible silver leaves (warak) are available at Indian or Pakistani grocery shops.  This combined with the other garnish makes a spectacular dessert perfect for a fancy holiday or special occasion.

And there you have it; a beautiful dessert for a beautiful day.  The Pakistan team will be playing New Zealand next, and I personally cannot wait to see how they do.  They are definetly on the up!  Pakistan Zindabad!  Lots to be proud of today!

Happy eating, and Happy Cricket!

Hot Chilies For The Hot Chili of a Captain, Misbah ul-Haq

Oh ho ho ho!  Wasn't yesterday TERRIFIC?  Not only did Pakistan avoid a follow-on, they came up with a total of 434 runs over two days.  Now there is only 1 day left and both teams still need to complete an innings each.  Abdur Rehman eliminated 3 South African batsmen, and Mohammed Hafeez got himself a SA scalp, as well.  Good on ya!  Here's one French Canadian who'll be wearing her Pakistan cap all day long.  C'est merveilleux!

The Captain, undated photo.  What a hot tamale on the cricket pitch!

Now I must add that Misbah ul-Haq has been a delightful surprise.  I wasn't expecting much when he came on the scene; but he's been great.  He's a strategist, and he's leading by example.  Misbah ul-Haq has turned out to be a Hot Chili of a Captain, bringing the team to great heights with discipline, patience and hard work.  Way to go, Skipper! So here's a little something that I think the Captain might like:  Sophia's Hot Fried Chilies in Vinegar. 

Right.  Yesterday I gave you a lecture about chilies.  Today's dish is not for the faint of heart.  This is a little side dish that my mother-in-law invented along with her brother, my uncle-in-law Sajjad.  As I said yesterday, chilies generally are not used as the main focal ingredient in pakistani cooking; so today's recipe is an exception. This is only for people who have experience eating extremely hot chilies.


 When you cook this, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated, or else your eyes are going to hurt.  Make sure when you're eating this that you have a glass of milk handy, just in case you get "chilied" ( from the mexican expression enchilarse :  to hurt oneself eating hot chilies).

Sophia's Hot Fried Chilies in Vinegar

Ingredients
20 or 30 long, green chilies ( not the really skinny ones, those are TOO hot)
several tablespoons of vinegar
salt
oil for cooking

Cut some tiny slits in the chilies so that they don't burst while frying.
Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a pan, and add the chilies.
Fry for a few minutes
Add vinegar at the end, fry for a minute or less
Add salt, and serve as a side to Aloo Gosht, Vegetable Salan, Qorma, or Qeema or any other main salan.

Again, I'm going to say don't even try this if you're not used to chilies!  You'll need to build up your heat resistence slowly over time.  Anyhoo, I'm off to work in the yard again.  I'll post pics when the garden is looking decent.

Have a good one, and let's give Pakistan a great cheer because they've come so far in this test match.  Today's the last day, and anything can happen!  Go Pakistan!

Happy cricket, and happy eating!

Truck drivers, Batting Trances and Chilies

And good afternoon!  What makes today so delightful is that Pakistan may have found a new pace bowler, a chap named Abdul Haq who works in the Emirates as a truck driver.  He's originally from Waziristan, plays cricket locally for Abu Dhabi Gymkhana and clean-bowled 3 Pakistani batsmen yesterday during a practice session in the nets! 


Abdul Haq, the surprise seamer

The team manager has invited Abdul Haq to the Lahore Cricket Academy so he gets some more coaching and practice.  I cannot wait until this guy gets selected!  Then Pakistan will be solid, solid, solid with seamers, spinners and batsmen!  Woo hoooooo!

Right!  So yesterday, day 3 of the Pakistan/South Africa test match was really good.  Pakistan's batting is getting better and better due to the guidance the more mature batsmen are providing.  It was lovely watching Azhar Ali, Taufeeq Umar, Misbah ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq.  What style, what gentlemanly comportment, what class.  My team was really shining yesterday!  Good on ya! 

When Asad Shafiq bats, he goes into this strange kind of trance.  He gets a very distant look in his eye, like he's in an altered state of conciousness or mentally on another planet.  I've only seen one other cricketer do that, and that was Jonathan Trott of England.

Asad Shafiq in his "zone"



Jonathan Trott, "elsewhere"

  It's almost a bit creepy to watch, but the trick is DON'T LOOK INTO THEIR EYES WHEN THEY BAT!  Then it's really pleasant to watch Asad Shafiq hit a half-century or more.  Go Pakistan!
Okay.  Earlier I said that today's cooking would be a theory lesson about chilies.  So here we go.

First things first:  If you eat something with chilies in it and you are in pain from the heat, DRINK SOME MILK IMMEDIATELY.  Plain yoghurt also works, but milk seems to work better.  Milk will slightly coat your tongue and the pain goes away very quickly.   So if you're new to using chilies, always have some milk available!

The general rule for chilies is:  the smaller the chili, the hotter it will be.  A bell pepper (capsicum) is big, therefore it is not hot at all.  A poblano pepper, which is a bit smaller, has a little bit of a kick to it.  A jalapeno is what most North Americans would call hot.  A serrano pepper, which is smaller and thinner, is quite hot.  A chile de arbol (tree chili) from Mexico would be far too hot for most North American palates.  The tiny birds-eye chilies from Thailand are extremely hot.  Never try to eat one whole.  The same goes for Habanero peppers from the Yucatan.  Until recently, habaneros were thought to be the hottest peppers on the planet.  I personally like habaneros and I can eat them thanks to the time my father-in-law tried to kill me but only succeeded in killing some of my taste buds.  But that's a story for another day!  It turns out that there is an ever hotter chili from Pakistan which makes the habanero taste like plain pudding.  It is so hot that if your neighbor cuts one, YOU'll get a sunburn!  True story.

In pakistani and indian cuisine, chilies are usually used fresh, dried or powdered.  They are always used to provide "heat" to a dish and a lovely citrus-like scent.  Chilies are not used as a main ingredient for flavour.  You never want to be ham-fisted with the chilies; too much heat destroys the balance of a dish and it can be quite painful.  So start off slowly.

In mexican cuisine, chilies are used fresh, dried, powdered and smoked.  The different chilies have different smells and tastes.  Mexicans use these different chilies the way Pakistanis use spices; as flavouring agents.  In mexican food, chilies can also be the main ingredient of a dish, such as Aztec Soup, Chiles en Nogada, Chiles Rellenos and Mole. 

Chipotle peppers are jalapeno peppers which are smoked and dried in a certain way.  This pepper will add heat, and a smokiness kind of like that of a barbeque.  A morita pepper is also a jalapeno which has been dried and smoked, but it retains a very fruity aroma and is a bit hotter than a chipotle.

Some of the larger dried and smoked chiles which you would find in a mexican shop are very nice after soaking them in water for a few hours, grinding them to a paste, and making soup from them.  I'll post a recipe for Aztec Soup in the coming days.

Finally, when you're cutting chilies, don't go crushing them with your hands because your fingers will sting a bit.  And wash your hands before rubbing your eyes. 
So there you have a little chili lesson, and speaking of chilis, I'm off to watch that hot chili of a captain Misbah ul-Haq batting in the test match.   Have a good one today, and let's cheer on Pakistan! 

Happy eating, and happy cricket!

A Quick Update on Ali, Shafiq and The Captain

Last night rocked my world!  Azhar Ali scored 90 yes 90 big, fat, juicy runs, Asad Shafiq scored a whopping 61 and Misbah ul-Haq, the Captain, still at bat, scored 77 runs of awesomeness.  About 64 more runs are needed to avoid the follow-on...so let's do it! 
I'll write more later on today.  It's going to be hot and the garden at my house needs a lot of work.  So keep your eyes open, and I'll write a theory lesson today about the use of chilies.  Here's something nice to look at in the meantime.

The Captain and Shafiq

Happy Cricket!

Excess Runs, Excess Goals, and Exquisite Aloo Ghobi

Ooooohhh.  I woke up today to a double whammy of doom.  South Africa scored an excessive 584 runs against Pakistan yesterday.  In hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks scored an excessive 7 goals against the Canucks.

Canucks Goalie Roberto Luongo, regretting eating a deep-fried stick of butter for his dinner earlier in the evening.

Vancouver coach Alain Vignault says that the Canucks basically embarrassed themselved on home ice, scoring only one measly goal.  Well, Mr. Big Coach, did you check to see what your fellows ate for dinner?  Healthy food = healthy hockey.  Obviously the Canucks were ill-fed!  Shameful!
Enough about hockey.  It's cricket time.  South Africa did indeed score too many runs, but let's remember that debutant Tanvir Ahmed took six SA scalps, three right at the start of the SA innings! 

Tanvir Ahmed, showing no mercy to the South Africans on Day 1

Good show, Tanvir.  But day two, the Pakistan side was looking pooped.  No wonder...it's hot in the UAE!  You try standing for 8+ hours in the sun for two days in a row and let's see how YOU bowl!  That's right...you'd be a buffet bowler...the opposition would help themselves to runs.  So for today, day 3 of the test match, let's hope our lovely lads are well fed and well rested and that they blast off some 600+ runs!  Let's go Pakistan!

So what is a good dish to ensure good form in the field, good form in batting and even good form on the ice?  Cricketers, chefs, and ice hockey players, I give you Aloo Ghobi.  This is a dish that will put some hair on your chest...girls included*!  As I always say, go macho or go home.

Aloo in urdu means potato.  Ghobi means cauliflower; hence, this is a potato and cauliflower dish done in a rich tomato gravy.  Now usually, as we've seen in the Basic Vegetable Salan post, veggie salans (curries) usually do not have spices except for red chili powder, garlic, and salt.  However, because ghobi (I'll use urdu from now on) is a very strongly flavoured vegetable, it is almost treated like a meat and the meat spices are used with it.  This dish is a classic and is excellent to include in your repetoire.  So get out your pot, stop fooling around and let's get to business.

Ingredients
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each
1 small head of cauliflower, broken up into small florets (the pieces that look like little trees)
1 big red tomato
1 onion, finely diced
7-8 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely diced
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed or very finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 cinammon stick
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
5 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4  teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
chopped green chilies (or whole chilies) according to taste
kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional
chopped coriander (cilantro)
salt
oil for cooking
water

1.  Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a big pan and fry the diced onion till golden and slightly crispy.
2.  While the onion is frying, add bay leaf, cinammon stick, star anise, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods and cumin seeds.
3.  When onion is almost crispy, add the garlic and ginger, and fry a minute or two.  Don't burn the garlic!
4.  Add the turmeric and lal mirch.
5.  Add the chopped tomato and "bhunna" it:  ie frying it until it reduces and sticks to the pan, add about 1/3 cup water, reducing again, adding water again when it sticks.  Repeat this procedure 3 or 4 times, until the oil "leaks" from the mix and the mix looks like a thick paste.  Here's the link if you need a refresher on "bhunna" method:

http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/theory-and-practical-lesson-basic.html

6.  Add 3 or 4 cups of water, some salt, and bring to a boil.
7.  Add the cauliflower florets.  Cook for a few minutes.
8.  Add the potatoes and green chilies.
9.  Add some kasoori methi if you like, about a handful.
10. Simmer for around 30 or 40 minutes, until the cauliflower is very, very soft and almost all of the water has evaporated.  If the vegetables are still hard, add more water whenever needed.
11.  Double check to see if you need more salt.
12.  Garnish with chopped coriander, and serve with roti.  Here's the roti link if you don't remember how to make it:

http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/11/zulqarnain-empire-of-akmal-and-roti.html

And one quick note concerning kasoori methi:  the first time you eat it in your life, you're going to smell bad the next day.  But don't worry; the second time you eat it your body will be used to it and you'll smell absolutely normal the day after.  It only happens the very first time you eat it.  So don't go running a marathon the morning after eating kasoori methi if it's the first time you've eaten it!

And there you have it...exquisite Aloo Ghobi.  Look alive out in the field, batting and even on the ice and have a good one!

Happy eating, happy cricket, and for you Vancouver Canuck fans....uhmmmm...happy cricket, too!

*No, I don't have hair on my chest.  It's just an expression, people!

It's a Hot One and Here's Something Pretty

Hi...I'm going to be posting later on today.  It's going to be hot in Melbourne today and I've got lots of yardwork to do.  I want to get it done before the temperature goes up.   But here's something pretty to look at if you're bored.  Stay tuned for cricket, hockey and aloo ghobi.

Young Imran Khan

Happy Cricket, happy hot weather.

Hurt Feelings, Hockey, and Thai Chicken Wings

And a good day to you!  Not so good for me though; my feelings got hurt recently by a couple of Finnish gentlemen in Melbourne.  According to them, I am a "Bad Canadian" because I'm not an ice hockey fan and I only watch games because I sort of enjoy the fights that break out.  Well, Bad Canadian no more.  Today's post will be all about hockey.  That's right! It's our national sport and it's about time that I learned something about it.  So here we go with the basics!



Ice hockey is a very physical game where the players wear  skates and use special sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal.  It's usually played in cold countries where outdoor ice rinks (a playing field covered with several inches of smooth ice) are the norm.  However, the popularity of the sport has spread to warmer countries where indoor ice rinks are possible.

The National Hockey League is the highest level for men worldwide.  This is the league I will focus on as it is the most popular.   The NHL has 30 teams; 24 are in the United States and 6 are in Canada.  The league is then divided geographically into 2 conferences:  NHL Eastern and NHL Western.  The conferences are then also geographically divided into 3 divisions each.  These divisions are: Atlantic, Northeast, Southeast, and then Central, Northwest, and Pacific.

2 Canadian teams are doing well at the moment:  The Montreal Canadiens, the sentimental favourites, are #1 in their Northeast division, and the Vancouver Canucks are tops in their Northwest division.    Overall however, the NHL top standing team is the Washington Capitals from the US; The Habs (nickname for the Canadiens) come in at #4, and the Canucks come in at #7.    The Ottawa Senators come in at # 21 overall in the league, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at #23, the Calgary Flames at #27, and the Edmonton Oilers at #29. I have to say this last one surprised me a bit...aren't the Edmonton Oilers usually really good?  Well, it's still early in the season, we'll wait and see!

So the Canucks will be playing the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, November 20 in Vancouver at 7pm.  The Blackhawks are #2 in their Central division, so this really should be an interesting game.   Since I'm from Vancouver Island, I'll go with the Canucks on this one.  Go Canucks!  Canucks Zindabad!

Traditionally, Canadian men eat several different kinds of chicken wings and drink beer while watching a hockey game.  Therefore, I give you Hot Thai Chicken Wings.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 kilos of chicken wings, split

1 cup of chicken broth

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup fish sauce

lime juice

1/2 cup crushed garlic

crushed cilantro (coriander) STEMS

basil, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon crushed ginger

finely chopped green chilies to taste

2 tablespoons  cornstarch

Mix all of the ingredients together except the garlic, and pour over the wings to marinate them.  Let it sit for about an hour. 

Take the wings out of the marinade, and bake them on an oiled pan or grill for 45 minutes at 200C / 400F, turning once during baking.

Place the left-over marinade in a small pot, and add the crushed garlic.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer several minutes.

Coat the the wings with the sauce, and enjoy!

The secret to really good thai wings is to crush the cilantro stems.  This releases the juice in the stem which is usually discarded, and it gives the wings a very deep, subtle flavour that you cannot get from cilantro leaves alone.

Have a great time watching the game, and I'll do my best to post regular hockey updates!

Happy Eating, and Happy Hockey!

The Queen, Kamran Akmal, and Delicious Qeema

Hey, hey, hey!  Big news for Queen Elizabeth and the Commonwealth, so let's start with that today.  Prince William is getting married to Kate Middleton, and the Queen is delighted.

Excellent!  She is very fond of her future granddaughter-in-law and is very happy for William.  Congrats to everyone!  I personally am fond of the royal family, and I wish the Queen another 50 years of her reign, and I wish William and Kate a happy life together.    William is second in line to the throne, which means he will most likely be Canada's head of state in the future.  I think he'll do a wonderful job.   Good on all of ya, and good on all of us!

Ok, that didn't have much to do with cricket, but the next gossip does.  Kamran Akmal, the drop-tastic regular wicket-keeper for the Pakistan team, was being investigated for match-fixing.

 It looked like he would not be allowed to participate in the 2011 World Cup, but he has been cleared by the ICC.  However, Mohammed Amir, the 18 year old whiz kid bowler is still suspended pending investigation.  Man, that kind of makes my blood boil.  Hurry up with Mohammed Amir's investigation and get him cleared for the World Cup.  Take longer to investigate Kamran Dropmal Akmal.
There are other wicket-keepers available.  So, unless KA improves his attitude and shows me he can play better, I'll continue being a bit of a Sour Sally towards him.  Smarten up!

On a side note; whenever I see the World Cup abbreviated to WC, I giggle.  Please write "World Cup" in full.  No need to abbreviate. 

Right then!  Now's here's the cooking I've been promising you.  Today's dish is Qeema, a salan made with ground beef.  Think of it as a delicious pakistani version of chili con carne.  For those of you from Qualicum Beach, this sure beats any chili you get at the Fire and Ice Festival!

Make sure you use an extra lean ground beef because it gets cooked in the tomato gravy, not fried first and then drained.   Ask a butcher to make you the ground beef from an extra lean cut like rump if it's available.  You can also skim off any possible fat near the end of cooking if you're concerned about fat intake.    So, take out your knives and let's get to business!
Qeema
ingredients
1 kilo extra lean ground beef
3 potatoes, cut into 8 pieces each (potatoes optional)
1. 5 tomatoes, very finely chopped
4 big tablespoons yoghurt
1 onion, finely diced
7-8 cloves garlic, very finely diced or crushed
3 cm piece of ginger, very finely diced or crushed
1 bay leaf
1 stick of cinammon
1 star anise
5 cloves
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cuminseeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
1/2 cup of kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
chopped coriander (cilantro)
chopped green chilies to taste
salt to taste
oil for cooking
water

1.  Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a big pan and fry the onions til golden and slightly crispy.
2.  While the onion's frying, add bay leaf, cinammon, star anise, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cuminseeds.
3.  When the onion is golden and slightly crispy, add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute being careful not to burn the garlic.
4.  Add the turmeric and lal mirch.
5.  Add the chopped tomatoes and yogurt.  Stir and "bhunna", like you did for Aloo gosht, basic vegetable salan and qorma.  That means:  fry until the tomato/yoghurt mix sticks to the pan, add a bit of water to "lift" and incorporate what's stuck to the bottom into the gravy.  Repeat this 4 or 5 times, until the tomato/yoghurt mix is a deep reddish colour and has a uniform paste consistency.  The oil should start to separate or "leak" from the mix. If you need a reminder, here's the link:

http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/theory-and-practical-lesson-basic.html

6.  Now add about 4 cups of water, and bring everything to a rolling boil for a minute or two.
7.  Add salt, but not too much, because the liquid will evaporate!
8.  Add the ground beef, and simmer.  Let all of the water evaporate, until everything is dry.  Fry the evaporated mix for a minute or two, again, until it sticks, then add more water.  Add the potatoes now if you wish to have potatoes.
9.  Add the kasoori methi and green chilies at this point
10. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked, or until the queema reaches your desired consistency.  Add more salt if desired.

Traditionally, qeema is eaten with roti, so it's cooked until it's quite "dry".  However, feel free to add more water to make it saucier and have it on basmati rice.

Have an excellent day today.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow's test match, and I'm hoping you'll be there with me in spirit to cheer on my favourite team!  Whaddya say?  Pakistan Zindabad!

Happy eating, and Happy Cricket!

Calm, Silly Predictions and Joshanda

All right, so today is a bit of a slow day; the calm before the storm.  The next Pakistan/South Africa test match is coming up in a couple of days, and pretty soon all we'll hear about will be the Ashes, the famous grudge series between Australia and England. 

My predictions:  Pakistan will win the next test because Gulzilla will eat up the South African batsman,  and Graham Swann will single-handedly win the Ashes for England with his groove-tastic spin.

Look out South Africa cuz Gulzilla's HONGRAYYYY for WICKETS

I've got a sore throat today, so no cooking.  But I'm going to tell you something.  I'm going to have some Joshanda.

Joshanda is an old pakistani herbal remedy for colds, flu and general malaise. Also, it is very good for jet-lag.   Nowadays, it comes in a powdered format which you can add to a cup of hot black tea, or plain hot water.  This stuff works.  In fact, why don't you have a quick look of my before Joshanda and after Joshanda pics.  Scientific evidence for all you doubters out there.



Me, feeling quite bad with a sore throat this morning.




After Joshanda, fit as a fiddle


Right!  Ok, enough of the Godzilla and Keith Richards jokes.    Joshanda does work, drink it with hot water, or black tea, or even milk tea and sugar.  In Canada it's available at the New Gulberg Market in Surrey or in Pakistani-run grocery shops.  You'll have to ask for it because it's kept behind the counter.   I haven't found it in Australia yet, but I'll tell you all about it when I do.

Have a good one today, and tomorrow I'll post about Qeema, Kamran Akmal and the Queen. 
Happy Joshanda, and Happy Cricket!  cough cough cough cough cough

Eid, Younis Khan,The Captain, and Cake

It's a great, fabulous day today!  It's Eid, the test match between Pakistan and South Africa was a draw due to the magnificence of the most excellent Younis Khan and Misbah ul-Haq, and finally, I'm going to show you how to make cake.  It's a trinity of great things today:  Holiday, draw, dessert.  It  does not get better than this!

First things first;  today is an Islamic holiday.  It's Eid al Adha, or Greater Eid; and it commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, but was able to sacrifice a ram instead by God's command.  So, today, to celebrate, traditional muslims will be slaughtering a sheep, a goat or a cow, and distributing the meat in three ways:  1/3 for the immediate family, 1/3 for relatives, and 1/3 for the poor.  Children are also given small gifts, and families spend the day together.  And of course, there is lots of good eating due to the abundance of meat!  So, to everyone, Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid)!

Secondly: Younis Khan and the captain of the Pakistan test squad, Misbah ul-Haq, blew those South Africans out of the water with their all-day batting session yesterday!  It was crazy!  It was pandemonium!  Day 4 looked like it was curtains for Pakistan because South Africa were scoring run after run after run.  They declared before they were all out because they thought their bowlers would annihilate our lovely lads!  Wrong!  On Days 4 and 5, Azhar Ali scored 63 runs, the captain of my sports heart Younis Khan scored a whopping 131,


Younis Khan in all of his magnificence

and Misbah ul-Haq, captain of the team scored a glorious 76.  I was afraid my lungs collapsed I cheered so hard!  My lungs are in fact, just fine, but my goodness, what an innings from Pakistan!  Younis Khan...you are great!  Misbah ul-Haq...great leadership and showing the young'uns how it's done.

Misbah ul-Haq showing us how it's done

Rock on, Pakistan!  All of that hard work deserves something special, like cake!  Here's a little recipe which I always use.  It looks a little plain, but it's delicious, goes well with tea, and with a little bit of cooked fruit on top, makes a lovely treat for a special occasion.

Plain Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1.5 cups of white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

optional fruit topping:
about 1 cup of chopped fruit (mango, blackberries, cherries, blueberries, etc)
1/4 cup sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 F or 177 C.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until creamy.
Blend in the milk.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture to the batter, and stir until everything is just moistened.
Pour into a non-greased pan.
Bake at 350 F or 177 C for about 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool, and if you're going to add the fruit topping, poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork.

Fruit topping
In a pan, combine the fruit and sugar.
Cook on low heat until the sugar is melted.
Pour and spread on top of cake.



You mean I get cake if I score 100?  BONUS!!!

There are several variations to this cake; you can add a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter if you wish, or you can add some grated lemon rind to the flour mix and that will make a lemon cake.  If you want a zestier fruit topping, just add the lemon juice to the sugar and fruit.
Have a Happy Eid, Happy Cricket, and Happy Cake!