More Rain, More Akmal, Beautiful People and Bitter Melon

A bit of a grumpy post today.  It's raining so much here that my backyard has turned mushy, and there's more to come.  The rain is everywhere this month; Melbourne, Casablanca in Morocco got hit really hard (actually killing people) and Sri Lanka.  Furthermore, the rain has made a mockery of the West Indies/ Sri Lanka test series.  Bah.  BAH!!!   Maybe I'll start watching indoor cricket.  Bah.  Rain can be a good thing, but as I always say, everything is better in moderation.

Speaking of too much rain, Pakistan is still reeling from the floods earlier this year.  Let's not forget about them; if you get the chance, make a donation.  Every little bit helps.  If you've got family or friends in the water-ruined areas, do what you can to alleviate their suffering.  Pakistan is a lovely country; and I must emphasize this:  if the situation was reversed, pakistanis would be the first people to help.  I saw this first-hand in 2005.  We were in Islamabad when the earthquake struck; as soon as people in our building heard that another building had collapsed, all of the able-bodied men immediately went to the collapsed apartment complex to dig out the victims.  By hand.

Right.  On to some cricket news.  Kamran Akmal won't be on the squad for New Zealand, even though he's been cleared by the ICC for selection.  He's all upset about it, because it did look as though the PCB were going to take him back on board.  He claims that he's a better batsman now.  Of that I have no doubt.  He can hit the ball, and he did score an insane 500+ runs in his last domestic game, but he still has issues wicket-keeping.  So for the time being, Umar Akmal and Adnan Akmal are in.  We'll see how things go. 

Before we get to today's cooking, perhaps something to lift our spirits is in order.  Look at this, and let's feel a bit better.


Paulina Porozkova for the Gents



Imran Khan for the Ladies



















Ok.  It's always good to look at beautiful people. 

Now today, we'll be looking at another variation of Bitter Melon Qeema.  Yesterday we learned how to prepare the bittermelons or karelas by taking out the bitterness, and we did a basic sliced karela version of the qeema.  Today we're learning the spectacular version of it.  Oh and by the way, karela is very good for diabetics.  Good to know!

So get about 6 or 7 karelas, peel off the bumpy parts of the skin, slit them lengthwise, but not all the way,  scoop out the seeds, rub salt all over, inside and out, and let sit for an hour or so.   Rinse well, let them soak for a while, and rinse again so they're not too salty.

Now get your prepared qeema, and stuff a few spoonfuls of the queema into each karela. 

Get some cooking thread or plain cotton thread and wind it around each karela to keep it shut.

Now, in the same pan as the queema, fry the karelas in with the rest of the unused queema over medium heat until the karelas start to turn nice and golden.

Serve the qeema and stuffed karelas with fresh roti, pita bread or naan from the tandoor bakery.  Enjoy!

Have a good one, hopefully some of this rain will let up.  It's raining so much that moss is going to grow on my head soon.  Yuck.

Happy Cricket, and happy eating!