Scene 1:
Rasha, Azza and I move out of our house. As I close the door:
Rasha: "Ummi, did you say the prayer while getting out of the house?"
She then starts reciting it - I'm amazed how quickly they learn them from their madrassas, whereas when we slog like mad, they refuse to enter their head!
Azza: *perplexed* Hehe...
Scene 2:
As I enter the washroom to give Azza her morning chores:
Rasha: "Ummi, you didn't say the prayer for entering the toilet!"
Me: "No darling, I said it in my mind." *Smiles*
Rasha does not look convinced as such! :)
Scene 3:
As we have our dinner:
Rasha: *looking sad*
Me: "What happened, dear?"
Rasha: "I forgot to say 'Bismillah' when I started eating. *thinks* but I can say 'Bismillah Awwaluhu waAakhiruhu, right?" *smiles in anticipation*
Me: "Yes, you can..." *smiles back*
No wonder why kids are always called as 'angels'... :) :)
Lentils very rarely feature on our menu at home. Somehow, nobody except me and the kids are interested in having lentils for dinner. I feel that on a lazy day, a bowl of lentils and a couple of chapathis to dip is one of the best comfort meals that you can ever have. I don't know how many of you would agree to that. On days when I am assured that the men in the house may not have dinner at home, a bowl of lentil curry suddenly makes its way from the kitchen to our tables in less than 30 minutes. Once the chapathis are over, I find myself licking the pan to the core! ;) The easiest dal of course is masoor or the red lentil, so we always have one big jar of it in stock at any time. Off to the way I cook my dal curry with masoor...
Masoor Dal Curry
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
3/4 cup masoor dal, cooked with sufficient water and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 meduim onion, thinly sliced
1 meduim tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Method:
Heats a saucepan with the oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Add the onion and saute till soft. Add the tomato and saute till mashed up. Now add the ginger garlic pastes and cook till the raw smell is gone. Add the coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders and cook till a nice aroma wafts in the kitchen.
Now add the cooked masoor dal to this masala and give it a nice stir. Cook on low flame on simmer for around 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garam masala powder and adjust the salt. Serve garnished with curry leaves or coriander leaves, as desired...
Method:
Heats a saucepan with the oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Add the onion and saute till soft. Add the tomato and saute till mashed up. Now add the ginger garlic pastes and cook till the raw smell is gone. Add the coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders and cook till a nice aroma wafts in the kitchen.
Now add the cooked masoor dal to this masala and give it a nice stir. Cook on low flame on simmer for around 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garam masala powder and adjust the salt. Serve garnished with curry leaves or coriander leaves, as desired...