What's with yoghurt and fish?

It's the 31st January and I am sitting in my apartment. My parents are here. My mother who is one of those fabulous mother cooks has just made my littlest, fish in the mildest of spices and breadcrumbs. He is loving it. Not the best when it comes to spicy food, he likes his food on the milder side and if he had his own way would have natural unsweetened yoghurt with everything. A dollop of yoghurt on the side or a good glass of lassi as you may have heard, is the best remedy for a very spiced up meal. He is in heavan here in the Middle East as yoghurt and laban and all flavours of yoghurt drinks line the fridges of supermarkets and therefore line the shelves of our home refrigerator. It really is not unusual to find him dipping small pieces of Arabic bread or paratha into yoghurt or mixing big dollops of that sour stuff with fluffy rice or downing gallons of flavoured yoghurt drinks. There is something about him and yoghurt. He is so unlike his older brother who deplores the stuff. How different can two children be! The older one was eating and enjoying the hottest and spiciest food at 2 years of age whilst the slight taste of a chilli on the little one's tongue would send him into a panting fit. Of course the yoghurt would make everything better!

There is an interesting notion here in the Middle East as one would not recommend mixing yoghurt with fish. It is something I must get to the bottom of as it is something I do not entirely understand. Perhaps it is digestive. If anyone has any answers do let me know. Otherwise of course some googling will reveal all.

Sumac and Za'atar

You may recall an earlier blog entry in which I had said no two days are ever the same in Dubai. Well, yesterday was no exception. The evening's events evolved into an unprepared for, fast and challenging drive to Medcare Hospital. To support a friend whose daughter had fallen down a flight of stairs on a chair with wheels! What was she thinking? Well kids will be kids and of course a race around the house on a chair with wheels is just exhilirating fun, unless of course there are stairs nearby and then it just becomes a recipe for disaster. Thank God - all is well and there has been no need for further alarm.

At 10pm after an ordeal which had lasted almost 4 hours we were famished. We decided to visit our favourite bakery which just happened to be in the neighbourhood. A wonderfully popular Lebanese outfit which does the most incredible and most mouth watering manakeesh (flat bread with toppings) the universe ever invented. The place was busy, understandably but even at 10pm, there were queues to the door. We were amazed. My request was for the cheese with za'atar manakeesh whilst my better half chose manakeesh with just zaa'atar. The za'atar is fresh and beautiful. If you have not experienced the wonderful za'atar it is generally a mixture of herbs (usually thyme), sesame seeds, sumac and salt. The sumac is a berry which is dried and then ground. It has an astringent flavour and is used as a souring agent.

We ploughed through our manakeeshes in no time and stomachs satisfied, started the engine and slowly drove home. I couldn't help wondering what Dubai would have in store for us tomorrow!

Picknicking in Al Ain

When I was young and we went for picnics my mother would often pack a pot of spicy potato curry and chapattis. We would place a spoonful of potatoes in the middle of the flat bread and roll it up and eat. It was a simple but delicious and filling snack.

So when we ventured out towards Al Ain yesterday morning to picnic this is what I packed. First a visit to Al Ain Zoo and then on to a picnic on the grass by the Jebel Hafeet mountains. The zoo was superb. Unlike its counterpart in Dubai where rumour has it the animals are caged rather uncomfortably in small cages, Al Ain Zoo is a wildlife sanctuary. The animals were housed in as natural a habitat as possible and were free to roam as they wished in this environment. Other than a monkey who had got his hands on some chewing gum and was trying to pull it apart and eat it (much to our disgust), we were pleased to note that the animals appeared comfortable and happy.

And on to the picnic by the mountains with a natural thermal spring running down the middle. Our friends had brought some moutabbal and this, together with the potatoes and chappli kebabs (spicy meat patties) sandwiched into some Arabic bread was tasty. All was polished off with a cup of cardamom tea and some delicious carrot cake courtesy of Charlotte which we ate up the mountain. It was perfect.

An aubergine treat

Last night I was fed the most divine food. Amazing food that hails from Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. The most incredible of all these dishes was an Afghani dish created from the humble aubergine. It contains slices of aubergine fried in oil with spices and enveloped in yoghurt. I am not entirely sure of the precise procedure for recreating this dish but it is one that I sure intend to discover and share. Infact I have already signed up for lessons.

I have every intention of popping over to my husband's cousin (the masterchef in this case) and learn learn learn. Her food is just always incredibly tasty, freshly made and created using the freshest of ingredients and spices. OK the food may be contain a little more oil than I am likely to use and just that extra bit more chilli but the end result is out of this world.

And all made by one of the most beautiful people I know - both in and out. In her slimmer days, she was Pakistan's answer to the late Princess Diana. Gorgeous in every way. In Dubai I have adopted her as my mother, my mother in law, my older sister and a very dear friend. And an invitation for dinner by her is always a most welcome treat!

The Metro

I rode the Metro this evening. If there was ever a time that I felt like I was in London, it was this evening...on that Metro. Away I went, past the Mall of Emirates and past the newly named Burj Khalifa and on to Dubai Mall. In my winter woolies. Unbelievable as it may sound, it is chilly here in Dubai during the evenings. And it reminded me of the London Underground. I felt like I was there all over again. Walking up escalators and down steps and waiting for a train to pull in. Whilst on the driver-less vehicle I was a prisoner to the monotonous sound of music repeating itself over and over and over and over again. After some time, I was relieved that I was able to just tune out and become an observer of all that is cosmopolitan in Dubai.

My observing led to a gentleman sitting next to me. He was reading the lonely planet for India and rapidly scribbling notes on Delhi onto his notepad as though he was preparing for an exam. I wanted to say "Aah India, delightful India. You must go here and you must eat this food and try this delicacy and visit this restaurant. And I wanted to insist, "Read Shantaram, have you read Shantaram? If you have not read Shantaram, then you must read Shantaram. Based on a true story, it is the real life adventures of a New Zealander who winds up in an Australian prison, escapes and finds himself in Mumbai. He lives and works in the slums, experiences the underworld, fights for the Mujahideen and tries his hand at Bollywood. It is fabulous and you will not need to go to India for you will feel like you have reached there already. Of course, if you have already been to India then you will enjoy this book also. Infact that is just what I am going to do right now. Crawl into bed and read and enjoy Shantaram.

Where have i been for 2 days!

Oh dear, my last entry for this blog was Thursday and today it is Sunday. OK let us not count Friday as Friday really is rest day - equivalent to Sunday - the day of rest in the West - or so it has been traditionally. It is the one day I can put my thoughts to bed, place my feet upright and take rest. Here in the Islamic world, Friday is the day for prayer, contemplation and meditation. And here in Dubai, it means shops (malls included) and public transport are closed until midday prayers have been completed. What you will see is queues outside mosques, cars parked haphazardly around places of prayer and gatherings dotted around the city and what you will hear amidst the silence and the quiet whirr of car engines are the sounds of the Azan (call to prayer) and the conducting of prayers over loud speakers. It is a time for most normal activity to cease for just that short period of time. It means there are less cars on the road and the world seems a quieter place. Having said that, my child attended a birthday party at this time which was less than quiet and slightly chaotic although a heap of fun he tells me.

Now my excuse for Saturday, well we had guests. When I lived in London, my flatmate used to describe our place as being like Paddington Station as it was not rare for some new relative or friend to turn up spontaneously and find their way on our sofa. Well, our Dubai home is no different. In fact it feels more like Heathrow airport as we have a constant stream of guests who may only transit with us for a day or two. Don't get me wrong, we thoroughly enjoy it. Last week it was a dear friend from London, this weekend, my sister in law from New York. So, it does mean endless entertaining and hospitality which is extremely satisfying, but at the same time, incredibly exhausting. I have to tell you about a newly opened local eatery which we stumbled across this weekend. "Saravan Bhojan Shala" - I am in love with just the name - not to mention the food which is truly superb. Wonderful authentic South Indian food - ghee roast dosa, idli vada, pav bhaji, vegetable cutlets and paratha were amongst the items we were impressed with- amazingly delicious, clean and surprisingly presented. We were totally sold and will be regulars from hereon with friends in tow of course. Speaking of food, I had promised to solve the pakora dilemma. Well my research suggests that most pakoras, like bhajis and bhajias are small snacks or fritters made with chickpea flour or some other sort of flour. I guess that omits the sweetcorn snack I made last week which uses semolina. My mother always called it sweetcorn bhajia and I chose to call it sweetcorn pakora. From now on you shall be renamed sweetcorn snackbite until of course a new name can be found for you. For now, it is my bed that I am looking forward to. Until tomorrow...

The pakora dilemma

Dinner, I am proud to say was a success! Hooray! The sweetcorn pakoras were a particular hit. These are the easiest things to make and a specialty straight from my mother's kitchen. Throw together some semolina, creamed sweetcorn, natural yoghurt, fresh coriander and fresh chillis. Mix together until you have a porridge like consistency, fry them in a little oil and voila - sweetcorn pakoras! I guess they can be called pakoras. Or can they? Now I am really beginning to consider this small dilemma. Does a pakora, after all, have to be made with certain ingredients, look a certain way, be a certain size or taste a specific way to be called a pakora? Now this, I will have to check on-line. Better still if anyone has the answers, do let me know.

You have to agree that the on-line world is just the best invention. A world of information at your fingertips, a library with few boundaries. I am a regular visitor for all my answers in life - be it to do with health, wealth or how tos - how to baste a turkey, how best to talk to my kids, how to solve a rubix cube, how to outdo my husband in scrabble - the list is endless.

Well once I discover this small answer to this small problem then I will also let you know. I must depart as my children and their friends are begging for their dinner - yes quite literally, begging!

It's 9pm and I am waiting for my guests to arrive. This is quite normal for Pakistan (except that of course we are in Dubai) and it will not be odd if we end up eating dinner at around 11pm. I have every intention of offering food much before this if I can help it, but it will not surprise me if time does roll on. We have been to wedding functions in Karachi which have not started before midnight and then gone on until 4 in the morning. This is not at all unusual and certainly not for the fainthearted early risers who like to be in bed early.

Well the food is sitting, waiting very eagerly to be eaten. I have gone overboard on the starters to intentionally fill my guests stomachs. They will be offered potato and pea patties, and a sweetcorn starter both of which have semolina as one of their ingredients. The fish and potato pakoras have been drowned in a batter made with the much talked of chickpea flour which I discussed in yesterdays blog. All will be served with a delicious tamarind chutney and carrot and cucumber raita. The chicken curry (one of the mains) is a recipe belonging to Charmaine Solomon and has been cooked in a paste made with fresh garlic and ginger, minced fresh coriander and fresh mint. Very yummy. I have made a large pot of lamb biryani and together with some lentil dhal, my guests have no reason to leave dissatisfied. The kulfi and gulab jamun for dessert are both courtesy of our local supermarket.

Well it is closer to 9.30pm now and I believe I can hear footsteps down our corridor and some chatter, so finally, yes finally they may just have arrived.

They say no two days in Dubai are ever the same and I could not agree more. Just when I thought I would have a morning to tend to this blog, I am faced with sewage problems at my child's school which means he is unable to attend and must spend a day with me. OK that's not so bad , it just means, away with the spice notes and out with the paints and bikes.

Now, let me tell you about the fish. I am having a love affair with chickpea flour at the moment. Also known by the name chana flour or besan. It is a wonderful pale yellow coloured flour which not only adds texture but imparts a lovely subtle flavour which is truly delicious. I mixed three teaspoons of the flour with some ground spices and fried the mixture with onions. It thickened the sauce for the fish and the result was fabulous. Chickpea flour can also be added to batters to make pakoras and to yoghurt to make kadhi, (yoghurt soup). Here in the Middle East, chickpea flour can also be used to make falafel.

The other little treat I made last night was chapattis or rotis (flat unleavened bread) which my kids just love. They call it barbie (yes, spelt the same way as the infamous blonde haired doll). It's a name adopted from their Nani (Grandmother) when they were toddlers and has stayed in our household ever since. To the chapattis I added flaxseeds and again the outcome was truly appreciated and a healthy welcome.

Tomorrow I have guests - lovely family from Pakistan and India respectively. Pakistan has attracted some incredibly negative press of late. Trust me, these are not gun wielding, frightening people but truly wonderful, good people with big hearts who love and know very good food. The only scary thing about them is the pressure I feel to create exceptional food and lots of it. I guess that really is a cue to go now and start preparation of some sort or another now....Until tomorrow....

OK last night I watched Julie and Julia and finally, yes finally, I feel inspired. Time now to pull my finger out and get this blog going. God only knows why it has taken me so long. Those who are not new to Spice Wise I apologise profusely. Perhaps just the sheer busy-ness of settling in a new country has prolonged this process. Hmmm.. then again, it really does not take 18 months to settle - or does it? I do have two boys after all and two very energetic, full of fun type boys, may I add. 2008 and 2009 were certainly not uneventful years either. These were the years a worldwide recession collided its way into lives, damaging the property market in Dubai and creating much uncertainly both here and throughout the world. It was the year a black president came to power and inspired the world. It was a year of facebook and twittering and blogging for laymen and celebrities alike and finally, yes finally i have jumped onto the bandwagon and joined the blogging forces. Again I have to ask...why has it taken me so long? Well now that I have assigned myself this task, I am wondering what is it that my readers would like to hear. I could give you the lowdown or highdown on living in the UAE and could take you on a little culinary journey down this way. I am after all in the land which created the spice trade and there is no shortage of spicy food in this country. I am surrounded by delectable cuisines and an array of foods from all over the world including amazing Indian and Pakistani food. I could always take on the task of transforming my extremely overweight cousin who loves to eat very spicy, very oily and very fattening - not necessarily in that order, food. Is it possible I wonder to lose so much weight on an Indian/Pakistani food diet? Well of course it is. If it wasn't, then the whole of India and Pakistan for that matter, would be short on thin people - and that, it is not. Speaking of which I took the boys on a weeks trip to India. Yet again India did not cease to amaze me. An assault on your senses is the way a friend describes it. If you have not been, it must be included on your 'things to do once', list. It is truly like no other place on this planet. I say the whole of life can be viewed in India - rich, poor, clean, dirty, traditional, modern, living, dead.... and so the list goes on. And as for the food ... aaah the food. Well we spent three wonderful days in Surat and was fed delicious home cooked food, prawn curries, dhal, gosht biryani, fried okra and potato and more and more. My aunt very kindly made me sweets (mithai) to bring back home to Dubai with me. One that I requested was an Indian sweet called magaj (which incidentally means brains - nothing at all to do with the sweet!). It is light brown in colour and contains ghee, chickpea flour and fenugreek and is delicious and because of the fenugreek and chickpea flour, in small doses is very good for you. Tonight I have decided I will make fish with chickpea flour and tomorrow I will most certainly inform you of the outcome.