EID MUBARAK - A CELEBRATION OF MUSLIM HOLIDAY

by Humaira

Eid al Fitr or Eid e Ramazan as it is called in Afghanistan is the end of the month of fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sun down. They are encouraged to participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making.  Ramadan is most difficult on summer days when the daylight hours are long.

EidElFitrCalm

What I love about Ramadan is that it is time for introspection and spiritual renewal for those who observe it.  

To celebrate, at the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a  three-day celebration which in some places is called Festival of Fast-Breaking. I tell my non-Muslim friends that it is Christmas for Muslims.  

A big feast is part of every Eid celebration

When we lived in Afghanistan, Jeja (my mom) prepared for Eid holiday by purchasing sweets, cleaning the house and having new clothes made for us. The immigrant life has made Eid celebration less festive but, Jeja still makes a feast on the first day of Eid.  

Prior to the first day of Eid, Muslims give alms to less fortunate families so they too can celebrate the holiday with their families. The alms consist of practical things such as, money, rice, sugar, oil, dates, rice, etc. 

As a little girl I loved Eid

Most Muslims attend Eid prayers at their local mosque but after the prayer, they visit family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and they practice forgiveness by mending broken friendship. 

Sweet delights

Before the wars, before my family members became scattered around world, and before the world looked at Muslims suspiciously, my family celebrated Eid by spending the first day at my grandfather's house.  We played with our cousins, ate sweets and received Eidi (money gifts) from our relatives.  At the end of the day we measured our money pile to see who got the most Eidi.  

Women shopping for Eid outfit

In Muslim countries the entire 3-day period is an official holiday.  I wish you and your family "Eid Mubarak" and wonderful celebration.  I am with Jeja who now lives in Los Angeles.  We are heading to my aunt's for an Eid celbration.

Sweets are a big part of Eid holiday 

Lining up for Eid prayer

Children donning their best outfit

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

BEST LUNCH BOX EVER - COOKBOOK

By Humaira

Katie Sullivan Morford, the co-founder of this blog just released her first book,  Best Lunch Box Ever, published by Chronicle Books.  Besides being an excellent writer, Katie is a certified nutritionist.  Her book is packed with healthy, easy and delicious lunch box ideas.  Best Lunch Box Ever is beautifully designed with gorgeous photos and easy to follow layout.  It is so easy that I gave a copy to my 13-year old daughter who is the chief lunch maker at our house.

One of my favorite recipes is the Perfect Date on page 60.  It has six simple ingredients: whole-wheat lavash, whipped cream, dates, celery and baby spinach.  As Katie suggests, most of her recipes are sophisticated enough for an adult’s lunch box too.

Best Lunch Box Ever_The Perfect Date

The Perfect Date, recipe on page 60

Three years ago Katie followed her bliss and went back to writing about how to nurture healthy eating in children.  Although I miss working with her on Afghan Culture Unveiled, I am very proud of her accomplishments.  She has a very popular food blog, she was tapped to write this book more interestingly, she develops recipes and cooking videos on back-to-school meals for Pottery Barn Kids.  I am thrilled to share this conversation with Katie Sullivan Morford followed by a recipe she chose from her new book.

Humaira Ghilzai of Afghan Culture Unveiled interviews

Katie Sullivan Morford, author of Best Lunch Box Ever:

Humaira:  Tell us what you have been doing since you stopped blogging with Afghan Culture Unveiled?

Katie: I started a blog called Mom's Kitchen Handbook, which brings together my interest in food with my expertise as a registered dietitian and my experience as a mother of three. I write about food and family with the goal of inspiring parents with easy recipes and practical advice on feeding their kids.

Humaira: Afghan Culture Unveiled is read by people in India, Latin America, Europe and of course the US.  What are three top things parents around the world can do to give their children the most nutritious meals?

Katie:

1.  Number one is to eat together as a family as much as possible. Kids who eat with their families tend to eat healthier and overall be happier and more successful in school than kids who don't.

2. Eat whole foods with less reliance on packaged goods. Beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt, eggs, and so on, should be the foundation of our diets, not what's inside of a box with 30 ingredients.

3. Teach your children to cook. It will increase their interest in eating good food and give them the tools to nourish themselves once they're grown. I imagine that families in many parts of the world do a much better job of these three things than we do here in the States. 

Humaira:  Were any of your recipes in Best Lunch Box Ever influenced by your experience with Afghan food?

Katie: There is a lot of yogurt in the book, which is something I really got hooked on when I was focused on Afghan cooking. I also use flatbread in a number of recipes such as pita and lavash, which is very much a part of Afghan cuisine. 

Humaira: Do you still make Afghan food? If yes, what are your family's favorite dishes?

Katie: I really crave Afghan food and I do continue to cook it at home. My favorite remains

but I probably cook Sabzi more than anything else. I love to make a big batch of that and

have it for lunches with, of course, yogurt and flat bread.

Best Lunch Box Ever_Teriyaki Fried Rice

TERIYAKI Fried Rice from Best Lunch Box Ever Book

WARM AND NOURISHING, this

panfried rice is a brown-bag favorite. The dish starts with a couple of

scrambled eggs to which rice, edamame, and seasonings are added. If you happen

to be making eggs for breakfast, it’s just a few extra steps to make this

savory lunch dish. Naturally, brown rice is more nutritious than white.

Leftover farro or barley make tasty substitutions.

MAKES 2 TO 3 SERVINGS

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice

1/2 cup cooked shelled edamame

1 tablespoon teriyaki

sauce

1. In a medium skillet, heat the

2. sesame oil over medium heat. Add the eggs and scramble until just cooked. Add

3. the green onions, cooked rice, edamame, and teriyaki sauce, and cook, stirring

4. often, until everything is warmed through, about 2 minutes.

1. Divide the fried rice between two

2. or three thermoses.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES: can be

made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. In the morning before school,

warm up and pack into the thermoses.

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FLAVORFUL, COLORFUL AFGHAN FRITATTA

By Katie

There are a lot of Afghan words I struggle to pronounce. I’m not even quite sure I’ve got Humaira’s name exactly right and we’ve been friends for seven years now. This is just one little reason I like this dish so much; its name is a breeze: kuku. Plus, it’s sort of fun to say. Far more important, though, the dish is seriously delicious.

Kuku is Afghanistan’s answer to the Spanish tortilla and the Italian frittata. Eggs are beaten, mixed with vegetables and cooked either on the stove top or in the oven, or a combination of the two, until the eggs are just tender. Seasoned Afghan cooks prepare the dish entirely on the stovetop, flipping it part way through. However, this can be tricky. The method I offer here is a bit more forgiving.

As you might expect, the seasonings for the Afghan version are, well, distinctively Afghan. This particularly kuku is flavored with an abundance of cilantro and turmeric, along with potato, spinach and scallions. The result is a brightly colored and boldly flavored egg dish suitable for a brunch or lunch or light supper. It can certainly hold its own against even the best from Spain and Italy.

Afghan Frittata

Kuku

1 Russet potato (about 8 ozs.), peeled and quartered

Salt

8 eggs

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed, finely chopped

1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped

4 ozs. spinach, chopped

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Immerse the potato in a small pot of cold, salty water.Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and mash with a fork.

Turn your oven on to broil.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat them with a whisk.Be sure the herbs, scallions and spinach are thoroughly dry (a salad spinner can help with this).Add the mashed potato, cilantro, scallions, spinach, jalapeño, turmeric, salt and pepper to the eggs and whip until combined.

Drizzle the olive oil in a 10-inch, non-stick skillet and set over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the outside browns lightly and the eggs begins to set in the middle.It will still be quite runny across the top.

Set the skillet under the broiler until the eggs are firm, though still tender.Remove the skillet and allow it to cool for a few minutes.You can cut wedges directly from the pan or run a knife around the edge, put a dinner plate over the top of the skillet and quickly invert the kuku onto the plate.Serve warm or cold.

Afghan frittata 014

The kuku cooking in the pan as the eggs are just beginning to set around the edge

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.