Rey's Kitchen Delights

The biggest similarity that exists between a Saudi Arabian home and a South African Indian home is of course hospitality. In general Indians are a food loving nation and I can not deny the fact that I do originate from a family that are all foodies. My family loves entertaining and having people over either for a cup of tea, lunch or dinner. In fact any time is tea time. Having a mom, aunts and a grandmother that are all expert cooks, staying in shape is certainly a difficult task. My mom was also in  the catering business for quite some time now and only in recent times we have asked her to simmer down and relax. Hence mom has decided to now share her tried and tested recipes with the rest of the world. Our home is generally very busy week in and week out with family or guests from abroad. Hence, through meeting and interacting with different cultures mom has been fortunate enough to be able to share her recipes and knowledge in cooking with our guests and at the same time learn about traditional foods and staple diets that exist in other parts of the world. Through this page I aim to provide a step by step method on how to make a variety of dishes particularly dishes that we all enjoy as a family. If you do try these recipes and enjoy the end result I request you to please make a special prayer for my mom. May Allah grant her a long life of good health, wealth, peace and prosperity and may she continue to excel in what she loves doing the most, feeding tummies :)))))))). To the blog readers out there, if there is a dish that is your speciality and you wish to share the recipe with the rest of the world, please feel free to email me at desertmoonsdiary@gmail.com. Bon Appetit!!!!
( Take note that I will try posting one recipe on a weekly basis on the main blog page. All recipes can then be found under the page titled " Rey's Kitchen Delights for future reference)

Having posted a picture of the Umm Ali dessert on my facebook page a few weeks ago I have had numerous inbox messages requesting for the recipe. I would also like to take the opportunity in thanking our guest, dearest Brother Mustafa from Jeddah for sharing some of his Saudi recipes with us during his recent trip to South Africa. We thoroughly enjoyed having you in the kitchen with us. With the chilly winter air slowly starting to creep in, Umm Ali is a perfect winter dessert!!

Umm Ali

Step 1:
Take 500g of pastry dough. Chop it up into small squares and place in an oven tray. Bake the dough at 180 degrees celcius until light brown.. Then take the pastry squares and crush it into an oven proof pyrex dish
(Do not crush it too finely).

Step 2
In a saucepan add one 1 1/2 liters of milk. To the milk add the following ingredients:
1 tsp cardamon powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
sugar to taste
1 ounce butter
A handful of dessicated coconut
Chop up walnuts, raisins, pistachios, cashewnuts (Any type of nuts can be added)

Once the mixture is boiled add 250ml of fresh cream. Give the mixture one final boil. Then pour the boiled mixture over the crushed pastry in the oven proof pyrex dish. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees celcius until golden brown. Serve hot.

                                             

Over 600 Saudi women got AIDS from husbands

Kingdom had 1,233 reported AIDs cases in 2012, including 431 Saudis

More than 600 Saudi women have contracted AIDS by their husbands and most of them were not aware of the infection until after they had children, a Saudi doctor has said.

Sana Filimban, head of the Saudi Charity Association for AIDS victims, said the Gulf Kingdom had 1,233 reported cases of the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome in 2012, including 431 Saudis and 802  expatriates.

She told the Arabic language daily Okaz that male victims of the killer diseases far exceed females, with an AIDS ratio of one woman to five men.

“More than 600 Saudi women have been infected with AIDS by their husbands without their knowledge…many of them discovered they have the disease only after they had some children…this has discouraged most infected women from seeking a divorce as they wanted to look after their children,” she said.

“I call on all married Saudi women to have medical test before pregnancy or at least in the early stages of pregnancy so an infection will not be passed to the infant.”

Filimban said Saudis aged between 15 and 49 years account for nearly 74 per cent of AIDs victims in the Kingdom and that 96 per cent of them have received the virus through sexual intercourse. Most of the remaining victims were infected as a result of having drugs or contaminated needles.

Source:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/over-600-saudi-women-got-aids-from-husbands-2013-04-11-1.502240

The Majestic Turkish Mosque Midrand, South Africa - Part 2

When I posted  my article about the grand Turkish Mosque located in Midrand, South Africa last night, little did I know that I will be visiting the masjid again this afternoon during the midday prayers. We were heading towards my grandmothers home from the airport and hence enroute we had to pass the masjid. Dad decided that we stop at the masjid to perform our Zuhr prayers.This time though I had the opportunity of visiting the book shop where I was captivated by many books regarding Islamic history. The clothing shop also had stunning Turkish jackets ideal for the upcoming winter months. Of course I also decided to snap up some pictures of the masjid during  the day. A beautiful sight indeed!!!

 

 

 

 

The Majestic Turkish Mosque Midrand, South Africa - Part 1

The masjid is the brainchild of a prominent Turkish businessman Ali Katircioglu. The 74 year old gentleman was originally planning to build the masjid in America but was convinced by a friend of his to bring the project to South Africa. My dad had the opportunity of meeting Mr. Ali on numerous occasions during the building phase of the masjid. Depsite his excessive wealth and prominence, the business tycoon along with his wife were residing in a caravan on the site of the masjid. He was determined to see his dream project turn in to a reality. Arriving on the masjid premises, I felt as though I was transported back in time during the era of the great and majestic Ottoman empire. The masjid is a replica of the Selimiye mosque in Edirne, Turkey and is world renowned for its lavish architecture. The opening ceremony of the mosque occurred a few months ago with President Jacob Zuma and the Gauteng premier, Nomvula Mokonyane among the esteemed guests who attended the grand event. The masjid is a visual feast for those who appreciate the world of arts, design and architecture. Hand painted tiles grace the walls of the building and the ceilings are intricately decorated with gold painted Quraanic calligraphy. In the centre of the plaza there is an ablution area where worshippers can wash themselves before prayer. The design of the ablution area reminded me very much of the ablution area in the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The mosque has the capacity of accommodating 6000 worshippers and was built at a whopping cost of R210 million rand ( UNCLE ALI FUNDED IT HIMSELF). Rumour has it that Uncle Ali grew up in a middle class family in Turkey many decades ago. During a war, his family saved a Jewish man from being killed. The man returned to the USA and then decided to hand over all his assets and properties in Turkey to Uncle Ali's family. Having recived this huge bounty from God Almighty Uncle Ali decided to utilize the wealth in the path of God Almighty. The masjid premises also boasts a SAMA school, a clinic, a shopping complex, boarding facility as well as a Turkish restaurant. I was particularly captivated by the stunning pieces of art inside the art gallery located inside the masjid complex. The gallery had pictures of all the Islamic artefacts located in the world famous Topkapi Museum situated in Istanbul, Turkey. Pictures of the Prophet Muhammed (saw)'s sandles, sword, hair and letters that he had written simply left me speechless. Whilst in the gallery I had the opportunity of meeting a group of Turkish teachers who reside in the Durban region of South Africa. They were in the Johannesburg area for a national meeting to discuss the way forward with regards to the Turkish schools in South Africa. They were a friendly group of people and speaking to them made me feel as though I was in Turkey and not in South Africa. The sheer opulence, grandeur and stature of the building has proven once again that the Turks have always and will always rule the world of architecture and design. A big thumbs up and hats off to Mr. Ali for giving South Africa a piece of Turkey. Through him, nations have now formed a bond and a connection. After viewing the stunning pieces of art and reading about the majestic Ottoman empire, Turkey is definitely one country that is on my list of places to visit. To all my blog readers who hail from Turkey, I hope to visit your part of the world soon Insha Allah!!

Directions to the masjid: The mosque is located on the corner of Old Pretoria Road and Le Roux Avenue in Midrand, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which can be accessed from the Allandale turn-off on the N1. You can also catch the Gautrain from Sandton or Pretoria to Midrand.

Take note that the masjid is open to anyone and everyone. However, when visiting the masjid care should be taken in terms of dress code. Modest and respectable dress code is of utmost importance as the masjid is a place of worship. Women should cover their hair, legs and arms.

For more info and guided tours you may contact the Nizamiye Turkish Masjid at:Tel: +27 (0)11 024 5857

PS: I have taken many pictures of the artworks inside the gallery and hence I have decided to split it over two to three posts as it will not all fit in one article.