Long Hair - Hairstyles how tos

Hi everybody, I found a beautiful page with instructions for lovely hairstyles with long hair, unlike other western sites, it uses minimum or no hairsprays, setting lotions etc.. so it is extremely workable. Ofcourse I cant do most styles because my hair has become extremely thin due to various factors, but I am blessed to have a daughter to try out these

Just check this out
http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/style-index/

Ra ra to Rabigh

Assalaamualaikkum, Peace be upon you,

Finally after three months I am in Rabigh. Beautiful Place. Right now because winter is going on Wonderful Climate. Daughter has joined School, still some settling down to do. Cooking is a challenge because half the items which I had taken for granted, I couldnt bring from India. (My grinder - Sob!!!, A good Indian Mixie - Waah!) No luggage...I hate air line regulations which limit luggage to 20 kg. Passionately. For the amount of Money they take for the tickets......They are earning a lot of bad karma from me alone I cant speak for sisters like me stuck with a stupid foriegn brand blender which dosen't know the spelling of coconut chutney.

OK end of Rant. Sorry sisters I just had to get that out. I am still not calm about it even after fifteen days or thereabouts in KSA. I feel like those people who got stuck on a deserted island and use coconut shells to cook whatever food they can find.....Ha Ha Ha...

OK still not over - continue with the sobstory.. No indian mutton available only frozen (UGH Double UGH) Ok that is alright anyway mutton is bad for health (Hint Sour grapes), wait for trips to Jeddah to buy fresh Indian Mutton. Anyway fresh poultry is cheap, living next to the sea so fresh sea food is cheap and availabe.

Maybe you are from north india where you had basmati rice daily, me I am a pure tamilachchi. I need Ponni rice. NO thanjavur Ponni rice here.......I was speechless with shock. OK I am a survivor. Tried eating basmati daily for a week . gave up on the third day...Now making do with jeeraka shala rice, it is raw rice but god bless whoever is importing it and bringing it to Rabigh.....Anybody in Rabigh or Jeddah, who knows where thanjavur ponnii rice is available please take pity upon me and give me the address of the shop where I can buy it.

I miss Lulu Center, KM trading, Sajidha supermarket, Indian Social Club, my friends, my sister, my relatives....... I miss all those pockets of India in UAE. Like Vadivelu says Naa Aludhiruven.............

For the past fourteen years or so, I had never spent three months continously in India except for my dd  delivery, so that also is there. Missing India. Vana vaasathukku pona maadhiri irukku, pesaama urmila maadhiri irunthirukkalaam. 

OK Now it is really the end. My next post will be full of the delights of Rabigh. Promise... I dont like groaning and moaning and whining and pining. Iduppa kettikittu vela ila eranganum.

I may delete this post in future.

bye bye uae

Hello everybody, Ramadaan Kareem to my friends, may this blessed month bring you all its glorious rewards in this world and the here after. As you all may have guessed, our internet connection is cut. In fact we have vacated the flat and are stopping over in my Sisters house (Having fun here bytheby) . I will be going to India soon and most probably will not be able to post for another three months. I will miss all my blogging friends. I will be back as soon as possible. Pray for me as I will for you all. Happy Blogging, Happy Cooking, Happy Posting and advance Eid Mubarak All of you.

Fathima

How to talk to little Girls

An article to make you think. Check out this Link I found from Shilpa's Twitter

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html?ref=fb&src=sp

But I think if nobody notices a girls looks then she may feel a little depressed no? OK we have to dress to satisify ourselves first, but engayo idikkidhu.

Coconut Chutney - 1

This is a simple chutney which goes with Dosa, Idly, bajji's, bondas, upmas etc..

Ingredients:
Coconut - 1/2 grated
Pottukadalai (Puffed Chana Dal) - 1/4 cup or lesser
Green chillies - 4 (adjust according to the ehat level and your prefernce)
salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
udad dal - 1 tsp
mustard - 1 tsp
perungayam pdr - 1/4 tsp
chopped onions 1 tbsp (two or three sambhar onions)
Curry leaves 1 -  2 sprigs

Procedure:
In the mixie jar, put the pottukadalai and chilli first. then add the grated coconut. Whirr a few times. then add water and grind to coarse consistency.  Add salt to taste. Keep in a bowl.
If you are using ammikal (grinding stone) First grind the chillies with salt, add coconut little by little and grind to paste. lastly add the pottukadali and grind till the pottukadalai is grainy (like coarse rawa). remove paste from the grinding stone, wash and keep the water aside.
Traditionally, the tadka is poured into the chutney, covered for a while and then mixed. In my place, the chutney is poured in the tadka in a kadai and heated till the whole is hot not boiling. You can choose yourself.
So lets come to the thaalichifying.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard, let it splutter, add udad dal, curry leaves, perungayam powder, onions. let onions brown. add the chutney to the tadka, mix well. Keep on flame till the whole is hot. Do not allow to Boil. Check for salt and chilli and adjust before serving.

Tomato Rice

This is a regular in my house. I got this recipe from Mallika Badrinaths cook book. These kind of rice dishes were a lifesaver for me when I was working full time. I used to make double or triple the amount of the tomato masala mix and freeze in portions. Next time I just had to remember to take it out of the freezer the previous night. Morning only make rice, mix and keep in MW bowl for hubby and daughter to eat for lunch take my portion to office and I am raring to go. Add some pappads or eggs or potato chips or for die hard nonveggies chicken fry. The pappads can be fried the previous night ( I used to schedule pooris the previous night so I didnt have to heat the oil twice (arent I clever ?). OK  enough patting myself on the back, here's the recipe:

Tomato Rice and Fried Egg

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 4 Chopped.
Onions - 1 or 2 Finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 nos slit vertically
Peas - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (I use frozen)
Curry Leaves - 1 -2 sprigs
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Perungayam podi - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp or 1 " cube butter (just for the fragrance)
Rice - 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Cook Rice till done but not mushy. I use rice cooker. If you use pressure cooker you can make the masala when the pressure is returning to normal. If you are doubling or tripling start as soon as you put the rice to cook.
Chop tomatoes and let them start cooking first in a separate pan or nuke in the microwave along with a little salt and the green peas till mushy. Meanwhile chop onions, heat kadai, add oil, add chana dal, udad dal, and then the mustard. when the mustard pops add the hing and add chopped onions immediately. Add a little salt (remember the salt in the tomatoes) and the green chillies , sautee till golden reduce flame if it is on high at this stage, add turmeric and chilli powder, stirr well till chilli powder is fragrant mayne 40 secs. add cooked tomatoes and green peas. simmer for a few mins for the flavours to blend. Check for salt, sourness, and chilli. add garam masala. Add ghee or butter now. Mix well, add cooked rice or add to the cooked rice depending on which vessel is bigger. Switch off the flame. Mix gently but thoroughly to distribute the tomato masala evenly with the rice. Finis.

This is a good picnic food also. If you are going with staunch veggies as your guests, add paneer cubes fried till golden just before mixing the rice, it will look real swanky, but of course the name of the dish will be paneer tomato rice. (Grin)

Dil Se..: Show Me Your Dosa!

Dil Se..: Show Me Your Dosa!

Edited to add :
Hello everybody actually somebody tell me whats happening. I sent my recipe to this event, and below there was this tab telling me to link to that post. So I thought OK lets try this also. Lo and behold there was a screen with a line with html coding. You know there's a reason I didn't take computer engineering. When I see all those codes and all I freak out. anyway I decided to be brave and clicked add or ok or something I forgot. and next time I checked my blog this post is there. Ayoo nyan onnum cheydilla . enakku onnum theriyaadhu nekku thilisuledhu, nanage goththilla, mujhe maalum nahin , Ana Ma maalum I think I know this phrase in Bengali also but I will not take any risk. and no link has appeared where I wanted ( Carrot Corriander Whole Wheat Dosa) Hmph. Well anyway, if we try only we will know. try try untill you succeed - thats my mantra. Blogger here I come. Wish me luck sister bloggers.

PS: Please check out my recipe at that event site also. I will send more entries inshaallah.