The Sad News...and the Ray of Hope

I haven't felt so sad in quite a while. I know that I haven't done a post since God knows when, but what happened last night forced me to write this post. A beautiful soul has been lost, a gem has been thrown in the waters of a deep sea; an abyss from which the gem will never shine again. I am talking about the death of the grandmother of my host sister, Debby Struve. She was one of the most amazing people I have ever met, no doubt about that. What saddens me most that I met her only for a very short period of time and even in this short period she has become one of the most inspirational people that I have ever met. This post is dedicated to a wonderful lady who according to my loving host mom Robin was: "a heck of a lady". And be it known that this statement is definitely true!

She was there the first day I stepped into the enchanting world of Chicago. We were sitting outside in the balcony eating baby carrots and humus, and she was complimenting my English speaking abilities. I was struck by how awesome it felt to be in her presence. She reminded me of my grandmother who had died a year ago. I felt like my exchange experience was complete; I had somehow got my own grandmother back. I was amazed by how intellectually deep she was, her conversations and way of speaking carried their meaning well across to anyone who was listening to. I will admit that for the first day of my exchange experience in Chicago, I already felt a sense of belonging to the Struves.

And over the span of four months that I have spent here already, I saw Debby quite a number and she time she managed to amaze me with her powerful personality and the vast treasure of knowledge she possessed. I don't know much about her background and frankly I don't care about it either...For me Debby was a person who symbolised strength, love and I have only words of admiration for her. I can definitely connect the deaths of my own grandparents to Debby's death, but in my opinion Debby's death has actually saddened me more. As I am writing this post, my eyes are full of tears and my heart is aching with the pain that the Struves are feeling at the moment. But I know that I was blessed and honoured to meet Debby in my lifetime and spend some time with her, I know that that death is an inevitable fact of life and that we must accept it as it is, I know that Debby has been immortalised in our memories and thoughts, and I also know that loss of a loved one is a hard thing for all of us.

But there is one thing that I believe should be known: If you are deeply saddened by the loss of a loved one, it not only means that you love them dearly but also that the loved one were an amazing person. And Debby was blessed with every virtue a good, kind, loving and caring human can ever possess. This post is not just about mourning the loss of a person that will stay in my memory forever, it is about celebrating her and all that she achieved in her life, all the people that she impacted and all the things that made her one heck of a woman! I have words in my vocabulary to describe how sad I feel at the moment but at the same I know that Debby will stay alive in our hearts forever. She was indeed a great woman and I feel no need to elaborate this any longer.
Rest in Peace Debby & May your soul be blessed!!!!

The Importance of being an Exchange Student!

For those who are from Parker, I know I copied the Fourth Wall Production title but couldn't help it :D And for everyone else in general, although the title seems to indicate that this post is going to be dull boring stuff no one really cares about, i suggest you...THINK AGAIN!

Cause in this post I am going to dive deep into the adventurous realms of life as an exchange student; I'm going to be a critique of myself and I will certainly make a point of how..........wait........oh man! I sound like a fussy old lady: BOOORRRIINNNGG!

Ah! Never mind...So, It has been precisely 6 weeks and 2 days since I came to Chicago (I would include the hours, minutes and seconds and even micro seconds but all that shi-shi stuff ain't for me!). These 6 weeks and 2 days were indeed awesome. And what's different from this last post from my last one, is the fact that in this one, I am not going to go on and on about how awesome Chicago and my school Parker (<3) is, but I am going to actually tell you what has made this experience so awesome and that ladies and gents is the CHALLENGEs part!

Yes, it is quite challenging when you walk through the doors of your new school and the only person you know is the security guard (who you had met earlier sometime); it is certainly very challenging to navigate through the endless corridors and rooms of your new school and YES, it is very VERY challenging to be introduced to a completely new system of education and for the first time in your life, not being able to figure out how to do your homework!!

But the good news is that nothing of this sort happened to me! Ha! Take that culture shock! Oh wait.........I'm just kidding...Like other exchange students I have had my share of cultural differences as well. And in my opinion that is one of the major experiences as an exchange student when you see people freely snogging each other at public places..... did I say "major"?
And it's another story when you have no idea what you are supposed to do for that alien looking Maths homework! Your heart always pounds hard whenever you do anything independently around your host family's house because you believe that you are going to mess up again......BADLY. But you know what? You come to accept your surroundings sooner and later!

You take a deep breath and you say to yourself: "OK, I get it now. I know I can cope up with all this new stuff because you know what? I am standing in America!! Yes, America! The place where grapes look like cherries, and tomatoes look like peppers and peaches look like apricots!! Where down is OFF and up is ON (I confess I'm still having problems with this one). Where everything is new and completely different...BUT!!!! I'm also in the place which is filled with friendly people who have welcomed me so kindly into their community. I'm in the place where there is positive freedom of expression (personally, I just LOVE the freedom of expression here!). I'm in the place of resources teeming with thousands of varieties of lettuce and cheese I've never seen before! I know I CAN DO THIS!!" And this is how you get over your' culture shock! (Believe me: this works!)

And most of the time the cultural differences aren't that obvious and you don't even feel them unless you really think about them. Another major difference I feel in the American society (apart from PDA) is the liberal attitude. This attitude, though awesome in many aspects, has some other sides to it as well, which for me are very different indeed...For example, the behavior of students to teachers and kids to their parents. I personally believe that the American value of expression's freedom is very different from Pakistan's version. I am not saying that people in America are disrespectful to their elders in anyway, but I just feel it as a great difference from a society where teachers are thought to be "divine parents" and parents themselves are thought to be next in line for respect and reverence after God. Americans students are liberal. They have inherited this value from their elders and this suits them absolutely perfectly; But it is very weird occasionally to see a teenager challenge an elder in some way or another.

I have so much to talk about my life here that I feel that words can't do me justice. (And in any case I don't want to give away all my experiences in one go!). I won't talk about Parker here because Parker deserves a post (or many more) to itself and the wonderful people in it. I never really thought that I'd be so blessed to be placed in Parker and I vow to myself to work my behind off to make it worth it (and fun of course!) One of the ways that I really feel a lot of pain in my behind....I mean one of the ways that I am really making my experience rich and an excellent learning process for me is through community service! You won't believe how much fun it is to do community service here (a concept usually synonymous with arduous and dull work with many people)!

I have had done quite a wide variety of community service so far I think...From Temple Sholom's Monday Meal to Chicago Lights Urban Farm and more recently, The Chicago Health and Fitness expo, community service has proved to be an amazing chance to learn new practical skills and meet with loads of new people from every walk of life. To keep it short and sweet: COMMUNITY SERVICE ROCKS!
And as the year progresses, I hope to add more flavor to this side of my exchange experience. I am actually thinking of holding a fundraiser for a pet shelter at Parker soon which would also be amazing cultural experience! (*wink* for the Parker people). And I am also very very very very excited for IEW which is the International Education Week from November 10-18th, during which time I'll be doing presentations all over the school.

Right now, as I sip slowly through my delicious Chiquita Banana smoothie, I am thinking of all the amazing things that have happened over the past weeks which include (but are not limited to) THE COUNTY FAIR (I wish they had it everyday!), The Spirit Week, The AFS Retreat (Although I missed my Homecoming dance, I guess that was a right decision to make because the retreat was awesome and now I am SOOO excited for prom!), Samosa Chat @ The Indian Grill, Mathew Postlewaite's mind blowing Mascotance, and yea!!! THE FALL PLAY REHEARSALS!!! Which are just CRAZYYYYYYYYY!! And I mean it...literally! They are super super fun and  I can't tell you how excited I am for the show itself! Other fun stuff include Meeting of the Minds (and the hilarious discussion) and yea the not-so-much-fun US History, Maths, Anatomy and Latin quizzes! Holy Goat! That reminds me, I have a homework to complete! As much as I would love to keep adding to this post I think this is long (and intellectually enlightening) enough. So until later!! Wish me luck for IEW!!!

AMeEEEEEEERIIIICAAAAAAAAAAAA!! :D

Yes....No....Yes......but No........but YES!!!! Yes, it is true that it's already been a month in the States! I can't believe it really. The first month of my exchange experience has just been amazing! like out-of-this-world, unheard-of, full-of-excitement, full-of-new-experiences and lots-of-laughter-and-joy amazing!!

I still clearly remember the day the batch of 43 YES students left from Islamabad Airport...Among tears, smiles and waving hands, I saw the last of the people I love most in the world! And then, I was off! The first stop was Dubai International Airport...and it was just MIND-BLOWINGLY AWESOME!

My eyes were as big as lightbulbs as I absorbed the magnificent interior of the Airport building. There were hundreds of the most amazing shops I had ever seen. The time I spent there with my fellow YESians will forever be embedded in my memory as the most enjoyable time. But the journey wasn't over yet (sigh). Between us and Washington DC was a 15 hour long flight!! which needless to say was absolutely LONG! But what saved the day were the touch screen computers in front of every seat (God Bless United Airlines!) which really made the journey more enjoyable. And in no time, at all we were looking at the wet roads of Dulles Airport and the rain just made my arrival in the states so much more memorable! From the airport we went to the 4-H National Youth Centre, where we were going to receive our orientations (as if we hadn't had enough of those already!)...Just kidding. I was so excited to be in DC because I knew that we were going to meet other YES students from different countries; and meet them we did! There were students from Yemen, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Palestine & Ghana all in one place; and the sight of all these students together was just incredible! And the Centre itself was amazing. The food was amazing (although most Pakistani students would disagree with me) and the recreation room with the pool table, air hockey and the arcade games just sealed the deal of awesomeness!

Those three days I spent in DC were absolutely wonderful, for one thing, and resonated the fact that I definitely was now an exchange student. It was an amazing experience to go to the Smithsonian Museums  and (the outer fence of) the White House! I made quite a lot of friends there and I will definitely mention my instructor Cynthia who was just the most awesome person ever! The orientations themselves were quite tiring since they were almost 9 to 5, but they were fun regardless of that. We learnt all the basic "tools" of being a good exchange student and the "do's" and "really don'ts" as well. All in all, the final event of DCOs was the Cultural Night and it was AMMAAAAZZIINNNGG!! Everyone representing their culture in the most subtle yet flashy way was just fabulous! Because of the fact that this was our (that is to say the Pakistani YES students') last night together for 10 months, we said goodbyes and take-cares in the midst of the strange sadness yet excitement we felt to finally meet our host families.

And so it happened. We woke up at 2 in the morning. The students who were going in the first group said goodbyes to everyone and boarded the bus to Dulles International Airport. I was definitely excited and also...SLEEPY! We got to the airport and there we again said goodbyes to students going on different planes to different places. Some Pakistani students were coming up to Chicago with me, so those were our last few hours of "togetherness". We boarded the plane and in a matter of two hours the plane started descending...and I saw my first ever view of Chicago...and my jaw dropped dooowwn! IT WAS BREATHTAKING! And I am not kidding! Chicago has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world (I will talk more about the beauty of Chicago later on). We (Anney and me) were actually both AFS students and she was placed in Naperville (a western suburb of Chicago) which meant that now we actually will meet almost every month! And the we got here, we had a mini-orientation together too! It reminded of how she and I were the last ones when we gave our selection interviews (ah, happy memories). So it was final goodbyes to all of them and me and Anney were off with an AFS representative to the awesome town of La Grange! We had lunch at "Noodles" and he gave us some necessary information and as the clock's dials kept                 on going my heart beat got faster and faster and faster! Finally the moment came when we heard the doorbell which meant that....my host family were here! It was amazing. And I won't say no more.

One last goodbye to Anney and I am in the family's car with mom and dad and Allee and Katie! I'm all excited and they are all "How tall you are!" and "You are the exchange student?!" Haha, no they didn't say the last one. But they were evidently excited too! And so we journeyed through Downtown (they gave me a quick tour) and with the magnificent Lake Michigan always in the backdrop it was just amazing! I got to the house and my first impression was WHOA!! The house was huge and soooo fancy!, with all the artwork on the walls and the four floors and the compound with the swimming pool and the gym. I was speechless! The family gifted me a Chicago Cubs hat and a Chicago Bull T' as a welcoming gift and a Lollapalooza wristband (which I seem to have lost now, sorry mom!) and Harry Potter cards too!

The very next day Katie went to college and the family took me to Saddle and Cycle which was the posh club which featured a golf course, swimming pool, tennis court and ice skating arena! I swung the golf club for the first time in my life!! My dad taught me the basics of golf (frankly I'm not sure if its my thing but it was certainly great!) I had my first Chicago pizza and curly fries and went into the swimming pool too for the first time in my life and instantly knew that I LOVED THE WATER! And that I had to learn to swim! The next day was...EID! (Can you believe that!) Oh yea! I forgot, on the first night my host family, I gave them all my gifts too! Which included fancy shirts for my host mom and sisters, bangles and i mean a LOT of bangles, henna, a Kurta for my dad (Haha I have to add here: my host dad called it a "Kutta" when I told him what it was called and now its a personal joke around here. Whenever he refers to the kurta he's like," Are you going to wear you dog today?") So on Eid day, my family put on the Pakistani clothes and we were off to a mosque where I offered the Eid prayer (an amazing experience indeed) and then we were off to Devon!

And that THE BEST FEELING IN MY LIFE to see hundreds of Muslims all dressed up celebrating Eid! And felt like I was in Pakistan again! It was like being in two places at once! We bought some Halal meat (which is at the same rate as American meat in Chicago btw) and we walked around the Avenue soaking in the festivity of the atmosphere! We came back home and I made biryani for my family which they (sort of) enjoyed (as my mom and sister aren't used to spicy food but still liked the flavors a lot!). And the so the first three days were most amazing for me!

And the amazingness it seems was only starting! (I'll fast forward through what happened in the next few weeks now cause its 12 am and I have to go to sleep after this post!) The more significant events in the next weeks were: My first visit to Jewel (the eye-opening grocery store), My first swimming lesson, Visits to the Art Institute and the Millennium Park (Oh that was just incredible! I can't write about the awesomeness of Chicago city because it is absolutely beautiful! Much much much MUCH prettier even than the movies! Michigan Avenue and the shops and the street performances <3 everything in Chicago is incredible and most comparable to Islamabad in many aspects as well!), My first dinner with senior boys with Parker (my beloved high school!), MY FIRST EVER SAILING TRIP ON LAKE MICHIGAN!, Going to Susan's birthday, Going to the beach (the water in Lake Michigan is fresh and most amazing to swim in or to just sit in!),  Going to dinner with Sue Yellen was incredible too, Going to Temple Sholom for community service (where everyone was awed by my chopping skills!), Going to Parker to get my schedule (I just fell in love with Parker, the first time I went there!! Its the most awesome school EVER!), Going to the farm party (where a very curious incident happened of which I wont talk about!!!) The Chicago SummerDance Festival, My first ever ride on CTA Bus (and landing one mile away from my house), Watching PDA all over the place! Not using Facebook for a whole fortnight!!!!!!!! (and that's saying something), The Husnains' Eid Milan Party! (And the Pakistani food..oh was divine!), Going to Ravi restaurant at Devon!! (whose tikkas were better than most Pakistani ones, and that's saying something too!), My first ever Chicago Cubs game (baseball!!) in Wrigley Field Stadium was amazing and then how can I forget! THE BRUCE SPRING STEIN CONCERT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD!! I got to go in a fancy stretch limousine style PartyBus and it was just so so amazing at the concert. Hundreds of people, no wait...THOUSANDS of people were there and it was the most amazing musical performance I had ever seen! And apparently he is one of the most iconic singers in American history ever! So for me to get into his concert was seriously a once-in-a-lifetime awesome experience!

And so these two weeks passed by in the most awesome blur ever! And finally came my first day at Parker! And it was simply mind blowing.
Everyone is so friendly at Parker and they are so eager to know about me too, so its great being here! I remember the first day that the 80 or so seniors all introduced themselves to me, and I could hardly remember 5% of the names by the end! But one thing was obvious: I was excited to be there and they were excited to have me. The teachers were amazing and the classes are amazing! (See how I'm transitioning between past and present tense?) And I can never ever forget my first Maths homework assignment.

I WAS FREAKING OUT! I couldn't understand a thing and I was just terrified that my best subject was going to be my worst. I took a while to calm myself down and then it dawned on me, that it is just MATHS and I AM good at it! So it worked out fine! I love all my subjects and teachers too. I'm taking Functions, Anatomy & Physiology, Latin (oooo), US History, Fiction and Poetry Writing (Ms. Gibson is just awesome!) and Modern Muslim World (which is the most "interesting" class for me)...I also went to Armani Jain's house because her mother Prinita had invited me over. That was an amazing experience too because she had cooked all these amazing Indian things! Poori, Aalu ki Bhujia, Palak Chanay, Chicken Korma and Halwa!

The past week has been great too! I tried out for Fall Play and got in!! I'm so excited for that because I watched the school's Fourth Wall production's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" yesterday and it was MINDBLOWINGLY AMAZING! I had my first Model UN symposium yesterday too and that was great! I am so proud of the fact that I survived a whole week of school because I was absolutely exhausted the first few days of school but now everything's just amazing. I also went to Des Plaines Theatre today to watch "A Tribute to Bulleh Shah" theatre performance and that was incredible too!

So now I am about to begin my second full week at Parker and to enjoy all it has to offer. I think I did a pretty good job at writing the whole one-month tale of awesomeness and I'll try to write more regularly from now on! Wish me good luck for the rest of my experience because I am so getting in exchange student mode!!!

P.s. the photos are in completely random order! :D

Ramadan - A Month of Blessings becomes A World of Pain?

Ramadan Kareem is one of the most revered and widely celebrated Islamic events. It brings with it an atmosphere of peace and purity that is truly fulfilling for the soul. This month not only helps us refrain from committing sins but also offers redemption for the past ones. In short this is a beacon that gives us a chance to refresh our faith and spirituality; Ramadan is no doubt a month of blessings!

However this year around there is a definite difference in the way Ramadan is being celebrated in Pakistan. Ramadan has come with all the blessings it has to offer but this time the people are actually quite disturbed by the consequences of Ramadan.

No, I am not talking about the actual fasting itself! The Muslims in Pakistan like all the Muslims of the world do love to fast, but what has made Ramadan slightly troublesome for them is only one thing: Inflation!

The public doesn't really understand the link but since Ramadan has arrived the prices of EVERYTHING seemed to have increased almost dramatically overnight! And the most dramatic yet is of course the increase in the prices of Food items. May it be sugar, besan (gram-flour) or fruit, everything is costing the public almost 50% more than it was before Ramadan. And the most ironic thing is that the public really can't do anything about it. They still have to buy those items because they have to feed their children as it is. The government has indeed set up the "Sastay Bazaars" (Low priced markets) but that doesn't seem to be easing the burden of the general public.

What's really depressing is that all this havoc is caused by certain individuals: Hoarders. They are the wretched people who store all the goods and food items so that their market prices would increase due to their shortage and they would be able to gain more profit by selling the goods, then. Unless and until these individuals feel remorse for their actions and realize that what they are doing is causing a general disruption in the country's economy, we will remain on the mercy of the monster of Inflation.

The problem of inflation has been around in Pakistan for quite some years now, but this year the people are suffering another huge problem in the Holy month of Ramadan: Load shedding.

Yes, despite the government's promises that the load shedding will be extremely lenient in Ramadan; it seems that the extremity of load shedding has just increased after Ramadan has begun! In Islamabad for example, the federal capital, from morning till evening the schedule for load shedding has taken the shape of One hour ON and One hour OFF! How in the world can the public truly enjoy the blessings of Ramadan, if the only thing they will be doing is to stop themselves from drenching with sweat in the hot July sun? The heat and the absence of electricity has virtually hampered the daily life of the people here. Neither can they offer special prayers in the scorching heat nor can they do their daily household chores due to the never-ending load shedding.

Ramadan will come and go, but the memory of this year's Ramadan will stay afresh in the people's mind for a long time. They will remember this month as the one in which, despite the Government's assurances rising prices and load shedding still turned out to be the greatest problems for them!

A Desi treat for 'Dem Taste Buds: Dahi Phulkian!!

So Ramadan is here! And with that numerous traditional delicacies also find their way to our "dastarkhawans" and dining tables like Pakoray, Samosay, Fruit Chaat and such. One of my personal favorite of these delicacies is "Dahi Phulkian".
Here's my recipe for it which tastes incredible with raw onion on top!!

RECIPE: 

INGREDIENTS:

For Fried Phulkian:

Gram Flour – One Cup

Red Chili Powder – To Taste

Salt – To Taste

Water – As Required to get a medium thin consistency

Cumin Seed Powder – Half Teaspoon

Dried Pomegranate Seeds – Half  Teaspoon

Baking Powder – Half Teaspoon

Oil – Two Cups for frying

Other:

Unsweetened Yogurt – One Cup

Onion – One Chopped

Tomato – One Chopped

Coriander – One Tablespoon Chopped

Salt – To Taste

Black Pepper – Half Teaspoon

Green Chili – One Chopped

Chat Masala – For Garnish 

Preparation

 1. Mix together all the ingredients for the phulkians except water in a bowl.

 

2. Then gradually add the water till you get a medium thin consistency which should be thin but not too runny.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan. When it is sufficiently heated use a small spoon to add small dollops of the gram flour mix to the oil. Let the small balls cook under golden brown on a low flame. Be careful as they can get burnt very easily.

4. After they are fried, take them out on a tissue paper to drain excess oil. Then drop them into a bowl of water. (This is done to make them moist and to give them a really nice texture)

5. Leave the phulkian in the water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile add all the other ingredients in a bowl with the yogurt and whisk thoroughly.

6. Now take the phulkian out and squeeze out the water from them using the palms of your hands (Wash your hands before doing this!); And then drop them into the yogurt mixture and mix well.

7. Taste to check the salt and pepper content and adjust the flavor.

8. Finish it by adding some chopped coriander over it, sprinkle some Chat Masala and Voila you Tradtional Pakistani treat is ready to be enjoyed at Iftaar or anytime you want!  

La Friolera Perfecto!

For those who maybe wondering what the title means: it is Spanish for "The Perfect Trifle" (credits Google Translate); Because the recipe of the trifle  that I am sharing here is truly perfect!
I have made this dessert quite a number of times and it dazzles me each time! Another great thing about this recipe is you can do such a lot of variations with it! Its a pretty simple recipe; I hope you guys try it out!

RECIPE: 

INGREDIENTS:

·       White Milk – 750mls

·       Tetrapak cream – 200mls

·       Sugar – According to taste (around half to 3/4 cup)

·       Vanilla flavored Instant Custard Powder – 3 to 4 tablespoons

·       Vanilla Essence – Few drops
        McVities Digestive Biscuits – 1 small packet

·       Cocktail Fruits -1 tin (Optional)

·       Instant Jelly Crystals (Banana, Strawberry, Orange flavors) – As Required

·       Chocolate Cigars – As Required

METHOD:

Pre-Preparation:

a. Make a medium consistency custard using the milk, sugar, custard powder and vanilla essence (Instructions for making custard are on the back of the packet). Adjust the amount of custard powder to achieve desired consistency.

b. Take the Digestive biscuits and either grind them in a blender/food processor or Put them in a plastic bag (zip lock bag or polythene bag) and crush them using a rolling pin (I personally prefer the second method). Take out the biscuit crumb and add a few tablespoons of milk to slightly moisten it.

c. Also prepare the jelly according to the packet instructions but use lesser water than instructed to get a really firm jelly.
d. Take out the cream in a bowl and gently whisk it to get a runny consistency.

Preparation:

1.    Now select suitable glasses to make the trifle for individual servings or you can just make it in a big bowl. Start by putting the biscuit crumbs at the bottom and press them firmly by using your hands or a flat spoon.
2.    Leave the crumble for 15 minutes in the fridge for it to settle down. After that pour the cool custard over the crumble (in case of making in bowl) or dollop suitable amount of custard into the glasses (in case of individual servings).
3.    Then add a third layer of jelly over the custard.
4.    Finally pour over the cream till the glasses are full to the brim or you get a good layer over the jelly in the bowl.
5.    Now its upto you for how to decorate the trifle. You can use the biscuit crumbs for a garnish; You can use wafers or chocolate cigars, or grated chocolate or MnM's; ANYTHING you can get your hands on!
6.    Do the garnishing, and leave it in the fridge for at least 4 to 5 hours! Take it out, Grab a spoon and enjoy the deliciousness!!!!
Note: After making the custard, if you want you can add some cocktail fruits for extra deliciousness! Make sure that the custard is really cooled down before making the layers. Enjoy!

Jamun - The Gift of Summer!

So Summer is here! The heat may get us drenching in sweat in the not-so-blessed hours of load shedding and we may be awfully scared to step out in the blazing sun but summer also means another thing - Fruit (and LOTS of it)!
And perhaps the best gift of the summer season in terms of fruit is Jamun! Or Java Plum Or Syzygium cumini if you prefer; Whatever name you may use there is no doubt that Jamun is one of the most adored fruit in Punjab, Pakistan.

For me the word summer always brings the memories of Jamun which we (me and my cousins) used to eat at our grandmother's house; Those were the days when we used to just sit there under the shade of the big Pipal tree and eat whole bowls of Jamun (with generous amounts of salt of course) in one go! And then we would gleefully show each other our purple-d toungues and complain about the strange feeling in our mouth caused by the Jamuns.
I also remember the huge Jamun tree which grew in my aunt's house and how all the kids used to pluck the Jamuns off of it through various ways (throwing their shoes at the branches was admittedly the most effective method) and then they used to run under the tree catching the falling jewels of deep purple.

As I am writing this post, I have a plate full of Jamuns with me and I am constantly smiling because of the fond memories this small fruit is bringing to me; Summer will come and go but there's no doubt that Jamun is one of my most favorite fruits!

Lab-e-Shireen Made Easy

Here is one of my most favorite sweet dishes of all time. It really does define the food philosophy of Pakistani cuisine as being rustic yet mouth-wateringly delicious. I hope you try the recipe out because the outcome is absolutely DIVINE!!! 

Lab-e-shireen can be categorized as one of the dishes of modern Pakistani cuisine. Although it has been made for many decades in this part of the sub-continent, it has been modified into newer versions which have incorporated some ingredients (like instant jelly, condensed milk, cocktail fruits) which make it a relatively "modern" dish. The oldest versions of this dish mainly included the making of a simple custard using milk and corn flour and then adding boiled vermicelli ("savayyeain") into this custard along with freshly cut fruits and ground nuts like almonds, pistachios etcetera. Now this dish is also made without the vermicelli and has a lot of variations. 

Lab-e-shireen is a close relative of the most popular of Pakistani sweet dishes i.e. Sheer Khurma, in which vermicelli is roasted and then cooked in milk. But over the course of time lab-e-shireen has become a most delectable desert in most Pakistani homes. With the addition of fresh ingredients like fruits, cream and jelly the dish reminds one of a peaceful holiday. The creamy textures are well balanced with the crisp fruits and nuts, and the smooth texture of jelly truly makes this dish, one to remember!!

One of the great things about this dish is the simplicity of its ingredients and also the wide variety of variations which are possible with it. Unlike most Pakistani dishes, there is absolutely no hard and fast rule about what should be added in it. It all depends on a person's mood and the available ingredients but despite this, this dish never fails to fulfill one's sweet toothed desires!

Although this dish apparently looks expensive, it certainly isn’t out of reach of the common man. This dish costs about the same money as any other Pakistani sweet dish, but in terms of taste, flavor and delicacy this is a dish "Fit for a King"!

Following is one of the most common recipes of Lab-e-shireen, one that I have personally made many times and every time the result is just superb. I can guarantee that if you eat this dish one time, you will never get enough of it!!        

                               

 

RECIPE: 

INGRIDIENTS:

·       White Milk – 750mls

·       Fresh cream – 400mls

·       Sugar – According to taste (around half to 3/4 cup)

·       Corn flour – 3 to 4 tablespoons

·       Vanilla Essence – Few drops (also can use vanilla extract, paste or pod)

·       Condensed Milk – 1 small tin

·       Cocktail Fruits -1 tin OR Fresh Fruits (Pineapple, Bananas, Cherries)

·       Fresh Eating Apples – 3 to 4 large sized ones

·       Instant Jelly Crystals (Banana, Strawberry, Orange flavors) – As Required

·       Boiled Vermicelli (optional) – 1 cup

METHOD:

Pre-Preparation:

a. Make instant jelly from the jelly powder/crystals (Instructions on the packet). Make sure to keep the water less so to get a thick and firm jelly.

b. Peel the apples and chop them into small pieces (but not too small). Put the chopped apples in a bowl of acidic water (lemon+water) to prevent discoloration.

c. Also cut down any other fresh fruits you wish to add.

Preparation:

1.    Whisk together the milk and about 380mls of the cream in a thick bottomed (if possible, non-stick) pan. Now put the mixture onto the stove and bring it to a gentle boil stirring occasionally. (use the whisk made for non-stick utensils as metal whisk can damage the non-stick pan)

2.    While the milk mixture is heating up, dissolve the corn flour in a few tablespoons of cold milk and put it in the fridge to chill.

3.    Once the milk mixture starts boiling add the sugar and mix it to dissolve it.

4.    After the sugar is dissolved add the vanilla essence and give it a stir.

5.    Now take the corn starch mixture from the fridge, give it a whisk before adding it into the milk mixture (corn starch tends to settle down).

6.    As soon as you add the corn flour, the milk mix will start to thicken fast so keep on whisking it to ensure uniform thickening.

7.    When it thickens considerably (thick custard consistency) remove it from the stove and allow it to cool.

8.    Now when the custard is still a bit warm add the chopped apples into it and mix well to incorporate the flavor of apples into the custard. Cool it down.

9.    Now into this mixture add condensed milk, other fruits or cocktail fruits tin etcetera.

10.        Optionally you can add 1 cup boiled vermicelli to make it truly traditional; however I prefer to make it without vermicelli.

11.        Finally put the mixture in the serving dish. Garnish it with the jellies, the left over cream, or anything else that you want. You can also add nuts (almonds, pistachios etc.) if you want.

12.        Chill it for a few hours in the fridge and Voila!! Your divine desert is ready!