A New Dessert

During the Easter break, I tried a new dessert. It was a mix between a brown sweet dish called 'Faluda' and Custard. My parents wanted to it something 'Desi', while my siblings were craving for some custard. So I decided to mix the two. The results were great. It gave off a flavour of both Faluda and custard. 

Challenges: Some challenges that i faced were; firstly, the cooking of the spaghetti for faluda was very time consuming compared to the custard. The Custard took less than seven minutes, while the spaghetti took over 20 minutes to boil, and be soft enough. Another challenge that I faced was the cooling process. The Custard took a long time to cool, so that was very time consuming as well. 

Though I am thankful to my mom, who guided me throughout the way. 

This is what a Faluda looks like: 

The spaghetti is mixed with a mixture of milk, evaporated milk, sugar, cardimin. and then it is topped with ice cream, and nuts. 

A custard: 

 We all know what a custard is. : ) 

My recipe in pictures: 

The Spaghetti boiling

 The Custard, on the other side of the stove. 

The Custard is cooling down

The whip cream is being whipped :)

The custard and the whip cream are being mixed to create a tastier and nice-yellowish mixture. 

A thin layer of custard is placed on the base of the sweet dish tray. 

A layer of heart shaped patties is placed for a nice, crunchy texture. and then another thin layer of custard. 

The Spaghetti is mixed with the custard in a separate bowl 

One layer of crushed pineapple, bananas and of walnuts is added on top. 

Finally, another layer of custard ( with the spaghetti ) is added as a final top layer. 

Final results. 

Mending my decision

Previously, I had decided to learn continental cooking, but as I was going through some recipes, and cooking procedures, I decided to switch from continental cooking, to making anything at all. From baking, to cooking, to barbecuing... sweet and savory dishes. 

I changed my decision because as I was surfing through recipes, I found a lot of cool and delicious recipes that I wanted to try, and include in my blogs. For instance, I realized that Chicken Pathai, is mostly a brown-dish, but since it is served in many western countries, therefore, it was posted under Continental dishes. 

Also, I came upon many sweets that are from different cultures, that looked mouthwatering, and so, I wanted to cook them as well. 

   

Chicken Pathai

During the March Break, I tried a new dish, Chicken Pathai which is a fusion between Persian (Iranian) and Gurarat cuisines. It is considered as a greek dish, as well as a British Indian restaurant favourite.

It was not much of a challenge to cook this dish, because my mom had previously has cooked several dishes quite similar to this, and she was able to assist me during the cooking procedure.

Some basic difficulties that I faced were cutting onions, which was quite difficult (because of the tears), the splashes because of the hot oil, and the heat of the stove. Waiting for the ingredients to cook was another challenge I faced. I could not take my attention away from the pan, or else the content might burn.

Before starting to cook, I had made my own list of procedure so that I could follow and be more efficient while creating the dish. For instance, in the original procedure, the chef had pre-cut all the vegetables and the chicken, but I mixed the cutting with the cooking part. While I was waiting for the chicken and onion to cook, I cut the tomatoes, and they were ready to be put in the pan when needed. Also, I added the quantity of each spice in my procedure list, so that I do not have to refer back to the ingredient list each time to know how much of each ingredient I need.

While cooking, I tweaked some ingredients in their amount because I had more than 1 lb of chicken, plus I adjusted the dish to my families' taste, so there were certain changes in my procedure. 

The Ingredients were: 

• 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 500ml (2 cups) chopped onions
• 10ml (2 tsp) garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) salt
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) turmeric powder
• 450g (1lb) chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 5ml (1 tsp) cumin powder
• 5ml (1 tsp) ground cayenne
• 250ml (1 cup) chopped tomatoes
• 15ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) white vinegar
• 10ml (2 tsp) brown sugar or jaggary
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 125ml (½ cup) water

My Procedure: 

1. Chop Onions into tiny pieces
2. Heat Oil and add onions to it. Let the onions turn golden/light brown
3. Add Chicken into it. Wait till the chicken also turns slightly brown as well. 

1. Add 2 tsp. crushed garlic, 3 bay leaf, 2 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of turmeric powder. Mix and fry. 
2. Add 2 green chilies (finely chopped), 1 tsp. cumin powder, 1 tsp. ground cayenne. 
3. While the other ingredients are cooking, chop (3-4 tomatoes) tomatoes into small, tiny pieces.
4. Add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. vinegar, juice of 1 fresh lime, 2 tsp. sugar, 1/2 cup water (optional, for more gravy), and 1/2 cup 35% whip cream (instead of sugar, used to give the dish a better color). 

Final Product:

Chicken Pathai tasted amazing, and I got to make it again for a party at our place, and everyone loved it. It is an awesome dish, and I am sure to master it in the future. 

First Step

My First trial in the kitchen.

My journey has began. My first dish was rice.

Even though it seems like a very simple and basic dish, it will be used in a lot of other complicated recipes. I wanted to be good at cooking rice, and practice it well so that while cooking other, more complicated recipes, I would not have to look back on the rice recipe, and would be able to make off the top of my head.

Here is the finishing results:

I followed my mom's recipe and made this dish, and it tasted amazing at the end.

Recipe:

For 4-5 servings
Cooking Time: 20-30 min.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice
• 4 spoon of salt
• 31/2 cups of water
• 1 spoon cumin seeds
• 3-4 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 cup sliced onion

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice with water 2 to 3 times, and then leave them in water for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Put oil and sliced onions in a pan, and wait till the onions turn brown
3. Add in salt, and cumin seeds.

Salt, cumin seeds, onion, and oil all mixed together

1. Slowly and carefully add in 4 cups of water. Be careful!!!!! There might be some hot drops of oil that might splash out. 
2. Wait for the water to start boiling, and then take the water out of the rice, and pour the rice into the pan. 
3. Cover the pan, with its lid, and keep the stove on high heat.
4. When the rice surface to the top, then turn the heat to very low, and cover the pan tightly with a secure lid. 
   
5. Open the lid after 8-9 minutes, and mix a spoon into the rice. Check, and see if the rice has been cooked. If not, then close the lid again, and wait for another 5 minutes. 
6. Turn the stove off, and remove the lid. 
7. Your Rice are Ready !!!!!

This is how the rice should look like

Continental cooking or Skateboarding

Making the 'right' decision is often the hardest task we face in our daily lives. Right now, deciding between Continental cooking or skateboarding is my challenge. 

Continental Cooking

I love cooking and eating. I love experimenting new things and trying new ideas. I have had previous experience in cooking and baking, and so I want to learn how to cook new things, and discover a variety of flavors from all over the world. This could be quiet easy for me as my mom is also a great chef (not a professional one, but still cooks great meals) and she could teach me. I could easily find recipes on Pinterest or google. I could borrow recipe books from the library, or buy some from amazon. After learning some continental dishes, I could be able to aid my mom in preparations for parties, or even make myself a snack when I am hungry. 

      

     But, cooking has its own disadvantages as well. There are many possibilities of getting cuts and burns while cooking. No matter how careful the cook is, he/she will surely get some scratches from the knives, or accidentally burn them self while frying something. Cleaning up is some thing everyone dreads. Especially in the kitchen, when there is a huge stack of dishes in the sink. and spices and sauces spilled everywhere. While cooking, I will have to wash and clean everything along the way, or else it will be too annoying and difficult to do so at the end. Finally, if something is not cooked too well, then it will have to be thrown out, or else it will rot. At that time, one feels very guilty and upset because they were unsuccessful, and they had to throw out all the ingredients, which could have helped people in need. 

Skateboarding

Skateboarding looks so cool and fun. It seems like a great form of exercise and a great way of transportation without pollution. But, there are many injuries one can face while skateboarding. They could scrape their knee, or get a bruise. Or they might loose control of their skateboard, and crash somewhere, which could cause serious injuries. Event though, I already have a small skateboard at home, I would still need someone to teach me and be there when I am about to fall. I could watch you tube tutorials, but there is always that need of emotional and physical support needed. I will also have to wait till summer, or until the weather warms up, and then go outside to learn and practice. A lot of determination will be needed to continue, when I fall and am too tires to carry on. 

I want to do.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Continental Cooking. 

It sounds more fun, I can do it anytime at home, while watching t.v., or on the weekends. I can learn many cooking tips from my mom, and I can even call my grandmother and ask her for advice & tips for cooking.


I will start off my project by researching some delicious looking recipes, and then cooking at least one dish each week. I want to start off by making the dish in less quantity, so in case if it does not taste well, then not too much food is wasted.

Some challenges that I might face while cooking could be:
-Not having all the ingredients, so I might have too look for substitutes
-Cuts & Burns
-Finding time through my busy schedule of school, homework and weekend classes
-Use proper ratio of ingredients when I increase or decrease the amount of servings.



By the end of this project, I want to be able to cook 5-7 dishes that are suitable for my family's taste. And I shall also be able to make these dishes without looking at the recipe book, and not messing up on it either.

Some things about ME!!!

Some things about ME!!!

   Hi there, 

My name is Zoya and I'm in high school. I have a lot of friends, and love making new ones. I am sportive, yet girly at the same time. I love soccer, basketball, volleyball, and many other sports, but that does not make me a tomboy. I still like wearing dresses and skirts, and dress according to fashion, while being modest. I am artistic and creative.

 I like trying new things and experimenting them on my family. Painting is a talent that I have been blessed with, and I paint during my free time.  

I love summer over winter, because I am able to do a lot more outdoor activities compared to winter and I don't have to wear as many layers. My favorite subject is anything and everything, but English (sorry to the English lovers). It is just a subject that does not work for me, and I am trying to improve that for myself. 

I love helping out in the community by volunteering or participating in other community services, but often there are exams, tests or assignments coming up, for which I have to drop my plan. But i do try my best to be involved as much as possible. 

This one of my paintings that I did last summer. 

This was a cake I made with my friend, and we presented it at the baking talent show in our school, in grade 7. 

Like I said before, I love learning new things, and there are sooo many things I want to do and learn but there is so less time, considering the increasing school load. My Family studies class has given me an opportunity to learn something new and I will for sure use this time to the best of my ability.