Let's Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving recently rolled in and rolled right back out, giving us a nostalgic glimpse of our lives back then. It also added about 4,000 additional calories towards our expanding waistlines.

Last year, much to the dismay of the children, I had eschewed the time-honored festivities. I missed my family and friends and did not want to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner without them. In other words I was feeling sorry for myself. So we went to Chili’s instead and had a bloomin’ onion. It was bloomin’ awful.

But this is now our home. And I am happy to report we have resumed our beloved holiday. I invited a few friends who enjoy turkey and we had a grand time.

Thanksgiving is an occasion when we eat a certain combination of foods which we most certainly will not eat for the remainder of the year. It is also when we use many kitchen gadgets which we won’t use for the rest of the year either. So out came the turkey baster, citrus zester, pastry cutter, nutmeg grater, yolk separator… I also prepared the dishes according to what I was able to find in the local supermarkets. Here is a breakdown of the items I prepared, along with a few minor details:

Turkey: When I told K I was going to make turkey he began to pale. To put it mildly, he’s not a turkey fan. But Thanksgiving is not the same without big bird, so turkey it was – no compromises here. I saw Butterball turkeys in Megamart, but did not purchase one since we never bought them back home; we had always purchased organic Halal ones. Makes me wonder if they are slaughtered in the Islamic way for the Middle East? I found one with the Halal stamp, and at almost 3 kilos (a little under 7 pounds) it was much smaller then the ones I generally bought back home (think 20-25 pounds). Needless to say we did not have many leftovers.

Stuffing: Stove Top - easily found, with sautéed apples & onions added by me. I baked it separately; as apposed to stuffing it into the turkey itself. I would have made it by scratch, but did not have the time.

Gravy: Graciously supplied by Mr. Turkey himself, with a little chicken stock and roux added as a thickener.

Cranberry relish: I found cans of cranberries for 17 riyals at Megamart, but could not justify spending so much for something that I once used to purchase 2 for a buck. I bought some dried cranberries instead, resuscitated them in water and made a fantastic cranberry-orange-ginger relish.

Mashed potatoes: There is only one kind of potato available here, the good old potato kind. Forget the Russets, Yukon Gold’s, Fingerlings, Peruvian Purples, etc. Occasionally I see small new or red potatoes, which are for the most part flown in from the US or the Indian subcontinent. To this I added ample butter made with milk from cows who graze bucolically on the hills of Normandy.

Other vegetables: Sautéed green beans and broccoli (both fresh) and steamed corn (frozen) – the broccoli added for my 4 year old broccoli lover.

Pumpkin Pie: This is H’s favorite, so we had to have it. Here not many people know what it is, thus requiring me to make it from scratch – including the crust. I never knew I would miss Pillsbury. I had heard that canned pumpkin was available in Doha, but I was unable to find it. I must admit, I also did not trek to every single store in the city. For canned pumpkin? Fuhgetaboudit. I asked one of the stockers in the supermarket I frequent if they had any. Can pomkin? No ma’am. all the while nodding his head sideways. Frankly I believe he didn’t even know what the heck I was talking about. But he was polite so I forgave him. I bought chunks of a lovely Indian pumpkin called Bober and stewed it. I then followed a recipe I found on the Food Network. It came out to be more of a mousse like pie, but delicious nonetheless. I served it with whipped cream from a can (it was French, so I felt better about it).

We also had rolls with butter and vanilla ice cream with passion fruit syrup, made by me a few days ago in one of my creative moods.

Compared to Thanksgiving back home I kept it simple since I did all the preparation and cooking. The day before I had a midterm for one of the classes I am taking, so I was also pressed for time. I must acknowledge this was not completely an American Thanksgiving; it was a Qatari one as well. And, if I may say so myself, everything was fabulous!

It was the first Thanksgiving for our guests, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. They eagerly took home whatever leftovers there were – also an age old custom. After dinner we went outside and lit up firecrackers graciously provided by our quests.

But Thanksgiving is not only a time when our tables groan with the weight of a delectable and copious array of food. It is, more importantly, a gathering of family and friends. There is an old saying that no one should be alone on thanksgiving, so every year we often would have a few new faces at our table. But mainly it is a time to look inwards, reflect upon our lives and give thanks for what we have.

In the end I must add that although our feast was superb and well appreciated, and we are certainly grateful for many, many things, our celebrations would have been complete if some of the seats were filled with loved ones I have left behind.

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Pumpkin Pie
Crust recipe courtesy Joy of Baking, pie recipe from Paula Deen - The Food Network

Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (36 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (114 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Pie:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed – I had prepared my own
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

Directions
Crust:
In your food processor, place the flour, sugar, and salt and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips; evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Can use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry.) Pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. (This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.) Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (177 degrees C).

Pie:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie/tart crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Gimme a Break

Gimme a break, break me off a piece of that ... uh … King Tat Bar?

This post is not about advertising jingles or odd candy finds - although there are plenty here - it is about change. And since this is not a political blog (although I have pretty strong opinions on many issues), it certainly is not about the change Obama/McCain are proselytizing either. It is about the good old chaching kind.

Coins - called dirham’s - are often not used much in our daily transactions. When purchasing an item, paper currency is used almost exclusively. Prices are rounded off to the nearest quarter. I don't know if dirham's come in any denominations besides .25 and .50 since I have never seen any. I have also never seen an item for QR 2.99, or QR 299.99 for that matter.

To give you an example of how this works, if your bill in any given store comes to 12.25 riyals and you hand 15.00 riyals to the cashier, most often you will receive 3 riyals back. If your total comes to 12.75 riyals most likely you will receive 2 riyals back. When your total comes to 12.50 you may be handed 2 riyals, and in lieu of .50 dirham’s, a mini King Tat bar or some other interesting and/or odd flavored chocolate, hard candy (mango-mint, tamarind) or gum (coffee, banana, cardamom). No one seems to mind this exchange.

Often these chocolates are loosely disguised reproductions of Western confections (of which we also get in great assortment). But none of my kids will eat them, so I keep them stashed away until they expire. Only then will my conscience allow me to throw them away.

Enough babbling for now, its time for some real change. Y’all go vote now ya hear!

Indulging My Sweet Tooth

Since the preceding Eid is considered the ‘Sweet Eid’ (as opposed to the ‘Savory Eid’ – more on that later), I thought it would be appropriate to post something along these lines.

I once used to say I haven’t met a cheesecake I did not like, but since moving to Qatar my mantra has long been silenced. Cheesecakes here are often eggy and intensely sweet, or are the gelatin based no-bake variety - a sacrilege in my opinion. With the exception of the occasional Sara Lee from Mega Mart, I had mostly given up on them.

Anyways, back to my original rambling. Nowadays when my sweet tooth beckons I occasionally indulge it with one of my most cherished and non-form flattering discoveries. Every now and then I will purchase mithai, a sweet or a type of dessert originating from Southeast Asia.

Sweet/mithai shops abound here; not only due to a large expat community, but Qatari’s also adore anything and everything sweet. For me however, just any mithai won’t do, since I find most varieties cloying and overwhelmingly sweet.

No no, I definitely do not covet the golden brown orbs dripping in rose and cardamom infused syrup called gulab jamun. Nor do I yearn for the milky sweet fudge redolent with coconut, pistachios, almonds or cashews - named barfi. And I certainly do not dream of the delicate pretzel like vermilion squiggles; crispy, crunchy on the outside, soft and filled with syrup in the insides, known as jalebi. I can go on since I have a PhD in desserts. And just because I don’t delight in these particular sweets does not mean I can’t wax poetics.

So occasionally when I do get a longing for something sweet, only a trip to a Bengali mithai shop will do. The main reason for this is – you guessed it – these desserts are not cloying and overwhelmingly sweet. They are mostly milk based and are exceptionally delicate with a very short shelf life.

The shop which I frequent is called Madhuban, and is considered the best in Doha. Getting there is part of the adventure, much to K’s chagrin. He is never happy to venture into busy, crowded places. But he is married to someone who does - and in order to keep the harmony at home, he reluctantly obliges. We never go on a Friday, since this is a day off for most people, and the entire area is thronging with single men (about 50% of the expat community here comprises of single men).

It is located in a part of town quite far from where we live, in an area predominantly populated by expats from the Indian subcontinent. You will feel as if you have been transported to India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka/Nepal, all rolled in one. Finding parking is a nightmare, like anywhere else in Doha I suppose.

The neighborhood comprises of just a few street blocks, but it is packed with stores selling everything from loose material along with tailor shops, saris and other ready made clothes – both traditional and western, jewelry and watch stores, electrical items, hardware & software (often pirated), cell phones and their paraphernalia, music and video’s (also pirated), a variety of household goods, religious items - both Islamic and non, books in many languages, exotic and often confusing vegetables & fruits along with many other food items. I am sure I am leaving quite a few things out.

But most importantly, for me are the small hole in the wall restaurants that abound everywhere. They serve food from all the countries I mentioned above. The aromas wafting from these eateries can be detected from afar. So on any occasion we might get, a heavenly beryani, paratha’s, samosa’s & pakora’s etc. from the Pakistani restaurant, or savory dosa’s and delectable sweet-sour-spicy chaat's from the Indian ones. I have not tried any Nepali or Sri Lankan restaurants yet – but one of these days I will. I don’t enter these establishments, since 100% of the clients are male. So we usually get these items to-go and eat them in the comfort of our home, or weather permitting, in a nearby family park.

But the sweet shop is an exception I make. This is the only establishment I do enter, since I want to see all the different and colorful varieties of sweets, from which I pick and choose. Often I make the clientele a bit nervous, since women usually don’t enter these establishments. But, wrapped in an abaya, I always garner respect. I quickly pick my items and go out while K pay’s for them.

Two of my favorites sweets are a milky, melt in your mouth, fudge like squares called sundesh ('good news' in Bengali – very aptly named I think), and mishti dhoi – a caramel flavored sweet yogurt. These satiate my craving for at least a few months.

Things are looking up in the cheesecake department. I have recently found a marvelous cheesecake at a bakery called Opera. But I will continue to frequent my newfound epicurean destination, since, for me at least, new habits as delectable as these, die hard as well.


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Mishti Dhoi

1 quart milk
1 ½ cups sugar
2-3 tablespoons water
½ cup plain yogurt

Boil the milk gently until it is reduced by half. Add 1 cup sugar.
Caramelize the remaining ½ cup sugar until brown and caramelized; be careful not to scorch it. Carefully add the water and add this to the milk sugar mixture.
Allow to cool until warm then add yogurt.
Place in a container and cover with lid. Place in a warm, dark place until set about 8 hours. Or you can use a yogurt maker. Traditionally it is made in terra cotta pots, which imparts its earthen flavor into the yogurt.

Serve chilled & enjoy!

Moose Anyone?

I saw these in the bakery section at our local grocery store today and the carnivore in me was tempted to give one a try. Honestly have to tell you it did not taste gamey at all. Nor did it taste like chicken for that matter. It had a rich creamy texture with a delightful fruity bouquet.

Much Ado About Mangoes

Mango frenzy has started here with great exuberance. Much to our delight, grocery stores and markets are now brimming with the heady, intoxicating and sinfully sweet fruits. They are, justifiably so, considered the king of fruit and are a class of their own. Some may tell you their flavor and texture resembles a ripe peach or a papaya; don’t believe them.

Though many countries are now mango (maanjo in Arabic) producers and exporters, the best varieties come from the Indian subcontinent, namely from India and Pakistan. The skins are thin and their flesh smooth and fibreless. Once you taste them, I assure you, you will not go back.

Until last year the Central American varieties were the only ones available in the United States. Since beggars can’t be choosers, we had also once gleefully purchased and consumed them without much complaint.

Now however, the US has begun to import mangoes from India as well. Apparently our current (and thankfully soon to be former) President enjoyed them immensely on his 2006 trip to India, and thus recommended their import. They don’t come cheap however, $30-$40 for a 3 kilo or about 7 pound box.

Here in Qatar we are spoiled. We can buy mangoes from all over the world year round - Indonesia, Sudan and Australia come to mind. But we usually wait for the summer to purchase the varieties from India and Pakistan. We start to see them arrive in May, and they continue to linger until August. The peak season is in July, when the quality is best, along with abundant varieties and the lowest prices.

My favorite mango is from Pakistan called the Sindhri. Its origin is from the Sindh province in the southern part of the country. They are a large variety, about 1 pound apiece. When fully ripe their skin turns a brilliant cadmium yellow. They are extremely aromatic and fragrant with a thin translucent skin and a firm, smooth, fibreless flesh. Just 1 can easily suffice as lunch.

Thought these sweet-smelling fruits are now available in copious supply in every grocery, market and corner store, I have my own source from where I purchase them.

I have a tailor (another perk to living in Doha) to whom I occasionally frequent, who is from Pakistan. A few weeks ago I spotted a few empty mango boxes in the corner of his store. It’s my side business he told me, I will be receiving a new shipment any day now. So a few days later K (who usually detests trips to the tailors) and I went to get a box.


They were fresh picked, straight from the orchards in Pakistan. A 10 kilo/22 pound box cost 65 riyals. Elsewhere Sindhri's are selling for 10 riyals a kilo. But we were not there for the price; the quality is far superior from the store bought ones.

There are many recipes for mango-based foods and drinks. Mango ice cream, fresh juice and shakes are very popular here, along with the yogurt based drink called mango lassi. I personally prefer to eat then just as they are.

The best way to eat them is to first roll up your sleeves, or better yet put on an apron, and hold the peeled fruit in your hands. Stand in front of the kitchen sink and proceed to devour the fruit down to the pit, allowing the luscious ambrosial juices to dribble down your chin, hands, wrists and even elbows. Licking is optional, but highly recommended.

We will miss the peak season due to our trip back home, but for now I am content that my kitchen is filled with their sweet and captivating perfume.

Mango Lassi

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network

Ingredients
9 fluid ounces (255 milliliters) plain yogurt
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) milk
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) canned mango pulp or 7 ounces (200 grams) from 3 fresh mangoes, stoned and sliced
4 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

Instructions
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Andak Djaaj?

These days the answer to the aforementioned question, which means do you have chicken is almost always ma’afi, khalaas - no more, finished. Of course, as you may have guessed, we are going through a chicken shortage these days. On rare occasions if I do happen to stumble upon a rare sighting on one of my sojourns, I go into the hoarding mode.

Similar to the egg deficiency this is also due to the recent bird flu epidemic. This is particularly agonizing in a country which, after cheese, loves chicken. Think chicken shwarma, chicken kebob, chicken kefta, chicken samoosa, chicken shish tawouk, chicken sandweesh, chicken puffs, chicken hariss, chicken escallop, chicken fatayer, chicken shorba, chicken beryani…I can continue, but you get my drift.

Prices for chicken have increased tremendously since my arrival as well. When I first arrived a whole chicken had cost 12 riyals, now it is 19 riyals. They sell chickens per piece here, not by the pound or kilo. They are also much smaller then what I am generally used to, so if I am making something that everyone loves, (southern style fried chicken comes to mind), I may use 2 or more.

We have however found a few solutions for this. First of all we have started to eat frozen chicken. I have begun to buy copious amounts of frozen boneless chicken breasts. So we now eat a lot of stir fries. But that’s as far as I will go, since I detest frozen whole chicken. I must admit I am also spoiled. I don’t want to defrost it, remove the skin and cut it into pieces myself. I usually get this done when I purchase fresh ones. This service is efficient, courteous and always free 'Madam chicken ready'.

A friend of mine has found her own solution. She hits the stores as soon as they open, 7:30 am, (it still bewilders me why everything starts so early here) and buys as many as she can lay her hands on and will also be able to squeeze into her freezer.

Now those who know me know I am definitely NOT a morning person. In college I would never register for a class which started earlier then 10:00 am, no matter how wonderfully enlightening and fulfilling it may have been. Even then I would drag my sorry body out of bed at 9:45 am whilst cursing myself continuously. Thank God I lived on campus and my first class was right down the hill. Some of you might be thinking I was too busy partying all night, but alas, not so. I was a CS major and spent many a night, often going into the wee hours of morning, spending quality time with my computer.

But K, who is a morning person, will often go out on weekend mornings and hunt down a few. Occasionally he will go to the wholesale market where one can purchase live chickens and have them ‘prepared’ on spot. Besides chicken, the wholesale market is also a great place to buy eggs, other types of meat, seafood and a large array of seasonal and extremely fresh fruits and vegetables.

Yet I suppose everyone is doing the same and everyone’s freezers are full to the brim with chickens. So, you might ask, what shortage? Maybe this is all an evil marketing ploy…



The following is a recipe for brined roasted chicken. Brining makes the meat well seasoned and juicier. I usually put it on a rotisserie since my oven came equipped with one, but the conventional method works just as well.

Roast Chicken

Ingredients
1 large or 2 Qatar sized chickens – about 3 lbs total
1 gallon water – or enough to cover the chicken in large vessel
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 lemon

Instructions
Put water in a large bowl and add salt, sugar (if using) and garlic. Cut the lemon into half and squeeze juice into liquid. Add rind as well, and mix well. Make sure all the salt has dissolved. Water should be salty, but not painfully so. If it is too salty add more water. Put chicken into this mixture, turn it over a few times, cover and leave in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 F / 220 C degrees. Remove chicken from brine and shake off all water. Pat dry. Place chicken on roasting pan and place in oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and juices are clear.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before carving.

Bright Lights Big City

We recently returned from a trip to Dubai. K had some business matters to attend to, so the rest of us decided to tag along. Though K had been there many times, it was the first trip for the children and me.

Initially we had decided to drive since Dubai is only 235 miles /377 kilometers, or a 6 hour drive from Doha. But one has to drive through Saudi Arabia and for this we needed to get a Saudi transit visa. Though it is easily obtained, it would have taken a week to process. So we opted to fly instead. The flight duration is a mere 50 minutes. The visa to enter Dubai is given at the airport (or at the border if driving) and it is for free.

Dubai is one of seven emirates which consist to form the United Arab Emirates, or the UAE. Population wise it is the largest yet it is the second largest in size after the capitol, Abu Dhabi. Under the umbrella of a federal government Dubai shares legal, political, military and economic ties with the other emirates. Each emirate however has jurisdiction over local law enforcement and provision and maintenance of its facilities. Each emirate has its own ruler, and with Dubai being the second largest, its ruler is also the Vice President of the UAE.

Dubai can be best described as the El Dorado of the 21st century. The economy is booming, and so is the city, though today it seems to be the world’s largest construction zone. There are however many parts of the city which have been completed and are very much habitable. The rapidly developing skyline has begun to resemble Hong Kong and similar to Hong Kong, it is becoming a hub of shipping, business, trade and tourism (DreamWorks is set to build a theme park there).

But what impressed me the most was how green the city is. The govt. has succeeded in making the desert bloom. It was like a cool drink for my parched eyes, which have become accustomed to seeing mostly sand.

We did a few touristy things of course, even took the children to Ski Dubai which is a man made ski resort inside one of the largest malls in the world – The Mall of the Emirates.

And although I am not a shopoholic, I can shamelessly claim the best part of visiting Dubai is the shopping. There are many, many malls and shopping complexes, each one better than the next, with stores from all over the world. Here you can buy anything your heart desires and wallet allows. Besides malls there are also many souks and neighborhoods which specialize in a variety of items. Since the expat community is extremely large and diverse (about 80% of the total population) there are also many shops that cater to their needs.

My favorite place to shop I discovered was the Dragon Mart. It is a mall that sells only Chinese made products such as household items, electronics, jewelry, construction items, food, clothes, textiles, home improvement, etc. It is shaped like a dragon, hence the name. It is about one kilometer in length with many stores joined together by many labyrinths and mazes, so one should be prepared to spend the better part of the day there. Also one should wear sensible shoes which one, rather foolishly, did not and now one is paying the price. I did buy a beautiful quilt for 100 dirhams, which would have been for over 100 dollars in the US ($1=3.67 dirham).

Compared to Qatar the prices in Dubai are the same or in a few instances even slightly less, and the choices are 10 times more. I have now decided I will do all my shopping in Dubai, and I am already planning my next trip.

Yet in its quest towards modernity and westernization, I feel Dubai’s rich Arab culture and heritage are slowly becoming diluted. Unlike Qatar, we rarely saw the Emirtati Arabs in native garments. We also did not see many traditional Arabic homes, majlis’ (gathering places for men) or mosques, which we are accustomed to seeing in every block in every neighborhood here. We could have been anywhere. Here in Qatar religion and culture is evident everywhere, and this is something which we cherish greatly.

I have heard people say what Dubai is today; Qatar will be in 10 years. We of course believe it will be better.

Great Reads

My previous lament over the unavailability of good bookstores here, or rather affordable and eclectic ones, has been solved in a wonderfully creative way. Previously I had relied upon my travels abroad to stock up, or often K would bring me a few on his return from a business trip.

I received an email a few weeks ago from a friend, citing that some women have joined together and formed a book sale. Everyone was encouraged to donate previously read English books of any genre, which were in good condition. Proceeds were to go to a small local charity, headed by one of the women, which provides basic necessities for expat workers from the lower income bracket.

There is an active and vibrant expat community here, and newcomers to Doha will find that there are a great variety of activities going on, along with many groups one can join. Though events like these are not uncommon, in the past I had mainly seen sales of household items, jewelry, arts and crafts etc., so this was the first event of its kind.

Initially there was a plan for one sale to be held in the morning, for women only. But the first was an overwhelming success, therefore another was held a few weeks later in the evening for the entire family. I was unable to attend the morning one, but managed to cajole K and the kids to come with me in the evening. Both events were hosted by women who not only graciously opened their homes, but provided delectable and mostly home made snacks as well - the hot artichoke dip was out of this world!

It was, to say the least, a great success; both well organized and well attended. I was happy to see quite a few fellow bookworms who also shared my dismay over the lack of availability of good reading material, gleefully sorting through the numerous boxes of books, like kids in a candy store. Besides books there were copious amounts of magazines as well as a small selection of videos, DVD’s and children’s games.

Noshing my way though several boxes, I found enough books to sustain me for quite some time. I bought about 10 books, plus a few more for the children. The prices were extremely reasonable – paperbacks were 5 riyals each or 5 for 20 riyals. The children’s books were a bit less, and hardcovers slightly more. I regret not being able to attend the one held in the morning, since I later heard that the choices were much more abundant.

I am delighted to report that these sales will be an ongoing event; the next one is already planned for the upcoming fall. So, I am happy that I will now be able to get my book fix on a regular basis. I will do a bit of spring/fall cleaning prior to the next event and take out some old and well read books so that others may enjoy them as much as I have.

Waffling About

I have a confession to make. I have begun to hoard things. This came about after yet another shortage of a particular food item. This time it is waffles. Now I am one who can live without many things, but a recently turned 4 year old cannot.

Like clockwork, it has been A’s morning ritual since we moved to Doha to have a waffle for breakfast every single morning. I sometimes wonder when he might get tired of them, but until then I have to indulge in his little idiosyncrasies. Back home, it was de-crusted Nutella sandwiches and, I kid you not, shwarma strips. But in the land of shwarmas, he won’t touch them with a 10 foot pole.

Eggo brand waffles are not easily available here. I once purchased them from my regular grocery store called the Family Food Center, but they have now discontinued carrying them. My next option was a store called Mega Mart where many western expats go to purchase their groceries. Mega Mart contains many comfort foods from back home (think Cheese Wiz, Oscar Meyer, Marmite for the Brits …). They also charge about 50% more than what one would usually pay, but this is a small price to pay for items that will bring comfort and retain sanity, namely mine.

There were once 2 Mega Mart stores, but the one closest to my home recently closed to make way for a brand new Carrefour. Carrefour can be best described as the French version of Walmart. Very nice, especially if you are in the mood for items such as soupe des poisons, gateau Breton, crème fraiche etc, but they do not carry many items that we are used to. So now expats flock to the lone Mega Mart in Doha. This also means that there’s a fat chance one will find the items they are searching for. After 2 fruitless trips however, we did get lucky. There in the freezer section sat a giant industrial sized box of, you guessed it, Eggo waffles. We grabbed it before anyone else could lay their hands on them.

My freezer is now half full of waffles, and every morning I take out one precious piece. I lightly toast it, butter it with some sublime French butter bought at Carrefour, and drizzle a small amount of Aunt Jemima syrup on top, also purchased at Mega Mart. I then cut it into small bite size pieces and place it on a Batman plate, since in the morning only Batman will do. Now my next project is either to wean A off waffles, or buy a waffle iron. I would bet on the latter.

All Juiced Up

Summer has arrived early in Qatar. In reality we should still call it spring since we have a long way to go until June 21, which is considered the official first day of summer. But tell this to the thermometer in my car. The temperature often surpasses 100 F /38 C, in a few weeks it will exceed 120 F /49 C. This year is assumed to be much hotter than previous ones. Fortunately, we will be escaping this heat for 2 months when we go back home for a visit.

So how does one survive this scalding weather? Most of us will now voluntarily stay inside, and most activities will be indoor based. People will flock to bowling alleys, movie theatres, restaurants, and most importantly, to malls in greater numbers then usual. The evenings however are still cooler; it is perfect for alfresco dining in the courtyards of numerous restaurants, or picnicking along the much loved shoreline called the Cornish. In a few weeks however, even this simple pleasure will become a rarity.

In this heat, as all of us know, one needs to continuously hydrate and replenish lost fluids throughout the day. Supermarkets will commence to stock capacious arrays of drinks from all over the world. The expat community is exceptionally large and diverse, and all palates and tastes need to be pleased.

Fruit juices are enormously popular in this part of the world, and they come in an extensive selection. They come freshly squeezed and in bottles, cartons, cans, and in powdered and liquid mixes. The flavors are representative of the world. Fresh Tropicana orange juice from the United States, lemon barley water from the United Kingdom, lychee and durian from Thailand, tamarind from the Philippines, mango and coconut from India, pomegranate from Lebanon, apricot (called qamar el deen) from Egypt … I can go on and on.

A great assortment of other drinks besides juice is also available. Tang, which is now obsolete in the United States, is hugely popular here and is greatly enjoyed by my children as well. A combination of milk and juice (appropriately called juice-milk) is also well liked, especially among children. Flavored milk comes in a mélange of flavors. Along with the more common chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, we also see coffee, mango, guava, chikoo, banana and biscuit flavors. Soft drinks and sports drinks such as Gatorade are also available, but with such great choices of other products, why bother with these? Having said all this, I however, personally prefer the ultimate drink of all – good old water.

Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition

The 5th annual Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition was held from February 12-17, 2008. This was the largest expo of its kind in the Gulf States. The event had coincided with the wedding season here and the much enthusiastically celebrated Valentines Day (by the way I hope you all had a happy youm al hub!).

We went with our 2 younger children in tow. N is getting to the age where she is beginning to appreciate the finer things in life, and was looking forward to spending some quality time with her mom. Security guards however, stopped us at the entrance and we were told ‘No baby’. We were both disappointed, but K insisted that since we had come this far, I should take a look. I eventually went alone, which felt strange since I did not see female shoppers by themselves, though I did see many groups of women. The event was attended mostly by Qatari’s along with a few expats; at least this was my observation the day I had attended.

I had gone with the assumption this would be similar to the Jewelry Mart back home, a place I had frequented a few times and which carried items in all price ranges, both designer and costume jewelry, with everything in between. This exhibition was mainly a high end affair. Organizations such as Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, and Henry Winston were just a few of the big names present. I saw pearls the size of kumquats and precious stones the size of walnuts (so much for the fruit & nut category). There was a lot of ‘bling’ and eye candy, to say the least. I fell for a pair of diamond and ruby earrings, but upon inspection of the price tag, 650,000.00 riyals, I decided I could (and should) live without them. Most items did not have price tags; I guess they did not want to induce sticker shock. Nonetheless, many pieces were undeniably gorgeous. So, after wandering around for a while, I ultimately left empty handed.

Calorie or ... Calorie?

When we first arrived in Qatar, the abundance of food products from all over the world were both tantalizing and overwhelming. In the beginning we experimented quite a bit, and often indulged in purchasing an assortment of new, fascinating and often delectable items. Some things we liked and have since remained loyal to, some we did not. In the fervor of the moment we often overlooked the nutritional value of many of the products we purchased.

Now that the honeymoon period is over, I carefully watch what we eat and try to obtain healthier alternatives. I also regularly read the food nutrition and ingredient labels. I hardly see ingredients like ‘partially hydrogenated vegetable oil’ (also known as the much hyped ‘trans fat’) and various forms of ‘high-fructose corn syrup’ in much of the products here, except in the American imports. However, I often do see ‘palm oil’ which is high in saturated fats and equally unhealthy as trans fats, along with the highly undesirable ’monosodium glutamate (MSG)’ in many products, mainly in Asian imports. Even though junk food (snacks such as chips, confectionary items etc) from all over the globe is widely available in great profusion; my children are thankfully not susceptible to much of it. We generally stick to the things we enjoy, both our new finds and old favorites from back home. The fact we are developing brand loyalty is an indication that we have planted our roots in our adopted home.

I have a tremendous love for dairy products; therefore it is not unexpected that one of the items I was drawn to and now greatly enjoy is laban. It is best described as a subtler, creamier and less tart version of buttermilk. It comes unsalted so one can flavor it according to taste, though most drink it plain. Activia, a product of Dannon, is a brand of laban that I usually buy, since it comes fortified with probiotic cultures, which are beneficial to the digestive system. I usually drink it lightly salted with a bit of ground roasted cumin sprinkled on top. It somewhat reminds me of the popular Iranian drink called dugh (minus the club soda), something I used to drink once as a poor college student (they are great with falafels!).

Upon reading Activia’s nutrition label, I found that 100 ml (3.38 US fluid ounces) of the product has 62 kcal’s. Since I am not much familiar with the metric unit, I asked K & H to do some research at tell me how many calories it has. After a few minutes they came up with the number - 62,000 calories. So an 8 oz. glass has 146,3600 calories, enough calories to sustain an average person on a 2000 calorie a day diet for over 741 days!

This number seemed outlandish, to say the least. So I decided to do some research of my own and here is the outcome:

There are 2 types of calories, the first is called the gram calorie (aka small calorie) which is used in scientific context and is often written as cal. It approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C. The second kind of calorie (aka large calorie) is called the nutritional calorie, the term North Americans are more familiar with. The term kcal is the same as what we commonly call ‘calorie’. So, both colloquially speaking and in nutrition and food labeling, the term "calorie" almost always refers to the kilogram calorie. Hence, 1 nutrition calorie = 1 kcal = 1000 gram calories.

So, K & H were both right yet (thankfully) wrong. I can also discuss how all this relates to kjoules, but I think I have now confused everyone adequately, including myself.

Goin Plum Crazy

A popular way to shop for sundry items here are at small local stores, which are located in every neighborhood. Some residents just call the store and place their orders. In a few minutes a bicycle riding employee will deliver the items to their home. Another way is to drive right up to the store and honk. An attendant will come out, take your order them deliver the items in a few minutes. They are similar to 7-11, but with car hops. Tipping the workers is optional, but many do so.

I frequently go to these shops, mainly when I am out of something specific and I don’t want to drag myself though a major grocery outlet. On a few occasions (such as when I am by myself in sweltering 120 degrees heat) even I have honked, though not without guilt. The workers are very polite, especially towards women. But I mainly go with my eldest son in tow, who goes out and gets what I need. To sweeten the deal, I often give him a few extra riyals to purchase whatever he wants. To cover all bases, I usually tell him what I need in English, Urdu and Arabic (if I know it), so that I am not surprised at what he brings back. Though not fluently, the workers know all three languages.


A few weeks ago I stopped by my local produce store to get some garlic & mint (Urdu- lehsun & podina, Arabic- thum & nana). Since I try to convince my children to eat as healthily as possible, I also told H to get any fruit he wants. A few minutes later out he comes with the items I asked for along with an entire crate of plums. Apparently they only sell specific items by the crate. Many people here not only have larger families, they also have an entire staff of maids, nannies, drivers etc, and therefore purchasing in larger quantities makes sense.

For the next few days I pushed the plums. Every day I would put a few in lunch boxes, and every day everyone would angelically claim to have eaten them. After a few days I had enough. The plums, which were very ripe to begin with, were beginning to look unappetizingly soft. Yet I was left with almost 1/2 of a crate of soggy plums that were inedible in their current state. I was now in a quandary to what to do with them. They were too mushy to make a tart (or a cobbler, grunt, fool, brown betty…). And being the frugal person I am, throwing them away was also out of the question. After deliberating for a while, I decided to make chutney out of them. Needless to say, I had never made plum chutney before. If it turned out into an inedible mess, then along with the plums I would have to throw out many other ingredients. This thought did briefly cross my mind, but in my rabid determination to be prudent, I did not allow myself to go there.

Thankfully this did not happen. The final result surpassed my expectations. Even K, who is no chutney fan, admitted that it was not bad. And whoever has tried it has requested the recipe.

Plum Chutney

This jewel colored chutney explodes in the mouth with its complexity of flavors, being sweet, tart and spicy all at once. If properly stored, this will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Ingredients:

12-15 very ripe small plums
2 cups sugar
½ cup good quality vinegar, such as apple cider
3/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Wash plums thoroughly. Place all ingredients in a medium sized non reactive sauce pan, such as stainless steel. Cover and bring to a simmer over very low heat. Stir occasionally. The plums will break open and release their juices. The chutney is done when it starts to thicken and look like jam. This will take about 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove the pits. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Makes approximately 2 cups.

Note: With the exception of plums, all remaining ingredients can be adjusted according to taste.