EID MUBARAK, EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD!!!

Today is a very special day for Muslims around the world, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It’s a bittersweet feeling- as we welcome the joyous occasion of Eid, we also bid farewell to this Ramadan and pray to be blessed enough to live and fast through another.

This Eid in particular is extra special as it landed on a Friday, which Islamically counts as TWO Eids! I wonder if this means we’ll get twice as much gift money 😉 (another beautiful Islamic tradition) 😛

This is mine and M’s first Eid on our own. This excites us very much, as we’ll get to do things OUR way, with no social or familial obligations whatsoever. At the same time, it’s also making us very homesick. I miss greeting my parents right after Fajr prayer. I miss hearing the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL Eid Azaan on TV live from Makkah. I miss having my mom force me to get dressed in my finest threads, even if its just for an hour (because I can stay awake for only so long), and most of all, I miss the Eid feast my mom makes every year- without fail.

I love how excited my mom always get’s about Eid. She has to go all out. Fancy clothes, henna, hair done, nails done etc. But what I personally love the most is that even if we weren’t hosting an Eid breakfast/lunch/dinner at our place, my mom still cooks up a storm, takes out her fanciest China and silverware, and serves us a feast fit for a king. That’s what I’m missing the most today 🙂

So, as an homage to my mom, who loves Pakistani sweets and tries her very best to keep the Pakistani in me alive (or whatever there is of that), I decided to make Firni (with an Indian touch, *gulp*), as the customary Eid morning dessert. (YES, we start Eid day with dessert, can you have a better holiday than that??)

Here are the Ingredients:

• 1 liter full cream milk
• 2 teaspoons cardamom powder
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup rose water
• 2 drops red food color
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
• Rose petals or dried roses to garnish

Method:

1. Add the cardamom powder to the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 mins, slowly stirring continuously.
2. Stir in the sugar and rose water.
3. Sift in the rice flour, all the while stirring. (I use a whisk to stir. Helps prevent lumping)
4. Keep stirring on low heat while the mixture simmers, for another 10 minutes. Then add food color and mix well.
5. Turn off heat. Pour into serving dish.
6. Garnish with pistachios, almonds and roses.
7. Let it cool to room temperature first, then refrigerate for a few hours as it should be cold when served and eaten 🙂

Do give it a try and share your feedback in the comments below 🙂