Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth this Eid!

Ramzan is almost at an end and we now into the final week and looking forward to celebrate Eid! And you know the best part of Ramzan has to be the fun at the end: preparing all kinds of sweet delicacies for Eid ul Fitr and enjoying them with our loved ones!

New deserts come and go, but some traditional ones remain top favorites indeed, just like sheer khurma with us. We’ve rounded up some of the best treats from around the world… and they already have our mouth watering!

Baklava: In the Middle East one of the most popular sweets is 'baklava', a crispy dessert made with layers of phyllo pastry, nuts and a sweet sugary syrup. In Turkey, this dessert is almost as popular as the country's famous Turkish delights.

Cakes and Pancakes: Delicacies like 'basbousa', a sweet semolina cake, or 'kunafa', a specialty of Nablus reign supreme in Palestine, which is a pastry filled with cream and garnished with crushed pistachio nuts and sugar syrup. 'Qatayef’, a special dessert that is a mini pancake filled with sweet cheese or nuts with cinnamon and sugar, fried or baked and then soaked in sugar syrup is really famous in Arab countries.

Cookies: In Egypt, cookies remain a top favorite. NoEid is complete without 'kahka', cookies filled with nuts and covered with powdered sugar. In Palestine, ‘hab el hal’ (cardamon) cookies are popular during Eid celebrations. Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei favor a common pineapple-filled variety that melts in the mouth.

But besides the sweets that will come our way and the eidi that we will receive, the other best part about Eid is getting to dress up in new clothes – a very important tradition too! And if you’re still on the lookout for that special dress that makes all the difference in the world, do make sure to check out our formals range and place your order. So little time left till the celebrations start and we are so looking forward to it!

It's Tiramisu Time!

We were really excited when our design associate Mehreen decided to delight us with tiramisu, probably the most famous Italian dessert and the coolest trifle, we'd like to add. I mean cream AND coffee together? Mmmm...we don't think it gets any better!

So roll up your sleeves and prepare to surprise a loved one with this sweet and bitter treat.

Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese - 1 box
- Cream - 300ml
- Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
- Sponge Fingers or sponge cake (You can find the... fingers at large supermarkets like Aghas by the name of Vicenzovo)
- Coffee - Brewed (Strong)
- Icing Sugar- To taste
- White sugar- To taste
- Brown sugar- To taste
- Cocoa powder or grated chocolate

Method:

- Brew very strong coffee in a coffee press or on the stove, using approximately 4-5 heaped tbsp of ground coffee to 3 cups water.

- In a food processor or mixing bowl, add the cream, cheese, vanilla, and icing sugar and beat till soft peaks start to form

- Use approximately 300ml of cream to one box of cream cheese (the taste should be slightly sour, the sweetness depends on you)

- Add in approximately 3 tbsp of white sugar and 2 tbsp of brown sugar to the coffee; maintain a bitter sweet taste

- Once the coffee has cooled, dip the sponge fingers and start layering your dish with them

- Pour a few spoonfuls of the remaining coffee over the sponge fingers

- Top off with a thick layer of the cream mixture

- Dust with cocoa or grated chocolate. Let set in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving!

5 Very Cool Ways to Beat the Summer Heat

The heat wave is just around the bend, so sit back at home (we know you don’t want to go out anyway!), pull the curtains and make it a movie matinee day with your favorite people and these drinks to beat the heat!!

We selected 5 awesome taste bud tantalizing drinks for you to try out.

1. Daaman Citrus Delight

If you love tea, but you don’t find it refreshing in hot weather, try this wonderfully fresh iced alternative. 

Ingredients

·         6 ordinary tea bags

·         2 tbsp sugar

·         10 mint leaves

·         300 ml fresh orange juice

·         1 lime juice
½ sliced orange, mint leaves and ice to serve

Method

Make the tea with 1.2 liters water and the sugar. Add mint to the pot and infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and cool.

Pour into a jug, stir in the juices and serve with orange slices, mint and plenty of ice.

2. Karachi Kooler 
This citrus peach cooler is a refreshing drink, perfect for a day at any Karachi beach.

      

      Ingredients 

·         2 lemons, juice only

·         2 limes, juice only

·         1 lemon, thinly sliced

·         Nestle peach nectar

·         A few sliced strawberries

·         Mint leaves  

·         Lemonade

Method

Put the lemon juice and lime juice into a large jug. Add the sliced lemon and lime, and a handful of ice cubes. Add peach nectar to fill about one-third of the jug and top up to fill with lemonade.

Add the strawberries and top up with mint sprigs.

3. Mocha Madness

A decadent iced coffee for a sunny afternoon and chocoholics. Serve in tall glasses for a retro treat.

Ingredients

·         85gm dark chocolate, 70% cocoa

·         1 tbsp coffee granules (even instant coffee would work)

·         700ml milk
4 scoops vanilla ice cream, plus extra to serve (optional)

Method

Roughly chop 75g of the chocolate and put into a large jug with the coffee. Bring 300ml of the milk to boil and then pour over the chocolate and coffee mix, stirring to melt. Once melted, cool.

Tip the cooled mocha milk into the blender with the ice cream and remaining milk. Blitz until blended, and then pour into 4 tall glasses. Add an extra scoop of ice cream to each, if you like, then grate a little of the remaining chocolate on top.


4. Grape Fantasy (With 7Up)

Make your own grape juice by pureeing and straining fresh grapes for this sweet and tangy sparkling drink. If you have very sweet grapes, you might not need the full amount of honey. Taste as you go. For a special treat, freeze extra whole grapes ahead of time and float them in the drink along with the ice cubes.

Ingredients
         

   ·   4 cup(s) seedless red grapes, plus more for garnish

·         2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice

·         2 tablespoon(s) honey

·         2 cups 7Up 

      

      Method

     

    Puree grapes in a blender. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl or large measuring cup. Press on the solids to extract all the juice. Add lemon and honey to the juice; stir until the honey is dissolved. Add 7Up. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with whole grapes.

5. Coconut Kela-Mela

This version of pina colada uses ripe bananas blended with fresh pineapple and coconut milk. Serve it in festive tropical-drink glasses.


Ingredients 

·         2  very ripe bananas

·         1 cup(s) diced fresh pineapple, plus 4 wedges for garnish

·         1 cup(s) pineapple juice

·         1/2 cup(s) coconut milk (either fresh or canned)

·         3 cup(s) ice cubes

    

      Method 

    

    Puree bananas, diced pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut milk, and ice in a blender. Divide among 4 glasses. Garnish with pineapple wedges.

Quick Fix: 5-minute Cake-in-a-Mug!

Attention, chocoholics! For those of you whose sweet tooth governs your heart (you know who you are!) we've found a super-quick, no-fuss chocolate cake recipe that's perfect for when you have that uncontrollable craving for some delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons cake flour
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1 Mug

Method:

1. Mix flour, sugar and cocoa
2. Spoon in 1 egg
3. Pour in milk and oil, and mix well
4. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power
5. Wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug
6. Eat the cake right out of the mug

(Source: Chow Bella Kids) 

Not a cake lover? Click here for instructions on how to make an omelette in a mug!

Mmm… Watermelons!

Watermelons have got to be the best way to beat the summer heat! Sweet, crunchy, refreshing, they’re the perfect antidote to long, scorching hot days. And if you need something on the go there’s one simple solution: watermelon juice!

A tall, chilled glass of this heavenly drink is just what I need after a long day at work… or a long day of shopping! And here are some added bonuses:

-          It’s fat- and cholesterol-free

-          It’s made up of about 91% water

-          Very low sodium content

-          Rich in vitamins A and C

So what are you waiting for? Join the watermelon frenzy! Try this easy juice recipe to get started:

Ingredients:
·  2 cups chopped seeded watermelon

·  1 cup crushed ice

·  1/4 teaspoon black pepper

·  fresh mint (optional garnish)

·  1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

·  1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Method:
·  1 Combine watermelon, ice and black pepper in a blender.

·  2 Blend until smooth.

·  3 Garnish with mint. Add honey and lemon juice, if needed.

·  4 Serve chilled.

·  5 Stir well before serving.