Eid ul Fitr

Last week we celebrated Eid. M took the day off.. the kids skipped school.. it was all well and good but it got me thinking about how we would have been celebrating if we were in Pakistan and of course pre covid. Something my kids will most likely never experience. 

A couple of nights before Eid the markets would be open past midnight.. a hustle and bustle.. most people buy new clothes to wear for the day of. Matching glass bangles.. oh I used to have so many glass bangles. Not a fan personally but most apply henna to their hands. The night before Eid is especially festive. 

The morning of Eid we wake up at the crack of dawn to pray and then the celebrating begins, which mainly includes a lot of eating. We generally celebrate for 3 days. It involves visiting the homes of all of our uncles and aunts, other close family members as well as friends. Usually it's a 20 minute stop at each home where they ply you with food and the elders gift the kids money known as an Eidi. Most create a basic schedule of sorts where they visit during the mornings and are available to entertain visitors during the evenings. With expanding family sizes some have started to also have Eid gatherings.. so that instead of having to visit every family member and and eat that many appetizers we reserve a restaurant or take turns hosting it at our homes so that everyone can meet and exchange Eidi's at the same time. 

There are two foods that are the most popular on Eid and they both share a primary ingredient. Dates. Dates are very important during Ramadan, when you break your fast the first thing you are supposed to eat is a date. For Eid the dates get a little fancy. The first must eat food is stuffed dates. I made them this year after many many years because my mother in law is usually living with us during Ramadan and she makes them. 

You start with a packet of dry dates. Everyone has there own version of making them. I make them like my mother does.. After washing them, I soak them overnight in milk to plump them up. Rose water is a common addition.. but I don't like it.

The next day I slit them in half and deseed them. Put them in a pot and pour in just enough milk to cover them. Then I cooked them till the milk was thick and the dates soft. 

Once cooled I removed the dates from the milk and scrapped off any excess residue off the dates and put it back in the pot. I added ground nuts, shredded coconut, cardamom powder and some condensed milk.  

The mixture is then stuffed back into the dates.

Then I wrap them individually in foil and keep them in the refrigerator. 

M and I are the only ones who will be eating these so I only made 12. People have different takes on them.. in fact my mom doesn't even make these anymore.. instead she now purees the dates and makes a date rolls instead. I haven't tried my hand at making them yet. 

The second must make is sheer khurma. I completely dropped the ball on taking process pictures for this one.. 

In a pot I heated a little oil and toasted vermicelli, once it started to slightly toast I added milk, condensed milk (my maternal grandmother loved condensed milk so all the recipes that have filter down from her to me have a can of condensed milk in them, after much trial I have finally found how much condensed milk I actually need to use.. which is most definitely not a whole can!) evaporated milk, dry dates cut into bite sized pieces, cardamom powder and saffron. If I have some of the above mixture I used to stuff dates left over that goes in too. Some like raisins.. I do not. And cook on medium heat till it bubbles. Then simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. And done. Most eat theirs warm. People vary on consistency also.. some like to drink theirs I like to eat mine with more of a porridge like consistency and prefer it straight from the refrigerator. Thankfully M likes it my way and I don't have to make two different types. 

On Eid day our friends had a small get together.. the kids got Eidis. And M has a cousin that lives nearby, they came over for dinner over the weekend. 

      

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