Picture of the Day 27.03.17 - Exotic foods

My dad came back from a trip to Saudi for Umrah (pilgrimage) and Pakistan to visit family.  He travelled with his two brothers, my awesome uncles who are also my friend’s alhamdulillah.  They had a great time and brought back exotic food for us.

The tub of dates include the small dark ajwa dates which I just love.  They have a slightly smoky taste I think and are not as overly sweet as some types of date.  They are firm and small.  Best of all they are considered blessed and very good for you:

The Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) also said, “Ajwa dates are from paradise.” (Tirmidhi (2068) hasan Saheeh and it was authenticated by Shaikh al-Albaani)

A’isha (RAA) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) as saying: “The ‘Ajwa’ dates of ‘Aliya’ contain heating effects and these are antidote in the early morning.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 23).

The yellow packet contains a type of traditional sweet called rewari made from sugar, ghee and sesame seeds.  My mum likes them and her brothers always get carried away and send about a dozen packets of them which she then shares out.

The brown seeds in the tub on the bottom left are pine nuts in their shells.  They are lightly toasted and taste really good.  They are a pain to get out of the shell.  My mum usually shells a handful at a time and then passes them to my dad.  I end up shelling them for the babies and hubby for me.  I got a shock when I heard how much they had cost - approx 5500 rupees per kilo - about £40, about double what they cost last year.  You could buy a new outfit for that.

The peanuts in the plate are raw and are from my mum’s step-mum.  My grandfather has passed away, but his family still farm his lands and these peanuts were from the winter harvest.  They taste good, but they taste better when they are roasted, I am trying to work out the best way to roast them without just burning them black.