Dubai: Fathima Mansoor Ahmad, South African expatriate from Port Elizabeth, cannot miss celebrating Eid with her family back home every year along with her husband Maseeh Ahmad and children Zahraa, 13, Maryam, 10, and Mohammad, 6.
“Maseeh has four siblings and parents, and in my home, I have my mother and five siblings, who too come home for Eid. Everyone lives close by and we almost always try to have Eid lunch at my mother’s place and Eid dinner at my husband’s home.
“It is such a wonderful experience as both families visit each others’ homes for the meals. It is one big, noisy, talkative family.”
Fathima, who has a master’s degree in psychology, is a food blogger.
- Fathima Mansoor, Dubai resident
“My mother is a superb chef and whatever she cooks, it has a unique flavour,” she says.
“I can’t wait to have my mum’s biryani. We are still debating whether it should be lamb or chicken,” she said.
Eid, she said, is a festival of delectable foods.
“We begin eating from breakfast. The morning meal is usually sweets and savouries like samosas, kebabs, magaz and barfi (sweet milk cake), all prepared with typical South African flavours,” she recalls.
Lunch is usually a chicken roast, lamb kebabs, lentils, salads, the piece de resistance — biryani — made by her mother and raita (yoghurt dip) as an accompaniment.
“No matter how hard I try, I have never been able to replicate the delectable flavours of my mum’s cooking,” said Fathima.
The family tries to keep the meal light in the evening of the Eid day but invariably there are ravenous mouths to feed so the menu is usually some roast meat, prawns and cheesecake or falooda.
“In a South African home, there is some sweet eaten all day... desserts are a staple during a festival,” says Fathima.
Eid, she said, is always one big party at home with plenty of chit chat around the table and happiness in large doses.
“My children are also looking forward to meeting their cousins and aunts and uncles. They get new clothes and gifts and that is a major attraction for children. The excitement at our home is palpable.”
