Aloo (potato) pakora recipe

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Aloo Pakora 

Ingredients:

6 large potatoes
2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
1 cup water
4 cups oil
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder
salt to taste

Cooking instructions:

Wash potatoes and cut it into thin slices. Add water to besan and make a batter of thick consistency.
Add red chilli powder, mango powder. Blend it well. Heat the oil. Dip each piece of potato in batter.
Fry these potato pieces one by one until they turn golden brown.
Serve hot Aloo pakora with tomato sauce.


DesiChef.com

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Fatwa for women: Doubts during prayer

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q: I am a woman who performs what Allah has obligated on me concerning the ritual acts of worship. However, while in prayer, I often forget what I have prayed. I also think about what has occurred to me during that day. I do not think og those things except when I begin the prayer and I cannot seem to free myself from these thoughts unless I recite aloud. What do you advise me to do?

A: This matter that you complain about is something that many of those who pray also complain about. Satan has the door of whispering open to him during the prayer. Perhaps the person finishes without knowing what he has said in his prayer. However, the Prophet PBUH has guided us to the cure for that. The person should blow out on his left side three times and say: A udhu billahi min-Ash-Shaitan nir-Rajim "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan." If the person does that, his problem will come to an end, Allah willing. When the person enters the prayer, he must firmly believe that he is standing in front of Allah. He is in private conversation with Allah. He should get closer to Allah by his stating Allahu Akbar, his glorification of Allah, and his recitation of Allah's Word. Also, he should get closer to Allah by means of the places of supplication in the prayer. If a person has this feeling and consciousness in him, he will approach his Lord with humility and submission to Him. He will love what Allah has of good and fear from His punishment if he fails in what Allah has obliged him to do. (Shaikh bin Uthaimin)


From the book Selected Fatwa for Women
By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Fatwa for women: women calling for prayer at Female congregations

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q: There is a mosque in the girls college in which students perform the Zuhr prayer. There is a girl who calls out the Adhan and the Iqamah. Is it permissible for women to call out the Adhan and the Iqamah?

A: It is not permissible for women to call the Adhan or the Iqamah, for such is restricted to men only. (Shaikh bin Baz)



From the book Selected Fatwa for Women
By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Red Chutney: Recipe

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Ingredients:

Red chillies: 10 
Garlic: 4 cloves
Ginger: 1" piece
Salt: as required 

Cooking directions: 

Blend all the ingredients with little water to make a fine paste.
Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve with any chaats.


*From DesiChef.com

About Pakistan

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Pakistan, predominantly Muslim country and the heartland of the Indus Valley, was established in 1947 after the dissolution of the British Raj (colonial rule). In terms of its location, history and culture, it is a meeting ground for various pluralistic traditions. It shares ecology, religious practices, languages, historical events and ethnosocial commonalities with all its neighbors, and thus while located within South Asia, it is a bridgehead to the Western and Central Asian regions.

Fatwa for women: women and Eid prayers

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q: Is it allowed for a woman to go out to the Eid Prayer?

A: Yes, it is sanctioned for them to go out to the two Eid Prayers and this is stressed for women. It is recorded in the Sahihain (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) from Umm Atiyyah who said "We were ordered to go out on the Day of Eid, even including the young virgin in her house and the menstruating woman. They would make the Takbir with the others and supplicate with them and hope for the blessings of that day." Another narration states that the Messenger of Allah PBUH used to tell the virgins, young women secluded in their houses and menstruating women to go to the eid
Prayer. But the menstruating women would remain away from the place of prayer and would join in the good deeds and supplications of the Muslims. Umm Atiyyah stated that a woman asked the Prophet PBUH "But one of us may not have a Jilbab!"* The Prophet PBUH told her: "Her sister may clothe her from her Jilbab."
The woman, though, must go out without perfume and without displaying her beauty. Furthermore, she must remain away from mixing with the men. ( Shaikh bin Jibreen)


* The Jilbab is the outer garment or cloak that covers the woman from the top of her head to her feet. This is what the Muslim woman is commanded to wear in Surat Al-Ahzab. The Hadith above is further evidence that they would not leave their houses unless they were so attired. 



From the book Selected Fatwa for Women
By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Fatwa for women: women praying in the marketplace

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q:Is it allowed to perform the prayer in the marketplace?

A: A man must perform the obligatory prayers in the mosque in congregation. As for a woman, her house is best for her. If she needs to pray in a marketplace and there is a concealed place, there is no prohibition for that, Allah willing.  
 (Shaikh bin Uthaimin)


From the book Selected Fatwa for Women
By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Historical photos of Pakistan/India partition

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https://alomolo.com/historical-photos-of-pakistan-india-partition-to-watch-this-august-14/

Shahi pulao recipe

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Shahi pulao is a very special rice preparation usually reserved for weddings or other special occasions. It involves a few more steps than plain basmati rice but when you really want to wow a special guest this is a great way to do it. 

INGREDIENTS
Grind to a paste 1" piece ginger 3 green chilies 2 tbsp. coconut grated 2 sprigs mint leaves ½ cup coriander leaves 4 flakes garlic 1 carrot 1 capsicum 6-7 french beans 1-sprig sping onions greens chopped Layer 2 Grind to a paste 1 tbsp. sesame seeds 1 tsp. soaked khuskhus seeds 1 onion 5-6 blanched green chilies or white pepper 1 cardamom 1 clove 1 bay leaf 1/2" piece cinnamon 1 potato 1 onion Other ingredients 6-7 whole shelled walnuts 15 cashew nuts halved 15 almonds, blanched and halved 1 tbsp. raisins 1 tbsp. cheese or paneer grated 1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped 2 bay leaves 1-cup milk Salt to taste Pepper to taste 3 tbsp. ghee or oil
COOKING DIRECTIONS
Put plenty of water to boil, add salt and bay leaves, bring to boil.Add rice and cook till done but not mushy. Drain water, cool in large plate. Heat half ghee in a heavy pan , add carrots. Fry till tender, drain, add French beans to same fat. Repeat frying till tender, drain, add capsicum. Fry, drain, add paste for layer 1. Fry paste for 3 minutes, add salt, spring onions, stir. Take off fire, add fried vegetables back, and keep aside. Heat remaining ghee in another pan. Fry and drain cashews, almonds, potato slices. Add onions , stir fry till light golden. Add raisins, salt, half the milk, and paste for layer 2. Add fried dry fruit, stir and cook for 3 minutes, Take off fire , keep aside. To proceed Take a deep casserole about 6-8 inches wide. Divide rice into 3 parts. Grease insides of casserole; spread one part of rice at bottom. Spread layer 1 mixture evenly over the rice. Spread second layer of rice over mixture. Mix layer 2 mixtures with the remaining rice. Spread evenly over 2nd rice layer. Sprinkle milk over layers. Sprinkle cheese evenly to cover casserole.Cover the casserole with a lid or clingfilm, making cuts for steam to escape. Bake in preheated oven at 250°C for 9-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh ground pepper, coriander and walnuts before serving. Serve hot with pakodi kadhi or raitha. From Desichef.com

Fatwa for women : which row in prayer is best for women?

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q:If there is some sort of covering or wall between the men and women in the mosque, does the Hadith of the Prophet PBUH still apply, "The best rows for the men are the first rows and the worst rows are the last rows. And the best rows for women are the last rows and the worst rows are the front rows," or does this Hadith no longer apply and the best rows for the women become the front rows? Benefit us, may Allah benefit you!

A: It is apparent that the reason the best rows for the women are the last rows is because they are further away from the men. The further a woman is from the men, the better and more chaste that is for her person and honor. It also keeps her further away from being enticed to do evil. However, if the place of prayer for the women is far from the men and is separated by a wall or barrier, and they rely upon a microphone to follow the Imam, then, in that case, the strongest view is that the best rows for the women are the front rows since they are in front and closer to the Qiblah and so forth. (Shaikh bin Jibreen)


From the book Selected Fatwa for Women

By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Beautiful Mosques

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Pakistan’s Most Beautifully Designed Mosques Photos

https://alomolo.com/pakistans-most-beautifully-designed-mosques-photos/

Fatwa for women : Women in Mosques

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Fatwa: a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority.

Q: Are women today allowed to attend congregational Salat in mosques?

A: Although the Prophet PBUH said: "Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from going into the houses of Allah." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Aishah said: "Had the Prophet PBUH, lived long enough to see what women have innovated today, he would have prevented them from attending prayer in mosques, as were the women of the Israelites prevented from going into the houses of Allah." (Sahih Muslim)

The things that women innovated were wearing perfume, fancy clothes and beauty aids.

From the book Selected Fatwa for Women

By: Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Musnad

Pakistani cuisine

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Pakistani cuisine can be characterized by a blend of various regional cooking traditions of the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia as well as elements from its Mughal legacy.  Cuisine from the eastern provinces of Punjab and Sindh are characterized as "highly seasoned" and "spicy". Cuisine from the western and northern provinces of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Tribal areas  are characterized as "mild". International cuisine and fast food are popular in the cities. Blending local and foreign recipes is common in large urban centers. Furthermore, as a result of lifestyle changes, ready made masala mixes (mixed and ready to use spices) are becoming increasingly popular. However, given the diversity of the people of Pakistan, cuisines generally differ from home to home and may be different from the mainstream Pakistani cuisine.

My thoughts on Pakistani cuisine

I am living in Pakistan for the last 8 years and stopped eating Pakistani food after 4 months I here. Why? Because I can't stand the amount of pepper they use. All that pepper together with liters of oil or ghee and salt definitely can't please a Brazilian. Specially from southeast of Brazil. So, if you can handle all the spicy that's ok otherwise go for Afghani or Arabic food.