Mirchi Barai Samosas (Spicy Samosas)

Today's session was a real "treat". To begin with, the book (Mirchi Barai Samosai) was a story about two boys who help their mother prepare samosas for tea. Things seem to go fine until the boys accidentally spill too much chillies powder into the mixture (while their mother was attending to a phone call). The boys keep quiet about their mistake and anxiously await the results of the affair when guests arrive for tea.

The book gave the mothers an opportunity to discuss how we should entertain guests; as Muslims our guests have rights on us. Lubna Aunty and Ummibaps demonstrated how not to treat a guest. A story from the lives of the Sahabah was also recalled; where a Sahabah (Abu Talha RA) brought one of the Prophet SAW guest home. Unfortunately he did not have much food in the house to serve him and so he and his wife put the children to sleep and under the pretence of adjusting the lantern turned off the light. They then served the meal in complete darkness and pretended to eat, allowing their guest to eat his fill. The next day our Prophet SAW greeted the Sahabah with the good news of Allah SWT pleasure of his treatment of the guest. Alhumdulillah.

Mashing and Mixing

Following the discussion the Book Worm Club members headed to the kitchen to prepare their treat; home made samosas. The children mashed potatoes with forks and their hands adding salt and zeera (cumin) powder and a dash of coarsely ground red chillies, while the mothers supervised and aided as necessary. Some kalonji was added to the potato mixture too.

Preparing dough for samosa pastry

 The eldest two girls Emaan bint Absar and Eman Bint Awais prepared the pastry kneading flour, oil, salt and water together.

preparing dough balls

rolling out dough balls

Once the flour was ready, Lubna Aunty demonstrated how to make little balls of dough and roll it out into a circle, then filling it with the potato mixture and sealing the flour with a little water into small semi circles. Masha'Allah each child made a ball and took turns to use the single rolling pin and board. as the boys worked with the board first, the girls, under Sabheen Aunty's guidance, began rolling out their samosas in a plate using half a marble 'dasta'.

potato filling ready

good old fashioned ingenuity; making do with what you have

adding filling

Ready to Fry

 
 

samosas being fried

As the samosas were prepared Sakina Aunty fried them and the hot samosas were served alongside the other snacks. Masha'Allah the mothers were impressed by the childrens' patience and ability as most of them managed to roll out neat circles of the dough. Everyone enjoyed the tasty samosas and we mothers had the additional pleasure today of  "having our children feed us", Masha'Allah.

Ready to Eat!