Asian Noodle Soup Recipe

This soup is warm, comforting and bursting with flavor. Inspired by Malaysian noodle soup and Thai Khao Soi, its creamy coconut base and beef broth is extremely nourishing and delicious. The recipe below makes a stockpot worth of soup, so feel free to halve the recipe, or simply share with another family. :-)

Ingredients:

3 pounds beef shank (with bone)

2.5 - 3 tbsp red curry paste (I use 1/3 packet of Mae Ploy brand)

3 tsp turmeric powder

8 tsp coriander seed powder 

6 tsp cumin seed powder

6-7 cardamom pods (cracked)

1 2 inch stick cinnamon

2 dried red chilies

10-12 curry leaves

1 large bay leaf

33.8 oz coconut cream (I use 1000 mL Kara brand)

Whole wheat noodles

Sliced boiled eggs

Directions:

1) In a stock pot on medium high heat, sauté the beef shank with red curry paste.

2) Add the seasonings (not the coconut cream) and continue sautéing. Add a little water to prevent burning. Continue sautéing until all seasonings are mixed well and fragrant.

3) Add water until it’s at least 2 inches above the meat, or at most 2 inches from the top of the pot. Lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer for a few hours until the meat is tender. I let it cook 5-7 hours.

4) Lower the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the coconut cream.

5) In a separate pot, boil the noodles to desired firmness.

6) Ladle the soup over the noodles. Serve with sliced boiled eggs. 

Reviewing with Children

Lack of motivation is a common problem when memorizing. Although we really want to continue memorizing the Qur'an and desire to have the words of Allah preserved inside our hearts, we still struggle with the portions we have already memorized and need to review. I have noticed this lack of motivation in myself, my children and other students of the Qur'an. Following are some tips which I have used to make reviewing with my kids easier. Try whichever ones you feel will work; sometimes different methods work on different days.

1) Make du’a for Allah to put the Qur'an in the hearts, minds and actions of your child and for it to be easy for her. The only way anything happens is first, with the help of Allah, and then with consistent and persistent effort. It’s amazing how strong and effective du’as are.

2) Let your child see you when you are reviewing. The biggest motivator for a child to perform a behavior is seeing her parents do it. Reviewing is no exception. When your child sees you reviewing, she will internalize the importance of review.

3) Talk to your child and remind her about the importance of review. Memorizing without maintaining review is like carrying a bucket of water with a hole in it; eventually everything will be lost. I find that even though my daughter knows the importance of review, this reminder is needed often.

4) Do the hardest review first. Save the easier review for the end when the brain is more tired. For my children, the hardest review is usually what they memorized in the last 3-6 days, followed by their weekly review. We do the remainder of the recent review in the end.

5) Make Qur’an first on the to-do list. The brain is freshest and least cluttered in the morning. Use the morning freshness to your advantage and knock review off the list. Often my kids will do their most recent review and their new before having breakfast. On days they’re too hungry, they do it immediately after breakfast.

6) Schedule a break. My children complete their cycle of old review during the weekdays, so on the weekends they only have recent review and new memorization. This break allows them to rest their brains but still move ahead in new memorization. There have been times where we took a day of the weekend completely off, but that’s rare.

7) Snuggle during review. I have a friend who listens to her son’s review with her head in his lap. I often review with my daughter in my lap or snuggled next to me, even though she is 10 years old! It brings us closer together and makes her feel like it’s her special time with me. 

8) Be gentle. When your child makes a mistake, don’t get frustrated, and don’t get angry. It may seem strange that she is repeating the same mistake multiple times, but when the mistake is solid, it is difficult to fix. Remember that it is difficult to review, but it is even more difficult when the person listening to you is upset with you. When your child fixes an old mistake or completes a portion without mistakes, give her a thumbs up or another gesture to indicate she did well; speaking to her when she is doing well may throw her off and cause her to make a mistake.

9) Review in a distraction free area. My children often review in the car, because there is nothing around to distract them. Sometimes we review in the garage or in the office with the door closed if there are other children around.

10) Set a timer. Set a fixed time to concentrate and see how much can be finished in that time. I used to set a 30 minute timer for my daughter, and that really helped her focus on getting done as much as she could without getting distracted in between surahs. Often she would finish all her review, even though she though she anticipated it taking much longer. Caution: Ensure your kids are not reviewing fast. Reviewing too fast compromises tajweed.

Which of these methods have you tried before? What works for your children?

Crunchy Cereal/Granola Recipe

This granola is perfectly crunchy and full of wholesome goodness with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s an amazing substitute for cereal when paired with milk. For a snack, its crunchy sweetness balances out the tart creaminess on a bowl of homemade yogurt. This recipe is so easy my kids make a double batch (without my help) to keep on hand for busy days. 

Ingredients:

2 c rolled oats

1/2 c sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

3/4 c sliced almonds

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c honey

Optional: 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2) Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3) Put the oats, seeds and almonds on the parchment paper.

4) Melt the coconut oil and honey together. I use a glass measuring cup and microwave for 30-60 seconds until the coconut oil is melted.

5) Stir and pour the honey/oil mixture onto the dry ingredients on the parchment paper.

6) Mix until everything is coated with the oil and honey mixture, and spread it all out evenly on the parchment lined baking sheet.

7) Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown, stirring 1-2 times to ensure even browning.

8) Let cool completely before adding optional raisins or other dried fruit.

9) Enjoy with milk or yogurt. Store in an airtight container.