Many of you might know how diverse the UAE is. It embraces so many nationalities and they melt together until well combined!

If you’re an Emarati you’ll notice a few things… That many expatriate don’t know much about the culture other than their visit to the museum, Mohammed Bin Rashid’s Cultural Understanding Center, the Heritage Village and maybe just maybe from colleagues at work.
A lot of the information they get from these places might not give the full picture.

The Emirati culture isn’t one of the hardest to absorb once you get to know more about it.

There are some expatriates living in the UAE who tend to only mingle with other expatriates. Don’t ask me why! I know we don’t bite!
It’s like a whole other Dubai which we don’t know about!

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The reason I am writing about this is  because last week at my son’s school we received a survey via email from one of the teachers who started a project to evolve her learning path. This project involves learning about the Emirati culture and how can they learn more about it. They will also work on other aspects but this triggered me.
At a later stage I got to know that the teacher is cooperating with Zayed University and Mohammed Bin Rashid’s Cultural Understanding Center.

Back to the culture story… It would be great if there was a handbook (given at the airport to every single person who gets an entry stamp) which talks about the UAE, important cultural information, places to visit. Something maybe like Emirati 101!
Wouldn’t that be beneficial?!  At least people would get to know about where they’re living and for what reason things happen here.

What are your thoughts on this?

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My father got used to having some dessert after lunch. Now I feel bad if I didn’t bake anything! I also feel bad because I don’t give my sisters the chance to bake either!

Last month I made a basboosa. Not your regular basboosa! A poppy seed and spice basboosa.

It turned out great! My parents loved it! Especially that it has spices and mastic.

INGREDIENTS
1 Kg Semolina
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
½ TSP Mastic (crushed in ½ TSP sugar)
4 TSP Baking Powder
3 TSP Orange Blossom Water
3 TSP Rose Water
3 TSP Tahini
2 TBS Poppy Seeds
2 TSP Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Nutmeg
1/4 TSP Ground Cloves

For the sugar syrup:
2½ Cups sugar
1½ Cups water
1 TSP Rose Water
1 TSP Orange Blossom Water
1 TSP Lemon Juice

METHOD:

For the sugar syrup:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts boiling. Add the lemon juice and keep on medium heat until it thickens. Add the orange blossom water and rose water. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the basboosa batter:
Mix all the ingredients together, except the tahini.

Grease the bottom and sides of a rectangular baking tray (approx 30 cm diameter) with the tahini.
Spread the batter in the tray evenly and leave to rest at room temperature for 1½ hr.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180C.
Bake the basboosa (on the middle rack) for 30 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and cut into diamond shapes while still in the baking tray.
Return the tray to the oven on the top rack until it turns golden brown.

Pour the sugar syrup over the cake while it is still hot and place it back in the oven (while the oven is off) for a while until the syrup is absorbed.

Serve at room temperature.

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