Monday, November 8, 2010

American staple food


 When I first moved to America,  a dear aunt introduced me to weird American food. This dear aunt eats gluten-free food (Which at the time I thought had something to do with *gelatin)

Yeah, I don't eat gluten too. I replied enthusiastically, It's unlawful for us to eat it.

Really?

Yes. I confirmed.

Then how come you're devouring this papa john's sandwich with gluten all smeared on it.

Wait, what's gluten again? right!

For the record. I absolutely LOVE gluten, and I am sooooo grateful, that I am completely tolerant.

Anyhoo, this (very very) dear aunt (we miss you so very much) introduced me to rice cakes, which i absolutely love, and and most importantly apple sauce. It is a fun experience to try new foods, especially if it doesn't contain slimy substances or weird looking things. Apple sauce and rice cakes can not possibly intimidate anyone.

So during my five years in the U.S two of our staple foods were (again thank you) rice cakes and apple sauce. And during those five years, I never attempted to make them from scratch. Well to be fair, I am assuming the first one is tough to make, but the second one... well, I am ashamed that I have never tried  to make it until we landed on Egypt's sacred soil.

You see, apparently Egyptians are in love with glucose. Everything contains glucose in the ingredients. Sometimes mixed with high fructose corn syrup and sometimes on it's own. I am not a fan of either.

So I read, oh about five apple sauce recipe's, tweaked and trimmed and came out with what we now call, our apple sauce recipe... well, I call it that. Anyway, I think it's wonderful.

So if you find yourself with too many apples than to know what to do with, or happen upon a high fructose corn syrup, or glucose infested sauce. Do give this little number a try. You might send me a thank you email later.


FYI: this recipe is easily doubled or tripled. 

Our Apple Sauce Recipe (makes one big jar)::

4 apples (I like gala, or fuji) peeled, cored and chopped

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


In a sauce pan, combine the ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Cool, then mash, then spoon in a clean jar. Refrigerate.


Happy apple sauce making!

Peace.

* gelatin is usually made from pig fat in America, which is religiously unlawful for Muslims to consume. So if you live in America or Egypt (or any part of the world, and happen to also be a Muslim) and buy imported food. Check the ingredients, Yes marshmallows contain Gelatin. You have been warned.

5 comments:

N. Perez said...

Assalamu alaykum,
Your jar of apple sauce does look yummy! I can't remember when was the last time I made apple sauce but since your recipe looks so easy I'll get my hands on some apples soon and try it out inshAllah. Btw, I miss Egypt dearly; I lived in Cairo for 10 months and even gave birth to one of my children there- too bad she didn't get Egyptian citizenship- Anywho, i have very fond memories of Egypt and made friends there that would forever keep very close to my heart. I love visiting your blog and looking at all the photos you post, they bring sweet memories to my mind.

Lauren said...

When I was a strict vegetarian, I didn't eat gelatin. It was really hard! It forced me to eat better though, since food with gelatin was usually bad junk food.

Shannon said...

jazakallah! my baby girl is starting to eat solids and i was looking for a good applesauce recipe. will try this one insha'Allah

Muslim Hippie said...

N.Perez- Thank you! Egypt is a very special place indeed:)

Lauren- I had the same experience in America, but since local foods use either halal or fish gelatin. It's not as tricky. I still try to make my own stuff as much as I can.

Shannon- hope your little one likes it. It's insanely easy and so good.

Peace.

Unknown said...

That whole gluten conversation was hilarious! I'm def. gonna try making the apple sauce. Maybe today. . . Have a great Eid break. We're gonna miss you guys! :(