Tuesday, November 16, 2010

We are currently on vacation in Dubai, having arrived early Sunday morning. We are visiting friends that moved here about the same time we moved to Istanbul. The sprawling city appears to be full of constant construction with new and even bigger buildings being built.

My husband has this week off from work because it is an important religious holiday here. I will try and post more soon. Below, please find some of the information I’ve learned about this holiday.

Kurban Bayram, held Nov. 16-19, is celebrated by Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael to show obedience to God, but instead was able to sacrifice a ram. For Muslims it is also about spending time with family and friends, sacrifice, and giving thanks for being able to afford food and housing when others may have no homes and food.

Traditionally each family would sacrifice a domestic animal, such as a sheep, goat or cow. The meat then would be divided into three equal parts; the family eats one third, a third is given to relatives, friends or neighbors, and the final third is given to the poor. Although some contemporary Muslims do not sacrifice an animal as part of their observance, it is still a very popular tradition, even in Muslim communities in Europe.

This year the holiday covers an entire working week from Monday to Friday.

This religious holiday is also known as Eid al-Adha, “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid.” It is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. However, Abraham was able to sacrifice a ram instead of his son by God’s command.

Also, here is a quick recipe I made before we left Istanbul for the holiday.

Afiyet Olsun!

Quick Asian Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
2           T.        vegetable oil
1          ea.        2” piece of fresh ginger, diced finely
4-5       ea.       garlic cloves, sliced thinly
3          ea.        stalks celery, chopped small

Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Then, sauté the ginger, garlic and celery for a few minutes, until softened.
¾         c.         scallions, chopped small
1          ea.        zucchini, sliced
1          ea.        carrot, sliced
2          ea.        green pepper, cut into 1”-julienne strips.
1          ea.        hot pepper, sliced thinly
2          c.         assorted mushrooms, sliced thinly

Next, take the above vegetables and add to the stockpot. Sauté  these vegetables for a few minutes, until softened.

2            qts.    chicken stock
2            ea.      cooked chicken breasts, chopped small
2-3         T.       cilantro, chopped finely
½           pkg.   Chinese noodles (they look like plain fried Ramen noodles)

Then, add the chicken stock, chicken, cilantro and noodles. Placing a lid on the pot, bring the soup to a simmer. This will only take a few minutes as the noodles cook quite quickly.

Serve the soup in bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil or hot chili oil on top.

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1 comments:

serkan said...

One of the most recent trends is to make a donation to a charity organization. There are intermediaries that are making "sacrifice" part on behalf of you and giving the meat to the organization you choose.