Assalamualaykum!

Assalamualaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu. I'm so excited simply because I'm finally starting this thing and its Friday! Just watch this space for different recipes from around the world and general tips about cooking. Feel free to email me recipes you are fond of. For now I'll leave you with the recipe of my favourite salad – from Egypt. I actually don't know if it has any traditional name but I know it's served in a lot of Egyptian and other Middle Eastern restaurants.

Egyptian parsley salad

What you'll need (serves 6)

1 cup parsley

1 cucumber

6 medium sized tomatoes

1 red bell pepper

1 medium sized red onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1.5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 teaspoons ground cumin

A pinch of Salt and black pepper

1 finely chopped garlic clove (optional)

Preparation

Remove parsley from stalk and coarsely chop it. Dice tomatoes, cucumber and pepper and mix in with parsley. Thinly slice the onions and add to the rest of the mixture. Add lemon juice, olive oil, cumin. Pinch of salt and Pepper to taste.

It can be eaten on its own, added in wraps or served alongside main meals. I have served mine with fried plantain but another of my favourite is in a falafel wrap.

Healthy tip

This is the season for barbecue and not surprising, gastroenteritis ( stomach flu). Some simple tips to stay healthy. Wash your hands with soap when handling raw meat and make sure all meat is properly cooked before eating. Do not leave food outside fridge for long and ensure it is heated properly before serving it. In the wake of "E-coli cucumbers" please don't forget to wash your vegetables properly before using them and if you're in Germany, forget making this salad for now.

"People are all the same in health and ease, but when hardship befalls them, true distinction is shown" - Al-Hasan al-Basri

Marhaba