Youth development program kicks off in Hamtramck
This week look out for more summer opportunities for youth, catching up on conversations about mental health and a recipe to test out for the summer.
Hamtramck’s Detroit Friendship House offers a youth development summer program
The nonprofit Detroit Friendship House in Hamtramck is hosting the Pathfinders Youth Summer Youth Program for kids 12-17 years old to learn life skills and development. The program will work with middle school and high school youth to teach decision-making, how to build resilience, and emotional regulation as they become young adults. Students will learn how to identify their values and qualities through engaging activities by working with a motivational coach.
The program will be held on every other Tuesday from June 20-August 28. An orientation will be held for parents and students from June 20 from 12-2 p.m. For more information and registration, visit detroitfriendshipshouse.org.
Psychiatrist Asra Hamzavi says ADHD can be your superpower
Nargis Rahman October 21, 2022
Are you an adult who has ADHD? According to the group Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or (CHADD), 3.5 percent of all adults worldwide have ADHD.
Dr. Asra Hamzavi is an adult psychiatrist who treats adults with ADHD. She founded the Hamzavi Psychiatry and Wellness Center.
Hamzavi says ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that people are born with, and most don’t outgrow it.
She explains attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), previously known as attention deficit disorder (ADD), is identified as three types: predominantly hyperactive, predominantly inattentive, or combined type.
“They might have difficulty with focusing on details, a problem with focusing on kind of forgetfulness… but for someone with ADHD, it’s something that they deal with on a daily basis,” said Hamzavi.
Hamzavi adds emotional dysregulation and rejection-sensitive dysphoria, or people who have trouble regulating their tempers and feelings, are other signs of ADHD.
“Outside of the diagnostic criteria is really problems with self-esteem...”
Hamzavi says ADHD is one of the most under-diagnosed treatable conditions, and that many times people don’t get treatment until adulthood.
Hamzavi says some of the most intelligent people have ADHD, and it can develop from things out of your control.
ADHD is predominately treated with stimulant or non-stimulant medications, and sometimes therapy.
This article was originally published on WDET.org. Read the full version and listen to it here.
Fahmida Hasib’s cooking Bangladeshi food to bring people together
by Nargis Rahman
Fahmida Hasib is the second youngest of five siblings. Growing up she enjoyed watching her mom cook for their large family. She occasionally helped her mother after her sisters got married off.
“Out of all of the sisters, I was the most passionate about cooking,” she says.
Then in 2016, her mom had a bad accident where she broke her leg, leaving her bedridden. This required Hasib to take over the meal prep duties in the family.
“It kind of fell on me to take care of my dad, my older brother, and younger brother. That’s when I took over and I started cooking all the time, dishes… things I would never make before… the main hard dishes.”
Now the mother of two, two and under, shares her favorite homemade recipes on her Instagram Page @fahmidaskitchen, from biryanis to kabobs.
She said her friends and family love her food, including her dhood saa, Bangladeshi milk tea which she makes for others.
Chicken, karachi, or tandoori biryanis are her favorite dishes to cook. Biryani is a dish usually made by incorporating rice into a vegetable, shrimp, or meat base.
“My friends and family love it so much that when we have gatherings they’d ask me to make it and bring a pot of biryani,” she says.
From there they pushed her to begin her Instagram page in 2020.
Although Hasib wants to share her recipes, she wasn’t sure she could teach others. “I have a cousin who never cooked and she said ‘Because of you I attempted that’ and now her family asks her to make it.”
Hasib says she finds cooking therapeutic and she hopes more people try it. She wants to change the perception of cooking.
“People in our community assume cooking is the girl’s job. Do it for fun. Do it for yourself,” she says.
Hasib says there are days her mom is cooking eight or nine dishes. She gets tired but loves it.
She says learning how to cook gave her the opportunity to spend time with her mother. “It was always a time to bond with my mom. I truly love cooking because of her.”
Food is a part of life events, she says.
“It brings everybody together. That’s why I love it. I’m the person in my family who loves gathering people together,” she says.
Along with cooking desi foods, she cooks Afghani, Thai cuisine, or “anything a family member is craving.”
Hasib says her mom and siblings create special secret sauces to add to recipes.
“One of my favorite ingredients is ‘naga sauce’ that my mom makes that I add in everything! She makes this really yummy avocado chutney, you can eat in everything; I have my own cilantro chutney. We kind all have our own thing.”
Chicken Tikka Biriyani
Courtesy of Fahmida Hasib
Fahmida Hasib of @FahmidasKitchen says she enjoys making biryanis. One of the staple dishes at any Bangladeshi or Bengali gathering, biryani is made with rice incorporated into vegetables, meats, or shrimp. There are over a dozen variations found across Southeast Asia.
Chicken or beef biryani can be ordered at Bangladeshi restaurants across Metro Detroit. Read where to order biryani here.
PREP:
4 cups of Basmati Rice
Wash it in cold about 3-4 times so the starch disappears. The starch is what keeps the rice sticky. Then, soak the rice in cold water for 15-30 min.
PREP FOR THE MARINATE:
2 lbs. of chicken - cut into cubelike pieces
Marinate the chicken with the following:
3 tbsp plain yogurt
Squeeze 1 whole lemon
1 tbsp chicken tikka seasoning (Shaan brand)
1/2 tbsp paprika powder
1/2 tbsp naga sauce (substitute: chili powder)
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder (paste also works)
1/2 tbsp onion powder (paste also works)
1/2 tbsp salt (to your own preference)
Place the marinated chicken in your fridge for at least 15 minutes. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the softer the chicken will be. I prefer to keep it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can keep it overnight as well.
PREP FOR THE MASALA:
2 large onions - cut into small pieces
1 tomato- cut into small pieces
2 potatoes- cut into cubelike pieces (optional)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tbsp Garam masala
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp paprika powder
2 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tbsp salt (to your preference)
METHOD:
In a pan pour 2 tbsp oil.
Fry the marinated chicken on medium-high heat. Keep cooking until the water from the chicken dissolves and then flip the chicken over. Allow the chicken to cook until it starts looking charred.
Put the chicken aside.
In the same pan, pour: 1/2 cup oil
Add-in: Chopped onions and fry until golden brown on medium-high heat.
Add-in: 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 tbsp ginger paste, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (again, optional).
Fry on medium-high heat.
Add-in: All spices and seasonings are listed in the masala prep list and mix. After about two minutes, add in the yogurt.
Add-in: Your cubed potatoes (again, optional), salt, 1/2 cup water.
Cover with lid. Cook until your potatoes are soft or until the masala and oil separate.
Add-in: cooked chicken. Cover with lid and let it cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.
In a separate pot, boil water on high heat. Pour in the rice and let it boil until it is 80% cooked. (The rice will be super soft and long.) After it is cooked, drain the water from the rice using a strainer. Wash it with cold water again to prevent the rice from sticking together (optional).
FOOD COLORING MIXTURE (optional, if you want the rice to be colored)
In a small bowl, add: 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tbsp oil, A dash of food coloring
In the masala pot: Pour the cooked rice into the masala and chicken mixture.
Drizzle the food coloring mixture on top.
Add cilantro (optional) and fried onion (optional)
Cover the pot with foil paper and put the lid on top. Make sure it is sealed completely and no air can go through. This will allow the steam to cook the rice and chicken more.
Let the biriyani cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Check on it every 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool down before mixing it all together.
Community News
Eid Bazaar: Vier Events is hosting an Eid Bazaar June 11, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to sell clothes, jewelry and home decor for Eid Al-Adha. Learn more here.