During the month of Ramadhan, Muslims all over the world will be observing 29 to 30 days of fasting to commemorate the Holy Quran being revealed to Prophet Muhammed. This is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar and is also known as the Holy Month of Ramadhan. Muslims will start fasting by first taking the meal at sunrise known as Suhur and then break fast with the meal taken at sunset known as Iftar. It is also customary for Muslims to invite family, friends and neighbours over for Iftar and prayers in the spirit of community. However, it has also become a time to explore and enjoy different types of food.
Listed below are a few Iftar recipes that you can easily make at home:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 green chili finely sliced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger (optional)
- ¾ cup water
- 2 onions sliced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ head of medium cauliflower
Method:
Start by sifting the chickpea flour and then combining all the spices, salt, ginger and garlic in a mixing bowl. You can mix the dry ingredients by hand so that the spices are mixed evenly
Break the cauliflower into florets.
Add water to the dry ingredients. First make a well in the centre and pour a small amount of water at a time to make a smooth, thick batter. Make sure there are no lumps.
Heat a wok or a large heavy bottomed sauce pan over high heat.
Evenly coat the onions and cauliflower in the batter.
Before frying, put in a small amount of batter into the oil, if it is hot enough it should turn brown and rise immediately. Start frying in one small batch at a time until golden brown.
Drain the oil on kitchen paper towels before serving. Serve with ketchup if desired.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of dates, halved and pitted
- 2 cups of almonds, slivered and toasted
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup sesame seeds
Notes:
- You will get better results with juicy plump dates. If not soak your dates in hot water for 30 minutes before starting.
- You can buy slivered almonds and toast them the day before to save time. Pre heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Toast them until they reach a medium golden brown colour. Remove almonds from oven. Shake the baking sheet or flip the almonds so that they will be evenly toasted. Place them back in the oven for 5 to 10 minute again until the colour is right. Remove from oven and place on a cooling tray. Store in a container after cooling.
Method:
Place desiccated coconut aside in a shallow bowl.
Mix all the other ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles soft dough.
Roll a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into a ball using your palms.
Roll the truffles in the desiccated coconut. Refrigerate for at least an hour on a plate.
Store in a air tight container. These truffles can be stored up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 3 – 4 kaffir lime leaves, optional
- 8 oz shelled, deveined shrimp with tail
- 1 cup pineapple cubes
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar or palm sugar
Method:
Heat the oil in cooking pot and then add red curry paste. Keep stirring continuously to bring out the aroma and to prevent the mixture from burning.
Start adding the coconut milk, water and kaffir lime leaves. After bringing the curry to a boil, add the prawns and pineapple.
On a medium to low heat, let the curry cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. The prawns should be pink, not grey and transparent.
This dish can be be served with steamed Jasmine Rice.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 medium sized onions,chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 pack of Phyllo dough sheets
Method:
Add ginger, onions, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin and salt to the ground beef in a large pot. Mix with your hands to get the spices and onion infused well into the beef. Stir in the olive oil. Cover and cook on a low medium heat and stir from time to time so that the beef does not get clumped together
When the liquid in the water dries out, add the two eggs. Keep mixing until they are cooked in with the meat. Once this is done, remove from the stove and keep aside to cool.
Now you can roll the bourek. Take one Phyllo dough sheet and place it horizontally in front of you. Make a small fold at the bottom and place a heaped tablespoon of the beef filling on it. After this step, fold in the left and right sides over the filling. Roll it forward firmly so that the edge will be closed.
Fry the bourek for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown on all side. Drain on paper towels before serving. Ideally served as a starter or snack, or a side dish with soups.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooking oats
- 3 to 4 cups water
- 6-8 pieces of boneless chicken
- ½ an onion chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons butter
Method:
In a medium sized pot, boil the chicken with the chopped onions, bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
Add a pinch of salt.
Remove the chicken and drain the stock into a large pot with a strainer.
Cut the chicken finely.
Bring the stock to a boil and then add the chicken pieces, oats, cinnamon powder, salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Keep stirring constantly on a medium heat once the oats are cooked.
Stir in the teaspoon of butter.
You may also use the Food Spotter feature on the HalalTrip Mobile App to discover more dishes that you can prepare this Ramadhan. Click on the below links to download the free App:
