The holy month of Ramzan has dawned on us and along with it are all the festivities and preparations. While it is truly the time for prayers and devotion, how can you not look forward to all the snacks right after the fast to relish and enjoy with friends and family. How we look forward to this month, not just to replenish your soul with the goodness of fasting and prayer, but also for the Iftar cooking which is known to be the most delicious and mouth-watering affair with an array of some really yummy food. Women get extra creative, especially this month where you can spot a number of delicious desserts and side dishes to suit your liking. This is definitely something that one doesn’t get to usually see every day.
Also during Ramzan, various streets and its corners come to life with vendors that occupy the place to sell some lip-smacking Iftar treats like the famous kebabs of all sorts, lovely samosas, mouth-watering biryani, nihari, seviyan, some phirni, malpua and so many others. Not just Muslims, almost anyone and everyone for every other religion are seen heading to these already crowded stalls to fully indulge to their heart's delight right after the prayers.
But if you are confined to your homes and have friends and family coming over who wish to dine with you, there is no need to hussle over the menu or the recipes. You can create the same Iftar experience for them, just like the way it is on the streets with some simple but sumptuous recipes that will definitely leave them craving for more!
Go light on the snacks if you are a full dining person and provide your guest with the richness and bounty of some fresh home cooked meals which are sure to replenish their energy levels. Try and make sure that the effort you put into creating these stunning meals and menus as well as every effort put in should be made towards consuming foods from all major food groups, these include fruit and vegetables, rice and all the other needed alternatives, not to forget, meat and other dairy.
According to the The Health Promotion Board (HPB),
It is recommended that there be 2 seperate servings of vegetables and 2 whole servings of fruit per day. Also try and make sure you have 1 complete serving of fruit and 1 rich serving of veggie at each respective meal.
Traditionally during Ramadan, there are 2 main times that food is consumed on a very wholesome level. Suhoor is generally eaten before the very early morning prayer and Iftar is the meal that is eaten when the fast is broken at sunset. While this meal comes with its own challenges, it surely needs to be very high in its nutrient value to fully compensate for a well nourished day of holistic fasting, before and after. Here is a list of some recipes to consider while planning your Iftar menu for family and friends. Do remember that all these recipes are whole, very well balanced and pack the perfect punch of flavor and warmth to keep you satiated and satisfied throughout the day!
- Mutton Rezala: Typically a wholesome bowl of mutton gravy soup
- Lagan ni Seekh: Some minced mutton, with hints of ginger-garlic paste and lots of green chillies
- Gosht ki Dum Biryani: A coal cooked dum biryani, which is generously filled with layers of mutton, spice and thick curd.
- Malabar Moplah Kozhi Ada: A full stretch of some small and savoury crisp packets that are filled with mutton, beef or even chicken.
- Mango Kesar Kulfi: a creamy base mango kulfi, which generously combines the taste of those sweet mangoes with some crunchy pistachios.
- Kheer Badshahi: a rich flavour of whole boondi laddu added with a lot of fresh pomegranate and grapes.
- Haleem: A very famous recipe which uses minced meat, wheat and lentils
Go ahead and use this Ramadan to cultivate some good dietary habits. Before you know it, by the time the fasting month ends, you will feel so much healthier. You can procure all your favourite Indian and South Asian products and produce online in the UK through Desicart. Just hop online and you will have it delivered to your doorstep in no time!