Ramazan is a month of blessings, enlightenment and harmony. It brings with it spiritual wellness, special customs, and unique traditional food items. From culinary perspective, foods and drinks play important role in celebrating Ramazan everywhere around the world. Women at homes make Special food items for iftari and sahoor. While shops, restaurants and bakeries begin preparation of special snacks for Ramazan several weeks before the start of fasting.
These Ramazan cuisines are famous for traditional spices, rich flavours, and tempting aroma. This week we have collected delicious and famous international Ramazan food items.
Puff pastry (Saudi appetizer)
Ingredients:
-- 3 cups plain flour or 420 g
-- 1 teaspoon salt
-- 1 egg
-- 3 tablespoons ghee
-- 3/4 cup water
-- For the stuffing:
-- 750 g minced beef
-- 2 medium onions or 300 g, finely chopped
-- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-- 2 cups oil for deep frying
Method:
1- Sift the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add ghee and egg.
2- Rub flour with fingertips adding little water gradually and mixing thoroughly to form homogenous dough.
3- Divide the dough into 4 portions. Cover and set aside for 1 hour.
4- Heat oil in a wok and combine the minced meat with onion, black pepper and salt. Cook well and set aside.
5- Roll out each piece of dough. Using a cup and cut the dough into round pieces. Place a tablespoon of meat mixture in the center of each piece.
6- Seal the edges by twisting them.
7- Deep fry the meat puffs in preheated oil until golden brown. Serve hot.
Adas Rishta (Lebanese dish)
Ingredients:
-- 1/2 or 75g cup pipe macaroni pasta
-- 1 tablespoon olive oil
-- 1 medium onion or 150 g, chopped
-- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-- 1 cup dried green lentils or 180 g, washed well
-- 6 cups water or 11/2 liters
-- One chicken stock cube
-- 1 cup coriander leaves or 75 g, chopped
Method:
1- Boil macaroni in salted water for 10 minutes. Cool and strain then set aside.
2- Warm olive oil in a pot and add onions and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes.
3- Add green lentil, water, and Chicken stock cube.
4- Cook on low heat for around 45 minutes.
5- Add in the macaroni and chopped coriander. Simmer in low heat for 5 minutes.
6- Remove from heat. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve.
Shirazi (Iranian Salad)
Ingredients:
-- 4 medium-sized cucumbers
-- 3 medium-sized tomatoes
-- 1 large onion, chopped
-- 11/2 cups lime juice
-- 1/2 cup olive oil
-- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Peel the cucumbers, remove the inner pulp and seeds, and chop them into bite-size pieces.
2. Wash the tomatoes and chop them the same-size.
3. Remove all the tomato seeds and let the excess tomato juice drain.
4. Mix all the chopped ingredients together in a bowl.
5. Refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to serve (no longer than 1 hour).
6. Twenty minutes before serving, add the limejuice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
7. Serve in small salad bowls as a salad or side dish.
8. It tastes particularly good with rice and kebabs or stews.
9. Serves 4 to 6.
Ali Nazik Kebab (Turkish Cuisine)
Ingredients:
For the eggplant mash
-- 4 medium-sized eggplant
-- 1 cup plain yogurt
-- 2 cloves garlic
-- 1 tsp. salt
-- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
For the mince topping
-- 1/2 pound of ground beef
-- 1 tomato
-- 1 sweet green pepper
-- 2 tbsp. butter
-- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
-- 1 tsp. red pepper or tomato paste
-- 1 tsp. salt
-- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
-- 2 or 3 tbsp. water
Method:
Preheat oven to 230degC/445 Fahrenheit or BBQ to high.
1. Prick eggplants in several places with a fork or tips of a sharp knife. Place whole eggplants on an oven tray and place in the oven for 1 hour or until their skins are charred and blackened.
2. Leave eggplants to cool for 5-10 minutes, then peel their skins off (they should come off easily), chop the flesh and add to a food processor, along with lemon juice, garlic, tahini and extra-virgin olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
3. Heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add mince, spices and salt, and cook until tender.
4. To serve, spoon eggplant puree into a serving bowl or platter. Pour over yoghurt, scatter mince, and drizzle over melted butter. Garnish with fresh herbs, and sprinkle over coriander. Serve hot.
Moong Dal pakoras (Indian snack):
Ingredients:
Chilka moong dal/split green gram - 1 cup
Onion - 2 large
Green chili-ginger paste - 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Chopped cilantro - 1/4 cup
Choppedcurry leaves - 2 tbsp
One tsp gram flour
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep frying
1- Soak moong dal for 1 hour, don't soak more than that otherwise skin will be separated from dal, wash well and drain water.
2- Grind it coarsely, don't make a fine paste otherwise pakoda won't be crunchy. I did in two batch and each batch pulse for 5-6 seconds that is all. Do not add water at all.
3- Add chopped onion, ginger-green chili paste, cumin seeds, chopped curry and coriander leaves, gram flour, salt and mix well.
4-Heat oil for deep frying and add around 3/4-1
tbsp amount of dal
paste using hand or a spoon
in hot oil, drop 5-6
pakodas and fry until
golden brown in medium flame
5-Do not over crowded wok and cook in medium flame. Repeat it for remaining dal mixture.
Rose Drink (Lebanese drink)
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1-cupwater
1?2lemon, juice strained
Pink food colouring, few drops (optional)
1?3 cup rose water
Method:
1- Put sugar and water into a pan and stir over medium heat until dissolved.
2- Bring to a boil and add lemon juice.
3- Boil without stirring, for 10 minutes, skimming when necessary.
4- Add coloring to syrup to achieve a deep pink - it will be lighter when diluted later.
5- Add rose water and boil 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat, cool, bottle and seal.
6- To serve, put 2-3 tbs syrup or to taste, in a glass (I use more but maybe my glasses are big) then fill with iced water.