TJ RAMADAN: Ramadan Recipes

Showing posts with label Ramadan Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramadan Recipes. Show all posts

Ramadan Recipes


Not a big cooker when it comes to Ramadan. I prefer simpler meals and don't like to be in the kitchen all day.  But sometimes, I like to make special Ramadan recipes to make this time seem even more special and memorable.  Below are some Ramadan recipes and sites that feature Ramadan recipes. Some of the things I have made over the years, and some are those I've wanted to try.

The recipes also include those for treats to go along with themed studies, such as moon phases.

Beverages

  • Qamar el deen - this is one of our favorite drinks. We had it over a sister's house in Egypt and she showed us how she made it. It is made from dried apricot sheets (which roughly look like big thick fruit rollups) and water. You use one package of apricot sheets,cut the sheets into small pieces and soak in water (about 1 liter) overnight or for about 4-5 hours and then add sugar to taste. You can usually find the apricot sheets in halal/international stores.

Date Recipes

Sweets

Meat/Poultry

Keeping it in Perspective......

وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ 

“Eat and drink, but do not waste” [Sūrah al-‘Arāf, 7:31]. 

"Although Ramaḍān is the month of generosity and kindness, give what benefits. As for extravagance, then it is unbeneficial. A similar statement was directed to Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān (حفظه الله): “Because some people provide food and drink extravagantly [in Ramaḍān], the tables are filled with different assortments of food.” He (حفظه الله) stated: “This is contrary to the Sunnah. The month of Ramaḍān is not the month of eating, drinking, and repletion; it is the month of fasting.”" (Source)
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Date Banana Bread

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On my quest to use dates in as many things as I can, I made date banana bread yesterday. My family loves banana bread so I decided to try to make it with dates for the first time. It was delicious, alhamdulillah.

My base recipe came from Banana Date Nut Bread from the Deenbros.com site.

I basically followed the directions except:

Sugar: The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. My oldest daughter said it sounded like you'd get diabetes from that so I only used 1/2 cup of sugar. You could probably use even less than that as dates and bananas can be very sweet on their own and I did see recipes calling for no sugar.

Butter: The recipe calls for butter but in quick breads, I generally use vegetable oil, which is what I used. 

Dates: The recipe calls for chopped dried dates, but I used our moist medjool dates. I put them in a bowl of water and microwaved for about 2.5 minutes, then I let them stand in the water til they were even mushier.  After that, I put the dates and water in the blender. Now, the next time through, inshaa Allah, I won't add in all the water that I had in the bowl as it made the date-water mixture very soupy. But I still poured it in the banana bread mix and it came out moist and delicious!

Date Banana Bread

Now with my Date Banana Smoothie, I am 2-0 on date recipes this Ramadan!


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Date Banana Smoothie

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During Ramadan, I go bonkers over recipes that include dates. Not everyone in the family likes dates, but I love them.  The first time I had a date shake, I was hooked.  Last year I bought a blender so ever since then we've been making all kinds of shakes and smoothies. (We didn't have a blender for years).

After surfing online to find a date banana smoothie recipe, I basically just threw one together myself as I didn't have some of the other ingredients that made the recipes I saw a little more exotic.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup dates or about 4-5 medjool dates (pitted)
  • 1-1/2  cups milk (I used almond soy milk though)
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional, but one of the recipes I looked at called for them and I had them on hand so I used them. The recipe did advise soaking the chia seeds, but this was last minute so I threw them in anyway)
  • 1 banana
And that's it! In my recently old sugar addict days I would have dumped way too much sugar in there but now I enjoy smoothies and shakes with no sugar at all! If it is not sweet enough, you could add a bit of honey or, sometimes, if a smoothie isn't sweet enough, I'll add another banana.

I saw some recipes that called for adding yogurt (my daughter said that just didn't sound right, lol, so I trusted her as she is my expert smoothie maker, having surpassed me in the art of smoothie/shake making). 

What to Do

Place everything in the blender (my blender recommends adding the liquid first) and blend. I probably needed to blend it a bit more as I had a lot of date chunks at the bottom of my glass (but they were still delicious to eat by themselves at the end.


My refreshing date banana smoothie at the end of a day of fasting:




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Crescent Shaped Cookies

Yesterday as we prepared for Ramadan, the kids and I made crescent moon and star shaped cookies. It was a fun activity. I always mean to do it every Ramadan but it's been years since we have gotten around to making them again.  The kids had fun!

We used a soft cutout sugar cookie recipe from one of my favorite recipe sites, Sally's Baking Addiction. I imagined that they were going to be difficult to make, but they were pretty easy.

The ingredients were pretty basic things I generally have on hand:

  • 3/4 cup  unsalted butter, slightly softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup  granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I didn't have this, but they were still very tasty!)
  • 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
You can get the recipe from the link above. One of the things that she stressed was to make sure that you chill the dough, and she recommended rolling it out first before chilling.

I had originally intended to ice them with colored frosting but I couldn't find the colors that I wanted, so we colored the cookie dough!

We ended up making stars as well (because I had a star cookie cutter). For the crescent moons, I used a plastic biscuit cutter.



We made the crescents by using the round cutter and overlapping circles (my daughter's idea)


Then it was time to ice them. I rarely frost cookies so I happened along another site that suggested making an outline shape with the icing first, filling in some of the inside and spreading with a knife.

Our finished products!

It was mostly my teenage daughters, seven year old daughter and I making the cookies, but my 11 year old son joined in to help ice a few as well.


I hope, in shaa Allah to do more baking this Ramadan as the kids really enjoyed it.

Some of our Ramadan cookies 2018:




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Half Moon Cookies

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half moon cookies

Source: In Our Kitchen

HALF MOON COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
Makes approximately 30 cookies

Cookie Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups cake flour
3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder – the better the powder the better the cookie
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk

Cookie Preparation
  1. Cream the sugar, brown sugar, and shortening.
  2. Add egg and mix until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until cocoa is distributed throughout.
  4. Add this to the wet ingredients and alternate with milk a little at a time and mix until thoroughly combined. This mixture will resemble a thick cake batter.
  5. Scoop and drop onto lined cookie sheet. If you shake each cookie slightly is will allow the batter to settle down.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and remove from oven. Before placing on a wire rack to cool let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons hot milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted (reserve this for the chocolate frosting)

FROSTING PREPARATION
  1. Combine all ingredients except the cocoa.
  2. Beat until smooth.
  3. Divide this mixture in half.
  4. Add melted chocolate to half of the frosting and stir well.
  5. Keeping  the frosting slightly warmer than room temperature allows for easier spreading.

More....


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Moon Ball Cookies (No bake cookies)

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Source: Space Place NASA.gov

(No baking)
Measure the following ingredients into a big, big bowl:
1/2 cup wheat germ
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
1-1/2 cups honey
3 cups dried milk
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
Mix everything together first with a wooden spoon. Now use your hands to shape the dough into small round balls or moons. Or you can shape crescent moons too.
Roll each moon in powdered sugar. They are ready to eat!
If there are any left over, keep them in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.
Makes about 5 dozen moons.

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Sevian Kheer (Vermicelli Pudding)

Another one I haven't tried, but would like too, in shaa Allah. This is a vermicelli pudding.
Sevian Kheer
Source
Source: DinnerCoop
  • 1 stick butter
  • 6 oz. sevian   (vermicelli), broken into 3 inch pieces  
  • 4 cups of milk
  • 1 pint whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 almonds (optional) peeled and thinly sliced
  1. Melt butter in a large heavy bottomed pot. If you use a light pot, the milk will likely burn at the bottom.
  2. Over low heat stir vermicelli into butter until it turns lightly brown. 
  3. Pour in the milk and stir over medium heat until the milk boils. 
  4. Put in the raisins, almonds and sugar. 
  5. Continue to cook under low heat for 10 minutes. 
  6. Add whipping cream and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. 
Serve hot or chill in fridge for an hour before serving.

More...

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Sengalese Thiacri/Thiakry


Now, this I haven't tried, but I love couscous, so while compiling recipes, I decided to include it and hope to try it, in shaa Allah.  I understand that it is especially popular during Ramadan.

Ingredients: yogurt, sugar, condensed milk, vanilla extract

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Qatayef

Pancakes with a stuffing.  A neighbor of ours brought some of these over to us one Eid when we lived in Yemen.



Qatayef Recipe 1

Ingredients
  • 3/4 teaspoon dry yeast 
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water 
  • 1 teaspoon sugar 
  • 1 1/2 cups flour 
  • Pinch of salt corn or vegetable oil for frying 
  • Pour batter into frying pan and make in a similar way to making pancakes, or buy ready made from Middle Eastern food markets.
Cheese filling
  • White sweetened cheese 
  • Pinch of cinnamon 
  • Sugar to taste 
  • Ground teaspoon of Arabic gum.
Nut filling
  • 1/2 lb. walnuts, chopped 
  • 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar 
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Syrup composition
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon orange flower water 
  • 1 1/2 cups water 
  • 1 teaspoon rose water 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Stir continuously until it boils. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens and the sugar is totally dissolved.

Place a small amount of either one of the fillings in the center of the Qatayef (pancake) and fold one side towards the other and stick them together by pressing on the sides. You now have a crescent shaped pancake. Fry or bake until golden brown on both sides. Dip into the sugar water and remove. Serve hot.

Qatayef Recipe 2

Source: TourEgypt.net

3/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
corn or vegetable oil for frying

Sugar Syrup:

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon orange flower water
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Nut Stuffing:

1/2ib. walnuts, chopped
3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Instructions:
  1. Blend yeast with sugar and 1/4 cup of the water. Stir to dissolve. 
  2. Sift flour and salt into warm mixing bowl and make a well in the center. 
  3. Pour 1 cup water and yeast mixture into the center, gradually stirring with a wooden spoon until smoothly blended. If lumpy, stir with a whisk till smooth. 
  4. Cover bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm place foe 1 hour or until batter has risen and surface is bubbly.
  5. In a hot greased frying pan, pour about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter and tilt the pan around so it spreads a little into 4-inch diameter circle. (if batter is too thick, stir in remaining water.) 
  6. Cook until golden brown on the underside. The top shoulder be full of air holes. Fry only ONE side before stuffing. 
  7. Remove to a plate or towel. 
  8. Prepare sugar syrup (below) and set a side to cool while stuffing pancakes.
  9. Put sugar in water in a small saucepan and heat without stirring till it dissolves and starts to boil.

Sugar Syrup:
  1. Stir and boil rabidly. Remove the foam that rises to the top. 
  2. Add orange blossom water and lemon juice. Continue boiling till syrup is like thin honey.
  3.  Add rose water last to keep its perfume. Set aside to cool but don't refrigerate.

Nut Stuffing:
  1. Combine all ingredients. 
  2. Spread about a tablespoon of mixture on the unfired side of the pancakes. 
  3. Close by folding over in half and seal by pressing the edges. 
  4. Fry 2-3 minutes in hot oil until pale golden on both sides OR bake them on a greased tray in a hot oven for a bout 30 minutes, turning once, till golden. 
  5. Dip hot pancakes in room temperature sugar syrup, and serve hot or cold.




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Jalebi

Love these, but it took me forever to figure out the name of these little rascals (of course in different places, they go by different names). They sell these for example in the bakery section in Yemen and UAE.





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Luqma Al Qadi

This recipe name translates into "judge's bite/morsel"

These have got to be one of my most favorite middle eastern sweets recipes.  I made these one time when we were in Damaaj and I "swear" that they tasted exactly like Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  I've made them many times, but don't always get the Krispy Kreme results.  I always wanted to get the little shaper contraption that I would see in the stores, but I always ended up just dropping by spoonfuls into the oil.


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Konafa


Konafa is very popular in Egypt. When we lived there, the pastry used to make this was readily sold on the streets during Ramadan by many vendors.  I also had the opportunity to see this being made by an Egyptian sister that we knew, although I don't remember if I actually made it, but it is yummy!

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Basbousa

We first had basbousa when we lived in Egypt. It is a cake made with semolina.

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Baklava


I've only made baklava once,  years ago, but it surprisingly came out really good. It's super rich and sweet and I hope to get around to making it again.

Easy Baklava Recipe - Allrecipes.com

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Crescent Cookies

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Ingredients:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup ground blanched almonds (or use pecans)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar

How to Prepare:


1.Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, mixing well. Add almonds and flour, thoroughly incorporating.

2.Using walnut-size pieces of dough, shape into a crescent and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges.

3.While still hot, roll in confectioners' sugar. Re-roll in confectioners sugar when cool and store tightly covered



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Sesame Cookies

When we were in Egypt (eons ago, it seems), I had come across a recipe for sesame cookies online and tried making them. They came out so awesome, alhamdulillah. One of the local bakeries sold them there and I had tried them once. However, these puppies came out so great that our joke was, these were as good as the bakery's except they (ours) weren't burnt.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the recipe (I think it was from a Jewish/kosher site) so I was surfing the web for recipes in hopes of recreating those little gems.

I came across this one, and finally made them. They were a hit, alhamdulillah.  Everyone (except my youngest, 3, loved them--I think they were too sesame-y for her) but they were good and "melted" in your mouth. 

Sesame Cookie Recipe


These Israeli sesame cookies are light buttery with a fresh, nutty flavor. Use freshly made tahini paste with a little bit of vanilla bean for the best results.

Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
  2. Beat together the butter and sugar until just creamed, beat in the tahini and vanilla
  3. Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring constantly until the dough is moist and crumbly
  4. Form the dough into a large ball and wrap in plastic, refrigerate for 1 hour
  5. Spread sesame seeds out on a plate, roll the chilled dough into small balls and coat in the sesame seeds
  6. Arrange the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes
  8. Allow the cookies to cool completely before moving, store in a covered container for up to a week.
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Halva

"Halva is a Turkish candy similar in consistency to fudge. Made from tahini, it has a nutty and sweet flavor."

I haven't tried making this yet, but it's been 11 days of Ramadan and I have not made one sweet, so this may be one to try.  Of course, alhamdulillah, living in a Muslim country, one can find all sorts of wonderful pre-made treats, such as this, that can be easily purchased.

Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 cups of sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups of tahini
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • Optional flavorings such as nuts, vanilla or chocolate
Instructions
  1. Boil the sugar and water with any optional flavorings to 257 degrees Farenheit to form a thick syrup
  2. Pour the syrup into fresh tahini and beat well as it combines
  3. Continue beating until the mixture sets
  4. beat well as it combines
  5. Continue beating until the mixture sets
  6. Press the mixture into an oiled cake tin or plastic container
  7. Chill for 36 hours and cut into squares

Source: Suite101.com



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Moroccan Tagine Chicken

This was posted on one of my homeschooling groups. I haven't tried it yet, but I am thinking my family would enjoy it so I hope to try it this Ramadan, in sha Allah.

Morrocan Tagine chicken


1 whole chicken cut into 10-12 pieces
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground ginger or  1/2 tsp of fresh ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons of cilantro
1 large sweet onion sliced or chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
1/8 cayenne pepper
1 pinch of saffron (I've made it w/ or without)
1 chicken bullion cube
2 cups of water

Raisin sauce

1/2 cup of raisins (golden or regular) You can mix both if you'd like
1/2 cup of suger
2 cups of water
cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients together and boil medium-low until it becomes thick (about 30 mins) May need to add water a little at a time if it boils down.

Add 2 tbs of olive oil to pan, cook onions and garlic for 1 min add chicken and spices, only 1 tbs of cilantro, cook for 15 mins or chicken is golden brown. Add two cups of water and chicken bullion cube. Let simmer for 20 mins cover pan.

After 20 mins add raisin sauce and the other 1tbs of cilantro to chicken and let it simmer another 10 min on medium.

(You can omit this part if you want but I like my chicken crispy so this adds a nice texture before serving) Remove chicken from pot, add a little butter on top of chicken and put in oven on high or broil for 5 min until browned. And let sauce on the stove continue to cook during this process, you want the sauce to be a thick.  When chicken is brown add back to pan and turn off pot and let it rest for 5 mins before serving.
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Sticky Date Cake

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Sticky Date Cake w/Caramel Sauce - We made this last some years ago when we were living overseas, it was wonderful!
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