Kitchen3N

Recipes and food fun from Apt 3N

Ramadan Round Up

Ramadan is halfway over, but there’s still time to make some of my favorite recipes for this time of year! Going clockwise from the top left:

Citrus Quinoa Salad with Dates, Almonds and Mint – we consume a lot of dates during Ramadan. This recipe uses up any extra dates you may have in a salad you can feel good about eating at the end of a long fast!

Meyer Lemon Strawberry Lemonade – I know sugar is the devil. I know. But you have to try this lemonade. It is light years beyond any bottled strawberry lemonade you can find. Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Basil Smoothie – a surprising staple in many homes I’ve introduced this smoothie to. Basil, yogurt, sugar and ice makes for an unexpectedly refreshing drink.

Tandoori Chicken – an easy, make ahead dish. When you’re fasting, you’re low on energy. So the less time you have to spend on your feet in the kitchen, the better. These chicken legs get a quick marinade of yogurt and spices. Then about 45 minutes before eating, pop them in a hot oven. That is all.

Mint Limeade – aka virgin mojitos. The refreshing flavors of lime and mint make this the perfect compliment to your break-fast meal.

Haleem – a protein packed Ramadan must. It’s one stop, one pot iftar. Stewed meat, grains and lentils combine to make the most filling, comforting dish possible. Can probably make this in your slow cooker as well.

Fruit Chaat – refreshing and easy. Simply combine your favorite fruits – try to ensure varying textures and levels of sweetness. Try apples, grapes, kiwis. Or pineapple, cantelope, raspberries. Or mango, blueberry, nectarine. Leave the yogurt/chaat masala dressing on the side, or mixed in, for a variation of your favorite fruit salad.

Banana Date Nut Bread – another healthy way to use up dates. The potassium from the bananas and dates combined with the fiber from the whole wheat make this bread great to have on hand when you’re short on time for your pre-dawn meal. Can bump up the fiber content with flax seeds, chia seeds, etc.

Aloo Chop (Fried Mashed Potato Balls) – not the healthiest thing on the list, but a comfort food must for many of us South Asians. Mashed potato balls stuffed with bits of hard boiled egg, breaded and fried. Yum!

Mint Limeade

IMG_1178Ramadan Kareem to all those who are observing the holiday! The days are long and the fasts are difficult but alhamdulillah (praise be to God), it makes you grateful for the food and drink you have waiting for you at iftar (evening breakfast). Many of us are blessed with comfortable homes, plenty of food and loving families. Part of the reason we fast is to remember those of us who are less fortunate. The Muslims being persecuted in Myanmar. The innocents dying everyday in Syria. Through this remembrance and appreciation of our blessings, we cultivate a closer relationship with God. Ramadan also brings to light the culinary diversity of Muslims around the world. Dates are an iftar staple, as that was the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Otherwise you might have kutaeif (a type of pancake) in Palestine. Kolak or cendol (sweet drinks) in Indonesia. Güllaç (a rosewater dessert) in Turkey. Back in Bangladesh, iftar consists of the following: cucumber slices, soaked lentils with raw ginger, puffed rice, fruit and a plethora of fried vegetables and lentils bathed in a thick gram flour batter. Sometimes they even fry this oversized hot pepper and eat it as is!! And I have to say: I hate it. I am sorry. I love Bengali food. I loathe the iftars. The raw ginger. The bland lentils. The batter that is so thick that the vegetables got lost in them. And whose idea was it to break your fast with fried foods anyway? The only exception is the potato patties (studded with pieces of hard boiled egg) and HALEEM. OMG. Haleem is to the subcontinent what Pho is to Vietnam (well, technically nihari is) in that it just a bowl of simmering, goat, lentil and barley deliciousness. I’ll post about it later, but for now, the drinks.

my little helper

my little helper

preparing the mint simple syrup

preparing the mint simple syrup

Though the foods may vary, one thing is pretty consistent: a cool, refreshing drink to down it all with. I’ve had all kinds of sweet concoctions with my iftars growing up. From lemonade (using lemons I squeezed by hand, and sugar that I dissolved by stirring and stirring and stirring…) to Tang and Rooh Afza (probably the bane of my existence). Mango lassi is a common one as well, but ever since I had a taste of my first virgin mojito, mint limeade has been the go to sweet drink at our household. Thanks to a huge bunch of mint leaves brought over by my in laws this past weekend, I was able to make a batch of that mint syrup I posted about ages ago. I add some sparkling water for effervescence and sprigs of fresh mint for visuals.

IMG_1180

My not so traditional iftar of homemade pizza with all the fixins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup lime juice (juice from about 3 limes)
  • 1 cup mint simple syrup
  • 1 to 1.5 cups sparkling water
  • ice
  • 2 mint sprigs

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a pitcher and stir to combine.

Note: if you’re too lazy to make the mint syrup, feel free to simply add sugar to taste and a few handfuls of mint leaves (be sure to muddle the leaves with a muddler or end of a wooden spoon to release the juices). Superfine sugar dissolves more easily than regular, so you can run it through a food processor to get it fine. I personally use raw sugar, which gives my limeade a nice amber color.

Mint syrup

First post post-baby! That excuses a 3 month hiatus, right?

Anyway, my in laws have been blessed with abundant crops this year. Zucchini twice the size of butternut squash (pictures to come). A never ending supply of mixed greens. Cucumbers to rival the zucchini. All of these things make their way into my fridge. Part of their generosity included a giant bag of mint leaves (peppermint I believe). Now, you can only have so much mint tea before you realize you haven’t even made a dent and the leaves are starting to go. Hence, this simple recipe.

It can be used in a variety of ways:

  1. To sweeten your warm or iced tea
  2. Mojitos (ours are virgin of course)
  3. Vinaigrettes (particularly on a fruit salad)

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 sprigs of mint

Directions

Combine all three ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat until the sugar dissolves and the mint leaves wilt. Let it cool then pour through a sieve into sterilized jars. It will keep in the fridge for about 2 to 3 weeks.