Every Middle Eastern region has its traditional cookie made especially for this month, such as Ma’amoul... broth, called Molokhia, and Katayif – sweet pancakes stuffed with walnuts and goat cheese. Haleem is popular in many countries in the Middle East and South Asia, with Hyderabadi Haleem being one of the most prized. In Turkey, the famous Moussaka – layered dish of fried eggplant and minced meat is an Iftaar special, accompanied by pide or pita bread.
sugar, flour, walnuts and sweet spices, or Moroccan Sellou and Chebekia. Popular Middle Eastern Iftaar sweets include Libyan Asidah – boiled wheat flour pudding with date sauce or honey, and Emirati Balaleet – a sweet egg and vermicelli omelette, and the Qatari Al-Muhallabiyyah – a rice and milk dish flavoured with cardamom and saffron.
and Iftaar, particularly the latter, have acquired the status of gourmet feasts, they are in essence meant to be community and family meals, where people come together to share food in a spirit of brotherhood, bound by a common faith. And it is this which makes the food served at these meals that much more enjoyable and special. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Every Middle Eastern region has its traditional cookie made especially for this month, such as Maa’moul, and there’s always the popular fruit salad that is commonly consumed at this time.
— Sanam Khan
For all their variety and sometimes lavishness and though, both Sehri
HALEEM
Serves 6-8
Saudi Arabian Iftaars consist of some of their popular dishes like Saliq – a rice dish made with milk and lamb, Al-Kabsa a Saudi staple of rice cooked with meat or chicken, Jarish – meat cooked in sour milk, and Qursan – wheat pancakes topped with meat and vegetable stew. Qatari food during this month includes Ath-Thareed, a hearty dish of shredded local bread in a meat broth, and Emirati’s serve Al-Majboos, a dish of rice layered with meat or chicken. An Iftaar spread in Jordan will include its most famous dish Mansaf – a Bedouin dish of rice slow-cooked in a rich meat and sour milk broth. In Yemen the Futoor spread includes samboosas and a host of kebabs. In many Middle Eastern regions, special camel meat is imported from Somalia mainly for Ramadan.
»» INGREDIENTS 1 cup barley, soaked for 8 hours 1 cup wheat, soaked for 8 hours 2 tablespoon red chilli powder 1 tablespoon turmeric ½ cup split Bengal gram, soaked for 4 hours ¼ cup split green gram, soaked for 4 hours ¼ cup split red lentil, soaked for 4 hours 1 kg boneless meat, boiled (mutton or beef ) 1 tablespoon ground mint leaves 2 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste 1 tablespoon green chilli paste 1 tablespoon garam masala 2 tablespoons salt 1 cup yoghurt 3 tablespoons coriander powder 2 cup oil ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder 1 teaspoon mace powder Garnish
Sweets An Iftaar spread is laden with sweet dishes, each one a masterpiece in itself. Some of these dishes can be found only during Ramadan, like North Iranian Reshteh-Khoshkar, a pastry made with 48
1 large onion, finely sliced and fried golden brown 1 lemon sliced 1 inch fresh ginger, finely sliced lengthwise
»» METHOD Boil the barley and wheat with ½ tablespoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon turmeric till soft. Grind this mixture. Boil the lentils till soft and grind. Heat oil in a vessel, add the boiled meat, mint leaves, ginger garlic paste, chilli paste and fry for a minute. Add remaining chilli powder and turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and yoghurt. Add 2 ½ cup water and cook over low flame for 10 minutes. Mash the meat well. Add the ground lentils, wheat and barley to the meat mixture and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to avoid the mixture to stick to the bottom of the vessel. Add nutmeg, mace powder and cook for 5 minutes. Serve with the garnish.
CookeryPlus
cp-jul-sep-2012-food-stuff-page-46-47-48.indd 48
6/20/12 11:04 AM