A Lazy Guide To Iftar: 3 Quick Recipes To Cook For Iftar
Written by Fatimah Gimsay
It’s that time of the year again, Ramadan, a pillar of Islam and it is simply an act of worship that encourages giving up certain desires like eating, drinking, sexual desires from dawn to dusk for 29- 30 days.
Oftentimes, Ramadan is wrongly associated with food despite being tasked with eating less or at least spending less time with food. I would like to stress that Ramadan is not about starving. If you’re starving, please fix your eating habits and be sure you’re qualified to fast.
To summarise the point of this article, the Lazy Halal Guide is a simple guide to help you get through Ramadan without feeling like you have to become Hijabi Gordon Ramsey or Muslim Ina Garten overnight. This is a guide to support your laziness and help you maintain your energy throughout this month.
This is the Lazy Halal Guide; a guide designed to take some traditionally tasking meals and simplify them. This way you can make delicious, affordable and Halal meals without breaking your back and bank account. These meals have been designed to cook for a maximum of 35 minutes without losing their substance, flavour and taste. I should start a campaign against spending anything beyond 40 minutes in the kitchen. Some people enjoy the entire long process but this is for people who wear the laziness badge as a personality trait.
Options of servings, quantity and additional ingredients are totally up to you. You're also welcome to swap and switch ingredients to your taste and preference. For this quick guide, I am going to share three hearty Iftar recipes for whether you’re alone or with family.
And because I am nice and you deserve nice things during Ramadan, I am sharing my extra special recipes –two marinades, a spice mix and a turmeric drink to hug your immune system this Ramadan. Here’s to a blissful and rewarding Ramadan, take care of yourselves and stay safe!
Coconut Lemon Roasted Chicken
For this recipe you will need:
Lazy Halal Coconut Lemon Marinade
6 Chicken Drumsticks
4 Lemon wedges
Cooking Oil
Ahead of time, marinate the chicken drumsticks and save in the refrigerator. In the meantime, preheat the oven at medium heat. Next, grease your oven pan with cooking oil and transfer the marinated chicken into the pan – feel free and pour a bit of marinade into the pan. Add in the lemon wedges and cook in the oven for 35 minutes. Your chicken is ready to be served.
Noodle Stir-fry
For this dish, you will need:
Cooked Thin Spaghetti
1 Can of Bean Sprouts
2 Chopped fresh carrots
1 Can of Green Peas
1 Can of Sweet Corn
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Garlic
Cooking Oil
Lazy Halal Spice mix
In an oiled pan, stir in onions and garlic until golden brown. Add the vegetables and season to taste. Stir-fry the mixture for 15 minutes and then stir in the cooked pasta and fry for an extra five minutes. At this point, your meal is ready to serve.
Salmon Stew
The ingredients for this recipe include:
4 Tomatoes
Lazy Halal Spice Mix
3 Red Bell Peppers
1 Diced Onion
1 Garlic
2 tbsp of Paprika
1 Raw Salmon
Cooking Oil
Start by preheating your oven at medium heat. While preheating, roughly blend the tomatoes, peppers and garlic. Next, drizzle some oil of your choice into a pan and add diced onions. Cook this for a few minutes and add in the blended mix. Season and saute the paste for a few minutes and then gently place the salmon on the bed of sauce. Cook this in the oven till salmon is cooked to your prefered texture.
Fatimah Binta Gimsay is a storyteller, content producer and author of The Lazy Halal Guide, a 20-recipe cookbook for halal meals. Currently, she writes for African Television and runs a food page called Lazy Halal Kitchen, on Instagram. When she's not writing or cooking, she's creating other art through photography and taking in the art around her.