Holy Month of Ramadan

Last week we started the holy month of Ramadan. I posted a detailed post about Ramadan last year.. feel free to check it out here. 

Today instead I wanted to share with you what I have been doing to prepare for Ramadan. The few days leading up to the month I made some snacks to eat during sehori (pre dawn meal) or after dinner when you get those late night munchies would don't want to end up eating a bag of chips. These are not official desi/muslim recipes it just what I made.

The first thing I..well actually H did about 90% of the work so I should give him the credit, made was Banana Oatmeal Muffins. They tasted too healthy according to M. Will probably omit the oatmeal next time. I added peanut butter chip to them as well. 

 

Next I made malai which is like a thick sweetened cream to be eaten with toast. There is a story to this one. Back in Pakistan you get raw cow's milk (pasteurized is also available and now more common) The milk needs to be boiled to make it drinkable. When you boil the milk a thick layer of cream is made which you remove and chill and can later be eaten separately with breakfast. When my family migrated to America they missed malai. My aunt started to boil half n half until it thickened, added sugar and refrigerated it. For years we ate that as malai. I actually prefer it to the original. Now it has become a family tradition of sorts spreading through the family tree. I used to make it all the time. Not the most healthy so now I only make it during Ramadan. H loves it so much he forgoes the toast and just eats it with a spoon. 

                         

Next up and were stuffed dates. Dates are very important in Ramadan. It is customary to break your fast with a date. Eating dates first reduces the hunger pangs, so excessive eating during ifthar can be controlled. This indirectly helps in weight control too. They are alkaline in nature, so help in balancing out the acids in the stomach after a full day of fasting. I had seen these chocolate dates trending on the socials and had been meaning to try them for a while now.. and they are magnificent. 

Basically, you pit the dates, stuff them with peanut butter and peanuts and coat them in chocolate. Wait for them to harden in the refrigerator and walah! I kid you not they taste like a Snickers. They must be eaten straight from the fridge. These might become a year round snack. 

This is what we call lauki in Urdu also known as bottle gourd. It is rich in iron and potassium. Helps keep the heart healthy and lowers blood pressure. It can be cooked in a curry or stew but our Ramadan tradition is to make a milky drink. My mom used to make this every ramadan and my brother and I hated it.. Fast forward some years and I am married and H is little and for some reason (I can't remember right now) my mom ended up spending her Ramadan with us and M complains about being hungry and not having any healthy-ish options at hand so she makes this drink and boom, M is in love. So now I have to make it every year. Not my favorite thing to make because it is tedious process and honestly I hate any job that requires milk to boil. One year my in laws are here and they drink it and now I am stuck making a copious amount of lauki dood. 

We start by peel and grating the gourds. Then cook them down with sugar to taste until the water seperates. In a another pot you boil milk till it reduces just a little. 

The lauki is added to the milk. I also add some custard powder to thicken it.

                  

These are basil seeds also known as tukmaria. They act similar to chia seeds. When added to water they bloat. I found them so cool as a kid. My kids are grossed out by them.

Basil seeds are good to cool down the body (especially useful when you are in a tropical country) They also lower blood sugar level, aid in bowel movement and are loaded with minerals.

They are add to the milk. The milk is then placed in the refrigerator and drunk chilled. No surprise but the kids are not a fan. 

This next one I started to make last year. I was thinking of adding overnight oats to our sehori rotation but when cleaning out the kitchen for our remodel I found a bunch of cracked wheat or bulgur in my pantry. Typically we make a halva out of it. So I experimented a bit. 

You roast the bulgar in some butter then add some water, milk, sweetener (I used condensed milk to give more richness) and let it all cook and thicken.

I divided it into individual portions and refrigerated it. In the morning before eating I add a little milk into it and warm it a little and add some topping (I mixed up some coconut, peanut butter chips, pecans, cinnamon and chia/flax seed powder) 

And lets not forget about the chai. Not chai tea.. because, well, chai means tea and then you're just drinking tea tea. On a daily basis M and I are all about the coffee but in Ramadan we savor the tea. This was my first time trying to make masala chai and the house smelled incredible. There are a few really good and even funny chai related videos on the socials that are my favs and I wanted to share. 

And that is it. I know it seems like everything I made was sweet. Our dinner is savory. We go to the masjid most nights and while dinner is served there M is not a fan, so most days we come home and then have dinner. It's a normal dinner for the most part. Auntie Zarna Eddie Scott (I made this tea) and Kumar Family

If you have any questions about Ramadan or fasting ask away.. I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge. 

                  

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