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Recipes from the Iftar table
Four residents improvise on their personal favourite recipes that are a hit with family and friends, especially during Ramadan.
- PUBLISHED: Mon 30 Apr 2018, 12:00 AM UPDATED: Mon 30 Apr 2018, 2:00 AM
- By:
- Compiled by Melissa Randhawa
Chicken Shorba
Nihal Noorani shares a filling and nutritious recipe that brings joy to her Iftar table.
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Ingredients
Chicken pieces (with bones) 500 gms
Cinnamon stick 1-inch
Onion (finely diced) ½
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Masala paste*
Tomato puree ½ cup
Curds 1 tbsp
Lemon juice ½ tsp
A few mint leaves
Salt to taste
Butter 1 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Water 8 cups
Oats 4 tbsp
* Masala Paste
Onion ½
Tomato 1
Chopped coriander leaves 3 tbsp
Green chillies 2
Blend these ingredients into a smooth paste
Method
- Heat oil and butter in a pan, add cinnamon stick and onion, fry till translucent.
- Add the chicken pieces, cook for 3 minutes, add ginger, garlic paste, fry for a minute and add red chilli powder.
- Add masala paste, tomato puree, curd, lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add water, mint leaves and salt. Cook the broth till the chicken is done.
- Remove the chicken pieces and shred them. Add the shredded chicken back to the broth along with oats.
- Cook till oats are done and shorba is slightly thick in consistency (like a soup). Serve hot.
Biryani 'bin' meat
In this camping-friendly version of biryani, Mohsin Rawal improvises with soya beans instead of meat.
Ingredients
Basmati rice 2 cups
Soya bean chunks2 cups
Vegetable or sunflower oil ¾ cup
Medium size onions diced 2
Tomatoes finely or square chopped 3
Garlic paste 2 tsp
Ginger paste1 tsp
Tomato puree 3 tsp
Yoghurt 150 gms
Salt as per taste
Biryani masala of any brand2 tbsp
Kabsa masala (This is a smart alternative) 1 pack
Coriander leaves
Fried onion for garnish
Method
- Soak the soya bean chunk in water for about five minutes. You will need two pots.
- Use one pot to boil the Basmati rice with a pinch of salt; till it is half done. Then, drain the excess water out and keep it ready for the next step.
- In the second pot, heat the oil, add the diced onions and fry them until they start becoming soft and a bit brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste, keep stirring till it starts to look like a paste.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and heat; stir them till they disappear into the paste.
- Add the kabsa and the biryani masala at this point, along with the yoghurt.
- Keep the flames at medium and keep stirring.
- At this point, the sauce should appear bit brownish.
- Add tomato puree, this will give a reddish look to the sauce.
- Add the soya bean chunks, stir it well at this point, and lower the flames. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Gently add the boiled Basmati rice on top of this sauce, cover the pot and put something heavy on the lid. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes (and let it simmer on very low flames).
- Uncover the pot. Garnish with chopped coriander and fried dried onions. Dig in.
Beef with barley
Shan Fazelbhoy cooks a nutritious dish of barley with beef, a family favourite during Ramadan.
Ingredients
Hulless barley 1 cup
Boneless beef 400 gms
Oil 2 to 3 tbsp
Bay leaf 1 large
Onion finely chopped 1
Garlic cloves chopped 2
Green chilli chopped 1
Can of tomatoes1
Or fresh tomatoes chopped 2 to 3
Salt 1 tsp
Freshly ground pepper ½ tsp
Paprika ¾ tsp
Chilli powder ½ tsp
Method
- Wash and soak barley overnight. Keep the beef at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat oil in a medium pan, add the bay leaf, then the onions and cook till translucent. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, and then add the green chilli.
- Increase the heat slightly, and then add the beef; brown well on all sides.
- Add the drained barley and stir well, cooking for five to seven minutes.
- Add the spices and stir well - these can be adjusted to suit your taste. Cook for two or three minutes and then add the tomatoes, mix well and cook for five to seven minutes.
- Lower heat to minimum possible, cover pan and cook for approximately one and a half hours, stirring every 20 minutes. After 40 minutes, check if the beef comes apart easily, if not, then wait until it will break up easily with the cooking spoon.
- The final dish will have small pieces of meat and can be served as in a bowl or with bread and an extra garnish of green chillies and coriander or parsley.
Pasta fiesta
Mrs Arif Mehmood cooks a creamy chicken pasta dish with a good dose of vegetables. It serves 10 to 15 people.
Ingredients
Penne Pasta 2 packets
Onions (large) 3
Butter (Amul) 2 tbsp
Olive oil4 to 6 tbsp
Black Pepper 1 tsp
Salt 2 to 3 tbsp
Ginger-Garlic paste 1 tsp
Boneless chicken chopped ½ kg
Tomato paste130 gms
Frozen vegetables 2 ½ cups
Capsicums cut into cubes 2 chopped
Cooking cream 2 litres
Jalapeno 15 slices
Penne
Water
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt 8 to 10 tsp
Boil the penne separately with oil and salt.
Method
- Heat oil and butter in a pan, add onion and saute fry till translucent.
- Add the black pepper, salt and ginger-garlic paste. Stir it well on medium heat.
- Next add the chicken pieces and cook for 10 minutes. Stir it well.
- Add the tomato paste, frozen vegetables and capsicum. Mix everything well and cook for another six to eight minutes.
- Spoon the cooking cream into the dish, and carefully stir it into the pan. At this point, taste for salt and pepper; add more if preferred.
- Next add the cooked penne pasta and carefully mix all the ingredients well. Use a wooden spoon to ensure the boiled penne does not dent when stirring.
- Tip: When you carry the food in your cooking spoon, it should contain all the ingredients in it. The grooves of the penne pasta will hold the cream so that the penne is well flavoured. At this point, it will burst with flavour from the spices and vegetables, and look colourful.
- Remove from heat.
- Serve in a deep bowl with grated cheddar cheese and arrange the jalapeno pepper slices on top of it.