The Ramadan Cookbook: 80 delicious recipes perfect for Ramadan, Eid and celebrating throughout the year

Product Information

Anisa Karolia is one of the UK’s most popular Muslim food bloggers, who is on a mission to create recipes for Ramadan that are family-friendly, fuss-free and filling. And we love them! Even if you don’t follow the religious festival, which runs from 22 March to 21 April this year, these are utterly delicious dishes that are most definitely worth a cook-up. Anisa says… She initially offered baking classes to children and adults, imparting the basics such as how to pipe a cupcake or make sugar icing flowers, before moving on to savoury dishes. The debut from the Leicester-based recipe blogger and self-taught cook is an attractively photographed collection of 80 recipes to inspire the home cook looking to feed family and friends at suhoor, iftar and Eid. Also known as rose and pistachio tres leches or three-milk cake, this is the perfect dessert to pretty up your table. Trust me, it’s so easy, tastes absolutely heavenly and looks so good. This is an incredibly indulgent, sophisticated and moreish dessert and you just can’t say no to it!

Tip: Save yourself a trip to the butchers and buy your leg of lamb or lamb shoulder ONLINE from here as they deliver home super speedily! Spread the remaining nuts and top with pastry. Repeat the butter-filo-butter steps 5-7 times so that there are 6-8 sheets on top but do not brush the final layer with butter. Over many years, Karolia and her mother, Amina, set about trying to rectify this by putting together handwritten recipe books. Don’t shy away if you’re on your own or it’s just a couple of you in your household this Eid, these make for fantastic lamb sandwiches for lunch the next day. You can also opt to use a smaller piece of lamb shoulder or shank for this.

Tortillas are so easy – it’s just a fold and you have a triangle shape,” she says, recalling unsuccessful early efforts attempting the same with samosa dough as a child. Brush your pan with clarified butter/ghee and lay down your first sheet of filo. Butter this sheet and place another filo on top. Repeat 5-7 times so that there are 6-8 sheets on the bottom level.

What Ramadan means to me: For me, Ramadan is a time to reflect and reset. There is a focus on the tangible aspects of fasting and being more diligent in your prayers, for it’s a time to try and live by the values of your faith under trying conditions, being the best version of yourself (taking time for prayer and meditation, actively being kind to others, not getting angry) all while not having access to food and water. As individuals, we all find different aspects of the month of Ramadan challenging but at the end of the day, when you break your fast with family and friends you have a sense of solidarity and support that makes this month really special.It’s also a great reminder to be grateful for what you have and appreciate the plight of others less fortunate than you – particularly when we live in a society that is all about the next achievement to strive for.

Ingredients

Fancy some crisp and succulent leg of lamb this Eid? This leg of lamb recipe is super easy to put together and you can slow roast it on low heat for 8 hours to ensure that the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. She is emphatic when asked whether Mariam would mind her recipes being published in The Ramadan Cookbook for all the world to use. “There’re a lot of people who don’t want to share recipes. My grandmother wasn’t like that. She really wanted people to learn.” The journey to becoming an online chef, having worked previously at a call centre and as a civil servant, began after the birth of her third child.

A rose and pistachio milk cake combines Persian flavours with the classic Latin American tres leches, or three-milk, dessert while spicy potato and sweetcorn tortilla samosas give a healthier, Mexican twist to the traditional Indian pastries. of soft dates - if you're using hard dates, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes to soften then drain and rinse before adding to the blender For the milk, warm all of the ingredients in a pot on low heat. Poke holes all over the cake and slowly pour the milk mixture all over. Leave some milk mixture for serving. Refrigerate for a few hours or best overnight so the cake soaks up the milk. And to finish, my Rose & pistachio milk cake is the perfect sweet treat, absolutely heavenly, moreish and looks so good. It will definitely pretty-up your table. It’s great for breaking your fast, or for any celebration!” WATERMELONWhat I thought: This is a great recipe to try out if you’re bored of making the same noodle dish again and again. I was a bit doubtful about how much chilli and garlic sauce was advised in the recipe, but honestly, it was so yummy and very spicy! This was such an easy recipe too, perfect to prepare for an iftar when you’re tired and hungry. Line a rectangle Pyrex dish with baking paper and pour the mixture in. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes or till baked through. Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4) and line a 28 x18cm shallow heatproof dish with baking paper. Described as the UK’s most popular Muslim food blogger, her online channels featuring cooking videos and recipes reach 240,000 followers and she won the British Muslim Award for Digital Activity in 2020.

The following recipes are from my new book, The Ramadan Cookbook . They can be used throughout Ramadan –from suhoor to iftar –including the celebration of Eid. The recipes are so versatile, though, that you and your family can enjoy the everyday meals in this book any time of year. Then we would have something like Vegetable karahi , which is a delicious mixture of vegetables in a spicy masala made with warm spices. It’s perfect for a lighter iftar meal.” ACHARI KEEMA Add the dough balls slowly to the milk and simmer for 10 - 12 minutes, turning the rasmalai over in between so they cook evenly

Creative Play

In a pan over low heat, add sugar, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir every so often until the mixture becomes clear. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the orange blossom/rose water. Transfer into another heatproof vessel and leave to cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4) and line a 28 x 18cm shallow heatproof dish with baking paper. She would make lots of delicious food during Ramadan, that’s where my passion for food started,” she says. “She taught me about the different herbs she was growing in the garden, like mint and coriander.”