Ramadan is the month of fasting. The month in which Muslims refrain from eating and drinking throughout the day. For a month dedicated to focusing less on food, it’s quite ironic to see most of the Ramadan preparations centered around food preps.
Recently someone mentioned to me that they saw a post on social media, from an individual posting that they are finally done with all the food preps. The person telling me the story was quite annoyed at that post, saying that “Ramadan is not about food. In fact, it’s quite the opposite”.
So, to that person and any others who may be wondering, let me clarify.
Ramadan isn’t about food, so why is there so much emphasis put on food prep before Ramadan.
It is true that Ramadan is not about food. However, whether we like it or not, food is at the center of our existence. Even in Ramadan, you must have suhoor and Iftar. While you shouldn’t over indulge on food during these times, depending on the size of your family and the ages of the kids, cooking and meal preparations can take up a lot of precious time. Time that would, otherwise, be spent on Ibadah. Therefore, having prepped early, prior to the start of the month of Ramadan, will give you the luxury to spend little time in the kitchen and more time maximizing the benefits of the holy month.
What can do you to lessen kitchen time during the month of Ramadan?
- Make and freeze ready to eat meals in the weeks leading up to the month of Ramadan
- keep it simple (everything from tablescape to the actual menu should be simple so that it’s easier to manage with little effort)
- Use eco-friendly disposable products to make cleanup faster and easier
- Have a menu set for the entire month (on there be sure to indicate what you will be making fresh and what you have stored in the freezer already)
- Stock up on non perishable groceries that can be stored in the pantry, frozen or stored in the refrigerator for the entire month. (I will be storing ready-paratha, meats that I still need to cook and some yogurt for the kids lunches)
- Have a weekly grocery list ready to go. Have it dated and put it on the fridge or your command center to make shopping during the week less time consuming. (Fruit chat is a staple in our home and for that I need fresh fruits on a weekly basis along with milk and eggs for the younger ones)
Suggestions for Items to freeze for Ramadan
- Roti/ paratha/ puri (handmade or store bought readymade)
- Meat dishes* (such as korma, Haleem, Qeema)
- Cut fruits for smoothies
- Soups and Daals
- Kabobs (Shami Kabob, Chapli Kabob, and Seekh kabob)
- Samosa (wrapped but not fried)
- Chicken Spring roll (rolled but fried)
- Stuffed puff pastry
*In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, double your regular batch of cooking and store it away in the freezer to be used as Suhoor or Iftar.
What I currently have stored in my freezer
This year I have my hands full with the little ones so I only made chicken & cheese puff pastry, qeema, breaded chicken breast fillets, and I also catered frozen samosas, chicken tikka and shami kabobs to stock my freezer. I also stocked in the freezer enough store bought Malaysian Paratha, Homestyle paratha and Naan to last the entire month. Also in my freezer I have uncooked meat that I plan to cook in double batches in the first half of the month.
I would love to know what you guys do for Ramadan food prep in your home. Share with me in the comment section below.
