With a few weeks to the onset of Ramadan, people start looking for inspiration for their Iftars and want meal ideas their families can enjoy and bond over. Ramadan is observed across the globe and many flavours can be borrowed from different food cultures. This inspired us to reach out to some food bloggers and chefs to bring the global flavours of Ramadan together through their stories and dishes which are their family’s favourite, all created with ingredients bought under one roof at Asda.
Read on to discover five unique styles of cooking for Ramadan, ensuring no two iftars are the same. Most of us like to explore new flavours and experiment in our kitchens. If these stories inspire you to try something new, make sure you share your images at #ASDACelebratesRamadan.
A World of Inspiration
Speaking of inspiration, writer and recipe developer Hungry Hijabi’s family favourite is Chicken & Red Pepper Fried Udon Noodles, which she chanced upon on a day trip with her family to the London Eye. Her kids loved it so much that it became their family favourite. They love to enjoy it with boneless cubed chicken with a sweet roasted squash or with red peppers. She suggests garnishing with coriander or spring onions with extra chillies if your family likes spicy food. Initially, she found it difficult to find the right Udon noodles to cook at home but found them at her local Asda.
Hungry Hijabi is a Bengali, kiddie food and British Asian blogger. She grew up watching television cookery programmes where she would experiment with recipes for her husband and now for her kids.
Find her recipe here: @hungryhijabi
Fusion of Global Flavours
Radhika’s Ramadan favourites include dishes like Harissa infused pilau, yoghurt with smoked aubergine with a sprinkle of sumac, or a take on the humble samosa – tuna and corn samosas.
One recipe which infuses the flavours from around the world and is an absolute family favourite in Radhika’s household is Kashmiri kofte curry served with saffron infused couscous.This meal is an explosion of flavours from the Middle east, a little bit of Spain and a hint of Kashmir! Lamb mince is infused with herbs and spices and made into koftas by baking them and then letting them soak in a rich tomato and yoghurt-based sauce. It’s served with couscous infused with delicate flavours of saffron. With friends and family from different cultures and settled across the World, this recipe is cooked by Radhika at least a couple of times every year during Ramadan and the compliments come in the form of polished off bowls.
For this recipe and more fusion of flavours please visit @radikalkitche
RadikalKitchen by Radhika Howarth is the epitome of global flavours. There are new ideas simmering in her kitchen all the time as she tries new flavours or experiments with unique ones.
The Oriental Touch
From the Middle East to the far East, the oriental flavours of South East Asia kick in to make your iftars even more special. But the far East is not just one cuisine, it’s a spectrum of delightful flavours that when infused, create a delectable treat for the entire family.
Infusing authentic Malaysian flavours into Ramadan Iftars is Masterchef UK 2018 contestant Zaleha Olpin. She calls this family favourite, Squid Sambal. She explains that “just how the Chinese love their soy sauce, Malaysians cherish their sambal! There are many ways to make sambal, including basic Sambal, soy sambal, sweet and sour sambal and many more recipes!” Sambal is a homemade cooking sauce which combines garlic, tamarind, shallots and spices.
A couple of tips before you get cooking - all ingredients are available at your local Asda and buy your prepared squid, so it is less tricky to cook.
Raised in Malaysia, Zaleha discovered her passion for cooking after moving to Australia. With her unique cooking style, she joined Masterchef UK 2018 where Zaleha believes she found her true profession.
Find her squid sambal recipe @zaleha.olpin
Bangla Food with a Twist
Inspiration for Ramadan recipes can come from around the world and it’s not just the traditional dishes like chai and samosas or biryanis that adorn the iftar table. There are many ways in which you can bring traditional flavours in a new avatar, giving the flavours a fresh and unique twist. Dina’s recipes like Batera Bhuna, Jhalmuri and Chanar Kofta are certainly worth looking at. Dina’s cooking ranges from simplistic snacks to slow cooked meat recipes with plenty of inspiration for Ramadan.
For British food writer, Dina Begum, experimenting with Eastern and Western flavours defines her unique style of cooking.
Her Chai Malai cakeinfuses the flavours of her favourite drink Chai and Ras Malai in a bite sized cake-based delight that is a must try for your family. You can get all the ingredients for this recipe and more at Asda.
Dina Begum, a cookbook author, shares her recipes @dinasfoodstory
If you are inspired by the recipe ideas above, do visit your nearest Asda or go online to https://groceries.asda.com/ for all the ingredients.