16 Recipes to Break the Fast During Ramadan
Here's inspiration for sharing ifta after sunset.
Ramadan has begun, and the Islamic holy month will last until sundown on April 9 this year. During this time, Muslims around the world will spend the time between sunup and sundown in prayer and fasting, then breaking their fast at iftar meals. This collection of recipes includes iftar food and regional specialties from throughout the Muslim world, such as a hearty lentil soup, a carrot salad featuring dates, a celebration-worthy lamb biryani, and sweet desserts like this showstopping knafeh. Here are our most satisfying recipes to break the fast.
Yogurt Rice
Yogurt rice is a comfort food throughout South Asia. Tempering the toppings in hot oil, a technique known as making a tadka, brings out their flavors and is the perfect counterpoint to the cooling yogurt in this simple, homey dish. Be sure to use plain whole-milk yogurt, not a strained, Greek-style yogurt, for the creamiest porridge-like texture.
Lamb Biryani
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva
This lamb biryani requires several steps, but is well worth the effort. After the biryani bakes, give it pride of place on the table before you break through the flaky browned crust to reveal the rice and lamb inside. The rising steam carries with it the aromas of toasted cardamom, cumin, saffron, and Kashmiri chile powder. It’s a reward for everyone at the table, a celebration in and of itself.
Zeytinyağli Yaprak Sarmasi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)
From the Turkish region of Mugla, these tangy, tender vegetarian rice-and-herb-stuffed grape leaves created by Musa Dagdeviren can be made a day ahead, making them a great appetizer for easy entertaining. The brightness of the brined grape leaves is balanced by the rice filling, which is seasoned with fresh parsley and dill and slightly sweet cooked onions. If making the stuffed grape leaves the day before, refrigerate them overnight and bring them to room temperature before serving.
Tunisian Brik Breakfast Pastry
Brik is a very thin, brittle pastry that shatters with each bite. It's used in Tunisian cooking, and here as the base for a breakfast pastry stuffed with egg, potato, roasted fennel, and creamy, salty feta. Brik is easy to make, but if you prefer, you can swap in two sheets of frozen phyllo dough that have been thawed and brushed with olive oil before layered together (please note that phyllo will brown a little faster than homemade pastry). The green harissa served alongside this breakfast pastry is herby, spicy, and bright; serve any leftover harissa with eggs, grilled meats, or on a sandwich.
Knafeh (Shredded Phyllo-and-Cheese Pie)
Michael Solomonov, chef at Zahav in Philadelphia, and Reem Kassis, author of The Palestinian Table, formed an unlikely friendship around their shared, though much disputed, food heritage. They both love this knafeh, a sweet, cheese-filled dessert, encased in shredded phyllo pastry (kataifi) and soaked in a fragrant syrup laced with rose and orange blossom.
Chicken Yassa with Fonio
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Chicken yassa is a braised chicken dish from West Africa, in particular Senegal and the Ivory Coast. It’s known for the chiles and citrus used to season the chicken as it cooks with the base of caramelized onions. You can cook the chicken yassa up to three days before serving it.
Kibbeh Bil Sanieh
Kibbeh Bil Sanieh is a spiced, bulgur-based vegetarian main course in Lebanon that's also called Pizza Kibbeh for its appearance. Chef Ana Sortun advises on how to knead the bulgur with her recipe.
Yayla Çorbası (Turkish Yogurt Soup) with Velibah
Although most Turks will opt for a pillowy square of pide bread to accompany this soup of yogurt, barley, and dried mint, buttery-crisp velibah stuffed with feta and potato is a go-to for editor Oset Babür-Winter's family, who hails from Ossetia, a state in the South Caucasus.
Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemons and Dates
Dates are eaten throughout Ramadan, and bring notes of sweet chewiness to this side dish. Fresh herbs, two kinds of citrus, and a honey-za'atar vinaigrette lend this charred carrot salad bright flavors.
Royal Falooda
There is no incorrect way to layer falooda, the milky, traditionally rose-flavored dessert beloved in India, Pakistan, and other parts of South Asia. This dessert stars bouncy cubes of rose jelly suspended in rose syrup–sweetened milk over layers of tender corn vermicelli and chewy chia seeds. A crowning scoop of vanilla ice cream adds a creamy finish.
Fattoush
This tart and refreshing Lebanese salad is very versatile; you can make it with lettuce or purslane, and with or without bread. The fresh herbs are important not only to add flavor but also to hold the ground sumac that gives the dish its distinctive taste.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Baklava
Hazelnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and honey make this baklava from Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, stand out; it's rich and sweet enough to satisfy you after a big meal.
Shrimp and Vegetable Tagine with Preserved Lemon
When Mourad Lahlou first came to the U.S. from Morocco to study economics, he taught himself to cook because he was too broke to eat out. He had never heard of famed Mediterranean-food writer Paula Wolfert until she walked into his first Bay Area restaurant, Kasbah, over 10 years ago. "She knew more about my food than I did," says Lahlou. He then began using her 1973 cookbook, Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco, to help him make recipes like this spiced shrimp stew; the dish is on his menu at Aziza in San Francisco.
Turkish Ground Lamb Pizzas
At her takeout shop in Istanbul, Kantin Dükkan, Semsa Denizsel tops her pizzas with ground lamb (flavored with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and a little spicy red pepper), but you can substitute ground beef instead. To make the pizza even more substantial, bake it with an egg on top; the runny yolk is terrific with the whole-wheat crust.
Turkey Kibbe Kebabs with Two Sauces
Paula Wolfert learned this unusual dish from Burhan Cagda, the kebab expert of Gaziantep, Turkey. Bulgur mixed in with the ground meat makes the kebabs light and tender. The two sauces — one tangy, herbal and nutty and the other creamy and garlicky — play off the smoky kebabs and off each other as well.
Slow Cooker Spiced Red Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard
This soup partners fresh turmeric with cinnamon, cumin, and coriander to spice up red lentils and wilted Swiss chard. It's power-packed full of flavor and warmth and also subtly sweet. To serve, add a dollop of yogurt for a bright, creamy, and cooling topping.
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