Getting your kitchen Ramadan ready! {Part 2}

The continuation of the last post about getting your kitchen Ramadan ready… 🙂

 

 

I hope that the first part of this series was quite helpful to all of you. Without too much of brush up, let’s dive into the rest…

 

Canned Food and Cupboard Staples

 

I find canned food extremely helpful especially when it comes to making quick meals during Ramadan. I don’t buy and keep too much of it, since I am not very fond of them, but they make life so much easier when needed… Listing up the staples I stock up during this time…

• Tuna – I buy tuna in brine, since they are less oily and easier to manage. My girls love tuna toasties and at times, I use them to make quick cutlets too. Malu Paan is another snack that can double up as a meal, healthy and delicious…
• Sweet Corn – This is a very versatile ingredient, especially if you want to make some quick salad or even soup, like this super delicious vegan soup or this one with chicken and oats. I love these shallow fried vadas, that are really easy to make for your cup of tea after Iftar.
• Custard and Jelly – This is a given. My girls love to have jelly custard cups at least once every three days. I don’t buy the offer pack for jellies, rather pick loose of what flavors we like, even though I do buy custard, since it gets used up somehow, especially by making the Habbal Hamra. If we have guests, then the broken jelly pudding is a must. 🙂 The jelly mousse pudding is another favorite.
• Condensed milk, evaporated milk, packet cream and whipping cream powder sachets – The reason why I put them together is that they get used in tandem, especially if you like to make desserts during Ramadan. I don’t like eating too much sweet things during the month, but at times I do. Some desserts I absolutely love during the month are the creamy fruit chaat, saffron egg pudding, and the bread kunafa. I also love making single serve puddings like the Kifaya pudding, mango cheesecake shots and baked yogurt. Try making this Creamy Delight for Iftar… All I can say is that it is absolutely delightful. For those who love their karak, evaporated milk is a must, though I always prefer my fresh milk tea. You can also use it in easy dinner dishes like this baked chicken spaghetti. The options and choices are literally endless with these ingredients.
• China Grass and gelatin – There are homes that make desserts using china grass every other day. I make the milk pudding once in a while, since it is a very soothing dessert to the tummy. Though gelatin is not a must, I use them to make the butter souffle or pannacotta as individual desserts as needed.

 

I also make sure I have tomato paste for some quick meal ideas like the bread pizza or even for main meals like Thareed. Instant yeast is also a must in my pantry, of course for making Lqeimats and those baked goodies like the chicken bread and spinach labneh rolls. How could I forget rose syrup? My girls prefer a cup of cold rose milk anytime instead of juice and even this rose milk pudding. Since I have some sago in my pantry, I may as well make this refreshing Sago Rose Milk if time permits, InShaAllah…

 

I prefer using store bought ginger garlic paste instead of making them fresh, just to save some time. But if you have time, then do make them in advance and keep a part of it in the refrigerator, while the remaining is frozen, just to avoid spoilage. Since I do make chaats – like this hatke one with paneer – during the month, I keep a bottle of green chilli sauce and tamarind sauce handy. They are always available on offer during the month. Another thing to look at is your supply of oil. My source is always coconut, olive oil, ghee and butter, but for deep frying, I prefer canola oil and try to keep my frying to the minimal.

 

Spices, Dry Fruits and Nuts

 

A quick run down on your spice cabinet to make sure that you have everything for your day-to-day cooking is essential. I keep my regular spices like coriander, turmeric and chilli powders all readily available, as well whole spices I commonly use like cardamom and black pepper. There is no Ramadan without dates, so I make sure I have enough to cover for the whole month. I also make sure that I have sufficient almonds, cashews and raisins. I have to say that there is nothing as refreshing as a cup of warm badam milk during Iftar time. The dates almond milkshake is the laziest yet filling suhoor drink that you can ever have.

 

You can buy a lot of ingredients, but I believe in keeping just what you will use and not overwhelming yourself in the process. I have experienced a lot of near expiry in the initial years of trying to manage alone, because I thought I would use them, and ended up not doing so. Before you decide to splurge on the sales that you will see in all major supermarkets during this time, make informed and wise decisions, that will ensure that you will end up with just enough that you can use and nothing will end up being binned.

 

I wasn’t even intending to do a part three, but it feels inevitable with the way the list is going. So definitely stay tuned for that post as well… 🙂

 

 

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