Yesterday, I did the post for Suhoor ideas, Alhamdulillah, so today I am going to have a look at the Iftar and after-Iftar meals. Iftar happens at the sunset, Maghrib time and just like Suhoor, is anotherĀ important meal of a fasting day. The Prophet (PBUH) is said to have hastened to open his fast as soon as the call for Maghrib prayer would ring.
Sahl ibn Sa`d (Allah be well-pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, āPeople will continue to be in a good condition as long as they hasten to break the fast.ā [Bukhari, Muslim]
The sunnah of breaking the fast is with an odd number of dates, usually one or three. If not available, then it is to be done with dry dates or water.
At home, we like to keep our meals simple during Iftar. The men feel that they won’t be able to get through the prayers, especially Tharaweeh, if they have heavy meals. That thought is such a relief for me, Alhamdulillah. I have seen many women make very lavish meals for Iftar, thereby dedicating the time meant for increasing their prayers and Quran recitation, towards making food. True, feeding fasting people does come with its rewards, but if it causes you to waste your time, cook excess and maybe lead to food wastage, then the whole purpose is defeated. May Allah make it easy for us to keep within our limits and avoid excesses… Aameen…
We always have dates and water immediately after the azaan goes on. I always have a juice and a thick warm drink for everybody, though it is not something that HD and the kids enjoy. Liquids will help them to recuperate and feel energetic instantly so normally I make and serve them in small glasses. We also have generous quantities of fruits, as it gives instant energy and keeps the tummy light as well. Sometimes we make fruit chaat, and most of the time, the watermelon becomes mashed up.
Some of the drinks that we usually have are listed below:
- Watermelon Milkshake
- Rose Milk with Basil Seeds
- Dates Lassi
- Apple Banana Flax Smoothie
- Qamardeen
- Fruit Custard Drink
- Pomegranate Juice
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Pineapple Orange Juice
- Fig Date Smoothie
- Mango JuiceĀ – the most sorted after drink! š
These are just some in the blog. If you would like to have more options, then do check out the “Cold Drinks” tab! š
As for the warm drink we have once all our fruits are done, and mostly after our Maghrib prayer, we normally make the below options:
Half an hour before going for Tharaweeh, we settle down to a strong cup of tea and anything that our hands go on at home. Most probably it’s biscuits or leftover loaf cake baked for suhoor. But at times, the folks do crave for something fried. The frequency is usually once every three days, which according to me is good enough. š Some of the easy ones I resort to during the weekdays are shared below:
- Pazhampori – my kids love this to the core so it gets repeated mostly! š
- Ulli Pakvada
- Parippu Vada
- Eylanchi
- Eathapazham Porichathu – Dates Fritters
- Pinjiyappam – Banana Fritters
- Egg Pakoda
- Chicken and Cheese Pockets
- Pizza Rolls
- Erachi Pola
- Chicken Olive Bread Cups
- Sweet Corn Vadas
- Mixed Vegetable Pakodas
The kids are forgiving during the weekdays but during the weekends, they do expect me to put in a little more effort. š Like I said, even if I don’t make anything, they are OK with it, but sometimes the guilt does come by that I am not making anything for them. Since I am able to spread time for my process, I go for a little more complex recipes like the below:
- Athishaya Pathiri – a deep favorite especially for Rasha
- Chicken Cutlets
- Kozhi Ada
- Kozhi Masala Vada
- Kannur style Chicken Rolls
- Chemmeen Kinnapathiri
- Mini Sausage Rolls
- Chicken Croquettes
- Chicken Samosas
If you browse through the blog, there are many more options Alhamdulillah, but at the moment, I am just sharing what are our normal favorites for a quick reference. š
We normally have dinner after Tharaweeh. Many houses in Malabar region have their dinner before Tharaweeh, and then eat another heavy meal of rice, curry and fish either late into the night or during the Suhoor time. We stopped that practise in our house long back, but not without taking time to convince umma that we didn’t want a full meal that would make us feel drowsy during school hours. š Since Tharaweeh gets over around 10 pm, HD and B also prefer eating dinner at that time. Here are some meals that I usually resort to in such cases:
- Aleesa – either I make it plain to pair with Varutharacha Chickken Curry, or make it with masala, or else make it Emirati style. Either way, this is a totally filling meal in itself.
- Puttu with Kadala Curry or Cherupayar Curry
- IdliĀ or Dosa (I use the same batter to make dosa, just add water to bring it to the required consistency) with Vengaaya Sambar and Chutney
- Poori Bhaji
- Chapathi with Chicken Roast/ Malai Chicken/ Chicken Tikka Masala
- Mutton is very rarely made but if we crave for it, then it ends up becoming Mutton Thengapaal Curry or Varutharacha Mutton Curry
- Whole Chicken Roast with Hummus and store bought khuboos
- If the folks crave for rice, then I make Moru CurryĀ or Rasam, Beans Upperi/ Carrot Upperi/ Cabbage Upperi and Fish Fry
- Asking for biriyani is very rare during Ramadan, but if yes, then I normally resort to this Chicken Pulao Biriyani or this utterly delicious Chettinad Style Pressure Cooker Biriyani
- Some days all we need is a glass or two of thick Jeeraka Kanji!
As you can see, I always tend to cook up that takes minimum time for me in the kitchen! We normally don’t make soups, but if you belong to a family who wants them, you can check out the soups on the blog for some ideas.
There are so many ideas on the blog, which InShaAllah, you can check through and utilize. Hope the above post will serve as a guideline for your meal planning and optimum utilization of your valuable time, to commit more towards Ibaadah, InShaAllah… May Allah make it easy for us to earn His maximum mercy and blessings during the upcoming month… Aameen… š
Well explained about the festival ritual both in today’s and yesterdays post. great collection of dishes with perfect planning…
Thank you so much Jeena…
I prefer simple iftar as well. I hate hearing about people making so many dishes for iftar and get this throws it all out because one family member wants to eat out!!
Thank you so much Nammi…
Lovely and delicious dishes.Enjoy and have fun
Thanks a lot Shobana…
Well written and gives good insight for others who don’t know deep about your festival and fasting methods. Glad to know Sweets.
Thank you so much Tum…
I stick to just two items with something to drink for ifthar. F is not fond of hot drinks so I havent made them ???? We then have usual dinner but very late. Some days skipped. Then suhoor is mostly tea and some dates etc. I hate the concept of spreading the entire table with all sorts of dish!
Even HD was never fond of hot drinks, but I am seeing him drinking what I am making this time, so maybe there is a change. I have still not got to frying except on one day, since we are eating enough when we have outside iftars, hehe… Even I am not keen on having too much for Iftar… Thanks dear Fami… š