THIS time of year was always filled with food, flavour and freshness. It is the month of Ramadan and for most fasting Muslims, it might be a month with abstinence of food but no other month is more about food than Ramadan.
Growing up in Pakistan meant that I experienced Ramadan (or Ramazan as it is known in Urdu), in its glory. Waking up early before day break to eat "sehri" (morning meal) was rather unpalatable initially, as eating around 4am is not easy. However it amazed me how quickly you awoke with a grumbling tummy after a few days. A whole day of relentless sunshine, work and chaotic driving, was difficult most days, but being without water or food merely made us value it more.
Iftari (meal that breaks the fast at sunset) time couldn’t come soon enough but after a few days of fasting, there was a sense of ease. The craving for food and drink soon faded, and a sense of resolve and peace usually took over. But this isn’t to say that food was not centre stage at the evening dining table.
Breaking a fast usually meant two meals – iftari that would comprise pakoras, samosas, a rose and spiced cool drink called "Rooh Afza", dahi baras (lentil dumplings with spiced yogurt) and my mother’s fruit chaat (spiced fruit salad). All this would make up for a day without food and would be followed by dinner soon after.
The very fact that we had two meals in the evening ensured that our body never really starved. What I remember fondly was the way my mother always took such painstaking time cooking up the iftari meal, each day for 30 days. I never quite understood why we did not just eat dinner together with a few snacks, but instead sat down twice to eat two different styled dishes. When I moved away, and the fasting slowed down due to health issues, every Ramadan I think back to the ritualistic way my mother prepared meals at this time of year and I feel a real sense of nostalgia. I know that ritual would be so hard to recreate now. There was something rather comforting about these dishes. Mainly that was because they weren’t the types of dishes we usually ate. They were mostly street food-style snacks that we were never allowed to eat off the street (due to hygiene reasons). They were also exciting and a real treat. My favourite will always have to be this spicy fruit salad found on the vibrant streets of Pakistan and India. Its unusual mix of cumin, black pepper, black salt, dried mango powder with seasonal fruits and juice makes it a delightful indulgence to be had anytime.
Sumayya’s Fruit Chaat:
Serves 2
1 sliced banana
1 ripe guava, cut into chunks
1 small sweet orange, pitted and sectioned
1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
1 apple, cut into chunks
1/2 cup sliced green grapes, halved
Juice of half a lime
Juice of half an orange
1 1/2 tbsp chaat masala
1 tsp dry roasted cumin
1/2 tsp icing sugar (can omit)
Mint leaves to garnish
Method
Mix all the sliced fruit together and add the juice of the lime and orange.
Sprinkle the chaat masala, dry roasted cumin, and icing sugar and taste to see if the flavours are balanced, the key is to get a balance of sweet, spicy and tangy. Serve cold with a garnish of chopped mint leaves.
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