5 Easy Recipes That’ll Make You the Star of Any Ramadan Dish Party

Those who know me well, know that I am no cook. My mother – the incomparable Amira Abdel Sattar – however, is one hell of a cook. Here are some of my mother’s quickest and most delicious recipes that will make you the star of any Ramadan dish party. Thank you, mama!

Lentil soup (serves up to 6 people)

1. 1 large tomato
2. 1 large carrot
3. 1 large onion
4. 10 cloves of garlic
5. 1 cup of yellow lentil
6. 5 liters of water
7. 1 teaspoon of cumin
8. Large spoon of butter
9. Teaspoon of dried coriander

Slice the carrot, tomato, and onion into medium sized pieces. Boil water in cooking pot. Place sliced vegetables, 4 whole unsliced cloves of garlic, and the yellow lentil, into the boiling water pot. Add the cumin. Cover pot, until the mixture becomes a soft stew. Blend the stew using a hand blender.

Grind 6 cloves of garlic. In a separate pan, melt the large spoon of butter, and place the ground cloves, along with the teaspoon of dried coriander. Steer the coriander and garlic mixture for 5 minutes. Place the mixture into the pot of containing the blended lentil stew, and cover.

Leave on medium stove heat for approximately 10 mins. You can add more hot water to decrease the soup’s thickness. Add salt till you reach the preferable taste.

Beetroot and spinach salad (serves up to 6 people)

1. Small cup of soft groats
2. 2 liters of water
3. 2 large beetroots
4. 1 batch of spinach
5. 3 batches parsley
6. 1 large yellow pepper
7. 1 large red pepper
8. 1 medium sized cup of olive oil
9. 1 medium cup of pomegranate molasses
10. 1 batch of fresh green mints
11. 1 teaspoon of dried green mints

Boil a liter of water in a pot. Place the small cup of soft groats in the boiled water. Microwave the mixture of groats and boiling water on high heat, for two minutes. Check on mixture, if groats have not softened, add another large cup, and microwave mixture for another two minutes. Keep repeating till groats become soft and edible.

Slice all other ingredients into very small slices, and place them together. Add salt and olive oil according to your own preferable taste.

Chicken breasts with white sauce, and mozzarella cheese (serves up to 6 people)

1. 6 large boneless chicken breasts
2. 1 teaspoon black pepper
3. 1 teaspoon onion powder
4. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
5. 1 teaspoon of salt
6. 1 teaspoon of dried basil
7. 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
8. 1 small cup of yogurt
9. 1 small cup of olive oil
10. 1 small pack of cooking cream
11. 1 small bag of mozzarella cheese

Cut each chicken breast vertically (make 2 thin pieces of chicken breast out of each of the large chicken breasts). Place ingredients “1” to “9” in an oven- ready pan, mix them together, and add the 12 thin slices of chicken breasts. Leave the mixture to marinate for 1 hour.

Once mixture is done marinating, place oven on high heat, and place marinated chicken inside the oven for 40 minutes. Take the marinated chicken out of the oven, evenly pour the packet of cooking cream over the marinated chicken, then evenly distribute the mozzarella cheese on top of the marinated chicken. Place in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Goulash pizza (serves up to 6 people)

1. 1 packet of goulash
2. 1/4 kg of pastrami
3. 1 large cup of sliced green olives
4. 1 large red pepper
5. 1 large yellow pepper
6. ¼ kg of Gouda cheese
7. 5 liters of milk
8. 2 large eggs
9. 100 grams of butter
10. Small bowl of ketchup
11. 1 small bag of mozzarella

Melt the butter, and spread melted better evenly on the oven tray that will be used to cook the goulash. Place half the pack of goulash in the oven tray. Cut ingredients “1” to “6” into small slices, and distribute evenly across the goulash. Then place the rest of the goulash in the goulash pack on top of the stuffing.

Cut goulash into serving size pieces. In a separate bowl mix the two eggs with the 0.5 liter of milk, and pour it evenly over the goulash. Place oven on 200 degrees Celsius, then place the goulash.

After 30 minutes, take out the goulash, it will have a rosy – golden color. Use a cooking brush to cover the goulash’s top layer evenly with ketchup, then evenly distribute the mozzarella on the goulash’s top layer. Place again in the oven for 5 minutes.

TIP: When it is done, switch off the oven, cover it with foil paper, and leave it there.

Fruit salad with vanilla ice cream (serves up to 6 people)

1. 2 large bananas
2. 1 large green apple
3. 6 peaches
4. 1 container of pineapple compote
5. 2 large oranges
6. 1 tub of vanilla ice cream

Slice all fruits in a large bowl. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

WE SAID THIS: Happy Ramadan, everyone!