KOCHI: At her ancestral home in Kasaragod, Munseena Mohammed gets ready for the Maghrib (evening prayer), to break the Ramzan abstinence as the azan echoes from the mosque near her house. While arranging the quintessential Iftar table for her family, the mother of two still remembers her warm childhood. Her mother’s sweet and savoury Cherupayar Phirni lingers in her mouth even now.
“The green gram soaked and cooked in coconut milk sprinkled with jaggery syrup was a signature Iftar snack of Umma. The aroma fills the house and I, along with my five siblings, would wait impatiently for her to serve the phirni. She left this world six years ago, but still that is what I remember during every Iftar,” she says.
Like Munseena, devotees across the state and beyond are observing Ramzan this month. With daytime spent in scorching heat, the evenings are filled with fun and people unite over food. From lip-smacking kaipola, unnakaya, muttapetti to Arabic varieties like haleem, umm Ali, baklawa, etc, an Iftar table is rich with snacks. Not just Muslims, people of all religions are seen heading to stalls near mosques to indulge in the tasty affairs. TNIE takes a look at the Iftar scene across the state and shares some special recipes by experts.
Following the tradition, Munzeen spreads the traditional delicacies and displays her unique table on her Instagram account, ‘moms_gift’. “Since the past two years, the Arabic influence is more visible during Iftar. Haleem, a savoury, meaty porridge that originated in Iran, which is part of the food habits of many in Asia in many varieties (Hyderabadi Haleem in India), has more takers now. However, to break the fast, it’s safer to consume juice, fruits or something non-oily. That said, the hot kozhi kanji aka nomb kanji in Kasaragod is more like a soup and a perfect option for breaking the fast,” she adds.
Kochi-based home baker, Sunayna Abid confirms that the latest Iftar trend in Kochi is more of Indo-Arabic cuisines. “From crispy samosas, and semiya payasam to the sweet delights like Umm Ali are making waves. I get orders from non-Muslims, too, who love to explore festive delicacies. Turkish Baklava, Egyptian Basbousa, and Hyderabadi Lukhmi are among the popular sweet delicacies in demand,” she says. When it comes to Thiruvananthapuram, food vlogger Al Niyadh says the city is still bewitched by the taste of Malabar snacks.
Samosa, kinnathappam, chatti pathiri, beef to mutta petti, unnakkaya, and egg baji are some of his favourite, affordable Iftar snacks. “Kinnathappam is always in high demand in the capital. In the past, our Ifthar only had onion vada, uzhunnu vada and dates, apart from fruits. But even when the costly Arabian snacks are making rounds, most people prefer to savour the Malabar ones over a cup of juice or black tea,” he says.
Thiruvananthapuram-based home chef, Sheeba La Fleur, is known for her iftar kit filled with cheesy samosa, chicken momos, puddings, kanji and several main dishes.
“Now Iftar snacks are savoured by people of all religions. I started preparing Iftar kits when my healthy snacks became a hit within the family, especially smashed grilled bananas with scrambled egg and sugar in ghee. When breaking the fast, it is good to consume something that can help you regain body energy. So I started preparing cheesy sandwiches and chicken momos — they are mildly spicy and good for all age groups.”
The ritual
Sheeba La Fleur explains the ritual of fasting. “According to the Quran, the Ramzan fasting is observed to understand the meaning of poverty and the plight of the poor. The idea is to help and share food with the poor. By taking a whole day of fasting, everyone will understand the feeling of hunger and they will respect food. Ramzan is a time to share and care and of self-realisation”.
UMM ALI
Sunayna Abid home baker
Ingredients
Method
Break the baked puff pastry into small pieces and put them on an 8-inch square pan, then add nuts, raisins and dedicated coconut, and set it aside. Take a saucepan and cook milk, condensed milk, and cream on low flame. Stir it continuously. Bring it to a gentle boil, then add vanilla essence. Pour the mixture over the croissant, soak well and let it rest for 5 min. Beat the whipped cream until thick and spread evenly to the top. Sprinkle some nuts and bake at 200° in a preheated oven for 10-15 min until we get a glazy golden brown top.
Semiya Custard payasam
Munseena Mohammed, food vlogger and home chef
Ingredients:
Method
Put 1 tbsp ghee in a hot pan. Add semiya and roast it. Add 3 cup milk and milkmaid into another pan and mix well. Add the roasted semiya into boiling milk and stir. In a small bowl, add 1 tbsp of custard powder into 1/4 cup milk and add this mix to semiya and stir continuously. When the preferable consistency is achieved, turn off the heat. After semiya cools down, add fruits and mix well.
Kozhi Kanji
Ingredients
Method
Add rice, chicken, pepper powder, coconut second milk, tomato, onions, and salt to a cooker and let it cook. Smash it well using a spoon and add the first milk as needed and mix well. Turn off the gas when it boils. Serve it hot.
DATES MAAMOUL
Sunayna Abid home baker
Ingredients
Method
Cook dates with cinnamon, cardamom and butter on medium heat for 3 minutes. Shape the mix into a small ball. Set aside. Mix flour, semolina, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add ghee and mix until we get a crumpled texture. Gradually pour milk for a smooth dough. Divide i into equal-sized balls. Press the centre of each ball, add the filling and cover it. Roll the filled dough into small balls. Arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake at 180° for 20-30 minutes until we get a very light brown colour.