Ramadan Mubarak! (MC - Muslim content)

[Kate in Arabia]

Salaam and Ramadan Mubarak!

 

How are the Muslim posters here coping with a summer Ramadan?  Temps here are averaging 110F, we stop eating/drinking at about 4am and start again at about 7.15pm.  It's a long, hot day. 

 

What's everyone having for meals?  I'm always looking for new ideas....:)

 

[EmmaNZ]

Salaams Kate. Ramadan Mubarak!

 

I just did my first fast today. We start at 3.30am and finish at 9.40pm here. Slightly longer but not as hot. Today was fine alhamdullilah. My 10 year old is trying to fast the whole month this year, so I'm making lots of dua he can do it.

 

Not coming from a family with Ramadan traditions, I just cook normal food for Iftar. Today we had lasagne because that's what hubby wanted. Yesterday we had biryani. There is no table sagging under the weight of all the food in our house. Suhoor for us is dates, water, cereal if somebody wants it and often leftovers for my husband. Tomorrow we have some sausages inshAllah which the kids are excited about!

 

I pray Allah accepts it from you and from us and increases us all in iman.

[Kate in Arabia]

I never really fooled much with suhoor until my boys got old enough to fast -- poor dh was largely on his own until then, lol.  But now I make some things in bulk they can get out for themselves.  I usually make a big pot of qeema, they have it with paratha, and I keep a box of pattice (like potato pancakes stuffed with meat) in the freezer they can quickly fry in the morning... spiced chickpeas...I didn't grow up Muslim, but I've adopted some of dh's cultural dishes :)

 

Iftar we've really tried to keep just like a normal dinner, with the addition of dates and laban at maghrib.  With the heat I've found laban to be really refreshing -- honestly more than water. 

 

I'm happy to not have Ramadan during the school year, but not particularly enjoying the summer heat -- I guess I can't have it both ways!

 

 

[unsinkable]

(((Hugs)))

 

Your fasts are serious!

 

I hope you have a blessed month.

[Petrichor]

Walaikumassalam!

 

Our fast is 4am-9pm aand hot and humid. Past couple of days were killing me but its cooler now alhamdulillah.

 

We dont do much in terms of food. We eat lots of fruits, including dates. We had biryani yesterday too but we will no doubt do salen some days, and mix it up with other things like lasagna, pizza, pasta, and chicken dishes. Honestly, we'll probably have a couple of days where we only eat fruit or cereal and totally neglect to cook anything because that's just how we are.

 

And to spice things up this year, I am going to have to get some wisdom teeth pulled this Ramadan. :( They JUST started giving me trouble at the beginning of Ramadan *sigh*

[Kate in Arabia]

And to spice things up this year, I am going to have to get some wisdom teeth pulled this Ramadan. :( They JUST started giving me trouble at the beginning of Ramadan *sigh*

 

Oh no!  How are you handling pain relief for that?  Ds is having some dental work done, I've tried to schedule it as close to the iftar time as possible, but even then the next day I hope he won't have any residual pain to deal with.. the orthodontist didn't seem to think it would be an issue...

[idnib]

I'm not fasting for medical reasons. DH has been doing well. DD has taken it upon herself to "fast" until noon everyday.

 

The temps here have been in the 70s during the day and the upper 50s at night so it's been easy in that sense, but the days are long. Iftar is not until after 8:30 right now, after about 16 hours of fasting.

[TheBugs]

Salam aleikum, Ramadan Mubarak :)

 

Our fast is from 5am to 8:30, so not too bad for the height of summer, but it is very hot and humid. Temps averaging around 97-100.

 

The kids are attempting partial fasting. They fasted to 3PM and then resumed until iftar. We don't have Ramadan traditions in our family, but iftar does include dates. My husband is making buttermilk fried chicken tonight and salad.

[Amy in TX]

Wa alaikum as salaam and Ramadan mubarak! 

 

I'm in Houston and the fast is from about 5am till about 8:30pm.  That's the longest fast I've experienced so far (I converted 20 years ago when Ramadan fell in the early spring), so it's a long day, but not too terrible.   

 

For suhoor, we all like something different--veggie omelet for me, cereal and/or dinner leftovers for dh, and the kids favor some combination of eggs, turkey bacon, and cereal.  For iftaar I just cook dinner as usual, which could be Pakistani or almost anything else, but it always starts with dates, fruit chaat, and chole because my Pakistani dh loves them;  they are traditional for him.  Last night we had pasta;  tonight will be chicken shawarma wraps.  I also like to do a lot of soups in Ramadan b/c they're so nourishing and hydrating.  My biggest problem, especially now that all the kids are fasting, is cooking just the right amount that we don't have leftovers, since nobody can finish it up for lunch the next day, lol. 

[Kate in Arabia]

Is anyone else here going through AQ again for ramadan? I do nerdily love basically having reading assignments haha. I had been using a new quran, but for this month I am going through my first quran and enjoying all the notes I made and looking up all the cross-refernces with sundy tasfirs.

 

I still have my first Qur'an as well!  It also has notes and marks all in it, but after all these years it's starting to fall apart! :(  I need to figure out if I can get it rebound, or should I do something else to preserve it.  I'm so sentimental, I don't think I can just get rid of it...

 

 

Oh, we are all eating a date before Magrhib, in solidarity :) we don't decorate or have any other traditions until the last ten days.

 

 

I don't really do decorations either.  I have some small lamps we decorated with glass paint one year, but I actually haven't even taken them out this year!  I did make Ramadan calendars for the kids, that's about all I could manage this year. :(  But living here, there are a lot of decorations out along the streets and a general "festive atmosphere" that's nice..

[shukriyya]

Ramadan Mubarak to all of you!

[Rosie_0801]

Ramadan Mubarak

  :cheers2:  <--- after dark apple juice

[trulycrabby]

Ramadan Mubarak! :)

[Kate in Arabia]

Ramadan Mubarak

 

:cheers2: <--- after dark apple juice

Could be root beer, Rosie! :)

[Amira]

Ramadan Kareem! I love reading about what you all are doing since, yet again, I'm not in a Muslim country for Ramadan. Maybe in a few years.

 

Edited to add that we just found out that we're moving to Saudi Arabia in two years.  We'll just miss Ramadan in 2016, but we'll be there for it in 2017 and 2018. :)

[umsami]

Assalamu Alaikum and Ramadan Mubarak.

Well, here in FL, Fajr is around 5:30 or so….and Maghrib is around 8:30 p.m.   It's a long day.  It was already 85 degrees when I took the kids to camp today at 8 in the a.m.  It's been in the high 90s.  Right now, i'm ready to move to Australia…and I'm secretly envying the Baha'is who always fast the same days in March.  Brilliant! ;)

 

Watermelon is super popular….both at suhoor and iftar.

 

My kids love the Egyptian dish of fuul (lava beans), but it just seems too hot for that.  Still, I'll make it this weekend for them.

 

Our community has a community iftar every night which is really nice.  Usually it's pot luck, but families will sponsor the food usually on the weekends.  For some reason, I live in a sushi loving Muslim group (first time that's happened), so twice or three times there will be this giant sushi spread.  I'm not a fan, but they also provide pizza. :)

 

I woke up to cook suhoor for the family on Sunday and it was that time of the month.  I'm glad I'm getting it over with in the beginning, but I'm worried about Eid.  I know some Muslim mamas regulate things with bc pills, but I have a clotting disorder, so that's out.  Was proud of my 10 and 8 year old, who fasted all day Sunday.  DD fasted from 9:30 a.m. until maghrib, which surprised me.

 

ALl of the my books are packed for moving, but I'm trying to read a bit online.  Are you guys familiar with Rabata (rabata.org) or Anse Tamara Gray? 

[idnib]

Pass me a Martinelli's sparkling apple juice, please.  :drool:

[TheBugs]

 

Our community has a community iftar every night which is really nice.  Usually it's pot luck, but families will sponsor the food usually on the weekends.  For some reason, I live in a sushi loving Muslim group (first time that's happened), so twice or three times there will be this giant sushi spread.  I'm not a fan, but they also provide pizza. :)

 

 

 

UmSami,

 

Where in Florida is this sushi loving Muslim group? I and my children love sushi! (I just moved to a new part of Florida.)

[Kate in Arabia]

My kids love the Egyptian dish of fuul (lava beans), but it just seems too hot for that.  Still, I'll make it this weekend for them.

 

 

I'm collecting recipes for fuul -- how do you make it?  We used to get it in Saudi for breakfast, it was really good.  I have some cans of fava beans but not sure how to go about it... we used to get it from those little shops where they have those huge, narrow-necked pots of fuul, it's more "pasty" than "beany," if you kwim, lol. 

 

A blog post (not mine) about it here:

 

These past couple of mornings Ive been having a peanut-butter-and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread.  I haven't felt hungry during the day at all, just thirsty at times.

 

[Um_2_4]

Salam Ladies (LOL I think it is all ladies amongst us right?)

 

I missed this thread somehow...

 

It is hot here (not 100 yet, but close). We are fasting from 4am-8pm. This is DS10's 4th year and DD8's 2nd year, m'shallah, they are doing fine. They have gotten quite good at waking up at 3am for suhr and falling back to sleep after the Fajr. (me too)

 

Just for family I keep it simple for meals because I do not want lots of left overs. And I try to cater to whatever the kiddos fasting want. I am making a lot of stews for DH because that is what he prefers (bisellah, bamia, mulkhiyya), but he cut out grains so no bread or rice, just salad to go with it.

 

I am pushing protein at breakfast to last longer: fried egg sandwich, grilled cheese, PB, etc. that and lots of water.

 

We have friends and family in Denmark fasting 20+ hours!!

 

Not sure if we are going to host any big Ramadan dinners, we usually do, but it is soo hot to bake or roast in the oven and Dh is really busy at work, so we'll see.

 

@Kate, I make Foul using a mix of fava and hummus beans. I am not fond of the thick foul though, I prefer the other version. After boiling the beans, I mash them slightly add spices (cumin, 7 spice) and then crushed garlic and lemon juice. But since DH cut out the bread I haven't made it this year. The hummus really makes it a nice mix.

[Amira]

I thought that if you lived in a high latitude (like Denmark) that you could use the prayer times at 45 degrees latitude. Is that not that case?

[Um_2_4]

I thought that if you lived in a high latitude (like Denmark) that you could use the prayer times at 45 degrees latitude. Is that not that case?

 

No that is not correct. Some groups there have tried to spread this on the internet and there, but no well known scholars have confirmed this. In fact a Sheykh we know who lives there has written a book showing the proofs that this is not allowed. It is an issue there amongst some of the younger generation.

[Amira]

No that is not correct. Some groups there have tried to spread this on the internet and there, but no well known scholars have confirmed this. In fact a Sheykh we know who lives there has written a book showing the proofs that this is not allowed. It is an issue there amongst some of the younger generation.

Thank you, I'd heard that in my Arabic classes (back in the pre-Internet dark ages) and just assumed it was true all these years.

 

Edited to add: So what do you do if you're very far north and the sun doesn't set during Ramadan? How are prayer times scheduled when the sun is nearly always up or almost never up?

[Um_2_4]

Thank you, I'd heard that in my Arabic classes (back in the pre-Internet dark ages) and just assumed it was true all these years.

 

I am thinking that perhaps what the teacher might have been trying to explain is a judgement regarding those places where the sun does not rise or set for long periods of time... There is a different judgement for that. But it is for those places in the world where there really is NO sunset or sunrise for an extended period of time. not for places with just really short nights/long days, kwim?

[Amira]

I am thinking that perhaps what the teacher might have been trying to explain is a judgement regarding those places where the sun does not rise or set for long periods of time... There is a different judgement for that. But it is for those places in the world where there really is NO sunset or sunrise for an extended period of time. not for places with just really short nights/long days, kwim?

Thanks, you answered the question I added later too. :)

[Kate in Arabia]

Edited to add: So what do you do if you're very far north and the sun doesn't set during Ramadan? How are prayer times scheduled when the sun is nearly always up or almost never up?

 

For places where there literally is no sunrise or no sunset at a given time, I read an opinion that offered two options -- a) follow the timings in Makkah or b ) follow the timings in the city closest to you that does have sunrise/sunset.  Emphasis was placed on coming to a community consensus -- not generally an easy task! lol

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie if you knew anything about muslims at all you'd know we toast with a san pellegrino soda :)

 

(Just teasing)

 

Serious sociological investigation (asking on FB :p ) reveals that one of my Muslim chick friends doesn't know what San Pellegrino is and had to Google it. 

 

:laugh:

 

 

Edit: They both had to google! I guess this is not what Aussie Muslims do, lol.

[umsami]

UmSami,

 

Where in Florida is this sushi loving Muslim group? I and my children love sushi! (I just moved to a new part of Florida.)

 

SWFL near Naples/Ft. Myers. :)

 

 

I'm collecting recipes for fuul -- how do you make it?  We used to get it in Saudi for breakfast, it was really good.  I have some cans of fava beans but not sure how to go about it... we used to get it from those little shops where they have those huge, narrow-necked pots of fuul, it's more "pasty" than "beany," if you kwim, lol. 

 

A blog post (not mine) about it here:

 

These past couple of mornings Ive been having a peanut-butter-and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread.  I haven't felt hungry during the day at all, just thirsty at times.

 

 

 

I've made the actual beans from scratch using a pressure cooker, but I recommend using canned. :)

 

I make two versions…one with tomatoes, one without.  (Just ignore the tomato bit if doing the without.)

 

My method is saute an onion in olive oil (be generous) until soft and slightly golden, and then add in one chopped tomato.  I usually deseed it as too much juice makes things too liquify, but it's up to you.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on top, and  let the onion and tomato mixture cook for 3-4 minutes.  Then add in 2-3 cloves of garlic minced finely.  Cook for a minute or so, and then add in your canned fuul.  Let it cook/heat for a few minutes, and then mash about 1/2 of the beans with a fork.  Add in a generous blob of tahini (be sure to mix your tahini first)…. some cumin…. salt and pepper to taste….and usually I finish with another glug of olive oil.  Sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley, if you have some.   Serve with pita bread, hard boiled eggs, green onions, cucumber/tomato salad, etc.  You can also add some lemon juice to the fuul while cooking or just use some in your salad.  

 

If you don't like tahini, then you can omit it.  In that case, I'd probably add a little more olive oil and be more generous with the lemon.

[TheBugs]

SWFL near Naples/Ft. Myers. :)

 

 

 

 

I had a feeling you were in SWFL when you mentioned that your fasts begin at 5:30. I am in Bradenton/Sarasota :)  I visited Naples and Ft. Myers last year. It is so pretty there, I especially liked Sanibel Island.

[Callie]

I'm collecting recipes for fuul -- how do you make it?  We used to get it in Saudi for breakfast, it was really good.  I have some cans of fava beans but not sure how to go about it... we used to get it from those little shops where they have those huge, narrow-necked pots of fuul, it's more "pasty" than "beany," if you kwim, lol. 

 

A blog post (not mine) about it here:

 

These past couple of mornings Ive been having a peanut-butter-and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread.  I haven't felt hungry during the day at all, just thirsty at times.

 

Thank you for posting this I find her blog fascinating.  If you have any other blogs like this please post links.  I lived in Morocco as a child and still dream of going back to visit as an adult.  I am still drawn to the culture.  I can seriously 'smell' the picture.  I love any Moroccan spicy scents.

[Petrichor]

Oh no! How are you handling pain relief for that? Ds is having some dental work done, I've tried to schedule it as close to the iftar time as possible, but even then the next day I hope he won't have any residual pain to deal with.. the orthodontist didn't seem to think it would be an issue...

I've been able to manage so far by taking whatever pain killers I need after iftar/before suhoor. My dentist said I could double the dosage and that's been working for me. I haven't gotten the teeth out yet but once I do I'm planning to fast unless it's too painful.

[umsami]

RE: the changing the fasting times because of the length of the days.  I found this, which I thought was well-written/referenced.

 

http://unity1.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/fatwa-on-fasting-in-ramadan-during-the-uk-summer/

 

"5. To reduce the fasting length, note that some of the Sahaba (Prophet’s Companions), including Hudhayfa bin al-Yaman, and Successors ate until sunrise or just before. Tabari and Ibn Kathir mention numerous narrations proving this under Qur’an 2:187, although both of them reject the practice based on a literalist reading of the verse (they lived in moderate climes). Ibn Hazm also approves the practice in his Al-Muhalla.

 

6. The jurists have discussed this matter for high latitudes. As Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, Grand Mufti of Egypt, mentions in Tafsir al-Manar, classically they mentioned two possibilities to follow more moderate timings:

 

a) follow timings of the lands of revelation, viz. Mecca and Medina (Hijaz) – throughout the year, the dawn-sunset fast here is 12-15 hours

 

b) follow timings of the nearest “moderate landâ€

Abduh adds, “Both of these are valid, since it is a matter of judgment (ijtihad), and there is no unequivocal text (nass) about it.â€

 

7. Note that following timings of the nearest “moderate land†is similar to following timings of the nearest “moderate time†in your own land, e.g. spring or autumn timings, when the days and nights are approximately of equal length.

 

8. Abduh is not alone in the above fatwa: he is quoting from centuries of earlier jurists. After him, his fatwa has been echoed by Muhammad Hamidullah, Mustafa Zarqa, Sayyid Tantawi, Jad al-Haqq, and Ali Gomaa amongst others. Texts and discussions of these fatwas may be found on the internet, e.g. see http://alrukn.com/long-fasts-fiqh/

 

9. The above fatwa implies partially decoupling fasting from dawn/sunset."

 

[Rosie_0801]

Saw this yesterday: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/07/ramadan-sweden-with-no-dusk-no-dawn-20147614423642407.html

[Kate in Arabia]

This past weekend we went to a potluck iftar dinner, my assignment was the savory dish -- for 40-ish people.  I had ds haul down my ginormous cooking pot and made a vat of chicken biryani.  This pot doesn't get a whole lotta use, but I always feel like it's a big cauldron or something when I break it out, lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[umsami]

Kate, that looks yummy.  Will you share your recipe?

 

I made Om/UmAli today (Egyptian bread pudding made with puff pastry, almonds, pistachios, raisins, and coconut.)  I hope it turned out. :) Looks good at least. :)

[Kate in Arabia]

I *love* Um Ali, so I'll share if you do!! ;)

[Kate in Arabia]

This is mil's recipe, I've tried to "interpret" it so inshallah it's clear! ;)    It is really easy to double/triple this recipe, in the pot in the picture above I used six chickens, you just increase the cooking times slightly (by about five minutes each step). 

 

Chicken Biryani

 

ingredients

2 whole chickens, skinned and cut into pieces (cut breast pieces in halves or thirds)

2 cups plain yogurt

5 cups basmati rice

3/4 cup cooking oil

1 tsp whole green cardamon

1 tsp whole cloves

4 medium potatoes

2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste

4 handfuls of fried onions

2 rounded Tbsp ground cumin

1 rounded tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves

3 tsp salt

whole green chili (optional)

4-5 tomatoes

1/2 cup milk

pinch of saffron threads

 

Method

1. Wash and rinse the rice, leaving to soak for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Put a small amount of the oil in the bottom of a large pot/pan, put the cleaned/cut chicken pieces in the pan.  Add the yogurt and stir to coat.

3. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks.  Heat the remaining oil in a separate pan, add the whole cardamon and cloves then add the potatoes.  Continue to fry, stirring for about ten minutes until the potatoes are mostly cooked and only a little bit browned.  Remove the potatoes to a plate, save the oil.

4.  Heat the milk in the microwave until steaming, add the saffron and stir, then leave to steep.

5.  Add the ginger-garlic, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and salt to the chicken and stir.  Crumble and put in most of the fried onions -- keep a handful on the side to add at the end.  Chop the tomatoes, put in a blender along with the coriander leaves and blend to a paste/liquid, then add to the chicken and stir.  If you want chili, you can cut a slit in the side of 2-3, add to the chicken and stir.

6.  Drain the soaking rice.  In a separate pot, heat a good amount of water (it should be enough to cover the rice by two inches).  Add the rice and salt (use more than you normally would for rice).  Boil the rice until it is half-cooked -- if you look closely during the cooking process, you will notice a white raw core in the rice grain that keeps getting smaller as it cooks until the grain is almost entirely translucent.  At just this point you should drain the rice.  (In my opinion, this is the trickiest part of biryani, getting the right "doneness".)

7.  Pour the drained rice over the chicken mixture (do not stir!) and smooth out.  Using the handle end of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the rice down to the chicken randomly around the pot.  Pour the reserved oil from step 3 over the top, then pour the saffron milk over, and sprinkle the fried onions on top.  Wrap the top of the pot in aluminum foil, then put the lid, then put a heavy weight on top (point is to try and completely trap all steam inside).

8.  Put the pot on a low fire for 2 minutes.  Then put on a heat diffuser (I use an old flat griddle) and cook on high fire for 10 minutes, then turn heat low and cook for 20-25 minutes.

[Camelfeet]

I am going to try and make this.  :D  Thanks!

[umsami]

This was what I did. I'm not that great with measurements for the coconut, pistachios, almonds, and raisins. I just kind of add a lot. :)

 

1 package frozen puff pastry dethawed (gives you two big sheets)

3-1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 to 1-1/4 cup sugar (if using unsweetened coconut, go for 1-1/4 cups, if using sweetened, a little less)

almonds, pistachios, coconut, raisins or any sort of nuts that you like (I've heard dates are good instead of raisins)

vanilla ….either 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. 

cinnamon about 1/2-1 tsp

optional…pinch cardamom

 

Thaw and then bake the puffed pastry on a parchment lined tray until golden. I put it at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Butter a large baking dish….and then break up/tear one sheet of puffed pastry into small pieces, then cover the layer with chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins

Tear up the second layer and put it on top...

cover with nuts, coconut, raisins

 

Now heat the milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla bean if using on medium until almost boiling…stirring constantly  (If using extract, wait to add until the end)

 

Ladle the hot mlk/cream mixture over the puffed pastry….and then let sit for about 10-15 minutes until partially absorbed

 

Bake in a 425 degree oven (220 degrees celsius) for about 15 minutes…and then put under the broil to brown the top

[UmMusa]

Salaam and Ramadan Mubarak!

 

How are the Muslim posters here coping with a summer Ramadan?  Temps here are averaging 110F, we stop eating/drinking at about 4am and start again at about 7.15pm.  It's a long, hot day. 

 

What's everyone having for meals?  I'm always looking for new ideas.... :)

 

Wa alaikom asalam,

Thanks for starting the thread.

Here in WA state we're fasting from about 3:15 till shortly after 9:00pm.  It's been in the 80's and 90's which is pretty hot for us especially with most homes having no air condition.

I got pretty sick after the first few days with a bronchial virus or something.  It knocked me out for 4 or 5 days and I'm still not feeling very good 10 days after it started.  I'm not sure at what point I should just not fast and keep the fluids going which helps clear out all the gunk.  I find it hard to determine when I should break my fast for sickness or just suffer through.  With there being so little time to replenish at night I'm thinking I should wait till I'm much better.

 

Kids are trying to fast and doing well.  We've done a lot of activities from www.imanshomeschool.wordpress.com and from www.amuslimhomeschool.com and of course TJ Ramadan.

 

 

[stripe]

Did anyone see this article a few years back in Saudi Aramco World magazine?

 

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201201/ramadan.in.the.farthest.north.htm

[idnib]

Did anyone see this article a few years back in Saudi Aramco World magazine?

 

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201201/ramadan.in.the.farthest.north.htm

 

 

I love this magazine but I think I must have subscribed after this article was published. Thanks for the link.