Impress the in-laws with these delicious dishes.
The best Ramadan Iftar recipes to try tonight
Thinking up new Iftar recipes night after night is no easy feat, especially if you have a revolving door of guests coming through your home during Ramadan.
In need of kitchen inspiration, we turned to one of our favourite chefs, Zahra Abdalla, whose famous book Cooking With Zahra has become our go-to guide for both traditional and modern Middle Eastern cuisine.
Here are our top two healthy and meat-free recipes – so there’s no need to make something separate for veggie guests.
Roasted Cabbage with Lemon and Tahini Sauce
Roasted cabbage with lemon and tahini sauce
“Roasted cabbage with lemon and tahini sauce is a delicious, healthy and vegan dish that I love serving at my dinner parties. I usually like to serve it with some roast chicken, or it can be served as a simple and light meal on its own,” says Zahra. “Every time I prepare this at one of my dinner parties; my guests always leave asking for the recipe.”
Ingredients: Serves 4 – 6
- ½ head of cabbage
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Lemon and tahini sauce:
- 1 cup tahini paste
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2/3 cup water
- ¼ tsp chilli powder (optional)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
1 cup mixed sprouts, for garnish
1. Preheat oven at 200°C. Cut half a head of cabbage into 6 or 8 equal-sized wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Arrange the wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Flip the cabbage wedges and do the same on the other side.
2. Bake the cabbage for 20 – 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Roast until tender and golden-brown.
3. To make the sauce, combine the tahini paste and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly add the water to this, whisking until the sauce has a light, creamy consistency. Season with chilli powder, sea salt and pepper.
4. Serve the roasted cabbage on a platter and top with a drizzle of the lemon and tahini sauce, and garnish with mixed sprouts. Serve hot or cold.
Kookoo Sabzi Mixed Herb Frittata
Kookoo sabzi mixed herb frittata
“Usually this dish is fried,” explains Zahra. “However, as a healthier alternative, I bake it like a cake and slice it before serving. This dish is delicious when served hot or cold.”
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh green onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp barberries (optional)
- ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
1. Preheat oven at 180°C.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until well beaten. Then add parsley, coriander, green onions, chives, dill, flour, barberries, walnuts, olive oil, salt and black pepper powder, and mix well until fully combined.
3. Pour the batter into a greased ovenproof skillet or cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Cut into small pieces and serve with baked salmon and sabzi polo.
Cooking with Zahra by Zahra Abdalla, Motivate Publishing
