Ramadan is the Islamic holy month is a time for prayer, reflection, giving charity, and fasting. During Ramadan fasting is done from sunrise to sunset, to teach you patience, discipline, and empathy for others who aren’t as fortunate. The fast ends with prayer, followed by a meal called iftar, and is usually broken with dates and water, but be careful NOT to drink too much water or you’ll be too full to eat!
After eating a few dates (1 or 3 dates), they move on to the first course, which is typically some kind of soup, (As you can imagine, meals during Ramadan usually involve several courses) then comes the main course. It may include several different dishes of meat, chicken, rice, potato, or vegetables…think something along the lines of roasted chicken and vegetables with mashed potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole or salata/ salad.
After the main course comes the coffee. The coffee is rich, dark, almost velvety Turkish coffee (so incredibly delicious and strong smel!). But of course the idea of having coffee alone is simply unheard of…so there must be sweets. The sweets of Ramadan are really something to be desired. I tried making them…I don’t know how I managed to mess that up!. Needless to say, I’m still trying to master the preparation of Ramadan sweets.
A popular soup eaten during Ramadan is red lentil soup…it’s hearty and delicious and serves as the perfect tool to whet your appetite. There are many variations(you can add beef, chicken, lamb or veggies), but this is the most basic version. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Red Lentil Soup (Shorba Adas)
1 cup red lentils
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 chicken (or vegetable) bouillon cubes (MAGGI)
2 bay leaves
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp arabic mix spices
¼ tsp black pepper
4 cups water
Fresh lemon and parsley (optional, for garnish)
In a saucepot, add the onion, garlic, lentils, bouillon cubes (MAGGI), bay leaves, cumin, black pepper, arabic mix spices and water, cover the pot and bring the soup up to a rolling boil, then turn down the heat and let it boil gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the soup for salt and pepper. Serve garnished with fresh lemon and a sprig of fresh parsley if desired.
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