Tag Archives: cookbook

Feb15

The Ramadan Kitchen: Nourishing Recipes from Fast to Feast by Ilhan Mohamed Abdi

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At 223 pages, this Ramadan inspired cook book, is organized with the holy month in mind, but provides recipes that will work the whole year through.  With a few pages of text, reflection, and background before each of the eight sections: Suhoor, Iftar, Mains, Breads, Spices & Chutneys, Dessert, Drinks, and Eid, the author allows for the pages filled with the recipes themselves to be clear and less cluttered.  The individual recipes feature a description for a header, with some encouragement and guidance of how to change the recipe up and make it your own.  Some recipes have pictures, some are just text, and some are followed by two page spreads that show plating, pairings, or guidance for preparation.  The book stays focused on food with minimal religious inclusions aside from the religious framing, nothing that would make the book limited to a Muslim kitchen.  I liked the organization and found it intuitive and look forward to trying many of the Somali dishes that stand out to me in making this a unique collection, and a benefit to my shelf.

The book feels authentic in both the way Ramadan is presented and celebrated, and the approach and constraints of preparing meals. The personal commentary is very relatable and does a good job of conveying the factual with the spiritual, the goals with the reality, the food with the nourishment, and the multitudes that exists at different stages of life and even a different times of the blessed month as tiredness and excitement compete. Whether you pick up the book to thumb through and read, or grab it to find inspiration for a meal, the book has a lot to offer and return to.

Mar7

The Ramadan Cookbook: 80 Delicious Recipes Perfect for Ramadan, Eid, and Celebrating throughout the Year by Anisa Karolia

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The Ramadan Cookbook: 80 Delicious Recipes Perfect for Ramadan, Eid, and Celebrating throughout the Year by Anisa Karolia

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Another surprising library find, this 2023 published cookbook shares meals for all the time, but organizes them with Ramadan in mind.  Unlike many online recipe pages, there is not a lot of backstory about the culture behind the recipes, or how the author has made them her own, it really is pretty direct and to the point.  The author is Desi, and the bulk of the recipes Indian, but it isn’t all of them.  I found myself flipping through the pages hoping to be inspired, but sadly most of the recipes were fairly basic.  That isn’t too say they are not good, I have not tried them, but being of Pakistani decent and that I have been cooking multiple meals a day for too many years to count, I didn’t feel compelled to check the kitchen for ingredients.  I think a big part of it is, I need pictures of the food to spark interest, and not every page had images of the food.  I think the book is fun to look through, maybe remind you of something you tried once and enjoyed, or give you ideas of something you and your family might like to try.  I would say it is for beginner cooks, but without step-by-step directions, you have to have some basic skills, perhaps it is more a family friendly cook book as she makes comments of what her children like, or dishes them come together quickly and easily.

Clearly I am not a foodie, or a cookbook reviewer, I was just excited to see a Ramadan cookbook available at the library and wanted to share.  The author shares her thoughts on Ramadan, and interjects some thoughts on the section pages. Apparently she is a famous blogger, so if you follow the author and there is something I should try, please let me know.