Sana Bazi

A traditional Bengali Ramadan dish - family Ifthar meals (when breaking our fast) wouldn't be the same without this! It's usually cooked with cubes of boiled potato but I was gunning for a low carb version.

If you have a tin of chick peas knocking around in the cupboard, why not try this?

Roasted Salad

Fancy a change from your usual cold salad? Dad taught me how to prepare this – it tastes great with Sardine Bazi (or any shallow fried fish dish) as well as meat curries.  Some like it hot – I certainly do!

Sardine Bazi

A cheap and simple yet delicious dish that my siblings and I grew up on! Even as adults we love it.  This would make a great side dish or main dish, particularly if you don’t have much time to cook or are living a student-budget lifestyle.  So break out your tinned sardines (we all have them in our cupboards don't we?!) and start cooking!

Dalir Bora (Crispy Lentil Dumplings)

Growing up, these have been traditionally cooked in our household and enjoyed during the month of Ramadan at Ifthar time (breaking of the fast).  Maybe it’s the specialness of the holy month or maybe because we’ve been starving all day that these taste so delicious – because whenever we’ve cooked them outside of Ramadan they’ve never tasted as good!

You may also notice that this recipe is almost the same as Fiyaizis I posted some months ago.  Fiyaizis are much crispier in texture (due to lentils being only half blended) and they’re served in Bangladesh.  Dalir Boras are much softer in comparison and I’ve only ever had them in our home and relative’s houses in Birmingham (UK) where I grew up!

Kebabs

One of my brother's favourites! During Ramadan and Eid, he likes to go a step further and crumble his kebabs on top of his plate of Sana Bazi (chick pea dish). These are enjoyed best when eaten fresh from the frying pan - they're mouth-wateringly juicy! (Leaving cooked kebabs overnight in the fridge turns them dry and chewy)

Shemai (Milky Vermicelli Pudding)

The type of food my mum prepared for both announced and unannounced guests always told me something about their ranking!  You had the everyday sort of guests, no-one special; usually a neighbour – a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits would suffice.  Then you had the middle of the range guests – some sort of savoury snack made fresh (and usually fried) would be presented before the tea came out in our best cups and saucers.  And then there were the prestigious guests who received all of the above plus this wonderful pudding (and more if they were coming to dinner)!

My favourite part of cooking this dish is the minute after the cinnamon and cardamom enter the boiling water.  I used to, and still do hover over the cooker to inhale the delightful aroma rising up in the air as the spices release their magic!

Spicy Yoghurt Dip

Tastes great with Rabia’s Kitchen starters such as Lentil Dumplings, Pakoras, Kebabs and Samosas (see separate recipes).

Makes: approx 250ml

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

170g low fat plain yoghurt (strained to remove excess water)

x1 green chilli

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

½ handful fresh coriander, chopped

Blend the above for approx 1 minute on full power.

Taste and if required, add more chilli or mustard to your taste.