Tackling a month’s worth of meals during Ramadan might seem similar to tackling a usual month’s meals, except for one key difference: You’re fasting for most of the time you’d usually spend doing meal prep. Trying to doing that on a nearly empty stomach isn’t exactly easy. That’s why taking the time to get ahead before Ramadan begins is so important. It not only makes getting the two meals of the day — suhoor (before sunrise) and iftar (after sunset) — to the table easier, but it also gives you more time with your family during this holiday.
Stock up on dry goods.
“Prepping for the month begins with a large shop of most Ramadan dry staples, such as basmati rice; chickpeas; and spices like cardamon, cumin, nigella seeds, coriander, and cinnamon,” says Sumayya Usmani, author the cookbook Summers Under the Tamarind Tree.
Clean your house.
“As Ramadan approaches, I try to do a spring cleaning of sorts,” says Nazneen Hamilton, of the blog coffee and Crumpets. “This includes the whole house. While we’re fasting, it’s quite hard to do strenuous household chores, so taking care of the vacuuming and basically cleaning everything is easier when you can eat! It also helps to concentrate on the real purpose of Ramadan — worship and family — if you are not worried about cleaning this and that.” It also doesn’t hurt that your house will be sparkling-clean when any family or friends arrive for iftar.
Load up the freezer.
Create weekly menus.
“Prepping for Ramadan means creating a weekly menu with a plan for what I will make for iftar,” says Saab. Starting Ramadan with a game plan will definitely make the month’s meals less overwhelming and you’ll be ready to tackle it with ease.
thekitchn.com
