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4 mouth-watering iftar recipes for Ramadan

Roasted Tomato Soup with Zaatar Chickpeas & Cashew Cream
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
300 gm cherry tomato
1 large carrot, diced small
1 leek, white part, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced small
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of red chilli flakes
2 tsp tomato paste
2 cups tomato juice
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 tbsp zaatar
½ cup raw cashew (soaked overnight in boiled water for 1 hour)
1 cup water
Olive oil for cooking

Method
For the cashew cream, drain and rinse the cashews after soaking them. Add to a small blender and top with 1 cup fresh water and a pinch of salt. Blend well until smooth and creamy; set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Toss tomato with olive oil and salt and place on one side of a roasting pan. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and dried zaatar, and place on the other side. Roast for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes have charred and chickpeas are browned and crispy; set aside.
In a medium pot, sweat the carrot, leek and bell pepper with a bit of olive oil for 10 minutes until softened. Then add thyme, garlic and red chilli flakes and cook for another few minutes until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes, then add the tomato juice, stock, salt and pepper. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes to the pot, and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes. Blend the soup completely until smooth, then stir in 2 tbsp of the prepared cashew cream and taste for seasoning. Serve warm in bowls, garnished with crispy zaatar chickpeas and fresh thyme, and drizzled with more cashew cream.


Spiced Lamb Kofta with Pomegranate Glaze & Mint Yoghurt

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
Method
1 large red onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sumac
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
500 gm ground lamb (lean)
¼ cup flat leaf parsley,
finely chopped
½ cup fresh mint,
finely chopped
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
Olive oil, for cooking
½ cup pomegranate kernels
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Fresh mint, for garnish
4-5 pieces Arabic bread
For the pomegranate glaze:
3 cups pomegranate juice
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3-5 pcs whole allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the mint yoghurt:
1 cup natural yoghurt, strained
1 tbsp dried mint
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of salt and pepper
Method
Mix the ingredients for the yoghurt sauce together and set aside. In a sauce pan, sweat half the onions until softened, then add the pomegranate juice, vinegar and allspice. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes until reduced by half.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sweat the remaining onions with some olive oil until softened, then add garlic, cumin, sumac, turmeric, coriander and cinnamon.
Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then transfer to a large bowl. To the same bowl, add the lamb, fresh mint, parsley, salt, egg, and breadcrumbs. Mix well to combine. Take about 1 tbsp of the lamb mix and, with wet hands, roll into balls (makes about 20 pieces).
On the same skillet, brown the koftas on all sides for 5 minutes, then add the pomegranate sauce, cover and cook for 15 minutes until done and the sauce has thickened. Transfer the koftas to a plate, top with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, yoghurt and fresh mint, and serve with hot bread.


Chicken Tagine with Carrots & Apricot
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 kg chicken drumsticks and
thighs (skinless)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
¼ cup parsley, chopped
¼ cup coriander, chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 small fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp tomato paste
2 cups peach nectar
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of saffron
½ - 1 cup water
8 dried apricots
2 carrots, halved
¼ cup almond flakes, toasted
Sprigs of fresh coriander leaves
Method
In a large bowl, combine the chicken with all the spices, salt, herbs and vegetable oil. Toss to combine and set aside.
In a large tagine, heat the oil and brown the chicken on all sides for a few minutes. Set aside on a plate.
In the same tagine, sweat the onions, ginger and garlic until softened, then add tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add peach nectar, lemon juice, zest, saffron and water; bring to a simmer.
Return the chicken to the tagine, place the thighs in the centre, and arrange the drumsticks around the tagine, alternating with carrots and apricots in between.
Pour just enough water to submerge the chicken halfway.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and tender.
Garnish with fresh coriander and almonds. Serve with couscous or crusty bread.


Chai-Spiced Overnight Oats with Figs & Dates
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Rest time: 4 hrs+
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
10 cardamom pods, split
4 black peppercorns
4 slices fresh ginger
3 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 tsp nutmeg, grated
2 cups water
2 tbsp loose leaf black tea
3 cups low-fat milk
1 tbsp honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds
5 dates, chopped
2 dried figs, chopped
For the garnish:
¼ cup date molasses
3 fresh figs, sliced into rounds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
Method
In a mortar and pestle, add the spices and crush into small pieces.
In a sauce pan, add the water, tea and spices and bring to a boil for 5 minutes to develop flavour.
Add milk and honey, let it come to a boil a few times, then simmer gently for 10 minutes until colour develops.
Strain the milk into a large glass bowl, stir in the oats, chia seeds, dates and dried figs.
Cover for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
To serve, stir the mixture first, then fill small glasses with ½ cup of the oats mixture, drizzle some date molasses, top with fresh figs, and crunchy seeds. Best served cold.