Some people are gifted writers. Her daily musings wants you to check out her space now and then. Specially the posts with her cute cub, today Fabida from
Shocks&Shoes is sharing her thoughts about Ramadan with a healthy snack.
We’re
more than half way through the holy month! Every year, when Ramadan starts, we
think of 30 days of staying hungry and thirsty lying ahead of us. But every
year, we don’t realize when the first 20 days whizz by and we’re left with the
most important last 10 days of Ramadan!! Last year we created a Ramadan Advent
Calendar of sorts, and stuck smiley faces on every day at Iftar:
We
rarely realize that this month is a great opportunity to completely detox
ourselves. Staying hungry and thirsty really puts things into perspective and
makes us realize the value of something as simple as a glass of water. Having
to perform on a regular basis without frequent nourishment makes us dip into
internal reserves of strength that we never knew we had. Reading the Quran for
a longer time and praying for longer hours helps us build focus. We are
supposed to control our temper, be charitable and not lie. In fact, this is a
chance to completely renew ourselves, inside out.
Another
important value learnt is humility. We are asked to break our fast immediately
on hearing the Azan or call to prayer. This is to establish the fact that rich
or poor, we’re all humans with the same basic needs, which when deprived, make
us crave for it equally at that moment of breaking the fast.
It
is recommended to break our fast with dates and water, and then move on to
other dishes. Considering there are Muslims in every country of the world,
these dishes can take any form! Today I share a classic Ramadan dish from the
Malabar region of Kerala, more specifically north Kerala. The dish is ‘Undaputtu’,
a steamed dumpling made of rice and a prawn filling, which provides a pleasant
deviation from all the fried snacks.
Ramadan Special -
Undaputtu
For
the Prawn Masala:
250
g peeled and clean prawns
½
onion, chopped
2
green chillies, chopped
1
tsp garlic paste
½
tsp chilli powder
¼
tsp pepper
¼
tsp turmeric powder
Coconut
Oil
Salt
1.
Rub the prawns with a pinch of salt, turmeric and chilli powder and lightly fry
them for a couple of minutes.
2.
Heat oil, fry the onions till they begin to brown. Add the green chillies and
garlic paste and fry.
3.
Add the spice powders, salt and fried prawns. Cover and cook till the prawns
are done.
For
the dumplings:
½
cup parboiled rice, soaked in boiling water and left for 3 hours
Rice
flour as needed
Salt
½
cup shredded coconut
1.
Grind the soaked rice to get a thick paste. Add enough rice flour to get a
dough.
2.
Take a lemon sized ball of dough and flatten it into a small thick circle.
3.
Put a tablespoon of the prawn filling in the centre of the circle and pull up
the sides to cover it and shape it into a ball.
4.
Roll the ball in shredded coconut and keep aside. Repeat till the dough is
finished. At this point, you can freeze the dumplings for later.
5.
Steam the dumplings for about 15-20 minutes, till the outer layer is properly
cooked. For frozen dumplings, take them directly out of the freezer and steam
them.
These
dumplings are a good option when you are tired of eating meat and fried snacks
:). In my family, we usually make everything in bulk a couple of days before
Ramadan and freeze them. Then half an hour before Iftar, all I need to do is
take them out of the freezer and cook them directly. Instant Iftar!
Hope
this blessed Ramadan proves to be an occasion of spiritual awakening for all of
us and makes us strive to be better versions of ourselves. As we near the last
10 days, may Allah bless us with the strength and focus to worship him with all
sincerity. Ramadan Kareem!!