This year Eid al-Fitr – which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan – is expected to be celebrated on the evening of Sunday March 30 until Monday March 31, depending on the sighting of the moon.
A major Islamic holiday celebrated by Muslims all over the world, Eid al-Fitr translates to ‘the festival of breaking the fast’ and is a time of coming together with loved ones, with a strong focus on food.
Each country and culture have their own Eid cuisines but curries, tagines, samosas and biryanis, as well as desserts such as knafeh, baklava, and stuffed dates, and the breakfast dish sheer khurma, are popular.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and red olives
Designed by head chef at Bushra by Buddha-Bar, at the Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort in Morocco, Mohammed Igharioune, "This chicken tagine recipe is a taste of the authentic Moroccan experience we offer our guests," he says. "At Mazagan, we believe that food is at the heart of every celebration."
Serves: 4
- 1kg chicken
- 500g red onions, finely chopped
- 50g garlic, chopped
- 50g preserved lemon (peel cut into strips, pulp deseeded and crushed)
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch coriander, chopped
- 70ml cooking oil
- 300ml olive oil
- 10g ground ginger
- 4g turmeric
- ½g saffron strands (or saffron powder)
- 5g aged butter (smen)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 100g red olives
Method
1. Prepare the marinade: In a bowl, mix the olive oil, ground ginger, turmeric, saffron, pepper, chopped garlic, preserved lemon pulp, and half of the chopped herbs. Coat the chicken thoroughly with this marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Cooking the chicken: In a large pot or tagine, heat the cooking oil and sauté the chopped onions. Add the marinated chicken, the remaining marinade, olive oil, aged butter (smen), and additional saffron. Pour in a glass of water, cover, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Prepare the sauce and olives: Remove the chicken from the pot and continue cooking the onions until they become soft and creamy, forming a rich sauce. In a small saucepan, heat a little of the sauce and cook the red olives briefly to enhance their flavour.
4. Roasting and final assembly: Cut the cooked chicken into 8 pieces and roast in the oven until golden and slightly crispy. Arrange the roasted chicken in a serving dish or tagine, spoon over the onion sauce, and garnish with red olives, julienned preserved lemon, and a sprinkle of the remaining chopped herbs.
5.Serving suggestion: Serve hot with warm bread for a traditional Moroccan experience.
Beyond Mince keema with peas and green beans
For a plant-based alternative, use a substitute like Beyond Meat to create a similarly meaty taste and texture of a keema.
Serves 4
- 2tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4cm piece ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 300g Beyond Mince
- 2tbsp medium curry powder
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 200g frozen peas
- 200g frozen green beans
- 200g white rice
- 40g plain coconut yoghurt
- Handful coriander leaves
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large shallow pan. Fry the onion, ginger and garlic for about 7 minutes, until fragrant. Add the mince and fry until browned.
2. Add the curry powder, then the canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes – 20 minutes before the end of cooking time, cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
3. Add the peas and beans to the mince and simmer for 5 minutes more.
4. You can freeze portions at this point. If you are serving straight away, stir through half of the yoghurt and serve with the rice, coriander leaves and remaining yoghurt alongside.
Chef’s notes. This dish can be easily doubled for batch cooking. Simply double the ingredients and freeze. Defrost thoroughly before heating through until piping hot.
Nimbu pani
An Indian-style lemonade, nimbu pani makes a great non-alcoholic celebration drink.
Makes one jug
- 1tbsp fresh ginger
- 500ml Belvoir Farm Freshly Squeezed Lemonade
- 2tsp chia seeds
- 1tsp kala namak
- 2tsp cumin seeds
- 1tsp ground black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
- 500ml cold water (to blend)
- 500ml cold water (to top up)
Method
1. Start by dry-roasting your cumin seeds until they get nice and fragrant. Leave aside to cool down.
2. Soak your chia seeds in water.
3. To a blender, add the ginger, kala namak, cumin seeds, salt and pepper to taste, mint leaves, and 500ml of cold water.
4. To a jug add your blended mixture, 500ml of Belvoir Farm Freshly Squeezed Lemonade and top with 500ml of cold water. Add your soaked chia seeds and mix well.
5. Add your ice cubes to a glass and top with the nimbu pani. Add some mint leaves to serve and enjoy!
