Fasting, prayer and an Eid feast

Ramadan is about prayer, fasting and making yourself aware of a higher destiny.

That's the view of Zuleikha Mayat, the driving force behind the famous Indian Delights cookbook.

For Mayat, the holy Muslim fasting month is also about compassion and family.

This week, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the culmination of the month-long fast.

Mayat, founder of the Women's Cultural Group, believes the true Eid traditions have been maintained throughout the generations. "Families get together, exchange gifts and celebrate the end of the fast. It may have gotten more sumptuous but the essential things are still there - like the love, friendliness and peace."

The 85-year-old great-grandmother said she spent a large part of the day in prayer and reading the Koran during Ramadan.

"Ramadan is about feeling the hunger and thinking about the things you will eat that evening."

Mayat will spend Eid morning in prayer at the George Campbell School of Technology in Brickhill Road, in the Durban city centre, before going to the cemetery to pay respects to loved ones who have passed on, followed by a day of festivities at her Westville home with family and friends.

The feast at the Mayat home for Eid will comprise pies, samoosas, chicken biryani, roast lamb and carrot halwa.

Reaching out to charitable causes is close to Mayat's heart. She said Muslims calculated their assets during Ramadan, of which 2.5% was given to the needy during the year.

"Most people do the calculation during this period but distribute any time in the year. There are, however, many people who give hampers during Eid."

It is times such as Eid that people consult Indian Delights, a book that has a place in South African Indian history and virtually every Indian home, for decades.

The book - first released in 1961 and sold for R2.25 - has been through 14 impressions. It was born from an idea by a member of the Women's Cultural Group, Hawa Moosa, to put a chevda recipe on a Post Toasties cereal box.

Recipes in the book - from savouries to curries, sweetmeats and desserts - came from members of the community and the cultural group.

For the modern woman, there is A Treasury of SA Indian Delights, which includes the best of Indian Delights, recipes to help reduce weight and modern casseroles.

"Over the years the recipes have been modified and new ones included. Indian Delights has got virtually everything, making it unique and stand-apart from other cookbooks," said Mayat.

"There is also advice on the type of food to eat during pregnancy, for breast-feeding mothers, constipation and diabetics."

When asked what was her favourite recipe or dish, Mayat said she liked food cooked by other people. "I love making poppy-seed cake, carrot halwa and biryani."

Mayat said the group had discussed the release of a new book, but was still toying around with ideas.

EID MILK DRINK

Ingredients

• 1 litre milk
• sugar to taste
• 2 tbsp blanched ground almonds
• 1½ tbsp vermicelli (extra fine)
• 2 tsp coconut
• 2 tbsp nuts (slivered almonds, pistachios and charoli)
• elachi for flavouring

Method

Break vermicelli in small pieces

Bring milk to boil, add vermicelli and almonds and simmer over low heat till vermicelli is cooked

Add coconut, nuts, sugar and flavouring and serve in porridge bowls.

STUFFED ROLLED LAMB OR FILLET

Ingredients

• 1kg boneless ribs of lamb (or fillet)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp chopped dhania
• 1½ tsp ginger/garlic
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cup chopped liver (chicken or sheep)
• 2 thick slices bread
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• ¼ cup chopped nuts
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground green chillies
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Soak milk in bread and when soft, squeeze out milk

Put bread in pan with butter and slowly simmer till mixture resembles thick, cooked pudding

Allow to cool, then beat in eggs

Add nuts, greens, chopped liver, flour and half of spices

Smear inside and outside roll with the rest of the spices (mixed in paste with lemon juice) and put the stuffing in middle

Roll, close and tie with cotton at distances of 5cm

Put roll in greased baking pan, cover with foil and bake in oven at 180° for two hours

Remove foil, pour two tablespoons of oil over surface and allow to brown well

Serve with vegetables of choice.

CARROT HALWA

Ingredients

• A few strands of saffron (optional)
• 2 cups carrot pulp (or ½ cup carrot and ½ cup dodhi pulp)
• 2 litres milk
• 1 cup ghee
• 2 tbsp cream of wheat
• 155g tin cream
• sugar to taste (¼ cup or more)
• 1 tsp elachi (fine powder)
• ½ tin condensed milk
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 3 tbsp blanched slivered almonds and pistachios
• 1 tbsp freshly-grated coconut or dessicated coconut

Method

Scrape and wash clean the carrots or carrot and dodhi

Mince it through a mincer or grate it very fine

Boil this pulp in milk over low heat carefully watching and stirring at intervals to prevent milk from scorching

If boiled too fast, the carrot will not blend in smoothly in the milk

When mixture is thick and mushy, leave aside

In a separate pot, heat the ghee with the cream of wheat, till latter is golden in colour

Add the carrot pulp to this and stir vigorously

Add cream, condensed milk, coconut and ground almonds and sweeten with sugar to taste

Those who prefer the halwa very rich and sweet can add more sugar

The halwa must now be stirred vigorously as it will scorch very easily after the sugar stage

When the halwa is fairly dry and the ghee skims to the top, it is done

Before serving, spinkle slivered almonds and pistachios over.