Egyptian housewives strive to create nourishing meals that bring warmth to the Iftar table in Ramadan. However, with the rising cost of food, they must also consider budget-friendly recipes, minimise waste, and seek affordable alternatives to expensive ingredients.
Chef Maha Mohamed shared her approach to enhancing meal portions without compromising quality with the Al-Ahram Weekly, suggesting stretching minced meat for dishes like hawawshi or kofta by incorporating bread that it soaked in water and then drained and mixed in with the meat. Grated courgettes and carrots can also be added to minced meat to boost volume and nutritional value, she said.
“When purchasing whole chickens, opt for two large birds. Separate the thighs into drumsticks and side pieces. Fillet the breast meat to prepare breaded chicken, shawarma, or chicken kofta. Use the smaller pieces left over from cutting the bird up in pasta with béchamel sauce. Chicken liver and gizzards may also be used to create an additional meal,” she added.
On cooking methods that maintain food quality while conserving oil, chef Abanoub Adel advised cooks to use “only necessary amounts of oil in the frying pan and ensure that it is well-heated before adding food. This prevents excessive oil absorption and helps to keep dishes light and crisp,” he said.
“Drain any excess moisture from the food before placing it in the hot oil, as excess water lowers the oil’s temperature and increases absorption. Frying over a medium heat can also prevent the oil from burning and helps to preserve the flavour of the food,” he added.
“When frying potatoes or chicken, boil them first to reduce the frying time. When frying foods coated in flour or breadcrumbs, regularly strain the oil during the cooking to prevent burning and to extend its usability.”
“It’s best to fry chicken and beefsteak first, followed by potatoes, allowing them to absorb the rich flavours of the meat for an enhanced taste. If you are looking to reduce oil consumption, lightly brush food with oil and then bake it in the oven instead.”
While many people search for cost-effective substitutes for essential ingredients, Mohamed had a few of her own. Instead of buying expensive cooking cream, “heat one cup of milk with a teaspoon of flour, a teaspoon of butter, and a pinch of sugar, stirring until it thickens to achieve a creamy texture. To prepare mayonnaise beat an egg and gradually add oil until reaching the desired consistency. Season with a quarter teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of vinegar,” she said.
For garlic sauce, she suggested mixing chopped garlic with mayonnaise and adding yoghurt for a creamy, tangy twist. She also shared her coleslaw recipe: “Finely chop cabbage and grate carrots. Add one teaspoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of honey or sugar. Mix with yoghurt or milk and mayonnaise.”
For those who enjoy tahini, Adel shared a simple recipe to make it at home using a cup of white sesame, roasted sesame, peanuts and flour (optional), and oil. “Heat a pan and toast the white and roasted sesame in it to remove the moisture. In another pan, roast the peanuts with flour. Blend the dry ingredients in a grinder or food processor until they form a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to a blender, gradually adding oil. Store in a jar and, when ready to serve, dilute with water and mix with lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and cumin,” he said.
“When hosting an Iftar party in Ramadan, it is essential to plan portions carefully to prevent food waste,” Mohamed advised. “Prepare the portions according to the number of guests. When cooking rice, allocate one cup per person. If serving stuffed vegetables alongside rice, reduce the rice quantity by one third.”
“To ensure that you eat balanced meals during Ramadan, choose one type of meat and one type of poultry alongside vegetables and carbohydrates. Serving too many dishes can overwhelm your guests, making it difficult for them to enjoy the food,” she added.
Leftovers can also be transformed into new meals. Adel advised mixing “rice with minced meat to make rice kofta or layering rice with béchamel sauce and minced meat and baking it in the oven.”
Leftover minced meat can be used to stuff vegetables or create samosas, pizzas, or potato fillings, he added. Leftover boiled potatoes can be used by “mashing and spreading them in a baking tray, and adding any available filling to create potato pizza, mixing them with minced chicken to make chicken kofta, and shaping and frying them into crispy potato bites for children,” Adel said.
“Grilled chicken can be sliced and sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and peppers to make chicken shawarma, or used as a samosa filling or pizza topping.” Leftover bread can be heated in the oven until dry, before being ground into breadcrumbs. “This can be soaked in milk and sugar and then baked to create a dessert similar to Om Ali,” he added.
For an impressive yet budget-friendly dish, Mohamed recommended stuffed chicken roll using half a kg of minced chicken, half a cup of flour, one egg, and salt, black pepper, and chicken spices. The filling can be freekeh or rice with liver and gizzards.
“Mix the minced chicken with the flour, egg, salt, pepper, and spices, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cook the filling, and then spread the chicken paste on parchment paper, place the cooled filling inside, and roll tightly. Wrap the roll in foil and place it in an oven tray with one cup of water and bake at medium heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing and then serve with freekeh or rice with liver and gizzards,” Mohamed said.
Adel suggested a filo pastry dish that can be served as an alternative to traditional Ramadan meals using eight filo pastry sheets, half a kg of minced meat, two grated onions, two tablespoons of tomato sauce, a cup of milk, one egg, two tablespoons of butter and cream, salt, black pepper, and paprika.
“Sauté the onions in butter and then add the minced meat and cook with salt, black pepper, paprika, and sauce. Mix the milk with melted butter and use it to grease a baking tray. Layer four filo sheets, brushing each layer with the milk-butter mixture, and spread the cooked minced meat evenly. Add four more filo sheets, cutting them before baking. Whisk an egg with black pepper and the remaining milk and then pour it over the filo. Bake for 10 minutes, spread cream on and then bake again until fully cooked,” he suggested.
Ramadan sweets do not have to be rich in butter and oil, Adel said, noting that there are light and innovative dessert alternatives, such as vermicelli with milk. This is prepared using a quarter kg of vermicelli, one tablespoon of butter and coconut, one kg of milk, two tablespoons of sugar, a cup of water, and a packet of vanilla.
“Toast the vermicelli in butter over a medium heat. Add sugar, followed by water, and bring to the boil. Pour in the milk and then stir in the coconut and vanilla. Simmer until the mixture thickens slightly and then serve warm,” he concluded.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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