Ramadan Recipes
During Ramadan the day turns on two meals: the pre-dawn suhoor and the iftar that breaks the fast at sunset, a month that closes in the sweets and roasts of Eid al-Fitr. These are the dishes of that table, gathered from Muslim kitchens across the Middle East, North and West Africa, and South and Southeast Asia, from Moroccan chebakia to Emirati thareed, Indonesian rendang, and Saudi kabsa.
52 recipes · showing 1 to 48
Assidat al-BoubarDoha, Qatar · easy · 50 minA warm pumpkin pudding of toasted flour, date syrup, and cardamom, a warming Qatari Ramadan sweet.
Assidat al-Boubar ChebakiaFès-Meknès, Morocco · advanced · 1 h 30 minFlower-shaped fried dough drenched in orange-blossom honey and coated in sesame, the sweet of the Moroccan Ramadan table.
Chebakia Chorba FrikAlgiers, Algeria · medium · 1 h 20 minThe Ramadan soup of Algeria: a spiced tomato broth with lamb, chickpeas and smoky green freekeh, thick enough to eat as a meal.
Chorba Frik Emirati HareesDubai, United Arab Emirates · medium · 3 h 50 minAn Emirati dish of whole wheat and lamb simmered for hours and beaten to a smooth savoury porridge, finished with ghee.
Emirati Harees Emirati ThareedDubai, United Arab Emirates · medium · 1 h 40 minA spiced meat-and-vegetable stew ladled over thin crisp regag bread, a comforting Emirati dish, especially in Ramadan.
Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls)Tunis, Tunisia · medium · 2 h 50 minSmall, soft rolls of enriched yeast dough, deep-fried until golden, split and stuffed with harissa, tuna, potato, hard-boiled egg and olives.
Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) GhraybahTripoli, Libya · easy · 38 minMelt-in-the-mouth buttery shortbread scented with a hint of cardamom, a Libyan and Maghrebi celebration cookie.
Ghraybah HariraFès-Meknès, Morocco · medium · 1 h 10 minThe tomato, lentil, and chickpea soup that breaks the fast across Morocco, silky, herbal, and lemon-bright.
Ka'ak (Sudanese Eid Butter Biscuits)Khartoum, Sudan · medium · 1 h 25 minCrumbly, buttery biscuits made with ghee, sesame seeds and cardamom, baked golden and rolled in cardamom-scented icing sugar, the biscuits set out for guests with tea at Eid.
Ka'ak (Sudanese Eid Butter Biscuits) Kabab Bahraini (Bahraini Chickpea Flour Fritters)Manama, Bahrain · easy · 55 minSpoonfuls of spiced chickpea-flour batter full of chopped tomato, onion, green chili and garlic, fried until crisp and golden and eaten hot with a yogurt and coriander dip.
Kabab Bahraini (Bahraini Chickpea Flour Fritters) LuqaimatDubai, United Arab Emirates · medium · 1 h 50 minCrisp golden dumplings drenched in date syrup and scattered with sesame, the classic fried sweet of the Emirati Ramadan table.
MasabibRiyadh, Saudi Arabia · easy · 35 minSoft, holey yeasted pancakes drenched in date syrup or honey, a Hejazi and Saudi breakfast.
Masabib Matlouh (Algerian Semolina Pan Bread)Algiers, Algeria · medium · 2 h 56 minA soft, risen semolina bread shaped into thick rounds and cooked on a hot clay tajine or griddle until golden and hollow-sounding, torn and eaten with soups, stews and salads.
Mbatten (Stuffed Potato Fritters)Tripoli, Libya · medium · 1 h 10 minPotato slices sandwiched around spiced minced meat, coated and fried until the outside is golden and the potato tender.
Nakhi (Kuwaiti Spiced Boiled Chickpeas)Kuwait City, Kuwait · easy · 14 h 10 minChickpeas simmered soft with whole green chilies, cumin and salt, served warm in their broth with lemon juice, more cumin and a pinch of chili, and warm bread.
Nakhi (Kuwaiti Spiced Boiled Chickpeas) Omani HareesMuscat, Oman · medium · 3 h 20 minThe Omani wheat porridge: cracked wheat and chicken slow-simmered creamy, scented with saffron and a spiced Omani ghee.
Omani Harees Pastels (Senegalese Fish Turnovers)Dakar, Senegal · medium · 2 h 35 minSmall half-moon turnovers of soft pastry filled with poached white fish and a garlicky parsley and chili rof, fried golden and dipped into a peppery onion and tomato sauce.
Pastels (Senegalese Fish Turnovers) SakhanaMuscat, Oman · easy · 55 minA thick, sweet Omani wheat soup of dates, date molasses and milk, made through Ramadan and eaten after the fast.
Sambusa (Djiboutian Meat Samosas)Djibouti City, Djibouti · medium · 1 h 10 minCrisp fried pastry triangles packed with spiced minced goat or beef, onion, green chili, garlic and fresh coriander, the snack that breaks the fast in Djibouti.
Sambusa (Djiboutian Meat Samosas) Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt)Sana’a, Yemen · medium · 2 h 15 minSpongy lahoh flatbreads soaked in a cold, green yogurt and buttermilk sauce blended with garlic, chili, coriander, mint and spring onion, topped with pomegranate seeds.
Shafoot (Yemeni Flatbread in Herbed Yogurt) Shorba LibiyaTripoli, Libya · easy · 1 hLibya’s tomato-lamb soup with orzo and a signature flourish of dried mint, the bowl that opens every Ramadan night.
Shorbat Quaker (Saudi Lamb and Oat Ramadan Soup)Hejaz, Saudi Arabia · easy · 1 h 45 minSmall pieces of lamb on the bone simmered with golden onion, tomato, cardamom and cinnamon until tender, then thickened with rolled oats into a smooth, peppery soup finished with a squeeze of lemon.
Shorbet Ads (Egyptian Red Lentil Soup)Cairo, Egypt · easy · 55 minRed lentils simmered with onion, carrot, tomato, garlic and cumin, blended velvety smooth and served with lemon and crisp toasted pita croutons.
Shorbet Ads (Egyptian Red Lentil Soup) Bariis IskukarisMogadishu, Somalia · medium · 1 h 10 minFragrant basmati rice cooked with xawaash spice, caramelized onions, and raisins, Somalia’s festive celebration rice.
Bariis Iskukaris Beef RendangWest Sumatra, Indonesia · advanced · 4 hBeef simmered for hours in coconut milk and spice paste until the liquid vanishes and the meat turns dark, dry, and intense.
Beef Rendang Bruneian Beef RendangBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei · advanced · 3 h 30 minA Bruneian dry curry of beef slow-simmered in coconut milk and a lemongrass spice paste until dark, tender and richly reduced.
Bruneian Beef Rendang Chicken BastillaCasablanca-Settat, Morocco · advanced · 1 h 45 minA sweet-savory pie of spiced shredded chicken and almonds in crackling pastry, dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
Chingri Malaikari (Prawn Coconut Curry)Dhaka, Bangladesh · medium · 50 minLarge prawns gently simmered in a subtle, creamy coconut-milk gravy with onion paste, ginger, and warm spices, a festive Bengali treat served with rice.
Chingri Malaikari (Prawn Coconut Curry) Djouka (Malian Fonio with Peanut)Bamako, Mali · medium · 1 h 10 minFonio steamed in stages and folded with pounded peanut, finished with a slippery okra sauce and topped with soft onions and boiled eggplant.
Djouka (Malian Fonio with Peanut) Egusi SoupEnugu (Southeast), Nigeria · medium · 1 h 5 minGround melon seeds cooked into a rich, nubbly soup with greens and assorted meats, the pride of the Igbo southeast.
Egusi Soup FirniKabul, Afghanistan · easy · 35 minA silky ground-rice milk pudding scented with cardamom and rosewater, topped with pistachios, an Afghan celebration sweet.
Firni GhooziManama, Bahrain · medium · 3 hSpiced rice crowned with tender roasted lamb, fried nuts, and raisins, a grand Bahraini and Gulf celebration platter.
Halwa PuriLahore (Punjab), Pakistan · medium · 1 h 10 minA festive Lahori breakfast of puffed fried puri, sweet semolina halwa, and spiced chickpeas.
Halwa Puri Iraqi DolmaBaghdad, Iraq · advanced · 2 h 15 minVine leaves and vegetables stuffed with tomato-and-pomegranate rice, packed tight and steamed until sweet-sour and tender.
Iraqi Dolma Iraqi QuziBaghdad, Iraq · advanced · 3 h 30 minThe Iraqi feast dish: spice-braised then roasted lamb piled on saffron rice and showered with toasted nuts and raisins.
KabsaRiyadh, Saudi Arabia · medium · 1 h 15 minSpiced rice cooked in aromatic broth with chicken, dried lime, and a whole-spice perfume, heaped high for sharing.
Kabuli PulaoKabul, Afghanistan · advanced · 2 hAfghanistan's national dish: steamed rice piled over lamb and crowned with candied carrots and raisins.
Kacchi Biryani (Dhaka-Style Mutton Biryani)Dhaka, Bangladesh · advanced · 6 h 40 minA Dhaka celebration biryani in which raw yogurt-marinated goat meat and potatoes are layered under par-boiled rice and sealed to cook together on slow dum.
Kelupis (Bruneian Glutinous Rice Rolls in Leaves)Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei · medium · 2 h 10 minGlutinous rice cooked in coconut milk until glossy, wrapped in slim rolls of leaf and steamed, served with rendang, curry or peanut sauce at Hari Raya.
KheerLahore (Punjab), Pakistan · easy · 1 h 40 minA slow-cooked rice pudding perfumed with cardamom and scattered with nuts, the comforting sweet of every occasion.
KibbehDamascus, Syria · advanced · 1 h 10 minTorpedo-shaped bulgur shells stuffed with spiced meat and pine nuts, fried until crisp.
Kibbeh MansafAmman, Jordan · medium · 2 h 30 minLamb cooked in a tangy fermented-yogurt sauce over rice and flatbread, Jordan's national dish of hospitality.
Mansaf Maqluba (Upside-Down Rice)Amman, Jordan · advanced · 1 h 35 minLayers of chicken, fried eggplant, cauliflower, and spiced rice cooked in one pot, then flipped tableside.
Mauritanian CouscousNouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 1 h 40 minSteamed semolina piled with lamb and Saharan vegetables in a spiced broth, Mauritania's share of the Maghreb couscous tradition.
Mauritanian Couscous MéchouiNouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 3 h 50 minWhole lamb (or a shoulder) slow-roasted with cumin and salt until falling off the bone, desert feast food.
Ngalakh (Baobab & Peanut Millet Cream)Dakar, Senegal · easy · 45 minSteamed millet couscous folded into a sweet, nutty peanut cream soured with baobab-fruit pulp, chilled and scented with orange-blossom and vanilla.
Nigerian Jollof RiceLagos, Nigeria · medium · 1 h 5 minLong-grain rice simmered in a smoky, slightly spicy pepper-and-tomato base until every grain is stained red.
Shuwa (Home-Oven Version)Muscat, Oman · medium · 13 h 45 minLamb rubbed with date-dark Omani spices, wrapped in banana leaves, and roasted low until it falls apart, Eid on a platter.
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