Simple Iftar

At the end of Ramadan, I joined Muslims around the world in a day of fasting.

Fasting is not only giving up food, but also giving up bad thoughts and spending a day contemplating on the agony of the poor and hungry.

Now what I did not bargain on was my fasting day being the hottest day of the year.

This made the process of fasting (and cooking) in 30 degrees difficult on both the body and the soul.

My Iftar (the daily breaking of fasting) was based on a menu from D'sKitchen.

As soon as the crows made their way to Burnaby mountain (a daily sunset ritual for Vancouver crows), Iftar was served.

First, a home made Quamar-el-deen was drunk with dates. This is a dried apricot and rose water smoothie that is typical of breaking fast (although I hear some prefer breaking it with yogurt and dates instead).

This was followed by Fatoush, a great way to quench the thirst with the freshness of vegetables and lemon juice.

After that, a delicious lentil and yogurt soup, based on D's Kitchen's recipe, was served. Both Fatoush and lentil soup are staples at daily Iftars.

A Syrian style Chicken Fetteh was the entrée. This is mainly boiled chicken served with a mixture of yogurt and tahini sauce (a first for me) and sprinkled with grilled pita, fried pine nuts and almonds and  parsley.

Thank you Dalia for a delicious menu and recipes, you made this evening really special.

The full menu and a video of the recipes can be found at this link (gulfnews.com).

somerville kitchen's improvisation was the addition of Argileh at the end of the evening.

"God I have fasted and with your blessings I break fast. God keep all this goodness upon us."