Ramadan tidbits and a bonus Meat Samosa Recipe.

Ramadan’s are all about the spiritual cleanse. It’s so much more than just the superficial fasting. People tend to associate Ramadan with just the fasting. I get a lot of friends who say ” wow,how do you do that?” Or ” You must feel relieved by the evening to eat again”. A lot of people ask me why do I do it? Is it hard??etc etc..

Here are a few pointers and myth busters for people who don’t know a lot about Ramadan:

1) Ramadan is all about fasting: Well, that’s the most obvious of all the stuffs revolving around Ramadan. It’s also about Sympathy and Empathy. It’s about building a bond with yourself,understanding who you really are. It’s about a certain code of conduct and implementing humility in your life. It’s a crash course of sorts to personality development.

We fast,not for ourselves..but to primarily understand what does  someone who is lesser privileged than ourselves goes thru each day of his life. It’s to empathise with somebody else’s hunger and thirst. That somebody who doesn’t have the privilege to swipe his card at the drop of the hat.It’s highly beneficial for your body,but that’s just a bonus,not the reason for fasting. 

2) Ramadan is about feasting: Ramadan’s specially in Bangalore are all about the 100’s of dishes you get to savour,they have stalls all across the major city hubs like ” Frasertown, Koramangala and Jayanagar”. 

Ummm.. Nopes!! That’s not what we really want. Ramadan is about a certain middle path,where you’re depriving yourself of food and water the whole day and then thanking God for bestowing his mercies on you,by breaking your fast called Iftar with good food.  

But what’s happening is people are depriving themselves and gorging food like this is the last meal. Last supper kinds. 

3) Ramadan is about being pious for the month: Again a bummer,it’s not about being just pious for this month,but being able to broadcast that pious trait to the other months. Thereby making it a part of your lifestyle.. It’s a gentle reminder to oneself about what is expected from you. Like an empathic heart,a pure soul and a sense of spreading love across. 

4)Charity only in Ramadan: We follow two types of charity. One in Ramadan called “Zakat” and one throughout the year called ” Khairat Or Sadaqah”.

Zakat is more like your income tax returns,you are obliged to pay it yearly. Not much,no slabs,no distinction… Just about 2.5% of your income. For me,it’s just forgetting that ” COACH” handbag. Worth it right?? My Coach bag can sponsor 20 to 30 families for the whole month.. 👍🏻👍🏻 Your WANTS/DESIRES are someone else’s NEEDS and essentials.

The Khairat or sadaqah is to be followed throughout the year span. Donating as much as you can,on your terms. If you are short of money,even a smile or a kind thought counts as charity. It’s an unadulterated form of love for the receiver’s soul. ❤️❤️

5) Here’s the bonus…. Tadaa!!! It’s not just about SAMOSA’S: 

  

 Well,that’s just a joke…  Why goodness me… It’s all about samosas. They are the most staple snack of Ramadan. Called as the Samosa,Sambosek,Saamoos,etc. The humble samosa finds its way onto your table spreads. 

It’s such a big comforting feel to sink your teeth in pastry filled with savoury fillings. Samosas are spicy,fried and flavourful. All of these 3 attributes make it a must have . There are a billion ways to make it.. Yep!! I’m awfully serious. Anyhow, Here’s my easy peasy version of samosa’s which are made just under an hour. I’m not gonna be telling you how to make the pastry or how to shape the samosa,as everyone knows about it. I’m giving you the recipe for the savoury filling.

Meat Samosa’s : Makes 50

Ingredients:

• Switz samosa patties- 50 strips( I really love these because they don’t soak up a lot of oil & also take lesser time to fry)
• Chicken boneless chopped,don’t shred them too fine-1 kg (use any meat of your choice)please take a look at the pictures to get a gist of how fine the chicken mince is.
• One bunch of spring onions 
• White onions sliced- 800gms
• Garlic- 3 cloves
• Ginger- half an inch
• Ginger-garlic paste- 4 tsps
• Garam masala – half a tsp
• Coriander powder- 2 tsp
• Mint- half a cup,finely chopped 
• Coriander- one cup,finely chopped,used as garnish.
• 3-4 tsp of Peri Peri masala,about 25 gms( I used Sabys Barbee Mania) 
  
• A capful of vinegar,which is approximately 20 mls.
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste.

Method: 

• Boil chicken mince in 300 mls of water. The water with the 3 cloves of garlic,few sprigs of mint and half an inch of ginger must be on a rolling boil,before you add the chicken. Basically,you’re boiling chicken mince with mint,ginger and garlic. Boil till the water evaporates. Take it out,keep aside.

  

• In another pan,heat some oil. In it add the rest of the mint and fry till crisp. 
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till it blushes. Now add the chicken mince and garam masala and stir it around well. 
• Add the peri peri sauce or masala. I mix about 25 gms of the masala with a capful of vinegar and put it into the chicken mince.
• Give it a good stir and now add the sliced onions.Another five minutes maybe,just before removing mince from the flame,add coriander and you’re done.

   

 

• Keep it to cool and fill a generous tablespoon of the filling into the patties.   

  

  

• Fry them in oil and serve with chutney of your choice or just on its own.

This is an extremely easy and Quick way of making the filling. I adored giving the chicken mince a twist of peri peri sauce. 

I’m currently infatuated with “Sabys Barbee Mania Masala” range. I’m using a lot of their products and the results are spot on. 

Will be reviewing the “Peri-Peri Masala and Spicy Dosa Mix” in the next post. 

Till then,enjoy these samosas,let’s spread love across.. And I will try baking them the next time round. 🍴❤️