Queen of Months: An Eco-halal Sufi Vegan/Vegetarian Cookbook for Ramadan and Beyond

Dedication

In the service of Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (Friend of the Poor) Moinuddin Chishti, ra. Hu!

Our saint and holy teacher and guide, Gharib Nawaz, Hz Pir Moinuddin Chishti, the Friend of the Oppressed and Marginalised, reminds us to listen to the plight of the oppressed, to help the needy, and to fill the stomachs of the hungry. Those who do these three things may consider themselves friends of Allah. First they should have generosity like a river; secondly, kindness like the sun and, thirdly, humility like the earth. The one who is blessed is the one who is generous.

CONTENTS

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Fasting

The Ethics of Fasting in the Prophetic Tradition

Emptiness

To Live in Harmony with Our Bodies and with the Earth

Feasting

Notes and Tips

REFRESHMENT

Drinks

Fragrant Waters

Sugar Syrup

Sikanjebeen

Chaas

Doogh

Sweet Tamarind

Salted Tamarind – Jal Jeera

Berry Lemonade Slush

Mint Lemonade Slush

Chai Black Tea Concentrate

Green Tea With Mint And Lime Concentrate

Watermelon-Herb Agua Fresca

Cold Brewed Coffee

Soups

Smooth Soup Principles

Turkish Multi-Grain Soup With Mint

Central Asian Yogurt Soup*

Sorrel Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup

Zucchini Coconut Soup

Double Celery Soup With Gremolata

Umm Duha’s Sopa Seca De Calabacitas (Dry Calabacitas Soup)*

SUSTENANCE

Main Dishes and Sides

Toasted Moong Dal with Bengali Five Spice (Panch Phoron)

Posto – Bengali Poppy Seed Paste

Salee au Fromage, with Greens*

Vegan Quiche

Beluga Lentil And Roasted Beet Salad

Falafel, Fried Chickpea Patties

Hummus

Potato Tarragon Pie From Auvergne

Spinach Salad Pasta*

Couscous With Chickpeas, Raisins And Onions

Sevil Abla's Mercimek Kofte - Lentil Cakes

Iranian Pilav With Favas

Tacos

Breads and Snacks

Pita*

Whole Wheat Cream Biscuits*

Harcha – Moroccan Breakfast Bread With Indian Spices*

Batbout*

Gougeres - Cheese Puffs*

Indian Chickpea Fritters

Beghrir*

Pie Crust*

BOUNTY

Salads and Vegetables

Vinaigrette Dressing

Beiruti Tabbouleh – Parsley Mint Salad

Saffron Potato Salad

Caprese

Pickles - Quick Garlic Half-Sours

Bengali Salad

Moroccan Cooked Chard (Or Other Greens) Salad

Sevil Abla’s Mucver – Zucchini Cakes*

Turkish Green Beans with Olive Oil

Zaatar Herbed Potato Salad

Fennel Grapefruit Salad

Orange, Onion And Olive Salad

Cumin Mashed Potatoes

Fattouche+

MORNING

Suhur – Breakfast

Tips

Protein Smoothies

Scrambled Eggs With Green Chili

Uppama – Spiced Semolina

Raised Crepes – Gluten Free

Saffron Corn Grits

Uttapam - Indian Vegetable Pancakes

Granola

SWEETNESS

Desserts

Fruit Salad

Fruit Crisp

Chai Black Tea Granita

Green Tea, Mint And Lime Granita

Sago Gula Melaka (coconut, tapioca and palm sugar sweet)

Flour Halvah

Custard Baklava*

Peach Galette

Amir’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Muh'min’s Gluten Free, Vegan Banana Cake

INGREDIENT LISTS

Fruits And Vegetables

Herbs

Spices

Dry Goods And Canned

Dairy and Non-Dairy

About the Authors

Foreword

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

In the Name of Allah, the Infinitely Compassionate One, the Tenderly Merciful One

Why would we write a cookbook for Ramazan? Aren’t we fasting the whole time? When many people hear that Muslims are fasting for a month, they think that they never eat or drink, and that therefore Ramazan must be a pretty gloomy time. So, why would I be so enthusiastic and excited about it? In fact, there is much to say about the beauty and tenderness of this month, which is called the Queen of All Months. This is a month of compassion, a month of delight, a month of healing that which has been broken, a month of journeying to wholeness, a month of remembering, a month of transforming. In our prayers, we gladly welcome her, the month of breaking fast and eating before the fast. The Prophet of Light, Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him and his family, encourages us to open our fast as soon as we hear the evening call to prayer and reminds us of the importance of eating and drinking in the pre-dawn, before beginning the day of fasting.

And so Ramazan is about feasting as well as fasting. If you are familiar with religious practices and traditions where one spends a lot of time getting everything ready for a particular holy season or days or weeks, where there is a lot of food being cooked and lot of cleaning up going on, then you know what many of those of us who are fasting Ramazan are doing in these days.

Why vegetarian/vegan? We chose to have an eco-halal vegan/vegetarian focus in order to follow the practice of our Chishti dargâhs in South Asia, where, out of respect and love for other religious traditions and their dietary practices, only vegetarian food is served to the pilgrims, as they come from many different religious paths. This is a beautiful way to build communities of respect, affection and love, insha’allah.

Whether you are Muslim or not, a meat eater or not, whether you’ve been waiting for a vegetarian approach to this month or you just decided to get the book out of curiosity, we welcome you to savor the following pages and hope that they will be a help and pleasure to you in this month and beyond.

Illustration: Hamza of the Awakened Heart, by Nazile Sera Onur (by permission of her family).

Introduction

In Turkey, where I spend a large part of my time, people greet one another with a Ramazan mübarek! as they go about their business. Shopkeepers are apt to give me dates to take home and neighbours wish each other a blessed month. I send love to all of you for this sacred month.

Ramazan, the Queen of Months, is a time to make deeper and wider justice, deeper and wider community, deeper and wider access. Iftar (meal that opens, i.e., ends the day of fasting) can be a painful experience for some people, reminding them of alienation from family and friends, social isolation, etc.. If you know someone, or don’t even know them very well yet, invite them to an iftar in your community or in your house. Ramazan is Green: the change of body rhythm and food intake brings us into deeper harmony with the rhythms and harmonies of the Earth. It is care for the Earth, mindful management of our resources, countering speciesism and experiencing the dhikr of all of the cosmos. Be mindful of the earth as you make your iftar and sahoor (morning meal before starting the day of fasting): if you have your own garden, prepare things from your garden. If you don’t have a garden, try to support your local farmers, not as an elitist thing but as a way of strengthening your community’s connections to care for the Earth. Are the things and produce that you are using the results of trade justice/FairTrade? Even with vegan and vegetarian foods, it is important for us to know that the produce of the Earth comes to us in ways that are full of justice, compassion and care. This is even more so the case if you are eating meat: we deepen the meaning of halal by assuring that the animals are treated with respect and compassion, that they live healthy lives. When preparing a gathering during Ramazan (and anytime), please be mindful to use compostable or recyclable utensils for eating. Be mindful of how you use electricity, water, cleaning products, etc. In order to keep the focus on sustainability during this season and beyond, please be mindful of food waste. We have so much food at iftars: some can go to homeless shelters and other places that are in need of food; the rest of it can be creatively recycled for another iftar or for a sahoor. Ethical consumption and trade justice are key parts of our eco-halal consciousness: halal (that which is permitted) and tayyib (good, clean, wholesome, fair, lawful).

This is also an important way of reminding us that we come in all forms of bodies, that everything that ar-Rahman has created is a Sign. So, in our Ramazan gatherings let us remember to be accessible to people of all forms of embodiment, people with disabilities and temporarily able-bodied people (because anything can happen to us at any moment, masha’allah). The Ummah has many shapes and colours and forms and Ramazan is an opportunity for us to be mindfully present to each other. When picking a place for an iftar, may we be sure to think of finding places where everyone can come and celebrate. Let’s find out what the Braille needs are, the Sign Language needs are; are there ramps, are there toxic/chemical substances to which people have allergies, etc?

Ocean of Forgiveness – this sacred month is a time of forgiveness. May I be forgiven for my shortcomings and any ways in which I have been inattentive, estaghfirullah. May we love one another so that with one heart we might dwell in the Oneness of all Being. 

If for whatever reasons you are not fasting, please invite yourself to do something that pushes you beyond your comfort zone, something that puts you in a place of receiving the Qur’an in your heart, something that helps create delightful spaciousness for someone else. This year, i will be uniting my fasting to that of the hunger strikes at Pelican Bay State Prison, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere in the world.

Welcome, o Month of Bliss! Yes, believe it or not, some of us really enjoy and delight in this month. It is not a month of gloom and doom as many think. We receive the gift of the Qur’an-i Kerim during this month, commemorated especially on the Night of Power towards the end of the month. This month is not a time of sadness: it is a time of mindfulness, of going more deeply and more broadly. And yes, we do eat at the end and beginning of each day! 

Let’s swim in the ocean of the Qur’an-i kerim: if you think that individually reading the entire