Where the Chefs Eat asks your favorite chefs for their top restaurants in cities across the world. For this edition, we sit down with Ilhan Mohamed Abdi.
It is quite astonishing that in a market so saturated with recipe books, there aren’t more dedicated to Ramadan. As Ilhan Mohamed Abdi tells me when we chat about her new book, The Ramadan Kitchen, “There are more Muslims than vegans and vegetarians in the world, and look at how many vegan and vegetarian cookbooks are on the shelves. And that is fantastic,” she insists, “But why aren’t there more books dedicated to Ramadan? A book like this was needed.”
Given that the holy month of Ramadan takes place every year and is celebrated by some two billion people worldwide, it is astonishing there aren’t more cookbooks dedicated to the delicious dishes made to mark the global celebrations that take place and, as I realised when reading Abdi’s new release, there are endless recipes that can be enjoyed both by Muslims and non-Muslims, alike.
Abdi writes that Ramadan isn’t simply about physically fasting – it is far bigger than that: “There is a stillness that comes with Ramadan, a softening of pace that allows us to notice what is often overlooked. Even in solitude, there is a sense of belonging, knowing that millions around the world are part of the same rhythm, connected through faith.” And, given the ferocious pace of life these days, who wouldn’t benefit from a bit more softness and stillness? I know I certainly would. The Ramadan Kitchen offers nutritious, delicious recipes for Suhoor and Iftar (the two daily meals for Muslims that frame their fast from dawn to sunset), plus fabulous celebratory meals, many of which Abdi has enjoyed since childhood for Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan. And, even if you don’t partake, don’t think these recipes won’t delight in your home, too.
“I wrote The Ramadan Kitchen with everyone very much in mind,” Abdi explains. “There are lovely recipes for things like rice and doughnuts, and they can be enjoyed by anyone, at any time. This is for absolutely everyone and, the fact is, I’m not living in a Muslim country, so people still have to go to work, and they don’t shut up shop, so you have to adapt this for all home cooks.” Born in Somalia, Abdi moved to the UK with her family at just 18 months old and so she’s grown up with family who “still go off to work and come home and cook a Ramadan meal at the end of the day. When you’re back in Somalia, everything slows down, the shops close, and you have a lot more time, but here, you don’t, so I’ve had to adapt it.”
