Ending the fast in a healthy Sudanese way

In Sudan, food plays a big role in celebrating Ramadan, with speciality dishes and drinks served during the holy month. To Sudanese people, Ramadan has its own special dishes and some of these are found in virtually every household. The varieties of dishes are based on different tribes and region. For example, in the North, people make Nuaimiah, a unique dish, which is a must-have on iftar tables.

Nuaimiah, is a soup-like dish that consists of many components including dried onions, minced meat, crush peanuts, tomato sauce, flour, spices and a large portion of laban or yogurt.

This is one dish that Sudanese families cook almost every day for Iftar. People like to eat it after having a soup as the main dish because it is light on the stomach.

To make it, first, chop the onions and fry them in oil until they turn golden. Then add minced meat, water and all spices. Add water to this and cover for 15 minutes while on the stove.

In a bowl, mix peanut butter, flour, yoghurt and add to it fried onion and minced meat. Blend the mixture and put it on the stove for 10 minutes. It can be served with Kisra and Aseeda, and kind of bread made of wheat and flour.

Soups are also an essential feature of Sudanese Ramadan meals. Chicken, lentil, vegetable and tomato soups are commonly served at Iftars.

Appetisers including tomatoes with peanut butter salads and cucumber yogurt salads are also popular during Sudanese Iftars.

Tomatoes with peanut salad is easy and fast to prepare. Just cut raw tomatoes to small pieces, add salt and lemon and mix it with peanut butter. Add to this sesame or olive oil. Some people also like to add white onion to it.

The cucumber salad with yogurt only makes a guest appearance for Sudanese people during Ramadan. This involves simply cutting cucumber and carrot into very small, then mixing them together and add yogurt, garlic to it.

This is a variation of what Indians call raita.

Foul (broad beans) with falafel are also common, not only because of their variety but because they keep people full for long periods.

For desert Sudanese usually serve fruit salad along with luqaimat, small, sweet dumplings made from butter, sugar, milk and flour. They are called Luqaimat in Sudan and the Gulf, and Awamat in the Levant, and Zalabia in Egypt. In Sudan apart from being serviced as dessert after Iftar, it mostly prepared in big quantity during the holly to be distributed to neighbours and poor people for charity.

Source: Khaleej Times