Noor Murad’s Recipes for Ramadan

FEATURE: QUICK READ

Cooking during Ramadan? We’ve got two deliciously nourishing recipes to help you break your fast. Taken from the best-selling cookbooks, Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things, co-written by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad, they’ve been specially selected by Murad to serve at your iftar table. We ask the Bahraini-born chef why these recipes are perfect for sharing with friends and family during this special time – and look forward to two satiating suppers.

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things (published by Ebury) are available in-store at The Harrods Bookshop on the Lower Ground Floor and through Personal Shopping.

Celebration Rice with Lamb, Chicken and Garlic Yogurt

“Large rice platters often make an appearance on Middle Eastern spreads,” says Noor Murad. “Especially throughout the Gulf countries, where rice is the main carb of choice. Celebration rice is a perfect dish to serve at the Ramadan table as it’s warming and comforting, and also invites everyone to dig in and share.”

“This concept of eating from one large platter is not new to Muslim communities but is especially important when breaking fast together,” adds Murad. “This moment of togetherness with your loved ones, family or community truly unifies everyone’s shared purpose during this spiritual month.”

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Soaking time: 1 hour +

Serves 8

Ingredients

CHICKEN
1 whole chicken (1.4kg)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 onion, cut into 6 wedges (150g)
1 head of garlic, skin on and halved widthways
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp lemon juice
5g parsley, roughly chopped salt and black pepper

RICE
2 tbsp olive oil
40g unsalted butter 1 onion, finely chopped (150g)
300g minced lamb
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
400g basmati rice, washed, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour and then drained

GARLIC YOGURT
500g Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed

GARNISH
50g unsalted butter
30g blanched almonds
30g pine nuts
¾ tsp Aleppo chilli, or ½ tsp regular chilli flakes
5g picked parsley leaves
4 tbsp pomegranate seeds

1. Put the chicken into a large saucepan, for which you have a lid, along with the cinnamon sticks, onion, garlic, 2 litres of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 70 minutes, or until cooked through. Lift out the chicken and, when cool enough, tear into large bite-size chunks, discarding the skin and bones. Place the chicken in a bowl with the ground cumin and cinnamon and set aside. Strain the stock through a sieve set over a large bowl, discarding the solids. Measure out 850ml and keep warm (save the remainder for another use).

2. For the rice, put the oil and half the butter into a large saucepan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden. Add the lamb, garlic and spices and cook for2 minutes more, stirring often, until the lamb is no longer pink. Add the rice, 700ml of the warm stock, 1¾ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes more. Add the remaining butter and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce by whisking together the yogurt, garlic, ¾ teaspoon of salt and the remaining 150ml of warm stock in a medium bowl.

4. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes, to warm through. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and parsley and set aside.

5. Make the garnish by putting the butter into a small frying pano n a medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly coloured. Add the pine nuts and cook for another 2 minutes, until golden. Remove from the heat and add the Aleppo chilli.

6. Spread the rice over a large, round serving platter. Top with the chicken, then pour over half the garlic yogurt. Finish with the nuts and butter, followed by the picked parsley and pomegranate seeds. Serve the remaining yogurt alongside.

Noor Murad

“The last time I made the celebration rice was last Christmas. I grew up with Ramadan and Eid thanks to my dad and Bahraini upbringing, but also celebrated Easter and Christmas thanks to my English mum. When I moved to London six years ago, I found that I missed these Middle Eastern sharing platters and rice dishes more and more. Perhaps beyond the food itself, I missed the community surrounding the food, and on festive occasions, will jump on the chance at making these dishes that I know and love, and share them with friends.”

One-Pot Chickpeas with Carrots, Dates and Marinated Feta

“I have a lot of time for chickpeas,” says Noor Murad. “They’re satiating, nutritious and readily available, especially when cooked from dry. They can also take on strong flavours, and get along amicably with pretty much any vegetable. You can easily swap carrots out for other root vegetables in this stew, like sweet potatoes or celeriac. Just be sure to use vegetables that won’t lose their integrity when cooked for a long time, and cut them up into large chunks. They don't need to be perfect, in fact, rustic is part of the charm.”

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Soaking time: 12 to 24 hours

Ingredients:

300g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped (150g)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
25g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large green chilli, roughly chopped, seeds and all (15g)
15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 Medjool dates (45g), skinned, pitted and roughly chopped (40g)
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 carrots (500g), peeled and cut at an angle into 2–3 large chunks (450g)
2 fresh bay leaves
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp lemon juice
5g parsley, roughly chopped
salt and black pepper

MARINATED FETA
150g Greek feta, roughly crumbled
1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and roughly crushed with a pestle and mortar
1½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
5g parsley, roughly chopped
75ml olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Drain the chickpeas from their liquid and set aside.

2. Put the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli into a food processor and pulse a few times until very finely chopped but not puréed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the coriander and pulse a couple of times more, to mix through.

3. Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan, for which you have a lid, on a medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the cumin, cinnamon, dates and tomato paste and cook for a minute more, or until fragrant. Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, 1¾ teaspoons of salt,1.2 litres of water and a good grind of black pepper and bring to the boil, skimming the scum from the surface as needed. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until the chickpeas are completely softened and the sauce has become thick and rich. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

4. While the chickpeas are cooking, make the marinated feta by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl and setting aside for the flavours to infuse.

5. Divide the chickpea mixture between 4–6 bowls and top each with some of the feta, serving any extra alongside.

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