READ
For the one who loves to feed a crowd
THE RAMADAN FAMILY COOKBOOK by Anisa Karolia
Now 10 years in the business, UK-based Muslim food blogger and influencer Anisa Karolia has built a more substantial career than many flash-in-the-pan peers, with multiple awards and almost half a million followers to her name. And where many never cross over to old-fashioned publishing, Karolia’s Ramadan cookbooks have proven indispensable, this second edition focusing on shared meals with family across suhoor, iftar, Eid and beyond. Favourites include her rose and pistachio shortbread and crowd-pleasing lamb samosas.
For the culture lover
ROOZA by Nadiya Hussain
TV chef and author Nadiya Hussain has now fully capitalised on winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015, and her latest book is ideal for the Holy month, arranged into meal and dessert ideas for each of the 30 days of Ramadan and several decadent dishes for Eid celebrations as well. Hussain goes deep and wide in her reference points, providing valuable context on the variety of cuisines and richness of dining rituals across the Muslim world. Expect the likes of Maldivian tuna curry, date-swirled cookies from Iraq and fish biryani from Bangladesh.
For the joy of baking
BAKE CLUB by Christina Tosi and Shannon Salzano
Founder of well-known New York bakery Milk Bar, Christina Tosi also started an online ‘bake club’ in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, offering live online tutorials every afternoon that proved a calming, steadying influence for many. That enterprise now has a book attached, compiling Tosi’s many great ideas for puddings, breads and so on. With Easter approaching, there’s plenty of seasonal recipes to deploy for snacks and desserts, including Tosi’s incredible brownie cake and cinnamon buns with brown sugar.
WATCH
WITH LOVE, MEGHAN
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, invites cameras and celebrity guests and friends onto a private estate in Montecito, California for a new eight-episode series about cooking, baking, gardening and hosting tips. The Duchess’ hands-on approach in the kitchen (as well as the vegetable patch and while harvesting honey) comes as a welcome surprise. Delayed a little by the recent wildfires, this is the first new content produced through her own lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
Available on Netflix.
LISTEN
NOT EVEN WATER
The BBC’s ongoing podcast series about Ramadan has become popular because of its fresh, generous, judgement-free approach – helping explain the Holy month to non-Muslims and guide the observant through various food-related challenges and spiritual dilemmas that come with the season. Past guests such as boxing brothers Hassan and Adam Azim and comedian Tez Ilyas have shared their own experiences of training or working while fasting and contributed to the show’s gentle but valuable myth-busting.
