Guest blog: how to cater for your Ramadan event

Raheel Mirza grew up in a Pakistani household surrounded by delicious tastes and aroma, and his food today reflects this homestyle of cooking. He loves to get to know his clients while serving their food and appeared on Masterchef in 2020. Today, his guest blog delves into what to serve at a Ramadan celebration.

Creating a sense of community and sharing what we have with each other. That’s what the month of Ramadan feels like for those that observe it. Of course, there are the underlying religious reasons and spiritual benefits of this holy month in the Islamic calendar, however, the day-to-day experiences of most people that are fasting are influenced heavily by what they eat and drink.

When people come together to break their fast, they like to eat food that are presented as sharing plates. No iftar (breaking of the fast) should be without the obligatory dates and water to start off with, followed by small servings of fruit to cleanse the palate and refresh the taste buds. It’s the whole vibe of eating together and sharing that moment of energising your body and mind. Variety is also important – although one should really be keeping things simple – people like to sample various items with different tastes. Usually, smaller servings work best as eating a full meal all in one go can be too much for the body after a whole day of fasting. Sweet and savoury items are savoured in equal measure.

When catering for a corporate Client, we like to make the process simple, hassle free and most importantly the food must taste great! We provide food items that meet all dietary requirements from vegan to gluten free and of course everything is 100% halal.

We know that people will be hungry and need feeding in a timely manner – to the minute – as every day’s fast opening is calculated accurately. Serving food in stages allows people to take a break to do their prayers, which is also an important part of fasting. We understand that people don’t want to be rushed or feel like they are missing out.

If required, we can provide an all-round service including provision of prayer mats and bottled water for ease of carrying and sipping at your own Convenience.

When choosing a caterer for your Ramadan event, two-way communication is key and that will allow the event to run smoothly and calmly to reflect the already peaceful mood.

A typical Ramadan catering menu may look like this (the menu can be adapted to suit your needs):

Dates and bottled water

Mixed fruit platters

Starters to include: samosas, onion bhajis and chicken tikka

Mains: a rice dish such as biryani, or plain rice and naan with a veg and meat curry

Desserts: Cardamom flavoured rice pudding or gulab jaman with cream