IFTAR



Usually; the ones who have fast, after Ishaa prayer (the prayer of nightfall) recite the following dua.a (prayer):



In the name of Allah,

O. Allah, we fast, and with food,

Thou give us break the fast,

An obligation we fulfill,

and Thou art Hearer, knower..



And then; they break their fast with lawful (Halal) and pure foods. They preferably eat one of these foods at first, which as fallows: Date, Boiled water, Tea, Halva (an Iranian dessert), Naabat (sugar candy), or Milk.



Also; there are different recipes in the Iranian Iftar ceremony, including:

Halva, Ranginak, Fereni, Sholeh Zard, Shir Berenj, Masgati, Zoolbia, Baamieh, Kachee,Yakh dar Behesht, Ash Sholeh Qalamkar, Ash Resteh, and Ash joe.

Now please attend us in this ceremony:



Aash-e Sholeh-Ghalamkar



Ingredients:

( servings 4)



herbs: parsley, dill, coriander, spinach, spring-onion ends (in equal amounts), 500 grams

rice, 100 grams (1/2 cup)

chick-peas, black-eye beans & lentils ( in equal amounts), 450 grams

beef or lamb, 500 grams

fried onions, 5 spoons

turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon

cooking oil

salt

black pepper



Directions



Soak peas, beans and lentils in water for 4-5 hours. Cut meat into small pieces. Add peas, beans, lentils, turmeric, salt, pepper, meat and hot water, and cook over low heat. Wash rice and add to the Aash. Cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Wash herbs and chop finely. Add to Aash and stirring frequently. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary. For cooking well, medium heat is necessary.

Aash-e Reshteh

Ingredients:

( servings 4)



reshteh, 400 grams

herbs (parsley, spinach, dill, coriander, and spring-onion ends, in equal amounts), 1 kg

chick-peas, black-eye beans & lentils ( in equal amounts), 450 grams

dried mint, 4 spoons

fried onions, 4 spoons

kashk (whey), two glasses (1/2 liter)

flour, 2 spoons

cooking oil

salt

black pepper

Directions

Soak chick-peas, black-eye beans, and lentils in warm water for about two hours. Then, add chick-peas, black-eye beans, lentils, salt, and pepper to half of fried onions. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and cook over medium heat.

Wash and finely chop the herbs. Add to the mix, and continue cooking over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Dissolve flour in a glass of cold water, add in, and mix well. Add reshteh and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Strands of reshteh should remain intact and uncut. Remove the mix from heat, and pour kashk (whey) evenly over it. Add fried onions on top.

Fry dried mint in oil for a few minutes and add it on top of Aash-e Reshteh and serve it .

Fereni

Ingredients:

( servings 4)



milk, 1/2 litre

rice flour, 50 grams (2 spoonful)

sugar, 100 grams (4 spoonful)

rosewater, 2 spoonfuls

Directions

Dissolve rice flour in milk. Add sugar and rosewater. Stir regularly over medium heat until it comes to slow boil and thickens. Serve cold.

Ranginak



Ingredients:

( servings 4)

wheat flour, 500 grams

pitted dates, 500 grams

fine sugar, 125 grams

walnuts, 125 grams

cinnamon, one spoon

cardamom, 1/2 spoon

cooking oil, 300 grams

ground pistachio, one spoon

Directions

Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour in wheat flour and turn down the heat. Stir frequently until flour turns golden. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add fine sugar, cinnamon and cardamom to flour and mix well.

Pour half of the flour-mix in a flat dish and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon. Insert a piece of walnut inside each date and place the dates on the flour-mix. Cover the dates with the rest of the flour-mix and again flatten the surface with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle ground pistachios on top. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces and serve.

Sheer Berenj

Ingredients:

( servings 4)



Rice, 200 grams

Sugar orJam ( for serving)

Rosewater, 1/2 cup

Milk, 2 litres

Directions

Wash rice well, then drain the water. Add two glasses of water to rice and cook until rice slightly softens. Add milk and continue cooking over medium heat until the mix thickens. Add rosewater and cook for another minute or so. Serve with sugar or jam.

Sholeh Zard

Ingredients:

( servings 4)



Rice, 500 grams

Sugar, 1 kg

Cooking oil, 1/2 cup

Saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

Rosewater, 1/2 cup

Pistachio, crushed , 50 grams

Almond, crushed , 100 grams

Cinnamon, 3 teaspoon

Directions

Wash rice a few times until the water is clear, then drain. Add six times water and bring to a boil, removing the foam. When rice softens completely, add sugar and stir well.

Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water and add to the mix. Heat up oil and also add to the mix. Add in most of the almonds and the rosewater. Stir well and cover. Cook in oven at low temperature for half an hour. Serve with pistachio, almond and cinnamon sprinkled on top.



Baamieh



Ingredients: (4 servings)

flour, 125 grams

large eggs, 3

sugar, 200 grams

cooking oil, 4-5 spoons

rose-water, 2-3 spoons

Directions:



Mix cooking oil with a glass of water and 1-2 spoons of sugar, and bring to a boil. Pour in flour and mix well. When water boils off and the mix thickens, remove from heat. Allow the mix to cool down, then add eggs and mix well until smooth. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour the mix through a funnel into the pan. Fry on both sides.

Mix well sugar, rose-water, and a glass of water. Heat until water comes to a boil, and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat. Add a little lemon juice to it. Soak baamieh in the syrup for about 5 minutes, and then serve.



Yakh-dar-Behesht (Ice-in-Heaven)



Ingredients: (4 servings)

rice-flour, 100 grams

starch, 150 grams

sugar, 500 grams

rosewater, 1/2 cup

milk, 1 litre

water, 1 litre

crushed pistachios, 50 grams



Directions:



Dissolve starch well in cold water and dissolve rice-flour well in cold milk. Mix the two solutions and bring to slow boil over low heat. Regularly stir the mix until it thickens. Now add sugar and rosewater. Continue stirring the mix while it boils very slowly so that it does not settle.

When the mix becomes very thick, it is ready. Pour it into a deep rectangular dish and shake so that the surface is level. Let it cool down completely, then cut a grid into it the lines of which are parallel to the diagonals of the dish. Sprinkle the pistachios on top. Ice-in-Heaven is now ready to serve.





Kachee (Halva Cream )



Ingredients: (4 servings)

Sugar, 500 grams

Butter, 500 grams

Water, 500 ml

Wheat flour, 250 grams

Rosewater, 60 ml

Liquid Saffron, 1 table spoon



Directions:

Bring water and sugar to the boil, when the sugar has dissolved, remove it from heat. In a saucepan melt the butter and then stir in the flour to a smooth paste over a low heat. While stirring, slowly add the rosewater, syrup and liquid saffron. Continue stirring until the mixture is a thin smooth cream. If the mixture gets too thick, add a little warm water to it.



Zoolbia



Ingredients: (4 servings)

starch, 500 grams

yogurt, 150 grams

sugar, 200 grams

cooking oil

rose-water, 2-3 spoons



Directions:



Mix starch, 1-2 spoons of sugar, and water, then add yogurt and mix well until the mixture is even and smooth. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour the mix through a funnel into the pan creating round lattice shapes about 5-6 cm in diameter. Turn heat down and fry fully on one side, then on the other.

Mix well sugar, rose-water, and a glass of water. Heat until water comes to a boil, and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat. Soak zoolbia in the syrup for about 5 minutes, then serve.



Halva



Ingredients: (4 servings)

wheat flour, 250 grams

sugar, 200 grams

cooking oil, 200 grams

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

rosewater, 1/2 cup

pistachio, crushed

almond, crushed

Water, 2 cups



Directions:



Heat oil in a frying pan until it is hot. Add flour, reduce heat and stir frequently until the mix changes color to golden, thickens and becomes fragrant.

Add sugar to one glass of water and bring to a boil. Add saffron and rosewater and stir. Let flour cool slightly, then add the mix and stir well. If the mix is not thick, heat for 1-2 minutes but not longer. Serve with crushed pistachio and almond sprinkled on top.



Masqati (Starch Fudge)



Ingredients :( 4 servings)



Starch, 100 grams
Sugar, 200 grams
Oil,50 grams
Rosewater , 1tablespoon
water , 3 or 4 cups

Crushed almond, 50 grams



Recipe



Mix starch in the water. Stir the mixture over medium heat until thick and sticky. Then add sugar, rosewater, and oil to the mixture. Leave it to cool and set. Cut diagonally into strips. Then serve it.