• Breaking fast is a much-longed-for moment of festivity, but this year calls for caution
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
For the past few weeks, ever since prices of fuel, gas and food took a turn for the worse, we have been talking about nothing else. We might make fun of ourselves as complainers, but the current times warrant the woes.
It was already hard enough for the average Kenyan to stay afloat without these outrageous price increases. What is worse still, with it being an election year, it means that things will take a long time to get better. Even if they will not get worse, they will plateau at the current state until the new government takes over and gets a grip on the situation.
In the midst of all the chaos happening in the country right now, Muslims in Kenya will join their brothers and sisters all over the world as they mark the holy month of Ramadhan this April.
Most non-Muslims are often flummoxed by how much we Muslims care about food in a month where we observe fast. Ramadhan is a month of humility, perseverance and spirituality. It is also the month of unity, family and giving back. While we give the utmost focus of our day to religious practices, we also give ‘special’ focus on the food.
Hear me out. For most of us, this month is a month of sharing the little we have. That is why we make the best of everything. We want to send the neighbours a plate of homemade spring rolls, we want to share our breaking snacks at the mosques, and we might want to invite friends and family to break the fast.
As such, we try to make the best meals we can. We clean the unused china; we dust off grandma’s recipe books and make space in the kitchen for the most-used items during Ramadhan.
However, given the current state of affairs, I would be lying if I were to say this Ramadhan would be like the others. In fact, since the breakout of Covid-19, Ramadhan practices have changed considerably. Unlike the last couple of years, this Ramadhan would be much freer, allowing us to mingle openly like the old days before coronavirus. However, in light of the current inflation, how many of us can afford the old practices this year?
We strongly believe that Allah is the best of providers and He will surely make a way when things are difficult. “So, surely with hardship comes ease” (Quran 94:5). I believe that Allah will make a way for every Muslim to have a plate of food to break their fast.
I also believe that those who have should avoid wastage in these precarious times. For those who run households or at least the kitchens like myself, I have come up with a few easy ways to avoid wastage and utilise items to the best of our abilities without overspending or wasting.
Firstly, inform the family of the current situation. Let them know that this Ramadhan would unlikely be like the rest. For instance, if your family is used to a number of snacks for breaking fast, tell them it will reduce to one or two items. Let them go in knowing that we are doing our best to provide but we are also being cautious of our spending.
Secondly, reducing the number of foods cooked in a day. Most of us like to prepare an assortment of Ramadhan delicacies. However, it makes much more financial sense to make one big satisfying meal a day with smaller side dishes.
We also need to revisit our recipes and change quantities and ingredients to match what we have in our pantries. We spend a lot of money buying extravagant, rarely used items that end up spoiling post-Ramadhan. We should also avoid making big meals that tend to have leftovers. Most leftovers end up going bad before the next day.
Lastly, we ought to come up with alternative methods. Say, two of your food items for the day require deep-frying. We can choose to use other methods to cook the other item. Alternative methods, such as steaming, air frying and baking, will cut down the cost of oil consumption.