Ramadan Special: 5 Must-Have Chef-Approved Recipes

Ramadan is a time of reflection, togetherness, and nourishing meals that bring families together. As the sun sets, Iftar becomes a feast of flavors, blending tradition with innovation. Here are five exclusive, chef-approved recipes to elevate your Ramadan dining experience. Betel Leaf Infused Manju Muhallebi By Chef Ashu Chugh, Jaypee Greens Golf Course, Greater NoidaServes: 4 Ingredients: Full cream milk – 4 cups Sugar – 1 cup Refined flour – 2 tsp Corn starch – 1 tsp Egg yolk – 1 Mango pulp – ½ cup Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup Vanilla extract – ½ tsp Betel leaves puree – 1 tbsp Mango cubes – 1 cup Pistachios (chopped) – 4 tsp Betel leaves – 2 Red currants – 4 sprigs Method: In a deep pan, whisk together milk, sugar, flour, corn starch, egg yolk, and mango pulp. Heat on medium, add whipped cream, vanilla, and betel leaf puree, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate. Serve with mango cubes, garnished with pistachios, betel leaves, and red currants. Sevaiyan Muzaffar By Chef Ankit Vig, Sous Chef – Varq, Taj Mahal, New Delhi Ingredients: Vermicelli – 125g Full-fat milk – 500g Sugar – 100g Cardamom (ground) – 1.25g Saffron – 0.5g Almonds & pistachios (chopped) – 10g Raisins – 10g Ghee – 30g Method: Roast vermicelli in ghee until golden. Boil milk with sugar, cardamom, and saffron; reduce slightly. Combine vermicelli with milk, add nuts and raisins. Serve warm or chilled. Stuffed Dates with Spiced Pistachio & Saffron Drizzle By Chef Arjyo Banerjee, Compass Group India Ingredients: Medjool dates – 12-15 Pistachios (ground) – 80g Almonds (chopped) – 30g Honey – 30g Cardamom powder – 2g Cinnamon powder – 1g Rose water – 5ml Heavy cream – 100ml Saffron strands – 1 pinch Powdered sugar – 10g Rose petals – as required Method: Slice open dates and remove pits. Mix pistachios, almonds, honey, cardamom, cinnamon, and rose water; stuff into dates. Warm heavy cream with saffron and sugar; drizzle over dates. Garnish with rose petals and serve chilled or at room temperature. Nalli Nihari Gosht By Chef Abhijeet Thakre, Executive Chef, Vivanta New Delhi, Dwarka Ingredients: Lamb shanks – 2 kg Flour (plain & wholemeal) – 1 tbsp each Water – 8-10 cups Ghee – 2 tbsp Oil – 4 tbsp Ginger (grated) – 1 inch Garlic (crushed) – ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder – 1 ½ tbsp Red chili powder – 1 tsp Salt – 2 tsp Garam masala mix (fennel, black cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, coriander seeds, cumin, mace, nutmeg, cloves, black peppercorn) Garnishes: Coriander, julienned ginger, green chilies, fried onions, lemon wedges Method: Heat ghee and oil, sauté ginger and garlic, then brown the lamb shanks. Add spices, fry until aromatic, then add water and cook for 45 minutes. Mix flour with some broth, add back to pot, and simmer for 2 hours. Serve hot with garnishes and naan. Sheer Khurma By Chef Vishal Kumar Yadav, Executive Chef, Taj Damdama Lake Resort & Spa Ingredients: Full-fat milk – 1L Vermicelli – 100g Ghee – 50g Condensed milk – 125ml Dates (chopped) – 100g Cardamom powder – 10g Saffron – few strands Pistachios, cashews, almonds – 25g each Fresh cream – 200ml Rose water, Keora water – few drops Method: Fry vermicelli in ghee until golden; set aside. Fry nuts separately; set aside. Simmer milk with dates until reduced by 30%. Add vermicelli and cook until soft. Stir in condensed milk, fried nuts, and cardamom. Finish with rose and keora water; serve warm or chilled.