Ramzan 2025: Refreshing recipes for Iftar

Celebrate Ramzan — which begins today — with delicious Iftar recipes to keep you in high spirits throughout the holy month

Iftar is a special meal to break the fast during Ramadan, typically enjoyed with family and friends. It’s important that the meal is balanced, nourishing, and satisfying. Here are some Iftar recipes that you can prepare.

Pistachio dates laddoo are loaded with taste and nutrients

Fruit Chaat

Ingredients

• 1 medium Apple (cored and diced)

• 1 Pear (cored and diced)

• 15-20 Cherries (pitted and diced)

• 1 large Mango (diced, slightly unripe is best)

• 1 Banana (sliced)

• ½ cup Pomegranate seeds

• ½ cup Grapes (halved)

• 1 small Orange (peeled and segmented)

• 2 teaspoons Chaat masala

• 1 teaspoon Sugar

• Salt (to taste)

• Lemon juice (to taste)

• Honey (optional, for extra sweetness)

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Fruits

1. Core and dice the apple and pear.

2. Pit and dice the cherries.

3. Dice the mango into small pieces.

4. Slice the banana.

5. Peel and segment the orange.

6. Halve the grapes and prepare the pomegranate seeds.

Step 2: Mixing the Chaat

7. In a large bowl, combine all the prepared fruits.

8. Add chaat masala, salt, sugar, and lemon juice.

9. Mix well, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.

10. Drizzle honey if desired for extra sweetness.

Step 3: Chilling and Serving

11. Let the fruit chaat chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

Chef Shoaib Qureshi, ITC Maurya

Dum Murgh Lahori

Ingredients:

Chicken drumstick (500 gm)

Oil (74 ml)

Ginger-garlic paste coriander powder (75 gm)

Deggi mirch powder (75 gm)

Turmeric powder (25 gm)

Brown onions (75 gm)

Whole garam masala (200 gm)

Cashewnut paste (75 gm)

Coconut powder (225 gm)

Cream (75 gm)

Chironji seeds (75 gm)

Lahori Masala (75 gm)

Salt

Method:

1. Sauté cashew nut, chironji, coconut powder, and brown onion in oil and make a paste.

2. Put the oil in a pan and add whole garam masala. Sauté it.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste and, cook for a few minutes.

4. Add deggi mirch powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and sauté.

5. Add the cashew nut paste and chicken pieces. Sauté.

6. Add the cream and Lahori masala. Add salt to taste.

8. Cook on dum on slow flame.

9. Check the seasoning and serve hot with Indian bread.

Chef Abhijeet Thakre, Executive Chef, Vivanta New Delhi, Dwarka

Sheer Khurma

Ingredients:

Full-fat milk (1 litre)

Vermicelli (seviyan), broken into small pieces (½ cup)

Sugar (adjust to taste) (¼ cup)

Ghee (2 tbsp)

Chopped dates (khajoor) (6-8)

Sliced almonds (2 tbsp)

Chopped cashews (2 tbsp)

Chopped pistachios (2 tbsp)

Raisins (1 tbsp)

Cardamom powder (½ tsp)

Rose water (optional) (½ tsp)

Saffron strands (optional) (1 pinch)

Method:

Step 1: Roast vermicelli and nuts

1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the almonds, cashews, pistachios, and raisins until golden brown.

2. In the same pan, roast the vermicelli until golden brown.

Step 2: Cook the Sheer Khurma

1. Bring milk to a boil in a large pot.

2. Add chopped dates and simmer for five minutes until soft.

3. Add roasted vermicelli and cook for seven to 10 minutes.

4. Mix in sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron. Cook until the mixture thickens slightly.

5. Add the roasted dry fruits and rose water. Stir well. Finally, serve.

Chef Shaurya Veer Kapoor, Executive Chef Gola Sizzlers & Cafe Hawkers

Pistachio Dates Ladoo

Ingredients:

Pistachio (1/2 cup)

Oats (1/2 cup)

Seedless dates (250 grams)

Pumpkin seeds (3 tbsp)

Sunflower seeds (3 tbsp)

Flax seeds (3 tbsp)

Melon seeds (2 tbsp)

Sesame seeds (4 tbsp)

Cinnamon powder (1 tsp)

Ghee (1 tsp)

Method:

1. Dry roast the oats and take it out.

2. Dry roast pistachios and the seeds.

3. Heat butter, add dates, and cook it for 1/2 minute.

4. Make a paste of dates.

5. Coarsely grind all seeds, California pistachios and oats together.

6. Mix the date paste with grounded powder properly.

7. Shape it into laddoos.

8. Your healthy pistachio ladoo is ready to serve.

Chef Kabita Singh

Bohra’s Gol Paani (Gol Paani)

Ingredients and quantity:

Jaggery grated or cut into cubes (2 cups)

Filtered water for soaking jaggery (3½ cups)

Sweet basil seeds (sabja seeds) (2 tbsp)

Filtered water for soaking sweet basil seeds (1 cup)

Lemon juice, freshly squeezed (4 tbsp)

For the straining of jaggery water: Food grade, unbleached muslin cloth (¼th metre)

For the garnish:

Fresh mint leaves (a few)

Method:

1. Add grated / cubed jaggery in a large glass bowl.

2. Cover it with water.

3. Cover it with a lid and set it aside for at least six hours until the jaggery dissolves completely in the water.

4. Strain through the muslin cloth.

5. Soak the sabja seeds in ½ cup of water for 30 minutes.

6. Add the soaked sabja seeds and lemon juice in the jaggery water. Stir well.

7. Refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

8. Finally, serve chilled garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji

Murgh Zameen dosh

Ingredients

Chicken whole (600 gm)

Cashewpaste (100 gm)

Melon seeds (50 gm)

Poppy seeds (25 gm)

Yoghurt (1.5 cup)

Ghee (2 tbsp)

Almond paste (2 tsp)

Ginger garlic paste (2)

Fried onion paste (2 tsp)

Cream (2 tsp)

Corriander powder (2 tsp)

Lemon juice (2 tsp)

Black pepper (a bit)

Basmati rice (150gm)

Big cardamom powder 1tsp

Cinnamon stick (1 or 2)

Cumin powder (1 tsp)

Nutmeg powder (1 tsp)

Mace powder (1 tsp)

Turmeric powder (1 tsp)

Garam masala powder (1tsp)

Red chili powder (1 tsp)

Rose water (1 tsp)

Fresh mint (a bit)

Method:

1. Boil the rice in water and salt.

Take the chicken and marinate with lemon juice and salt. Keep it in fridge.

2. Marinate with black pepper, black cardamom, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, bay leaf and nutmeg powder.

3. Then marinate with hung yoghurt, almond paste, cashew paste, melon seed paste, poppy seed paste and mace powder.

4. Dig a hole on the soiled ground. Put the chicken in the foil and cover it with wood and light it.

5. Once cooked, take it off the foil and colour it in tandoor.

6. Take a pot and add ghee and whole spices. Cook.

7. Add ginger garlic paste, fried onion paste and yoghurt.

8. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder. Then add rice, mint and rose water. Add the chicken. Cook it in dum for five minutes.

Chef Nishant Choubey