Quick Ramadan Recipes for Last-Minute Guests

The festivities of Hari Raya are arriving again, and no doubt, many families are busy making preparations for it. But sometimes, preparations aren’t enough. Though you may think there is enough food for everyone, there’s always the chance of last-minute guests making an appearance—and we don’t want to leave them hungry do we? That’s why we have a list of quick Ramadan recipes to help!

Different guests have different tastes, of course, so that’s why we are offering here six bagus recipes to wow your guests!

Ikan Bilis Aglio Olio

Let’s start this list off with some pasta! Specifically, Ikan Bilis Aglio Olio. Based on Chef Gero of halal-certified Kuchina Italian Restaurant’s recipe, this 10-minute dish takes a twist on aglio olio by substituting Italian anchovies with a classic South East Asian ingredient: ikan bilis! Here’s how you can make it:

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of ikan bilis
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A sprinkling of dry chilli
• A pot of water
• 250 grams of pasta
• A tablespoon of stock
• A pinch of Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Boil some pasta in a pot of water
2. Meanwhile, add a dash of olive oil into a pan to warm it up
3. Once the olive oil is smoking, add the ikan bilis into the pan
4. Once the ikan bilis are golden, take them out and place them on a plate with parchment paper to dry
5. In the same pan with the olive oil, add a little bit of garlic and saute it down
6. Add a sprinkling of dry chilli to the pan
7. Once the oil has gone dark and the garlic is golden, pour a ladle of water from your pasta pot into the pan
8. Take out the pasta from the pot and place it into the pan
9. Toss the pasta around to let everything soak in the oil
10. Add a ladle of stock and some Italian parsley to finish
11. Transfer everything in the pan onto a plate, then top your pasta with the ikan bilis

Sambal Seafood Shellout

Next, here’s a recipe from food blogger Hilmi Adam: a sweet and spicy sambal seafood boil! If you’re looking to elevate your shellfish game beyond just chilli crab, then this is the perfect dish for you!

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of red onions
• 100 grams of red chillis
• 50 grams of galangal
• 50 grams of lemongrass
• One pack of dried chilli paste
• A few kaffir lime leaves
• 1/2 cup of oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of fish sauce
• 1/4 cup of tomyum paste
• 1 cube of gula melaka
• Seafood of your choice (e.g. crab, prawns, squid, scallops)

Directions:

1. Blend the onions, red chillis, galangal, and lemongrass till smooth for the sambal
2. In a hot pan, fry off some dried chilli paste and add in the sambal along with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves for extra aroma
3. Give it a good mix and add in oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and tom yum paste
4. Add in gula melaka and let your sambal cook for another 10 to 20 minutes, taking note not to let it become too dry
5. While the sambal is cooking, boil your seafood in a pot
6. Once your seafood is boiled, transfer it into a separate bowl and pour the sambal all over it

Pad Kra Pow (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)

Who says Ramadan dishes have to be local though? Here’s a super simple recipe for a plate of Pad Kra Pow, otherwise known simply as Thai Basil Stir-Fry. Served with a juicy egg on a bed of warm rice, you’ll never have to eat out again after learning how to cook the real deal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup of fish sauce
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 50 grams of garlic
• 25 grams of bird’s eye chillies
• 100 grams of ground beef (or protein of choice)
• 50 grams of long beans
• 50 grams of basil
• 1 egg
• 200 grams of rice

Directions:

1. Pound or finely mince the garlic and bird’s eye chillies
2. Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and water in a bowl
3. Stir-fry the garlic and bird’s eye chillis in a pan until fragrant
4. Add the ground beef (or protein of choice) into the pan along with the sauce in the bowl and stir-fry until the meat is no longer pink
5. Add the long beans into the pan and quickly toss them
6. Add the basil into the pan and turn off the heat, stir-frying until the leaves wilt
7. Fry an egg until it is crispy-edged and runny in the middle, and cook some rice
8. Serve the contents of the pan over the rice with the egg on a serving plate

Express Buttermilk Chicken

Buttermilk chicken is as sinful as it sounds. Bites of chicken coated with creamy buttermilk sauce with the chillis adding a spicy kick; what’s not to like about that? Best of all, it is ridiculously easy and fast to cook too! Pair it with rice, and you’ve got a hearty meal to savour.

Ingredients:

• Popcorn chicken
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Curry leaves
• 150 grams of evaporated milk
• 80 grams of salted butter
• 2 to 3 Bird’s eye chillis 

Directions:

1. Cook popcorn chicken according to package directions
2. In a pot, melt salted butter
3. Chop eye chillis and gloves of garlic before mixing together
4. Add the mixed chilli and garlic to the melted butter along with curry leaves before giving it a stir
5. Add a tablespoon of sugar and stir for a minute
6. Pour evaporated milk into the pot
7. Once it starts to bubble, add in the popcorn chicken
8. Generously coat the chicken with the sauce and let it simmer for a minute
9. Serve the buttermilk chicken over a bed of rice

Maggi Goreng Thai

Instant noodles always provide a deliciously quick meal. But with a few extra additions, you can take it to the next level. Check out this Maggi Goreng Thai recipe, for instance, which gets a glow-up by adding some easy-to-find ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Onions
• Garlic 
• Chilli padi
• Chicken strips
• 3 to 4 Kaffir lime leaves
• 1 teaspoon of kicap manis
• Seseme oil
• Ketchup
• A packet of instant noodles (Maggi brand, either curry or tom yum flavour)
• Egg

Directions:

• Add oil to a skillet and fry some chopped onions, chilli padi, and garlic
• Once fragrant, add in chicken strips and kaffir lime leaves
• Cook the chicken for a minute before adding in a generous portion of sesame oil and a teaspoon of kicap manis
• Toss the ingredients in the mix until everything is well coated and the chicken is cooked
• Add in the instant noodles
• Mix the seasoning package with a cup of water and add to the skillet
• Cook until the noodles are almost al-dente
• Add in ketchup and mix
• Add in one egg
• Once egg is thoroughly cooked, serve the Maggi Goreng Thai on a plate

Easy Murtabak

Murtabak isn’t just something you can enjoy at the bazaars, you can make it yourself too with easily found ingredients in your fridge! Enjoy this Easy Murtabak recipe that brings the bazaar vibes to the comfort of your home.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1.5 tablespoons of Minced onion
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 200 grams of minced meat
• A tablespoon of salt
• A teaspoon of kicap manis
• 2 eggs
• Instant prata

Directions:

• In a pan, heat up some oil and add in the minced garlic and onion
• Once fragrant, add in curry powder and then minced meat
• When minced meat is coated, add in salt and then stir fry until fully cooked
• In a bowl, beat two eggs and add the cooked meat to mix
• Once mixed, fry the egg and meat mixture in a pan
• Prepate a piece of instant prata and then add the mixture onto the centre
• Fold the prata into a square 
• Fry the prata until golden brown

And those are our six quick recipes; we hope that these dishes put a smile on the faces of your guests. But if you need more ideas, you can also check out our previous Hari Raya recipes list!

In the meantime, if you have any other quick recipes to share, you can let us know on our socials on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

Cover photo by Crystal Tan of the DANAMIC Team.