Ramadan is almost here, which means it’s time for some Ramadan bulk meal prep!
Every year before Ramadan, I like to prepare some of our favourite snacks and starters in advance and fill the freezer. It takes quite a bit of work — and by the end of this particular prep session my back was definitely feeling it! — but I’m always so glad I’ve done it once Ramadan begins.
For anyone who isn’t Muslim, Ramadan is the month in which Muslims fast each day from dawn until sunset. We don’t eat or drink during the fasting hours, and here in the UK the fasts can be particularly long when Ramadan falls during the summer months.
By iftar time, when it’s finally time to break the fast, we’re definitely ready for some yummy food!
In many Muslim households, that includes things like samosas, spring rolls, pakoras and kebabs alongside the main meal.
But Ramadan isn’t supposed to be a month where we spend every waking hour in the kitchen.
It’s a time when we want to concentrate more on our worship, salah, reading Qur’an and getting closer to Allah. Preparing some food beforehand means there’s less cooking and preparation to worry about while fasting.
So, despite really not being able to motivate myself to start, I decided it was time to…
Bulk prep like a boss.
Well, that was the intention anyway.
Here’s what I prepared for Ramadan in 2017.
What I Made for the Freezer
My plan for the day was to make three of our Ramadan favourites:
- Homemade lamb kebabs
- Chicken and potato spring rolls
- Samosas
I wasn’t necessarily expecting this batch to last the entire 30 days of Ramadan, but having a good supply ready in the freezer would certainly make life easier.
I stocked up on minced meat, chicken, potatoes, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, coriander, lemons, eggs, flour and plenty of herbs and spices.
And then it was time to get started.
First Up: Homemade Lamb Kebabs
I decided to begin with the kebabs because, at that point, they seemed like the easiest option!
I used approximately 1.2kg of lamb mince for this batch.
To the mince, I added:
- 3 onions
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 eggs
- Approximately 1 cup gram flour
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh coriander
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Red chilli flakes
- Garam masala
- Salt
I used my food processor to finely chop the onions and tomatoes before adding everything to a large bowl with the lamb mince.
Then came the fun part: getting my hands in there and mixing the whole lot together.
Once everything was beautifully mixed, it was time to shape the kebabs.
An Easy Way to Shape Lots of Kebabs
Normally I would shape my kebabs by hand, but when you’re bulk prepping, anything that speeds up the process is welcome.
I placed some of the kebab mixture onto greaseproof paper and flattened it out. I then used a cup as a cutter to make round kebabs.
Once cut, I separated the kebabs with pieces of greaseproof paper so that they could be stacked and frozen without sticking together.
By the time I’d used all the mixture, I’d made 42 kebabs.
Most of them were fairly small.
And then there was one enormous kebab at the end because I had some mixture left over.
We don’t waste kebab meat around here.
Kebabs done!
One job down.
Next: Chicken & Potato Spring Rolls
Was I excited to start making approximately 60 spring rolls?
Absolutely not.
Could somebody else have done it for me?
Apparently not.
So onwards we went.
For the filling, I started with approximately:
- 1kg chicken thighs
- 1kg potatoes
- 1 bunch spring onions
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Garam masala
- Ground coriander
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Lemon
- A little oil
I peeled the potatoes, cut them into small cubes and boiled them in salted water until tender.
At the same time, I cooked the chicken thighs with a few tablespoons of oil and the spices, salt, garlic and ginger.
After around 20 minutes, the chicken was cooked through. I took it off the heat and left it to cool before removing it from the bones.
I then shredded the chicken and used my food processor to help prepare the chicken and potatoes for the filling.
Once everything was ready, it was time to get rolling.
And rolling.
And rolling.
This is the point where Ramadan bulk prep really tests your commitment!
I had bought 60 spring roll sheets, although I initially ended up making around 40–45 spring rolls and had some sheets left over.
Don’t worry.
Those remaining sheets weren’t going to escape that easily.
Making the Samosa Dough
While the chicken was cooling, I got started on my homemade samosa pastry.
For this batch I used approximately:
- 7 cups plain flour
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon salt
- Just over 500ml water
- Around â…“ cup sunflower oil
I combined everything and kneaded it together until I had a nice dough.
And at this point, there was still plenty left to do.
Chicken Samosas
For the samosa filling, I prepared another 1kg of potatoes, peeling, chopping and boiling them until soft.
The filling itself was made with:
- Chicken mince
- Potatoes
- Chickpeas
- Herbs and spices
Once the filling and homemade pastry were ready, it was time to make the samosa cases and fill them.
By this stage of the day, I was tired.
I’m not going to lie to you.
Bulk prepping sounds wonderful when you’re imagining your beautifully stocked freezer during Ramadan.
It’s slightly less wonderful when you’re several hours in and still folding samosas.
Thankfully, the children helped me fill some of them, which made the job a little easier — and it was nice getting them involved in our Ramadan preparations too.
Eventually…
The samosas were DONE.
Alhamdulillah!
Using Up the Leftovers
After making the samosas, I had a little samosa filling left over.
And remember those unused spring roll sheets?
Perfect.
I used the remaining samosa filling to make some extra spring rolls, which meant I managed to use all 60 spring roll sheets in the end.
No waste and even more food for the freezer.
I’ll take that as a win.
The Final Ramadan Freezer Stash
By nighttime, I was absolutely exhausted and my back was killing me.
But I had managed to prepare everything I’d planned to make.
Alhamdulillah!
My freezer was now stocked with:
42 homemade lamb kebabs, a large batch of chicken and potato spring rolls, and plenty of homemade chicken samosas.
I stacked the kebabs between sheets of greaseproof paper and packed the spring rolls and samosas into containers and freezer bags ready for Ramadan.
Looking at everything I’d made at the end of the day made all that work feel worthwhile.
Why I Bulk Prep Before Ramadan
Yes, this kind of food preparation takes time.
And yes, halfway through you might find yourself questioning why on earth you decided to make dozens of samosas from scratch.
But the benefit comes later.
During Ramadan, especially towards the end of a long fast, I don’t want to be starting from scratch every evening — preparing meat, making fillings, chopping ingredients and folding individual samosas and spring rolls.
Having homemade food already prepared in the freezer means I can simply take out what we need for iftar.
More importantly, it frees up some of my time and energy for what Ramadan is actually about.
Ramadan isn’t supposed to revolve around food.
It’s a month of fasting, worship, prayer, Qur’an and reflection. If spending one tiring day in the kitchen before Ramadan gives me more time for those things during the month, then for me, it’s worth it.
And there’s also something quite lovely about getting the family involved and preparing the home together for Ramadan.
Ramadan Meal Prep 2017: Complete! 🌙
So that was my 2017 Ramadan bulk freezer prep.
Kebabs? Done.
Spring rolls? Done.
Samosas? Done.
Me?
Also done. 😂
But alhamdulillah, the freezer was stocked and we had plenty of homemade Ramadan favourites ready for iftar.
If you’re preparing for Ramadan too, you don’t have to make everything at once. Even preparing one or two of your family’s favourite foods beforehand can save you time later.
And if you’re reading through my annual Ramadan meal-prep posts, this is where it all began!
Ramadan Meal Prep 2017 — complete. 🌙
May Allah allow us to reach Ramadan, make the most of this blessed month and accept our fasting and worship. Ameen.
