It always pays off to plan your meals ahead in Ramazan. It saves you from scrambling for options at the last minute and if you plan well, it keeps you from going overboard with fried food everyday that might not even taste the best if it’s a random order. If you are in Karachi, you would find there are many home-based businesses that would customise food per your requirements which you can then keep in your refrigerator/freezer for use as and when.
We ordered from quite a few of them (and will continue to do so) and are putting together a list of our favourites below.
10 Things You Can Order To Meal Prep For Ramazan in Karachi
1.
Shaami Kebabs and Chutney
When it comes to planning meals in advance, nothing serves quite as well as a good shami kebab. It can last for weeks in your freezer and it pairs well with any meal while making for a great on-the-go snack as well. We tested out quite a few places for shami kebabs and our recommendation would be:
Chicken Shaami Kebabs and Aloo Kebabs from M.S Kitchenette.
Other things we recommend you buy from this business: The Mix Pyaz Chutney (or the Hari Chutney) that also complements the kebab and you can use this pairing to also make your own bun kebab. Just add some chopped onions, layer the kebab and chutney and sandwich in a mini-bun.
Order here: M.S Kitchenette
Price: The chutney jar is for Rs. 500 and the kebabs are for Rs. 100 – Rs. 120 a piece.
2.
Hummus
Having hummus meal-prepped in your refrigerator is amazing. If you pair it with crisp pita chips, it makes for a really fun and delicious snack but sometimes you can have it on its own too. It’s also another thing that just saves you the hassle of frying or cooking something every time you want to eat.
This hummus with chilli oil was the best one that we found and for one person this serving lasted 3-4 days. This particular one is by Shaireen’s Kitchen and we can’t recommend it enough.
Order here: Shaireen’s Kitchen
Price: Rs. 1000 for a serving that would last 3 days and comes with a bag of pita chips in addition.
3.
Creamy Chicken Box Patties
Box patties are definitely the fried snack option of the season with various filling options available everywhere. There is chicken and mushroom (the ones by Maizban by Safa Hamza) and then there are the spicy potato box patties by Sweet Greens (also excellent). These are the creamy chicken ones and are from Green Chilli Kitchen. These would remind you of the bakery chicken sandwich filling but they go really well in these patties that can be bought frozen or cooked.
Overall, makes for a convenient snack and iftar table addition.
Order here: Green Chilli Kitchen
Another recommendation from the same business: Homemade Apple Pie
Price: Rs. 450 for 6
4.
Cheese Samosas, Tender Chicken, Spring Rolls
For fried food options, we were looking for things that were a little different from the usual pakoras and samosas and found these. The home-based business called Maizban by Safaa Hamza makes these cheese and mint samosas, chicken and mushroom box patties, spring rolls and fried chicken fingers – also called thread chicken. All of them – delicious.
Get the frozen versions of the above and use them whenever for a diverse food spread.
Order here: Maizban by Safaa Hamza
Price: Rs. 850 for 6 spring rolls, Rs. 850 for 6 chicken and mushroom box patties, Rs. 1200 for 10 pcs of fried chicken fingers [thread chicken.
5.
Mini Bun Kebabs
These mini bun kebabs will also make a great addition to your iftar table. They work as a wholesome mini-meal complete with eggs, a daal or a meat patty, onions, chutney – all sandwiched in a fluffy bun.
Order here: Maizban by Safaa Hamza
Price: Rs. 1200 for 6
6.
Peri Bites
This list would not be complete without the mention of peri bites and to recommend you one, we enlisted the help of our friend, Neha Yusuf, who is also trying out different iftar options. These peri bites from Amreen Cooks, were air-fried and turned out good. So far this is our recommendation for peri bites but we would update if we find more options!
Order here: Amreen Cooks
Price: Rs 1100 for 6
7.
Assorted Sandwiches
On-the-go sandwiches that don’t need to be assembled, cooked or done anything to are a vibe. They last in the fridge for 2-3 days easy and are always there when you need a snack. A midnight snack, a quick bite for sehri while you make breakfast, a post-workout meal? They are there. They can also be a full meal depending on which sandwich you select.
Here are our recommendations in the sandwich department:
– The hi-tea style chicken sandwiches: Shaireen’s Kitchen [Price: Rs. 1800 for a dozen. Order here.]
– Gourmet sandwiches – chicken chimichurri sandwich, club sandwich, mortadella and egg salad sandwiches from FLOC [Price: Rs. 3200 + tax for a box of 14 assorted sandwiches. Order here.]
8.
Dark Chocolate and Coconut Truffles
These work great as a post-iftar quick dessert option. They last for a week or more in the fridge and actually are a really good sweet tooth fix. These truffles are made with dark chocolate, almond and coconut.
Order here: Mrs Patty 365
Price: Rs. 1500 for a round box
9.
Dahi Baray
We love these dahi barray from Fresco and they are popular for a reason. And well, get aloo kachori too while you are at it. Can’t go wrong!
These also refrigerate well and can last you 2-3 days so good to have in stock.
Order from any branch of Fresco. To our knowledge they don’t deliver, so pick up might be the best option.
10.
Kefir or Probiotic Drinks
For drinks, these bgutsy probiotic drinks make for a really refreshing option. Again – don’t really have to be made so they are convenient and can be stocked in the refrigerator. They are more individual though and won’t really suit for hosting but still something we are liking currently.
Let us know if you would be interested in homemade refreshing drink ideas!
Order here: Bgutsy
Price: Rs. 550 per serving
These are some of the options that proved to be helpful when planning out our meals in advance for Ramazan in Karachi. Let us know if you found any tips and businesses helpful. Happy eating!
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