Extend the spirit of good deeds in the holy month with an iftar where nothing goes to waste
Iftars are often synonymous with piles of delicious food. And while that can be a sight for sore eyes after a day of fasting, it can also quickly lead to a lot of waste. Enter the zero-waste iftar, a concept that has been gaining popularity over the past few years.
Zaina Kanaan, co-founder of upcycling cafe Kave, which is serving zero-waste iftars for the second year in a row, describes them as meals with rationalised portions and limited bookings. “There’s no wastage of food that’s not been touched,” she says.
Chef Ahmad Halawa, who prepared one such iftar at Kave, says it’s all about being mindful of our resources. “There are so many people who don’t have access to regular food,” he says. “We don’t want to take what we have for granted.”
If you’re thinking about a zero-waste iftar yourself, here are some tips to keep in mind.
It’s all about portion-control
“When people have been fasting all day, they think they’re going to eat a lot, but there’s only so much you can have at one sitting. By the time people have their soups, salads and sides, they start getting full, so it’s important to exercise proper portion sizes,” says Halawa. Ensuring you don’t make more than your guests can eat is a huge part of planning a no waste iftar, he says.
Once the number of guests is confirmed, a good rule of thumb is to have approximately 200 grams of rice, 150g to 200g of protein and 150 millilitres of soup per person. Halawa also makes 15 to 20 per cent extra for second helpings.
Make the table look full
“During Ramadan, people want to see a table full of food – and a lot of people and restaurants tend to cook too much as a sign of generosity – but there’s a fine line between being generous and being wasteful,” says Halawa. You can make the table look fuller by adding decorative elements. Another hack is to have individual bowls for sides for every guest. However, opt for reusable cutlery and biodegradable materials, wherever possible.
Sequence the courses
Having several courses served one after another is the norm in most restaurants – and there’s a real benefit to doing this. As Kanaan points out, when guests are served one course after another, instead of just putting everything out on a table, they tend to fill up slowly. It allows guests to better ration what they’re eating, stops them from consuming more than their body needs and minimises food wastage overall. “That’s one of the reasons we never do buffets – it’s harder to reduce wastage when you’re serving food as a buffet,” she says.
Use leftovers
Minimising wastage begins in the kitchen. For example, Kanaan cites soups as a super-saver that can easily be prepared using ingredients that would otherwise go to waste. “Bones can be boiled to make stock, and most vegetables can also be boiled and then ground into a tasty soup that’s perfect for iftar.” Rice is another ingredient that can be used in myriad ways. If there are leftovers, one can boil lentils separately and mix it with the rice to make mujadara, a classic Arabic dish. Leftover rice can also be turned into a pudding or a paella.
A good rule of thumb is to have 200 grams of rice, 150g to 200g of protein and 150 millilitres of soup per person
Offer doggy bags
Feel like there are some dishes that simply cannot be reused? Simply pack them up for your guests. But, in the spirit of the zero-waste iftar, do so in eco-friendly containers.