Ramadan cookbooks to add to your kitchen this year
With the rich flavours of Sudan, quick family meals and Big Zuu’s Big Eats, we’ve got your every culinary need covered
As Ramadan approaches, preparations for suhoor and iftar are already under way for many Muslims. To ease the everyday labour of deciding what to cook, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best cookbooks rooted in Muslim cultures. From quick, filling suhoor dishes to big iftar spreads and Eid feasts, these books reflect how food is closely tied to faith, family and memory throughout the holy month. The collections cover the Muslim diaspora and include cuisine from Somalia, Syria, Sudan, south Asia, the Middle East, and west Africa.
Big Zuu’s Big Eats by Big Zuu
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Featuring more than 100 recipes, this book showcases West African-inspired cooking. Big Zuu’s Big Eats draws on favourites cooked by the MC and TV host’s Sierra Leonean mum, dishes sampled on his global travels and others familiar to viewers of the Channel 4 show of the same name. Meal ideas range from Mumma Zuu’s jollof rice to vegan doner kebabs, Doritos fried chicken, sumac sea bass, Big Bang broccoli and Swedish cinnamandem buns.
Persiana Easy by Sabrina Ghayour
The latest book by Sabrina Ghayour offers more than 100 super-simple recipes. Known for her bestselling Middle Eastern-inspired books, Ghayour focuses on easy, quick dishes that don’t compromise on flavour. The collection spans a wide range of influences, including Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Pakistani and Turkish cuisines, with recipes such as paprika, lemon and za’atar potatoes and spiced saffron chicken kebabs.
Rooza by Nadiya Hussain
Rooza is a Ramadan-focused cookbook by The Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, featuring dishes from across the Islamic world. Named after the Sylheti word for Ramadan, the book reflects Hussain’s roots and features dishes from across South Asia, Turkey, the Middle East, Nepal and East Africa. Recipes include Maldivian tuna curry, whole stuffed butterfly leg of lamb, salmon biryani, spinach and parsnip pakora and banana spring rolls.
The Ramadan Family Cookbook by Anisa Karolia
Karolia’s debut cookbook features 80 recipes for suhoor, iftar and Eid, all designed to make Ramadan cooking easier for families. The Leicester-based food blogger draws inspiration from Middle Eastern dishes such as shakshuka and south Asian curries. Focused on dishes that are family-friendly, flavourful and fuss-free, recipes include spicy potato and sweetcorn tortilla samosas, masala roast chicken with herby potatoes, and prawn jalfrezi. Sweet dishes include rose and pistachio milk cake and mango falooda, while practical batch-cooking ideas allow meals to be frozen ahead of time.
Desified by Zaynah Din
Food influencer Din’s book is a celebration of South Asian flavours and spices, bringing together more than 90 recipes designed for Ramadan, Eid and everyday cooking. It covers breakfasts, brunches, dinners and celebratory feasts, from basic naans and mango lassi bowls to tandoori breakfast potatoes, papri chaat and chilli paneer.
The Ramadan Kitchen by Ilhan Mohamed Abdi
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Featuring 80 recipes, the debut cookbook from Mohamed Abdi focuses on hassle-free dishes made with easily accessible ingredients, perfect for working mothers like herself and busy households. Organised into recipes for suhoor, iftar and Eid, the book showcases nutrient-filled breakfasts and comfort meals inspired by Mohamed Abdi’s Somali-Egyptian heritage. Highlights include bariis Somali (aromatic Somali rice), fuul mudammas with eggs and feta, and suqaar (a Somali diced beef and vegetable saute), plus sweets such as bur (cardamom-spiced beignets) and timir cake with caramel sauce.
The Sudanese Kitchen by Omer Al Tijani
This book by British-Sudanese chef and food archivist Omer Al Tijani is the first Sudanese cookbook published in English. Featuring more than 100 recipes, along with anecdotes and personal stories, it offers rare insight into an often-overlooked cuisine. Self-taught and driven by his desire to share Sudanese food with a wider audience, Al Tijani features traditional dishes made with easy-to-find ingredients, including staples such as fūl (breakfast dish made from fava beans), molokhia (a meat stew featuring jute leaves) and tamiya (a Sudanese take on falafel).
Syrian Kitchen by Imad Alarnab
The Sunday Times bestseller features 90 Syrian recipes by Alarnab, a renowned Syrian chef who arrived in the UK as a refugee in 2015. Later reunited with his family, he went on to open an acclaimed restaurant at Somerset House in central London. This book celebrates Alarnab’s national cuisine and documents life before and after his move to the UK, with dishes ranging from Syrian fish and chips with tahini sauce to kabsa rice with chicken.
