Yvonne Maffei - My Halal Kitchen: Global Recipes, Cooking Tips, and Lifestyle Inspiration

Copyright 2016 by Yvonne Maffei

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

Photos on pages 40, 70, 73, 78, 85, 88, 91, 106, 113, 126, 132, 137, 148, 157, 158, 164, 174, 182, 190, and 192 by Peter McCullough

Photos on pages 65, 139, 147, 187, and 197 by Yvonne Maffei

Author photo on page 213 by Studio Miya Photography

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Maffei, Yvonne M., author.

Title: My halal kitchen: global recipes, cooking tips, and lifestyle inspiration / by Yvonne M. Maffei.

Description: Chicago: Surrey, an Agate imprint, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016001808 (print) | LCCN 2016001999 (ebook) | ISBN 9781572847804 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Islamic cooking. | Cooking, Middle Eastern. | Food--Religious aspects--Islam. | BISAC: COOKING / Regional & Ethnic / American / General. | COOKING / Regional & Ethnic / International. | COOKING / Methods / Baking. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Islamic Studies. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX725.M628 M296 2016 (print) | LCC TX725.M628 (ebook) | DDC 641.5956--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016001808

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Surrey is an imprint of Agate Publishing. Agate books are available in bulk at discount prices.

agatepublishing.com

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem.

In the name of Allah (God),

the Most Compassionate,

the Most Merciful.

Table of Contents

Contents

T HANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHOOSING THIS BOOK. In My Halal Kitchen, I aim to teach you how to cook an exciting variety of gloabl cuisine according to Islamic dietary guidelinesessentially, what is halal (permissible), regardless of the dish you are preparing. My intention is to demystify the concept of halal and show how easy it can be to prepare tasty dishes within this framework.

Rather than focusing on limitations, I offer a world of abundant culinary possibilities for you as a home cook. I will show you how easy and rewarding it is to use delicious alternatives to non-halal ingredients. You will see that halal is, in fact, a liberating way to cook, as there are more choices than ever before. I hope to inspire you to create halal meals at home by providing the tools, resources, and information youll need.

My own need to source halal ingredients and create versions of the traditional dishes I grew up with led me to write a book from which I wanted to cook. The book also parallels my belief that the organic farm-to-table system is important to preserve and protect in our time. In fact, mainstream interest in health, wellness, clean eating, and locally grown and produced products has reached an all-time high, which is such a wonderful thing. Also, as Americans living in a multicultural society, we are much more willing to try dishes with roots in globally inspired cuisine. Those close to us are more likely to have traveled to faraway places or to have learned about different cultures, and subsequently can introduce us to new and exciting cuisines. Greater levels of consumer awareness have led to greater demand for transparency. We know far more today about the environmental impact of factory farming and treatment of agricultural laborers, which gives consumers the upper hand in supporting and demanding products be sourced from humanely treated animals and fair-trade conditions. In the context of halal, all of these concepts have traditionally held importance from a religious imperative and spiritual perspective.

As youll learn in these pages, halal is not just about food: It plays a role in all matters of life and is considered a universal concept from which all of humanity can benefit. Every part of the farm-to-table cycle is significant, and transparency in the food cycle and holistic living are vital matters to Muslims, as a devout follower would never support inhumane treatment of animals or unjust treatment of workers just to purchase a cheaper product. All living creatures are taken into consideration and given their due respect.

You might have encountered this book because you or your loved ones are Muslim, or simply because youre interested in eating halal and care deeply about the origin of your food. I hope that people of all backgrounds will give my recipes a try, as halal is not just for Muslimsall you have to be is willing to learn more about it and give the delicious food a try.

I especially wanted to provide recipes that are more challenging to prepare while meeting halal dietary standards. For example, many desserts served in restaurants or ready-made in stores may contain alcohol and/or gelatin (which often contains pork by-products) and are not halal. Instead, Ill show you how to make these types of dishes the halal way.

Finding high-quality substitutes, as well as figuring out what sort of byproducts are in certain food products, can be difficult for consumers. Fortunately, many of these substitutions are easy to make at home, and Im eager to finally be able to share how to do that. As a result, I hope this book will make the way you shop and cook so much easier.

Youll find recipes derived from my own ethnic heritage and travels around the world. These dishes are meaningful to me because they are part of my life journey, and because theyre homemade and halal, I feel good about sharing them.

During my childhood in Ohio, long before embracing a halal lifestyle, I developed a taste for Italian and Puerto Rican foods, as well as other ethnic cuisines. From my Sicilian father and grandmother, I inherited a love for Mediterranean food. Sunday dinners at my nonnas (grandmothers) house usually included homemade meatballs steeped in Nonnas marinara sauce, meaty lasagna, healthy salads, and gently steamed vegetables, like artichokes dipped in butter.

My mother is Puerto Rican, so meals with her side of the family were abundant with arroz con frijoles (rice and beans), pasteles wrapped in banana leaves, and sweet guava and coconut desserts, especially when my grandmother came to visit from the island. These experiences connect good food with the people I cherish most.

The gathering of family, friends, and neighbors is the perfect excuse to serve a homemade meal and something Im incredibly passionate about doing for others. I think its one of the kindest things we can do for the people in our lives. A great meal can neutralize negativity, drive conversations toward positive things, and reflect more of what everyone has in common than not.

Fast forward many years and many great food experiences where I found myself diving deep into the world of halal dietary guidelines. I discovered that I was in the middle of two worlds, needing to bridge a gap of understanding: On one side, non-Muslims had very little ideaexcept perhaps negative onesof the concept of halal; and on the other side, the Muslim community lacked resources for halal products and recipe ideas that accommodated a growing interest in American and international fare. I felt an online presence was a space where I could provide just that.