4 Easy Tips For You To Have A Healthy Ramadan

Take Your Vitamins And Supplements

During fasting there is some loss of key electrolytes and essential vitamins in your body. To help mitigate this loss, ensure you stock up on your vitamins and supplements. A key nutrient to help give you increased energy is the Executive B complex. Its many benefits include providing a combination of B group vitamins fortified with Vitamin C and selected minerals. Biolife’s Executive B complex supplement is designed as a sustained release tablet where the nutrients are released slowly into the body system over a period of 6 to 8 hours after ingestion to ensure maximum absorption. Available at Guardian and Watsons.

Prepare Healthier Meal Options With Lean Protein

Lean proteins tend to have fewer calories per serving, because of its lower fat content and are nutritious for your body. Some great sources of lean protein include fish, beef, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese and poultry because they are versatile and can be made into various dishes for iftar.Get your fresh ingredients at Cold Storage and Aeon Big.

And if you’re up for a challenge of preparing your favourite Nasi Kandar dish at home, make it even better when you add a side of tender beef brisket for a hearty meal!

Nasi Kandar Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

• Beef Brisket:
• 2kg beef brisket
• 4 tbsps dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsps smoked paprika
• 2 tbsps coarse salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• 2 tsps onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cup beef stock

Method:

1. Lay brisket on a cutting board and pat it dry with a paper towel.
2. Make a dry rub by combining the dry ingredients and rub brisket on both sides with the rub.
3. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
4. Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven temperature to 160C, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours.
5. Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

For Beef Brisket sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Pandan leaf, quartered
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 anise star
• 5 cardamom
• 2 tomatoes, cut into fours
• 1 cup meat curry powder
• 2 cup water
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 tbsps palm sugar
• 1 bouillon
• salt to taste
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute sliced onions. Add in Pandan leaves, curry leaves, cinnamon, anise star and cardamom. Stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add in the curry paste and constantly stir until mixture is well blended and fragrant. Add in water. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add in dark soy sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, bouillon and salt to taste.
3. Let it simmer until the gravy thickens and garnish with tomatoes and coriander.

Stir Fried Cabbage with Turmeric:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic, finely chopped
•  1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tbsps water
• 1⁄2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• ½ cabbage
• 2 dried chilies
• 1⁄2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add turmeric powder and water before adding mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chilies. Salt to taste.
2. Serve with beef brisket together with rice.

Order Takeout Meals

Need to take a break from home cooking? Then you can easily order takeout or food delivery and have the meal in the comfort of your home. For a delicious and satisfying main dish for dinner, pick the Maru Bento Jumbo Chicken Katsu from MyNews. This hearty dish is perfect for iftar or if you’re just in the mood to indulge in some crispy chicken katsu, served with 100% Japonica rice and fresh vegetables.

Get Organised At Home

No better time to make your home a more enjoyable place to live in than now as we observe the month of Ramadan. Follow the advice of tidying expert Marie Kondo who has made an art form of organising, and her folding and tidying techniques to bring order to your home. Using boxes that she calls hikidashi, you can turn unstructured space – like the inside of a drawer or a shelf – into an organised grid where you can see your possessions at a glance. Go for boxes that are sturdy and elegant – free from distracting logos or lots of text. When storing clothing, use medium sized boxes for t-shirts. Adjust the fold to match the height of your box and pack your items snugly. For accessories, keep their storage simple by storing similar items together or in close proximity to each other.

Have a happy and healthy Ramadan!