Rahim’s Letter 030: Films, Food and Ramadan

Hello!

With everything going on in the world, it feels like it’s been an age since I sat down to write one of these that wasn’t about something terrible happening in the world. 

For newer joiners, it’s not always this bleak and regularly scheduled programming is in fact usually much less intense. 

So today, a few films I’ve seen recently, a few things I’ve cooked recently and some reflections on Ramadan. 

Some Films

I’ve been to the pictures quite a few times this year and seen some incredible films and some less so. Both Sentimental Value and Hamnet were both fantastic, and it looks like that’s being reflected in the Oscar nominations for this year. Sentimental Value just edges it for me, but I think that’s probably because it’s more relatable to being in your twenties - if you’ve got kids, Hamnet really does pull on your heartstrings and will probably leave you a little bit shellshocked; take a tissue. 

I also saw Marty Supreme, and it was… alright. I didn’t mind it too much, but Timothée Chalamet’s character really wound me up. Now I know that’s the point and it shows that he’s a great actor because I’m still wound up by how annoying he was, but it made the film less enjoyable for me. It was brilliantly shot though and is an aesthetically pleasing film, if you can get over how much of a shit the main character is. 

Giant, which is a biopic of former heavyweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed, was fine. It’s an interesting story and an entertaining enough boxing film, but it’s not Rocky. Jason Statham’s new film Shelter is basically just like any other Jason Statham film, with lots of fight sequences and people getting shot, but this time with a 12 year old kid in tow. It was good enough. 

Wuthering Heights was just weird, I know they’re all basically meant to be shitty people but I found myself wondering when I could leave about an hour in. Strange film, very odd. 

And then last night, I went to watch Crime 101. I had fairly low expectations but it was quite good in the end. It’s not world-bindingly unique, but it’s different enough that it kept me engaged along the way and I was quite satisfied by the ending, which I think is always a win. 

If you’re going to go out to watch one of these, make it Sentimental Value. It’s a brilliant, European-made film, the story is told wonderfully and every shot is magnificent. Definitely worth the trip. It’s also apparently the BAFTAs tonight, so I wonder how it’ll come out in that.

Some Food

I’m long overdue a @diningstones post, but I’ve really been enjoying taking the time to cook recently, not least because of Ramadan. 

This Friday night, I made some cookies based on a friend’s recipe. Now the last (and only) time I tried cookies I left them in the oven for too long because they just didn’t look done. Little did I know that you’re meant to take them out as soon as the edges look done and then the rest of the cookie sets as they cool, and so instead I was left with some fairly crispy sugar discs. 

Not this time though, I had done my research properly and thanks to a brilliant recipe, ended up making some pretty incredible cookies, if I do say so myself. The brown butter and miso makes such a difference and I think even gives them the edge over the M&S ones. I’ve put the recipe in the postscript - you have to try it, and send me pictures if you do!

Now also this week, I made some keema, which was incredible but I had far, far too much of it, and so come the weekend, I figured I’d make some mash and turn it into a Shepherd’s Pie. Now this is one of the first things I learnt to cook with my mum when I was younger so it holds a special place in my heart, but I did add a whole host of herbs (coriander, dill, and oregano) when whisking the mash - yes I prefer it silky smooth - and it was fabulous. The whole thing topped off with some parmesan made it incredible, and I was a big fan. 

I’ve also spent today making a hummus, which included nearly an hour of peeling the skin off the chickpeas, which apparently helps get it really smooth. It does look pretty smooth but I’ve not tasted it yet and suspect it could do with some flavour refining post-sunset, so I’ll report back with pictures of that another time. 

Ramadan

And finally, Ramadan started this week, which for the uninitiated means no food or drink whilst the sun is up, and therefore waking up before sunrise (c.4/5am at the minute) to get some food in. Now I’ve been doing this since I was a child (I’m sure my parents will have some stories to share) so the actual not eating bit isn’t too challenging, as I think is the case for most Muslims fasting for Ramadan. 

In fact, these fasts are actually the shortest I’ve ever experienced, as the month of Ramadan starts roughly 10 days earlier each year. That’s because the Islamic calendar is based on a lunar cycle which is roughly 10 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, which is based on a solar cycle. 

And so when we were younger, Ramadan was in the height of summer, which meant much longer days, with some fasts spanning from c.2am to c.10pm in around 2016. 

The bit that does become a bit of a challenge is the disrupted sleep. Now this year, I’m managing to get up, eat, brush my teeth and get back into bed in about 20 minutes. I’m also trying to time my sleep in multiples of 90 minutes (which is roughly the length of a sleep cycle) so that I don’t feel as jarred when I wake up irregularly, but waking up in the night always leaves you a little bit more tired and disrupted than you would otherwise be. 

It is, on the whole though, quite a pleasant experience. 

It really forces you to slow down and focus, which is welcome when your mind is always racing otherwise. This really dominates your life for the month because you’re always conscious that you’re a little hungry and feeling a bit drained, so you slow down and I personally find it makes me a lot more considered about what I do. It also does bring you closer to God and is quite a nice way to reaffirm your faith each year. 

Removing one of your senses also really attenuates all of the other senses, which means you really appreciate the small things in life. I spent five minutes in awe at how great tortilla wraps could smell yesterday (as an aside, I got sixteen twelve inch wraps from the Mexican grocers yesterday and a litre of Valentina, which is my favourite hot sauce and the most popular one in Mexico). 

Above all, as a side effect of being forced to slow down and being a bit more considered, it’s really quite peaceful. I really enjoy the space to think about one thing at a time, and feeling a little fatigued in a way that means you’re doing one thing and one thing only, is really quite nice. 

And with that, the sun is starting to set and I can open my fast at 1731 today, so I should go and prepare my dinner. It’s the last of the Shepherd’s Pie and some samosas this evening. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you. 

RH

P.S., here’s the recipe for the cookies

Ingredients:

• 110g Unsalted Butter
• 1.5tbsp White Miso Paste
• 200g White Sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg
• 165g Plain Flour
• 0.5tsp Baking Powder
• 0.25tsp Baking Soda
• 0.25tsp Table Salt
• 150g Milk Chocolate Chips
• 45g Dark Chocolate

Instructions:

1. Brown butter
2. Whisk in miso paste
3. Mix in sugar
4. Wait for mixture to cool
5. Mix in remaining dry ingredients  
6. Place balls of 75g on baking tray, well spaced out to allow spreading - you will probably need to cook in batches
7. Cook at 180° until edges darken slightly, then immediately remove from oven
8. Allow to cool completely before devouring