Hello everyone.
This is Hirai.
Golden Week is coming soon.
The hot news in Hirai recently is that Ramadan (the month of fasting) began on April 24th.
About Ramadan
Ramadan brings to mind the image of fasting, but since Ramadan is the name of a month, we don't say "we are doing Ramadan."
Fasting (Sawm) means not eating or drinking during daylight hours for one month during the month of Ramadan.
However, not all Muslims observe Ramadan in the same way; some observe it properly and others do not, so everyone observes Ramadan in their own way.
In most countries, 2020 will start on April 24th.
When I spoke to my interpreter, Mr. A, on the phone on the 25th, he told me, "Ramadan starts today in Iran, so it's one day late."
So it's "Ramadan mubarak!" (Happy Ramadan!) I told her, to which she replied, "I don't do that though."
Everyone is fine in their own way.
After doing some research, I found out that the month of Ramadan is declared to have begun when experts spot the new moon.
Depending on the year, the moon's observation conditions can cause it to deviate by about one day in Iran.
On the same day I had this conversation with Mr. A, my sister-in-law, who lives in the United States, also sent me a message saying, "Ramadan mubarak!"
Now that she is married and a Muslim, she always sends me messages at Islamic events.
Hirai felt happy as he said "Mubarak!" over and over again.
Delicious food makes me happy
In my purchasing blog "Journey to Iran," I get excited about introducing Iranian cuisine that is just as delicious as ragù.
At home, 95% of the conversations I have with my husband are about food.
Recently, my family has been searching for delicious recipes to use Iranian saffron.
Since I have the chance, I'd like to introduce you to the ice cream I made the other day!
Long-awaited saffron ice cream
This is a giant ice cream I ate when I went to a town called Mashhad for a shopping trip.
This is a wonderful ice cream that allows you to enjoy three flavors at the same time: the white one is cardamom and pistachio, the yellow one is saffron, and the brown one is chocolate and pistachio.
While searching for recipes as usual, I came across a recipe similar to this ice cream and immediately tried making it.
Ingredients: 200ml fresh cream
200ml milk
A pinch of saffron 4 egg yolks 50g cane sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Pistachios, as much as you like
Here is the ice cream made with these ingredients.
I ended up being greedy and adding a lot of saffron, so it ended up being a lot yellower than I had imagined. (lol)
A pinch of saffron is enough.
The subtle scent of saffron, the refreshing scent of cardamom, and the pistachios are just the right touch!
I'm confident that it's a pretty accurate replica, but I remember the ice cream I had in Iran being more refreshing, so next time I'll try reducing the amount of sugar.
If you'd like, please give it a try!
See you next time!