Assalamo alykum. In this chapter of Ramadan An event to share, we are travelling to Cape Town ( South Africa) with Razena Schroeder,  of Tantalise My Taste Buds .  She writes about food, culinary travel and life in Dubai and Cape Town.

Asalaamualaykum. I hope that this Ramadan has provided the time for spiritual reflection, sincere religious devotion and contemplation that we sometimes rush through in the rat race of life, and that Allah accepts our worship.

When Huma approached me to do a guest post for her Ramadan – An Event to Share 2016series on Gheza e Shiriin, I was thrilled. It gives me an opportunity to share some of the traditions and customs of the Cape Town Muslims, or Cape Malays, with you.

Our cuisine has evolved over the years but was borne out of the cultural melting pot originating from the seventeenth century slave trade in South East Asia. It includes influences from Indonesian and Malaysian as well as Indian, Dutch and English cuisines. You can learn more about the history and culture of the Cape Malays here and see more traditional Cape Malay Ramadan recipes here.

One of the things I love most about Ramadan in Cape Town is the sense of community that it fosters. Families share their iftar snacks with their neighbours and it is not uncommon to see children in the streets carrying plates of sweet or savory treats from house to house.This continues until a few days before Eid when the womenfolk focus on preparing the homes and family for the feast of Eid al Fitr.

Flapjacks were one of the first Ramadan treats that my mother allowed me to make when I was growing up. I loved it’s soft and fluffy texture that was unlike any other iftar snacks that we usually had. It was always a treat served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and spoonful of strawberry jam.

 I recall walking into a railway station convenience store in the UK many years ago and finding a packaged flapjack that was nothing like the flapjacks I knew from childhood. They were soft oat bars that were similar to granola bars.

My flapjack recipe will give you bite size morsels that are tender and decadent without being too rich after a day of fasting.

FLAPJACKS RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 140 grams cake or fine sponge flour (approximately 250 ml or 1 cup)
• 7 grams baking powder (approximately 7.5 ml or 1 1/2 level teaspoons)
• 5 ml salt (approximately 1/4 teaspoon)
• 13 grams fine granulated sugar (approximately 15 ml or 3 teaspoons)
• 1 extra large egg
• 125 ml buttermilk (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 60 ml milk (approximately 1/4 cup)
• 30 grams butter, melted (approximately 35 ml or 7 teaspoons melted butter)

Topping:

• 250 ml fresh whipping cream
• 125 ml fruit jam or lemon curd
• Fresh raspberries or strawberries

Method:

• Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together in bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until pale and thick.
• Gradually add the buttermilk and milk.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add half the egg mixture.
• Next whisk in the cooled melted butter.
• Stir to combine adding the remainder of the egg mixture until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
• Heat a heavy bottom frying non-stick pan or crepe pan to medium hot and drop tablespoon fulls of the batter to make circles approximately 5m in diameter. I used a 20ml ice cream scoop to measure.
• When the bubbles form on the top it is ready to turn. Do not flip over until the bubbles appear as it will not be fully cooked.
• Allow the flapjacks to cool then pipe rosettes of fresh cream and fill the indentation with jam or lemon curd.
• Decorate with fresh berries.

To connect with  Razena  you can check her Blog , Facebook,Twitter , Instagram.