1. Organize and deep clean your Kitchen!

Yes, I know that this sounds like a pretty basic step but it is extremely essential.
Go through your pantry, fridge and freezer and start cleaning. Throw out stuff that is expired. If something is expiring soon bring it to the front so you can finish it soon. Deep clean your fridge and freezer because you will be needing a LOT of storage space in Ramazan.

2. Ask your family what kind of Iftar & Sehri items they would prefer this year.

Maybe your husband wants to eat dinner directly instead of having a heavy iftar;
Your daughter wants to eat healthy and avoid the pakoras and samosas this year;
Or its just the regular pakora, samosa and spring roll affair at your house.
The point is if you know what your family prefers to eat you can plan ahead. Look up recipes, start freezing items or order from someone if required.

3. Make your grocery list and go shopping before Ramazan

Ramazan shopping is always different from your regular monthly shopping. Once you have figured out what your family is interested in eating this Ramazan, make a list and go shopping ASAP! The week right before Ramazan is absolutely crazy at the supermarkets so it’s always best to do your shopping as soon as you possibly can.

4. Start preparing food for Ramazan and store in your fridge / freezer.

Not just regular frozen items but items that will help you in regular cooking. For e.g.

• Make garlic, ginger and onion paste and store in the freezer to use over Ramazan.
• Prepare and store raw vegetables in the freezer. Depending on the vegetable either cut, blanch or blend then store. That way you can take them out and cook in a jiffy without having to worry about cutting them.

5. Label food.

If you are throwing out boxes or storing food in the freezer label it! We all end up throwing boxes of spices and masalas out because of space issues  but make sure you add a paper with their name so no one confuses the chicken tikka masala with the behari kebab masala. Label anything that you put in the freezer. Whether you are storing food in a plastic container or in a Ziploc bag, take a black marker and label it. Make sure you write the name of the dish, the quantity and the date you kept it in the freezer. That way you can keep a track of how long it’s been kept in the freezer.

6. Store properly

It’s hot and humid in Karachi plus we have loadshedding pretty much every day now! Unfortunately that’s a recipe for food spoiling disasters. So it’s extremely essential that you store food properly. Keep flour, besan and spices in air-tight containers. If you are worried about them getting spoiled keep them in the fridge. 

7. Don’t go overboard.

We all get so worried about Ramazan food prep that we end up buying too much and then it goes to waste! Plus don’t stuff your fridge / freezer with food to the brim – it will reduce the cooling time and with the light going out regularly that is a major problem.
So buy what you need not what is good to have. Prepare frozen food in batches and try to finish them in the first 15 days and then prepare / order another batch for the last 15 days.