Sahur is an Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting in daylight hours during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eaten before dawn (imsak) and it is also considered as the morning meal replacing the traditional two daytime meals (breakfast and lunch).

Being the only meal eaten by Muslims before the break of dawn during the month of Ramadan, sahur is highly recommended in Islam and is considered a virtue. Even though sahur is not compulsory (wajib), it is worthwhile to have it regularly as it serves to provide energy for those observing Ramadan during the day.

However, waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare a meal is not exactly an easy thing to do especially for those who are not living with their family. If you are living on your own, you would want to prepare sahur meals that are easy, fast, convenient and, most importantly, provides sufficient energy until buka puasa time. Here are some suggestions for meals that don’t require much effort to prepare yet will give you enough ‘fuel’ to ‘function’ throughout the day.

Breads and Sandwiches

Wholemeal or wholegrain breads contain nutrients that give you the energy you need to make it through the fasting hours. Tuna, cheese or egg sandwiches are quite ideal as they contain plenty of protein.

Wholegrain sandwiches are not only convenient, the bread also has low glycemic index (GI). Foods with a low GI, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven beneficial to health. Low GI diets improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes. They have benefits for weight control too as they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Cereals

You can try many of the three-in-one pack cereals that are readily available in supermarkets. There are many to choose from like oatmeal, chocolate, corn, vanilla or anything else that suits your taste buds. If you cannot find a high fiber cereal that you really like there are ways to make it tastier. You can can simply mix different cereals or add fruits (bananas, strawberries, kiwis, raisins etc), nuts, cinnamon, honey, etc to improve the taste. With a little creativity you can enjoy a very healthy and tasty cereal for sahur.

Fast Food

Fast food can also be taken for sahur as these meal varieties can make you full and provide you with ample energy. Fried chicken and pizza are some examples of fast food which you can have for sahur. You only need to fry the chicken for a short time. As for pizzas, don’t worry, we’re talking about frozen pizzas that only requires you to heat up in the oven or microwave for 5 to 20 minutes. The only thing is these types of meals are not that healthy compared to the ones above.

Traditional Rice with Dishes

Some of us simply can’t live without rice. A simple meal for a person whose staple diet is rice usually features at least two dishes – one meat dish and the other being vegetable. These two dishes can be as simple as anchovies (ikan bilis), fried eggs, fried chicken etc. Rice, as we know, contains carbohydrates that provide energy while eggs and anchovies contain protein. The cooking process can be sped up by adding boiled water from a kettle  (instead of cold tap water) into electrical rice-cookers. As for vegetables, a simple lettuce-and-tomato salad would do and, if you’re not too picky, just use tomato sauce as dressing.

Besides these, canned sardines would also be another convenient option to consider for sahur. If you’re up for it you can add garlic, onions, tomatoes and even potatoes to make it more wholesome. There are also those ready-to-eat-meals that only require heating  up available in supermarkets such as chicken curry, beef kurma, sambal ikan bilis, chicken rendang and beef rendang to name a few.

More Tips

It may be a good idea to prepare what you want to have for sahur before you go to sleep, especially if you’re not a morning person. This way, it would leave you with less to do (and more time) when you wake up.

Also, buka puasa leftovers from the night before can also be reheated to become accompanying dishes for sahur.