Maqali, a simple Syrian dish that saved a displaced family’s Ramadan iftar

Made in its simplest form possible, this meal of fried vegetables brings an impoverished IDP family together in Ramadan.

ِAl-Yaman Camp, Idlib, northwest Syria – Looking to make something tasty and thrifty, Bayan al-Jassem, 32, decided to reach for a staple of the Syrian kitchen, maqali (said with a glottal stop).

The decision was reached a few hours before sundown on the second day of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims across the world, and a decision was needed so food could be readied for iftar, the sunset breaking of the fast. Because maqali is a simple dish, true to its name which means “fried things”, Bayan was not too worried about whipping it up in time.

“We all love fried vegetables,” Bayan said, referring to her husband and five children, adding that the vegetables in question that day would be zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower and potatoes, a classic combination.

Her husband, Khaled al-Reem, 45, was dispatched to the market to pick out the required ingredients and bring them home.

Then the couple started working together to prep, with Bayan heading out to the communal water tank to wash the vegetables and then sitting on the floor in the tent with Khaled to peel and chop the vegetables into the sizes they wanted for frying.