Make Do for halal cooking
Halal dinner ideas from what is in your fridge
Dinner from what you have, without having to check every recipe for wine, gelatin or bacon hidden in the method.
Most recipe ideas online were not written with halal in mind. A perfectly good dish turns out to need a glass of white wine in the sauce, bacon lardons for flavour, or gelatin in the dessert. The problem is not usually the main ingredient. It is the detail in step four that you only notice once you are halfway through cooking.
Common non-halal ingredients hidden in recipes
These are the ones that most often turn up in otherwise suitable recipes:
| Ingredient | Where it hides | Easy swap |
|---|---|---|
| Wine | Risotto, pan sauces, stews, marinades | Stock with a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar |
| Beer and spirits | Batters, chilli, braises, flambéed desserts | Sparkling water in batter; stock in braises |
| Mirin and rice wine | Japanese and Chinese dishes | A little rice vinegar and sugar |
| Bacon, pancetta, chorizo | Pasta sauces, soups, salads | Halal beef bacon or turkey, or smoked paprika for smokiness |
| Lard | Pastry, refried beans, some baking | Butter, ghee or vegetable fat |
| Gelatin | Desserts, sweets, some yogurts | Agar-agar, or halal-certified gelatin |
| Animal rennet | Some hard cheeses, including many parmesans | Cheeses labelled vegetarian or microbial rennet |
| Vanilla extract | Baking | Alcohol-free vanilla flavouring, or a vanilla pod |
Scholars and communities differ on some of these, such as cheese rennet and trace alcohol in flavourings, so follow the standard you and your family keep.
Halal dinners from what is usually in the fridge
Chicken and chickpea curry
Onion, garlic, ginger, spices, tomatoes and chicken thighs, with chickpeas to stretch it. Spinach goes in at the end.
Kofta or mince flatbreads
Halal mince with onion, cumin and herbs, shaped and fried or grilled, served in flatbread with yogurt and whatever salad is in the drawer.
Shakshuka
Eggs in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, halal by default. Add feta or leftover lamb if you have it.
Chicken traybake
Thighs roasted with potatoes, onions, peppers and lemon. One tray, very little effort.
Egg fried rice with beef or chicken
Day-old rice, eggs, vegetables, soy sauce and small pieces of leftover meat. Check that your soy sauce contains no alcohol: some brewed soy sauces list it.
Red lentil dal
Cheap, filling, halal, and ready in 25 minutes.
How Make Do handles halal
Choose halal in Make Do and the rules above are built into every recipe it suggests. It will not use pork or pork products of any kind, including bacon, ham, lard, pancetta, chorizo, gelatin and pork-based stock. It will not use alcohol in any form, including wine, beer, cider, spirits in cooking and alcohol-based vanilla extract, or non-halal animal fats and rennet. It will never suggest a substitution that brings any of them back.
Photograph your fridge and it lists what it can see, so you can check it, then suggests five halal dinners from what you have, using up whatever is closest to going to waste first. It cannot tell from a photo where your meat came from, so it assumes the meat you have is halal and plans around it. Checking the source is up to you.
Want a cuisine? Choose from 19, including Turkish, Lebanese, Moroccan, Indian and Nigerian, or just say what you are in the mood for.
Questions
Does Make Do have a halal filter?
Yes. With the halal diet chosen, recipes never include pork or pork products, alcohol in any form (including wine or beer in cooking and alcohol-based vanilla extract), gelatin, or non-halal animal fats and rennet.
What ingredients are commonly not halal in recipes?
Wine, beer and spirits in sauces and marinades; bacon, pancetta, chorizo and lard; gelatin in desserts; some cheeses made with animal rennet; and flavourings such as vanilla extract that contain alcohol.
Does it check whether my meat is halal?
No. It cannot tell from a photo, so it assumes the meat you have is halal and plans around it. Checking the source is still up to you.
