Ingredients

500g chicken mince

2 medium tomatoes, grated

1 onion, chopped

½ cup oil

1 badia/star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp Mother-in-Law Masala

2 potatoes, cubed

2 tbsp garlic & ginger

2 elaichi/cardamom pods

Fresh coriander

125g frozen peas

Salt to taste

Water, as needed

Method

• Marinate the chicken mince with garlic and ginger.

• Sauté the onions in oil until golden brown.

• Add the whole spices and Mother-in-Law Masala.

• Add the chicken mince and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add water, grated tomatoes, peas, potatoes and salt to taste.

• Cook until the potatoes are soft and the water has been absorbed.

• Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serving Suggestion: Serve hot with roti

AUGUST COMPETITION

Competition Question

How long should the chicken mince simmer for before adding the remaining ingredients?

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The post Recipe: Chicken Mince Curry appeared first on Al-Qalam.

With the summer school holidays not far off, the kids would be chomping at your feet for a costly holiday at a luxury resort. Save the expense and try camping – or even glamping at some of South Africa’s many superior class campsites.

In my experience as a camper, I’ve come across only a handful of Muslim families camping in the true sense of the word. Perhaps the concerns are security, wudu facilities, “Paak Saaf” or privacy concerns. This is understandable and justified in many cases, but today’s top campsites or glamping resorts are in a class of their own – they are operated professionally with all the creature comforts in mind. Some even have private bathrooms and enclosed kitchen areas tastefully built around riverfrontages, mountainsides or natural forests with emphasis on private space.

Some campsites even have tented accommodation ready to move in, so you don’t have the expense of purchasing or hiring camping gear.

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Not long ago I did a solo camping trip in my kitted Suzuki Jimny across the Eastern and Western seaboards of South Africa – a distance of 5000km over 40 days (including a few days of Ramadaan) It was one of the most magical moments of my life – a joy of peace and freedom in nature that cannot be explained unless you experience for yourself. Yes, hard-core camping can be difficult, particularly when you have to get up in the middle of the night and trudge to the communal bathrooms, 100m away but those are what memories are made off.

But, if hard-core camping is not your thing, AfriCamps Boutique Glamping, for instance (located at many spots across the country) and offers all the creature comforts in the midst of nature; maybe your kind of holiday for your family.

Why a holiday in nature, you ask?

Camping with your children builds stronger family bonds, teaches valuable life skills, and costs much less than a luxury hotel. While a fancy hotel offers comfort and pampering, camping removes daily distractions like screens and schedules. This allows your family to connect deeply with nature and each other. It’s also a good opportunity for families to put down their cell phones and actually talk.

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Teamwork creates stronger bonds when you get the kids involved in doing camping chores, braaing the meat, talking and playing games, going on forest trails, overcoming small challenges during a storm, or a campfire that won’t start creates stories you will tell for years. Best of all, reading salah with the family in the heart of nature, alongside a flowing river, at the foot of a mountain or amidst the sounds of a forest.

These memories will stick with your children right through adulthood.

For me, this summer, insha’Allah, I intend travelling solo and camping all the way to Hazyview, in Mpumalanga – to the Kruger National Park – one of the largest, most diverse wildlife sanctuaries on earth.

If you’d like to check out my camping journey, head out to my Instagram page and follow @jimny_go_afrika

The post Go family camping– the halaal way appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Ingredients

• 500g Chicken fillet
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 2 Medium potatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1/4 cup Warm water
• 250g Frozen stew mix
• Salt to taste
• 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons Gorima’s Stew Mix

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken with Gorima’s Stew Mix and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep pot, add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add onions and crushed garlic. Sauté until translucent.
4. Add frozen stew mix, diced potatoes, fresh thyme, and 1 cup warm water. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add chicken and corn flour mixture to thicken. Add salt to taste.

NEW: July Competition

Competition Question: What is the secret ingredient that gives the chicken stew its rich flavour?

Enter our competition now and stand a chance to win a special hamper from Gorimas.

Send your answers via WhatsApp on 0743998576 or email us at admin@alqalam.co.za and stand a chance to win a special hamper from Gorimas.

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• Share the above recipe
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The post Hearty Chicken Stew appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Ingredients

• 500g Chicken fillet
• 1 tsp Garlic & ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp orange pepper spice
• 3 Tbsp Mexican Chicken Marinade
• Oil for cooking
• ¼ cup fresh cream
• 1 Tbsp parsley

Method

• Marinate the chicken with garlic and ginger paste and orange pepper spice.
• Add oil to a pot and cook the marinated chicken until done.
• Add the Mexican Chicken Marinade and fresh cream, then simmer for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and serve with savoury rice.

June Competition

Question: How many tablespoons of Gorima’s Mexican Chicken Marinade are used in the recipe?

Enter our competition now and stand a chance to win a special hamper from Gorimas.

Winner of the May National Competition:

Mairoonisa Sathar, Belgravia, Cape Town

The post Mexican Chicken appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

•                     500g chicken strips or soya strips (vegetarian option)

•                     2 Tbsp oyster sauce

•                     1 tsp red chilli paste or dry crushed chillies

•                     3 Tbsp garlic & herb spice

•                     ½ packet egg noodles

•                     4 Tbsp olive, vegetable, or sesame oil

•                     1 tsp ginger slices

•                     1 onion, sliced

•                     2 carrots, cut into strips

•                     ¼ cup water

•                     2 baby marrows/courgettes, cut into strips

•                     ½ cup butternut or red pepper, cut into strips

•                     200g mushrooms, sliced

•                     2 Tbsp light soya sauce

•                     6 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method

1.      Marinate chicken (or soya strips) with oyster sauce, chilli paste, and garlic & herb spice.

2.      Boil noodles in 4 litres of salted water until tender.

3.      Heat oil in a wok or deep pan. Add ginger, onion, and chicken. Stir-fry until lightly browned.

4.      Add carrots and ¼ cup water. Cook until carrots begin to soften.

5.      Add marrows, butternut/peppers, and mushrooms. Stir-fry until vegetables are cooked but still slightly crunchy.

6.      Add soya sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and noodles. Toss well, adjusting sauces to taste.

Chef’s Note

This recipe, inspired by a dish enjoyed in Pattaya, Thailand, balances sweet, spicy, and savoury flavours beautifully. Keep vegetables slightly crunchy for texture, and don’t be afraid to adjust sauces to suit your palate. For a vegetarian twist, substitute chicken with soya strips — the flavour remains just as vibrant

May National Competition

Competition Question:
According to the recipe, how long does it take to cook the stir-fry?

Send your answers via WhatsApp on 0743998576 or email us at: admin@alqalam.co.za and stand a chance to win a special hamper from Gorimas.

To increase your chances of winning:

• Like and follow the Al-Qalam social pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok
• Share the above recipe
• Tag your family and friends
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•  

Winner for the April National Table Pride’s Food hamper is:

Bilkis Abdul Samud from Overport, Durban

The post Stir-Fry Our Way appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Cape Town-based Arabic calligrapher Ustad Faheem Rhoda Jackson blends heritage, spirituality, and artistic mastery through the timeless language of ink and script.

Faheem’s journey into calligraphy began while studying Arabic at Abu Nour University in Syria. A defining moment came when his handwriting teacher, Shaykh Adham Fadi Ja’fari, entered a noisy classroom and quietly drew an intricate calligraphic design on the blackboard. The room immediately fell silent.

“That could have been the day I made the niyyah to learn this art,” recalls Faheem. “I hoped that one day I could become like him.”

 Today, his work sits at the intersection of language, reflection, and visual art. Deeply inspired by Islam and the Qur’an, he approaches creativity as an appreciation of divine beauty.

 “Just a small sheet of paper and scribbles can inspire me to continue in the hope that Allah guides me to create the best piece,” he says.

 Cape Town’s Muslim history has shaped his artistic identity. Growing up in Bo-Kaap, he often visited the historic Tana Baru cemetery, where many early Muslim scholars are buried, including Tuan Guru, the first imam of the Auwal Mosque. Tuan Guru famously transcribed copies of the Qur’an from memory while imprisoned on Robben Island during the Dutch colonial era.

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Faheem’s late teacher, Dr Sulaiman Nordien, gifted him a facsimile copy of one of Tuan Guru’s manuscripts. Studying the script inspired him to develop the ‘Janubi’ script, a South African calligraphic style influenced by historic manuscripts and gravestone inscriptions found in cemeteries such as Tana Baru and Mowbray.

 “This made the connection between my work and the history of Islam in Cape Town even more meaningful for me,” he reflects.

His creative process combines classical techniques with contemporary tools. After selecting a text, often through commissioned work, he sketches repeatedly before carving a bamboo qalam suited to the piece. He first works in black ink to focus on form and proportion before refining designs digitally using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

 Despite using modern technology, he remains committed to traditional learning.

“The best way to acquire a solid foundation in Arabic calligraphy is through the study of classical scripts,” he explains. One of the two foremost scribes of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), Sayyiduna Ali (RA) was reported to have said: “Calligraphy is hidden in the teacher’s teachings, and mastering it requires much practice.”

 For Faheem, calligraphy is more than visual art. It is rhythm, remembrance, and meditation. Raised in a home where dhikr gatherings were common, he developed an early love for Arabic writing through devotional texts such as the Raatibul Haddad. As a student, he often copied passages repeatedly, finding peace in the act of writing.

Among the forms that continue to inspire him are the Hurūf al-Muqatta‘āt, the disconnected letters appearing at the beginning of certain Qur’anic chapters.

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 “Calligraphers are challenged to bring attention to these letters in creative ways,” he says.

 Although Arabic calligraphy is often associated with Muslim audiences, Faheem has witnessed its universal emotional impact. During a 2019 workshop at the Palestine Museum in Cape Town, participants from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish backgrounds gathered to explore the art form together.

 “One Christian woman was brought to tears after seeing a Qur’an for the first time,” he recalls. “She said it was the most beautiful sight her eyes had ever seen.”

 At the same time, he expresses concern about the misuse of AI-generated Arabic calligraphy. As a graphic designer and calligrapher, he warns that distorted Arabic letters created through artificial intelligence can unintentionally disrespect sacred texts.

“If the letters are unrecognisable and distorted, we have to be careful,” he says. “Muslims believe the Qur’an is the word of Allah.”

 Alongside his artistic practice, Faheem Rhoda Jackson teaches weekly in-person Arabic calligraphy classes at the Awqaf SA Islamic Centre in Zeekoevlei, Cape Town. He offers online Arabic calligraphy lessons to students locally and internationally. His courses are designed for beginners and experienced artists. Through live Zoom critiques and overhead camera demonstrations, students learn technical skills and the etiquette traditionally associated with beautiful writing.

The post Faheem Jackson explores beauty of Arabic calligraphy appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
Chopped fresh coriander
Ready-made frozen crumbed chicken nuggets (±300g works well for this sauce)
Mini pitas
Shredded lettuce

Method

• In a bowl, combine garlic, chilli flakes, tomato sauce, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, sesame seeds, honey, and oil. Mix well.
• Cook the crumbed chicken nuggets according to package instructions until crispy and golden.
• Toss the cooked nuggets in the prepared sauce until well coated.
• Lightly warm the mini pitas.
• Fill each pita with shredded lettuce and saucy chicken nuggets.
• Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serving Suggestion
Perfect as a quick snack, lunchbox filler, or a fun family meal. Add a
drizzle of mayo or a yoghurt-based sauce for extra creaminess.

APRIL NATIONAL COMPETITION

Stand a chance to win a Table Pride Foods Hamper

Competition Question:

Which ingredient in this recipe adds a sweet touch to balance the flavours?

How to Enter:

Send your answer via:

• WhatsApp: 074 399 8576
• Email: admin@alqalam.co.za

Boost Your Chances of Winning!

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• Share this recipe
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• Send us a screenshot once done

The post Asian Dunked Chicken Pitas appeared first on Al-Qalam.

The event reflected true unity, as people from all racial backgrounds came together and enjoyed a delicious chicken breyani. Moulana Mohamed Tariq, High Priest of Aleemia Mosque, expressed his sincere gratitude to KFC Moral Foods for this meaningful gesture.

As Eid is a time of celebration, compassion, and giving, this initiative truly embodied the spirit of remembering and supporting the underprivileged. Such acts of kindness strengthen community bonds and remind us all of the importance of sharing during blessed occasions like Eid.

The post ADVERTORIAL: KFC Moral Foods Feeds Thousands in Phoenix appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

1 tsp China grass powder / falooda powder

½ tin condensed milk or to taste

1 big tin Nestlé cream

2 cans fruit cocktail (Checkers brand) drained

1 can of strawberries drained

Method:

• Place milk and china grass powder in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring all the time.

• Add condensed milk.

• Mix well and allow to cool.

• Place a spoonful of fruit salad and a few strawberries into mini glasses.

• Pour milk mixture over.

• Allow to set in the fridge.

• Top with sliced pista and half a strawberry.

• Serve well chilled 

March Competition Question

Which ingredient is used to help set the milk mixture in the Fruit Jelly Cups recipe?

Enter now and stand a chance to win a Table Pride Foods Hamper.

To increase your chances of winning: Share this recipe on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok, tag Al-Qalam, tag your family and friends.

The post Fruit Jelly Cups appeared first on Al-Qalam.

As Eid al-Fitr approaches, families begin preparing for one of the most joyful days on the Islamic calendar. Alongside the traditional sweets, new clothing and perfumes exchanged during the celebration, many people are also seeking gifts that carry a deeper meaning. Ottoman-inspired Islamic art offers one such option, blending spirituality, heritage and craftsmanship into pieces that can be treasured for years.

Occupational therapist and Ottoman art practitioner Nazeemah Soomar believes that traditional Islamic art holds a special place in celebrating occasions such as Eid.

Traditional Turkish art dates back many centuries and reached a peak during the Ottoman era. Artists used natural pigments derived from minerals and plants, along with delicate applications of gold leaf. These meticulous techniques helped many historic works survive for generations and remain preserved in museums today.

Ottoman illumination and calligraphy formed part of the wider tradition of Ottoman book arts. These techniques were used to decorate Qur’anic manuscripts, official documents and artistic panels, often featuring intricate patterns and elegant floral motifs.

For Nazeemah, Ottoman art carries meaning far beyond decoration.

“Ottoman art is a labour of love,” she explains. “It reflects love for Allah’s words and for the beauty Allah created in nature.”

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Calligraphers carefully write sacred texts or meaningful phrases, while illumination artists frame the words with balanced designs and stylised florals. The result is a composition that reflects harmony, a central principle within Islamic artistic tradition.

Historically, Islamic art appeared in several forms, including architecture, functional objects such as tiles or vessels, and decorative artworks. Across these forms, beauty was regarded as an essential element of life.

“Islam encourages balance, harmony and goodness,” Nazeemah says. “Beauty reflects Allah’s nature and helps create peaceful spaces.”

Nazeemah’s love for art began early, although opportunities to explore it were limited during her school years.

“In the early 1990s there was very little exposure to the arts in our communities,” she recalls. “Art was often seen as something low on the ladder in terms of career choices.”

Despite this, her passion endured. Over time, her appreciation for art deepened alongside her spiritual journey.

“Art became a way of recognising Allah’s beauty,” she told Al-Qalam. “It also reflects one of Allah’s attributes, Ya Khaliq, the Creator.”

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For Nazeemah, gifting Islamic art during this time offers an opportunity to reconnect with cultural and spiritual heritage.

“In many places we do not live in societies where Islamic culture is dominant,” she says. “For centuries, we have often looked to the West for artistic inspiration. Reviving traditional Islamic arts helps us rediscover our own heritage.”

Calligraphy holds a particularly important place within Islamic tradition. The Qur’an itself references the pen, highlighting the significance of knowledge and writing. Receiving a handmade artwork can therefore carry both spiritual and emotional meaning, she added.

“A piece of art created by hand builds a connection. It brings harmony into the home and the heart of the person receiving it.”

“Art has lasting value,” Nazeemah says. “It is like a bouquet of flowers that never fades.”

The post Ottoman art makes meaningful Eid gifts appeared first on Al-Qalam.