Rooza contains 30 three course meals, inspired by the cuisines of 30 countries – from Nepal to Tunisia, and Singapore to Syria – where people observe the Islamic holy month, during which they fast from sunrise to sunset, before coming together to eat and pray. Hussain describes Ramadan (February 28 – March 30 this year), as a much-loved but fleeting friend.

“Everyone’s got that friend that, no matter how long you’ve not spoken to each other for, how long you’ve been apart, when you’re together, it feels like you never left – that’s what Ramadan feels like,” she explains. “Ramadan is something I grew up doing, but I never really valued it or understood what it really meant until I had my own family.”

While her children might not question Ramadan, lots of people who don’t observe, often do, especially the fasting element. “It’s like, ‘Why would you do that to yourself?’ But we’re not hurting ourselves. It’s a huge part of our faith,” says Hussain, who hopes Rooza shows people that Ramadan is a celebration and “isn’t a torture for us. This is joy. We love this. We enjoy this. There is a beautiful bright side to it that nobody really gets to see.” She adds: “It’s the most peaceful, calm month of the year for us.”

How to make Nadiya Hussain’s Samsas

“Samsa is a traditional dish often made during Ramadan,” explains Nadiya.

Ingredients:

(Makes 7)

For the filling:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1tsp ground cinnamon

1 orange, zest only (reserving the juice for later)

100g walnuts, finely chopped

For the pastry:

150g butter

270g pack of filo pastry, ready-rolled (7 sheets)

100g pistachios, finely chopped

For the syrup:

Juice of an orange (see above)

100ml water

150g caster sugar

For the strawberry coulis:

227g punnet of strawberries

100g icing sugar

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, place directly on to a microwave plate and cook for 10 minutes till very soft. You can also do this in the oven.

Take out and leave to cool enough so they can be handled and then scoop out all the flesh and pop into a bowl. Mash to a smooth paste with the cinnamon, orange zest and walnuts. Set aside.

For the pastry, pop the butter into a pan and melt till brown. As soon as it starts to bubble and brown flecks appear, you have browned the butter. Take off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 190°C and have a baking tray at the ready.

Cut the filo sheets down the length and create 14 strips of filo, leaving the sheets you’re not working with under a damp tea towel. Butter two sheets together. Take a dollop of the filling and place at the bottom of the end of the strip. Fold a corner over to create a visible triangle, encasing the filling. Now take the filled triangle and fold over again and keep going till you have a fully encased triangle. Make the other six and butter them all over with any leftover butter. Pop on to the tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Make the syrup by pouring the orange juice into a pan with the water and caster sugar. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer till the syrup is thick and golden.

Take the triangles out of the oven and dip straight into the syrup till completely coated, then coat with pistachios and set aside.

For the strawberry coulis, put the fresh strawberries, icing sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and blend. Serve alongside the samsas as a dip or a drizzle.

Credits: PA;

How to make Nadiya Hussain’s vegetable peanut curry with sticky rice

This Thai-style curry will feed the whole family.

Ingredients:

(Serves 6)

For the sticky rice:

600g Thai sticky rice (found in most supermarkets)

For the paste:

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped

3 Thai red chillies

6 cloves of garlic

5cm piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped

2tbsps fish sauce

1 lime, juice only

2tbsps chilli powder

1tsp palm or brown sugar

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

2tsp shrimp paste

For the vegetables:

Oil, for frying

2tbsps smooth peanut butter

1 whole squash, peeled and chopped into chunks (700g)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 red peppers, chopped into chunks

2 x 400ml tins of coconut milk

400ml cold water

100g spinach, roughly chopped

To serve

200ml oil

150g peanuts

Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Salt

Method:

Before we do anything, let’s start by sorting out the sticky rice. By the time that is cooked, we will have this curry made. For the sticky rice, you need to make sure you wash it really well till the water runs clear. You can use the hot tap water to remove the starch. When it runs clear, drain the rice in a colander that has very small holes so the rice grains don’t escape.

Leave the rice to drain, then pop a pan on the hob that is big enough to suspend the colander at its rim. Pour some hot water into the base, bring the water to the boil and leave to simmer.

Put the colander in the pan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the rice grains. Pop on a lid that fits the top of the colander and leave the whole thing to steam for one hour 30 minutes. Occasionally check that there is still hot water simmering in the base. If it is lacking, just top it up with water from the kettle.

Now let’s make the paste by putting the onion, lemongrass, red chillies, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, chilli powder, palm or brown sugar, ground cumin, coriander and shrimp paste in a food processor. Blend the whole thing till you have a smooth, even mixture. If you find it isn’t shifting at all, add a small splash of water. Once that is done, set it aside.

On to the vegetables. Pour some oil into a frying pan and get the oil lovely and hot. Add the paste into the pan and cook for five minutes till it looks dry and is much darker in colour. Now add the smooth peanut butter and mix through.

Lower the heat, get the squash, potato and red pepper in and give everything a good mix. Pour in the coconut milk and cold water and bring the mixture to the boil. As soon as it comes up to the boil, leave to simmer over a medium heat with the lid off for 30 minutes. As soon as the potatoes are tender, add the spinach in and mix through so it can wilt for five minutes.

To make the peanuts, pour the oil into a pan and get the oil hot. Add the peanuts and fry till golden brown. Drain on to a plate with kitchen paper and sprinkle over some salt. Be sure to use your leftover home-made peanut oil for other recipes when it has cooled down.

Now it’s time to serve. Take your sticky rice and serve some curry alongside, sprinkling over the salted fried peanuts and chopped coriander.

Rooza by Nadiya Hussain is published by Penguin Michael Joseph. Photography by Chris Terry.