Sehri Ideas That Keep You Full Through the Fast

Sehri is the meal you eat before dawn during Ramadan, and it has one job: to carry you through until iftar. Eaten half-asleep and often in a hurry, it’s easy to get wrong, with a salty paratha and two cups of chai that leave you thirsty by noon. A little planning makes the long hours of the fast far easier.

What makes a good sehri

The meals that keep people going longest share three things:

Protein. Eggs, yogurt, milk, daal, chickpeas and meat digest slowly and keep you full.

Slow carbohydrates. Whole-wheat roti, oats, brown bread and daal release energy gradually. Sugary food and white bread give a quick burst followed by a crash.

Fluids and water-rich food. Several glasses of water, plus yogurt, lassi, cucumber and fruit, help with thirst through the day.

Pakistani sehri ideas

Eggs and paratha, done lighter. A khageena or omelette with a whole-wheat roti, or a paratha made with a little less ghee, plus a bowl of yogurt. Eggs are the classic sehri protein for good reason.

Yogurt with everything. A bowl of plain yogurt, or a glass of lassi, helps with thirst and digestion. Try it with a little honey and a few dates, or salted with cumin as namkeen lassi.

Khichdi or daal with roti. Soft, mild and filling, khichdi is a good choice if you find heavy food hard to eat at that hour.

Leftover salan. There’s nothing wrong with last night’s curry. Chana masala and aloo anday both reheat well and are full of protein.

Oats or dalia. Porridge made with milk, dates and nuts is easy to digest and keeps you full for hours.

Fruit. Bananas, apples, dates and melons add fibre, natural sugar and water.

What to go easy on

• Very salty food: pickles, salty parathas, processed meats and nimko make you thirsty all day.
• Heavy fried food: puris and pakoray sit heavily and can cause acidity.
• Lots of chai or coffee: caffeine makes some people lose more water. One cup is fine; three isn’t ideal.
• Sugary drinks and sweets: they give quick energy that fades fast.

Make sehri easier to cook

Nobody wants to cook a full meal at 3 or 4 in the morning. A few habits help:

• Prepare the night before. Knead the dough, chop onions and tomatoes for the khageena, and set the table before bed.
• Cook a double dinner. Make enough salan or daal at iftar or dinner to reheat at sehri.
• Freeze parathas. Half-cooked parathas from the freezer take three minutes on a hot tawa. See our freezing guide.
• Keep it simple. Two or three items are plenty: a protein, a roti or bowl of something, and yogurt or fruit.

A week of sehri ideas

Day	Sehri
1	Khageena, whole-wheat roti, yogurt
2	Khichdi with yogurt and a little achar
3	Leftover chana masala, roti, banana
4	Oats with milk, dates and almonds
5	Omelette, aloo paratha, lassi
6	Daal, rice, cucumber raita
7	Boiled eggs, roti, yogurt, fruit

Finish with a couple of glasses of water, and you’re set for the day. For the other end of the fast, see our iftar menu planner.