Flash
News!!

The dreaded pandemic, Corona virus COVID-19 has infected about three million people and the death toll has now passed the two hundred thousand mark since January this year and put our nation in a lockdown.
 
Having never experienced such a phenomenon in our lifetime, the harsh realities of things taken for granted dawned on us with sudden alacrity. Things like socializing with family and friends, attending weddings and funerals, an early morning walk, children going to school, reporting to work, a meal at your favourite restaurant, a visit to the hairdresser, a session at the gym, prayer at your place of worship, shopping at a fully stocked supermarket and going about life as we know it ground to an abrupt halt.

What never changes is the principle of sustenance of life. Consumption of food is intrinsic to sustaining life. We have to eat to live. Hence it not surprising that the enforced lockdown has triggered a revival in home cooking. Old recipe books are retrieved, websites are scoured and phone calls are made for that family recipes as forgotten skills are honed to feed the family.

The art of ingredient substitution is a precious skill in the repertoire of the home cook. When in the midst of preparing your dish you realize you are out of a key ingredient or two, then your creative skills of substitution will be the proverbial life saver. This is a boon outside normal business hours and during this lockdown period when you cannot just step out for replenishment.

SUBSTITUTION OF HALAAL FOOD

Adherence to dietary laws are an inherent and inseparable part of the Islamic faith. The laws are Divine and encapsulated in the Quraan and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) where we are ordered, “O you people eat of what is on earth, lawful and good….” [Chapter 2 Verse 168].  To make lawful (Halaal) and unlawful (Haraam) is the right of Almighty alone. No human being can usurp this right as it would be akin to ascribing a partner to Allah which action places one outside the fold of Islam. This immutable imperative makes it crystal clear that Halaal foods cannot be substituted.

It is for this reason and the needs of the community during this difficult lockdown period that SANHA has taken steps to ensure availability of Halaal products. Its dedicated team continues upholding the Halaal programme with provision of auditing and supervision services to those traders, manufacturers and abattoirs that are operational as essential exempt entities. In the critical area of poultry and meat products extreme care has to be exercised not only on purchasing certified products but obtaining them from establishments that have met the criteria to stock and sell them. 

The following butchery outlets are open to serve your needs during the lockdown and beyond. We have also indicated where information was available, outlets that undertake home deliveries:-

KWA-ZULU NATAL

GAUTENG

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION
 
Only Halaal goes into Halaal, and that’s the only rule to follow in food preparation substitution. 

Over time scientists, nutritionists, chefs, culinary experts and home cooks have developed, shared, demonstrated and published myriad listings of their substitutions.

We provide one such list to assist you.
Click here to view:

Another added advantage on working with a substitution list when planning recipes is the cutting down of unnecessary ingredients in your pantry. How often did you purchase a special ingredient called for in a recipe and never got past the first use? You don’t have to when you already have a substitute in stock.

Our Helpline service is here to help and is operational during the lockdown period. It can be accessed as follows:-

Cell: 081 512 2936
E-mail: helpline@sanha.org.za

BE A SMART COOKIE AND GO HALAAL