Asma Khan shares her kitchen game plan for Eid

Asma Khan explains how to make life easy for yourself in the kitchen this Eid, so you can focus on the celebrations

BBC One’s Celebrity Eid is coming to screens at 10.40pm on 31 March. Filmed in Bradford, the 2025 UK City of Culture, the show will celebrate one of the most prominent events in the Islamic calendar, which marks the end of Ramadan.

Host Jason Mohammed will be joined by well-known sports stars, comedians, actors and musicians, as well as chef Asma Khan, who’ll be preparing a very special Eid feast for guests.

“This is going to be the first time, on a platform like this, people will get to see what is usually a private celebration,” she says. “Knowledge is a great way to bring people together. It makes you understand how connected we are, how we celebrate in similar ways. It’s about food, community and conversation.

“It’s so important that we respect each other and we should also respect each other’s rituals and traditions and celebrations.”

If you’re new to Eid and want to know more, or perhaps attending or hosting a celebration for the first time and are wondering what to cook, Khan has lots of advice for making a memorable feast without the stress.

Focus on feel-good food

Eid marks the end of Ramadan, a month where Muslims fast from dawn until sunset each day and focus on self-reflection and spiritual growth.

“Many people have fulfilled targets over this month, like reading the Quran or fasting all 30 days,” says Khan. “Eid is a joyous celebration because you have achieved something.”

Food is a big part of the celebrations, although exactly what each family will eat depends on taste and heritage. Khan still remembers what she’d eat on Eid as a child in India.

“The breakfast really stands out for me, because the adults who’d been fasting hadn’t eaten breakfast for 30 days. This idea of having breakfast together was very exciting and, in my family, it was very lavish.

“My absolute greatest memory was this warm milky, vermicelli nut and date dish, called sheer khurma. We would have it in beautiful bone china cups, although I was considered clumsy, so was made to sit on a newspaper on the floor with it,” she explains, laughing.

“I’ve made it ever since I left home – every Eid – and I’m going to be making it for the event in Bradford as well.”

It’s a dish that Khan finds easy to make and knows everyone enjoys, so it’s a no-brainer.

When deciding what to cook, she encourages you to start with dishes that you think will bring joy – be that through nostalgia, playfulness or otherwise.

Don’t be weighed down by tradition

If you’re hosting for the first time and feel slightly overwhelmed about cooking a spread for extended family, Khan suggests sticking to what you know.

“Go for dishes you’ve made before and which have always worked. This will minimise your stress. Eid dinner is not the day you want to experiment.”

“You don’t have to be tied to tradition. My mother would always have things like Chinese spring rolls or stir-fried chicken which we loved but it wasn’t traditional.

“What is most important is that people feel welcome, they can see you are happy and that you are not stressed out. So please, simplify your life.”

There’s no need to scratch cook everything either – it can still be a special feast with shop-bought elements.

“In Bradford, I’m going to be making chicken kebabs which are marinated in yoghurt and I’ll serve them with bread which I’ll just buy, not bake,” says Khan.

Plan lots, prep a little

Because Ramadan is a time for contemplation – not to mention for fasting, which means you might not want to spend hours in the kitchen – Khan says it’s common for people to not do much food prep in the run-up to Eid.

Plus, there’s the complication that you might not know in advance what day Eid will fall on: “One of the challenges is we have to wait for the new moon to be sighted, so you tend to find out about 4pm the day before.

“That said, you do need to plan, just so you’re not running ragged and stressed out on the day. Buy what you can in advance so you don’t have a last-minute dash to the shops when you’re competing with lots of others. You don’t want to go to the sweet shop the night before Eid, for instance, because it’s going to be jam-packed.”

While you can of course make samosas and curries ahead and freeze them, Khan says that if you’re going to do any food prep, make it the desserts.

“If you’re making a more complicated dessert like halwa, you will have to do this in advance because it takes time to cook down.”

Even simple desserts such as Khan’s shahi tukra are good to make in advance. This is something she will also be making in Bradford.

“It’s the Indian version of bread and butter pudding,” explains Khan. The bread is soaked in saffron and cardamom-infused milk and garnished with pistachio and almond.

Don’t downplay dessert

“We have a saying, ‘may there be sugar in your mouth,’ which is a way to wish someone well – it shows how important sweetness is to Eid.”

So, if you’re a guest at an Eid celebration and want to bring something, Khan suggests you stick with something sweet.

“Little things like, macaroons, muffins, small cookies or laddoos are good options. They’re easy to grab-and-go for people who are dropping in.

“You could also bring fruit – things like cherries and mangos will be very welcome.”

Watch Celebrity Eid on BBC One on 31 March,10.40pm, or catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Originally published March 2025

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