What is Halal ?

          HALAL is a word which denotes the acceptable objects in Islam. This word is Arabic word, which means Lawful or legal. The concept of Halal in Islam arises to protect purity, life and humanity. Allah has put some criteria to follow and look after, living according to these guidelines we obey our Allah and pay tribute and thanks to his obligations.

Islam guides its followers in all facets of life, be it permissible behavior, speech, dress, conduct, manner, financial matters, society etc. Accordingly there is Islamic dietary law which provides its practitioners information of what is good or not, for them to eat. This Halal concept is also applied on our food customs especially on meat products. According to the Islamic Laws we should consume only Halal meat products.

Holy Quran Surah Al-Baqrah verses 173:

“He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

According to this verse we all are provided a detailed slaughtering method of animals, i.e. “Dhabiha” which is applicable on all the permitted animals except sea food animals.

According to Islamic food law, food from ‘farm to fork’ should be halal. Animal should be slaughtered by Islamic way known as Dabihah, which ensures that no blood is left in meat before it's eaten and any ingredient which is forbidden should not be used in preparation of food. For this purpose, there are many certified bodies set up to inspect, monitor and to certify halal products, in particular halal meat and poultry section like Halal India of India, Halal Monitoring Committee of UK, Halal Monitoring Authority of Canada.

Recommended halal food should be fulfilling these points:

• The animal should be slaughtered in the name of Almighty Allah.

• Main parts of the neck are windpipe, food-tract and the two jugular veins, which should be cut by a sharp knife, in one stroke only.

• The animal should be acceptable by Islamic halal food laws.

• Those animals which hunt with their claws are forbidden like Lion, eagles etc.

• Fish and sea animals need not be cut like Dhabiha.

• Halal animals list includes cows, lamb, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, game birds etc.

Meat of animal is Haram if it’s not slaughtered in this way. At the time, of slaughtering the animal should be alive, healthy, and free of any disease and the most noticeable thing is that it should not be hungry. The meat of dead animal from any type of accident or animal fight etc is haram.

Verses 168:

"O men! Eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the satan; surely he is your open enemy".

Why Halal ?

           Many of my brothers and sisters would say why should I eat halal, I am not a Muslim; rules of Islam are not applicable on me. The answer is, if you believe that 'Eat healthy and stay healthy' is the mantra for maintaining good health and living a long life, then one should also know that meat which is slaughtered by Halal method is the most beneficial one to eat. For ones awareness and satisfaction here are some SCIENTIFIC REASONS to eat halal.
 

          Experiments conducted at various universities have proved that Halal method of slaughter is the less painful method of slaughtering and captive blots stunning practiced by western method causes severe pain to the animal. In Halal method of slaughtering maximum blood from the body is drained out resulting in hygienic meat for consumers, where as in western method there is retention of more blood in meat. This in turn, is unhygienic for consumers.

            It has also been observed that the incision applied in the Halal method of slaughter causes no pain. Apart from the isolated sensory nerve, structures beneath the skin are insensitive to the blade. It has been proved that the Halal method is free from side-effects and secondary effects on the animal and the user. Hence it fulfills all the criteria to be the best method of slaughter and is recommended.

          Blood is prohibited in Islam and through slaughtering in Halal way; the main artery of the neck is cut through which all the blood is pumped out from the body. We know that blood carries the bacterial and infectious substances of the body with it, which is drained out thoroughly, that’s why Halal meat is more hygienic.

 

          In a nutshell, scientific studies have shown that slaughtering Halal way has two main advantages: First, it leads to the utmost bleeding outside the body leaving no retention inside. Secondly causes less or no pain to the animal. It is light in color and free of all type of possible infections. Halal meat has a longer shelf life and great taste. 

So, friends let’s not confine ourselves by connecting importance of halal meat to Muslims alone, but see it at a wider angle, an angle that is beneficial for all non-vegetarians.

Eat Halal, Stay Healthy !!

How does HJI Identify Halal Source

           How do you identify if a particular restaurant is halal or not ? A question I have been asked many a times.

          To start with HJI is not a certifying agency or certifying body, we are simply a service that identify joints/restaurant/eateries.

As already mentioned on our About Us page, we clearly mentioned this particular point in the Disclaimer.

To be more clear and precise on the policy structure, as we believe strongly that so much it is a service, it is also a very huge responsibility on our shoulders as lots of people would go these places and eat with security that HJI has covered this place.

Now Phase-I of our project we cover only below restaurant that cater to our conditions as being described below.

What do we cover and what we don't

1. We cover only the meat part (Chicken/Mutton/Beef) of that joint and ensure that the raw material procured had been slaughtered in a halal manner.

2. We do not cover any joint which serves pork as part of any of their dishes, even if the other meat items are halal.

3. If any joint keeps liquor we prefer not to mention it on our website, in case it starts keeping later on and we come to know of it we will remove it.

4.We do not comment or undertake the responsibility of that joint in other matters of being Halal as prescribed under the Shar'ah laws of Islam

5. We do not cover a particular chain of restaurant, if any one it's branches is not serving halal food, for example KFC or Dominoes, Pizza Hut or Moti Mahal for that matter. This is just to ensure that no wrong messages are sent across.

How do we identify and list the entries

1. All the entries here are hand picked, that is one of the reasons why we have so few entries, as this process takes time. Currently we have 70 listings and more to come.

2. In Phase-I, we take an undertaking from the owner that the meat being procured is halal (in most cases such owners are muslim) and it will remain so till he owns that place, we are yet to encounter a non-muslim owner who is taking this responsibility

3. We meet the chef/manager of the kitchen and also get details of the suppliers

4. We specify a condition that the suppliers have to be muslim who ensure that the meat being provided to that particular restaurant had been slaughtered in a halal way

5. We are also open to suggestions from our patrons, we then take the pain of going and verifying the details.

6. In next Phase we also plan to have a certifying body to expand the reach of our network but that is not the focus as of now.

7. The idea of these listings was simple, as most us from the society is doing, ask the Chef, get hold of the owner, word of mouth. We are also doing this almost in the same manner, just a bit more tedious, tidy and concrete.



Eat Halal, Stay Healthy !!

Halal meat much better but less cruel

         It is a myth that meat slaughtered in a Halal way is cruel to the animal, this has been a case in point for many of those opposing processed Halal meat. Contrary to this halal meat is the most hygienic way of consuming meat products, in continuation of my previous posts, I bring forth to you some excerpts from an article which I recently came across in one of
the most popular daily -

“We read a kalma (Quranic verse) before the meat is cut. Lekin, marta toh murga hi hai (Finally, it’s the animal that pays the price). It’s just a question of using different methods of slaughter,” shrugs Mohammad Salim, owner of a tiny meat shop in the Gurdwara Road Market of New Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur area.

Dr V K Modi, head of department of meat technology at the Central Food Technology Research Institute in Mysore, says the halal method is effective in draining out most of the blood from a slaughtered animal, which is vital if its meat is to be soft. “In jhatka, chances of blood clotting are higher. This could spoil the meat if it’s kept uncooked for a few days. It could also make the meat tougher to chew.”

Halal involves a swipe with a sharp blade across the animal’s neck, severing the windpipe, jugular vein and carotid artery. Contrary to popular belief, Dr Modi, who trains butchers in the art of slaughtering at the institute’s abattoir, says evidence suggests that animals slaughtered through jhatka suffer more trauma than those killed by halal. “The less an animal struggles, the better the meat. When animals face trauma, the glycogen content in their muscles is activated, leaving the meat tough. Stored glycogen is the agent that leads to rigor mortis (or, stiffening of muscles on death),” Dr Modi says. 

For the meat to be tender and juicy, the pH count in the animal should ideally be around 5.4 after slaughter. “Struggle leads to the utilisation of stored energy, making the pH count rise to as high as 7,” In halal¸ the struggle is lesser by at least 20 per cent, claims a Delhibased nutrition expert.

Dr Modi has support from Dr Karuna Chaturvedi, consultant nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. “Halal is considered healthier because after slaughter, blood is drained from the animal’s arteries, ejecting most toxins because the heart continues to pump for a few seconds after slaughter. In jhatka, not all the blood is drained, leaving the meat tougher and drier.”

Ironically, in most Indian abattoirs, animals are first stunned with 70 volts of electricity in the brain, leaving them unconscious. “The animal’s state of unconsciousness reduces its struggle,” says Dr Modi. However, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiuddin Khan argues that the Islamic code of slaughter doesn’t approve of stunning. “According to Islam, the purpose of slaughtering is to release all blood from the animal’s body, leaving no room for growth of micro-organisms. When stunned, only a part of its blood is released.” 

Flesh is lawful, blood, unlawful, states Islam, according to the Maulana. Stunning, in fact, puts the breaks on the blood drain due to a halt in the brain’s activity, freezing it mid-stream.
But Mohammed Noman Lateef, GM, Halal India Pvt. Ltd., an established halal certification body in India, highlights a subtle difference in detail. “We are not against stunning as long as it doesn’t kill the animal before it’s presented for slaughter.”

“By cutting the windpipe and the carotid artery, the flow of blood to the nerve in the brain that causes the sensation of pain, is stopped,” says Mufti Obaidullah Qasmi, former teacher at Darul Uloom, Deoband. “This leads to reduced pain.” The animal may appear to struggle and kick but that’s due to the contraction and relaxation of muscles deficient in blood rather than pain.

Lateef says halal is finding favour even among non-Muslims for the hygiene factor. Halal, a $2.1 trillion industry is growing at the rate of $500 million annually. “By 2015, Muslims will account for 25 per cent of the global population. Even in a country like France, there are over eight million Muslims, who love meat. Their needs cannot be ignored.” 

Detailed article can be found at below link

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=CAP/2012/01/29&PageLabel=69&EntityId=Ar06900&ViewMode=HTML

HJI View

Although it is a personal choice, for Muslims it's a religious belief to have Halal meat only but based on above arguments it is only more evident that Halal meat is better way of not only slaughtering but of consuming the meat for it's hygienic factors.

So, 

Eat Halal, Stay Healthy !!

We are improving the efforts of making such joints serving halal food more easier.

Winter Delicacies

          Indians have a zeal to live life. In spite of the ups and downs of our lives, we have an undying spirit to celebrate. We Indians believe in celebrating even small happiness of our lives with our dear ones be it dry promotion, acknowledgement from our seniors, reunion with old friends, singledom, freedom from clutches of a bad ex and not to forget seasons.

Yes, it's true. Winter is the most awaited season. Hot boiled eggs with tea, soups, hot puddings are the best brunch in winter afternoon. In a chilly winter night, everyone from young to old gathers around a bonfire chatting, giggling, teasing each other and enjoying fresh roasted peanuts, sweet potato etc. For non-vegetarians winter offers mouth watering savories like paaya, nihari and haleem.

Nihari is a popular meat dish of breakfast. The dish has its roots in nawabi cuisine of Awadh, northern India. While some believe Nihari originated in old delhi in late 18th century, during the reign of Moghul empire. Nihari curry is made from beef or lamb with its main ingredient being lamb shank. The dish is cooked on low heat overnight in a degh or at least for 6-8 hours. The meat becomes extremely tender into morsels. The marrow falls out of the knuckle bones and gets dissolved in the broth making the dish more delicious. The dish is finally garnished with fried onions, ginger juveniles, coriander leaves and lemon wedges. The delicacy is served with naan/qulcha. One serving of nihari(250 gm) has 450 calories in it. Nihari is used as a home remedy for cold, running nose and fever.

Haleem is a persian dish which was brought to india during Akbar's period by immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan. This dish is popular during months of Ramadan, Muharram and in cold weather. Haleem is made of mutton, wheat, lentils and spices. It varies in other regions but always includes wheat and meat. The dish is slowly cooked for 8-12 hours in a brick and mud kiln. One or two men use large wooden sticks to mix it thoroughly during its preparation, until it gets paste like consistency. It is served with crispy fried onion, sliced-boiled egg and sprinkle of lemon juice. Haleem is a high calory dish(380 calories per serving), excellent source of fibre and protein. Haleem has some variants also like chicken haleem also known as Irani Harees. Another popular variant of haleem in northern india is Khichda. The main difference between haleem and khichda is that haleem is cooked until meat blends with lentils and forms a thick soup while in khichda chunks of meat remain as cubes.

So friends, do not miss out these awesome traditional delicacies.

Article Courtesy: Afshan Farooq

Mughlai: The Cuisine of Emperors

           Mouth watering, lip smacking, yummilicious would not be the oxymoron for this cuisine of heaven…..the cuisine of emperors. In fact you will search an exact word for this taste. As rich as its name denotes, Mughlai is the most popular cuisine, originated in the royal kitchens of Mughal empires.

Mughals were very sophisticated, food lovers, they used to have rich food full of fat, proteins and carbohydrates. Use of exotic spices, dry fruits and nuts made it splendor. It is said that their cooks used 36 spices or "garam masale" for a dish, which had an exceptional aroma. It is mostly preferred in northern India, and their dishes name are also inspired by Awadhi language, like Biryani Badshahi, Keema Matar, Meat Durbari, Mughlai Chicken Pulao, Murg Kababs Mughlai, Murg Noorjehan, Shahi Chicken Korma, Shami Kabab, Shahi Rogan Josh etc. In the category of Non-vegetarian kebabs, Mughlai is outstanding.

Mughals have inspired our culture very much, and we can see this enduring influence still alive in Indian cuisine. Filled with flavored sauces, grinded onions, garlic, ginger and tomato paste with a dash of nuts, Mughlai Cuisine offers a tempting crave to food lovers.

Although Mughlai is served all over India, But for a perfect touch, Delhi serves at its best. We ensure, you will end up licking your finger here.

For searching the most authentic and loved restaurant serving Mughlai, HJI is the best destination.

Enjoy !!

Article courtesy 'Bushra Shajee'

Recipe of Tangdi Kebab

Tangdi Kebab

--------------------
Preparation time - 1 hour
Cooking time - 20 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients -
-----------------
Chicken drumsticks : 12 nos.
Refined Oil
Eggs : 4
Cashew finely ground : 5 tbsp
Ingredients for Marinade I
----------------------------------
Ginger garlic paste : 4tsp
White pepper powder : a pinch
Salt : according to taste
Vinegar : 1 tsp
Ingredients for Marinade II
-----------------------------------
Ginger garlic paste : 2 tsp
White pepper powder : 1 tsp
Curd : 1 1/4 cup
Cream : 3/4 cup
Garam masala : 2 tsp
Salt : according to taste
Saffron : few strands
Method of Preparation -
-------------------------------
1. Make 4-5 deep vertical incisions in washed chicken drumsticks
2. Mix all ingredients of Marinade I and rub into the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Now take out chicken drumsticks and marinate it in Marinade II. Refrigerate for 20 mins.
4. Skewer the drumsticks and roast the marinated chicken in tandoor till half done. Remove and allow excess marinade to fall off.
5. Apply oil on drumsticks and roast again till fully cooked.
6. Mix whisked and grounded cashew paste. Now dip chicken drumsticks in batter and roast till egg coagulates.
7. Remove from skewer and serve ht with green chutney.


Article Courtesy: 'Afshan Farooq'

Indian brands get 'halal' stamp

Islamic branding is an idea whose time has come, as brands tracking a broader consumer base get accustomed to Muslim sensibilities. It's not just about halal food alone, for it's at the forefront of the branding repertoire that resonates deeply with Muslim consumers around the globe.

Homegrown brands like CavinKare, Daawat, Bikano, Goldwinner oil, Vadilal ice cream, Amrutanjan Health Care and Gujarat Ambuja Exports are embracing halal-certification to get a better foothold in markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries.

CavinKare has got a halal certification from Halal India, an apex body for halal certification, for three of its products - Fairever, Nyle herbal shampoo and Ruchi pickle - to expand its footprint in Singapore, Malaysia and GCC. "The certification is a reason-to-belief for customers on quality parameters. The certification will also give an edge over our competitors," said R S Vijay Kumar, GM of international business at CavinKare, a Chennai-based personal care company.

[Source: The Times Of india]

China get's a big share in halal market with 1/8th of India's Muslim population

          With 22 million Muslims, China has just one-eight of India's Muslim population. But China has managed to play an effective role in the $500 billion export market for halal food by capitalizing on its influence as the world's biggest buyer of petroleum products.

This was evident at a conference on Wednesday when government leaders and importers from Arab countries implored China to produce more halal food to meet the rising demand. Significantly, India with the world's third largest population of Muslims did not figure in the conference although countries like South Africa with miniscule Muslim population were invited.

Check the detailed article on this link
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/china/30183710_1_halal-china-countries

Muslim Fashion Show at EURO-ASIA EXPO 2013

         At the beginning of October the International Trade Fair EURO-ASIA EXPO 2013 will be opened. An exciting cultural program is prepared for guests and exhibitors of the Trade Fair by the Organizing Committee.
Muslim Fashion Show is expected to be one of the most interesting events during EURO-ASIA EXPO 2013. The Organizer of Muslim Fashion Show is Russian Muslim Women`s Union. “Muslim Fashion Show is promoting the development of Muslim Fashion Industry as well as keeping and propagandizing national clothes”, said Nailya Ziganshina, the Chairman of Russian Muslim Women`s Union.


Read More at below link ...

http://euroasiarussia.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137:muslim-fashion-show-at-euro-asia-expo-2013&catid=28:news&Itemid=279#!