How simple is “halal”? We break it down for you here:

What is “Halal”?
Making food halal (permissible) simply means ensuring that meats are slaughtered the Islamic way, or that they are procured from a Muslim slaughterhouse.
Next is to ensure that all ingredients used in the kitchen are also halal. For instance, halal food should not come in contact with non-halal ingredients, such as alcohol, pork or by-products of animals that have not been slaughtered in the Islamic way. Examples of this are using halal-certified bouillon or halal Mirin.
How do you make a kitchen halal?

A halal kitchen or work area can be easily achieved if one can follow these SOPs:
- have a clear, designated and defined working area that separates halal cooking from the non-halal kitchen area,
- separate refrigeration area and separate storage for halal meats/seafood and halal ingredients,
- while a separate set of cooking utensils and equipment can be fitted for the purpose of this dedicated halal kitchen/work area, anyone desiring to cook halal may use any existing equipment if these are thoroughly cleaned,
- ensure everyone understands halal, and adheres strictly to halal SOPs when preparing halal meals.
What other tips do you have?

Halal products and ingredients are widely available these days. At the end of the day, having the right attitude towards halal integrity and respecting the needs of the Muslim will have far reaching effects in ensuring halal compliance in the kitchen within the perimeters set above. Ultimately, it boils down to respecting the requirements of other religions and accommodating the dietary needs of Muslim customers.

Have a question? Please submit to anis@halaluxe.com