We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal
is already such a sensory-rich story, with the crunch of sand under boots, the smell of cardamom qahwa, and the feelings of safety found in the shadows of a familiar cloak's hood.
But we couldn’t resist bringing some of the tastes, smells, and foods to life for a fully immersive sensory experience!
Use the following recipes to enjoy your own homemade qahwa and fill the room with the scent of orange blossoms while you read.
OR use these recipes to keep the story alive after you finish the last page and ease your book hangover by reliving the memories.
Then, scroll down to check our suggestions for other books and hangover cures to enjoy while you wait for the next book in the We Hunt The Flame series.
Traditional Qahwa Recipes To Sip While You Read We Hunt The Flame
One of my favorite references in this gorgeous story was walking into a tent or a tavern and smelling freshly brewed qahwa, which is essentially Arabic coffee.
There are as many different ways to make qawha as there are food blogs and I’m sure every family has their own specific recipe too.
Here’s my super easy pour-over recipe that anyone can make with ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen:
Makes one large mug or 2 smaller mugs, depending on your coffee habits. 😊
Boil 2 cups water in a kettle or pot on the stove
Add the following ingredients to a 2-cup measuring cup:
– 2 scoops ground coffee
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
– 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
– 5-10 saffron petals
Once the water boils, pour it into the cup and let steep for 5 minutes (no stirring needed)
After 5 minutes, strain it through a coffee strainer or filter into your mug(s) and enjoy!
I loooooooooved drinking this while reading We Hunt The Flame because the cardamom would fill the air and create this full sensory experience of being inside the story!
And the saffron flavor that lingers on your tongue is floral and fresh, clearing away the coffee bitterness.
Another element I loved using while reading the book was to diffuse Wild Orange essential oil in my oil burner.
If you don’t have a diffuser, you can boil water, add it to a mug with a few drops of the oil and leave it at that. Diffusers just keep it steaming longer, but aren’t absolutely necessary.
Here are 2 qawha recipes that are more traditional than mine, but you may need to seek out the ingredients:
www.hamariweb.com/recipes/qahwa_arabeya_rid7989.aspx
I’ll admit, this next one has a lovely recipe, but the site is overwhelmed with too many ads. So if it’s slow to load, you may want to skip it:
www.linsfood.com/arabic-qahwa-coffee-saffron-cardamom/
And if you don’t do coffee, here’s a gorgeous tea alternative that uses saffron, roses, almonds, and green tea:
Yasmine’s Shorba For Warming A Cold Huntress
In the beginning of the book, Zafira comes in from the snow and cold and her best friend Yasimine hands her a bowl of shorba.
Shorba is a yummy red lentil soup that is soooooo comforting on a cold day, especially a cold day spent hunting in pitch black darkness with only your intuition to guide you!
Here’s a delicious, traditional shorba recipe from Rehana Du Jour’s blog:
Nasir’s Treasured Date Cakes aka Killer Date Cakes
When the deliciously dark hashashin is introduced, he’s scaling walls and leaping across rooftops like Altaïr in Assassin’s Creed. As he waits for his contact to arrive, he pulls out a date cake that he saved from the night before. A leftover date cake was one of “the small ways in which he could feel like the human he was born as,” and not the monster he’s become.
So it seems only fitting that we include a traditional date cake recipe to savor the mysterious and delicious character Nasir has become in our hearts!
This recipe is probably more similar to the one Nasir would’ve had:
But I also like this recipe a lot, especially because of the dark chocolate that feels oh so right for Nasir’s dark moods and affinity:
What Was Your Favorite Part Of We Hunt The Flame?
I hope you enjoyed this foodie supplement to Hafsah Faizal’s beautiful story!
If you’ve already finished the book, this is a great way to keep the story alive (and of course, come back when it’s time to re-read Book 1 right before Book 2 is released!)
If you haven’t read the book yet, I HIGHLY recommend it!! (See our review here.)
And now you can delight all your senses by enjoying the warmth and aromas of what’s wafting through the story.
What was your favorite part of We Hunt The Flame?
Who do you prefer for Zafira ~ [Click for spoiler]?
Books To Tide You Over Until Book 2 Of The Sands Of Arawiya Series Is Released
~ Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (this book is amazing and very popular among fans of We Hunt The Flame)
~ The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson which tells of a woman’s journey away from her homeland and everything she knows. This book, like WHTF, weaves a wonderful story about getting to know the “bad boy” and the “safe guy” who are both vying for her attention.
~ Any of the Assassin’s Creed books. If you love Nasir, you’ll probably love Enzo, Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, or Edward Kenway. Since Hafsah first envisioned Nasir as a pirate, I wonder if she saw him as similar to Kenway?
~ Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder also has a strong female lead who can fend for herself and has trouble trusting others. The male lead in Poison Study is as powerful & stealth as Nasir, but less dark and brooding. Still delicious though!
~ And at this point, we figure everyone has read Throne of Glass By Sarah J. Maas, but if not, that’s always top of our list, along with A Court of Thorns and Roses!
Have Questions? Comments? Rants? Raves?
Not sure if this is the right book for you?
Did we leave out some vital piece of information?
Drop your thoughts into the comments ~ but no spoilers!!!
At least, not until we figure out how to install a spoiler tag that will keep them hidden.
Thanks!
