1- Green Tea, Fresh Zaatar & Pineapple Iced Tea at Shababeek | AED 30 Located in Al Qasba, Shababeek is a contemporary Lebanese restaurant with an extensive menu. Their signature iced tea (green tea, fresh zaatar, pineapple) is a fresh and fruity beverage that pairs very well with the succulent kebabs on the menu. 2-…
The UAE Cafeteria: Friendship over Chai Karak, Chicken Sukka and Chips Oman sandwiches
It is 9:30am and Vincent Joseph has just finished his breakfast of puri-bhaji at Tadmur Cafeteria; a place well-known for its value meals and snacks, apart from Karak Chai which is perhaps the hottest-selling item on its menu, on Jamal Abdel Nasr Street in Sharjah. Vincent has lived in Sharjah for over 13 years and…
Cinnamon Club: Indian Cuisine Reinvented
Cured Trout Rillette on Wheat Crisp Rillette is a traditional French preparation very similar to a paté mainly made from cured meats. For this recipe, we have used trout, but you can use any other oily fish like salmon or mackerel. Preparation time: 2 hours | Curing time: 32 hours | Serves: 4-6 Ingredients: 2 sides…
‘I Love India’ by Anjum Anand
Introduction I believe that each of us is the sum of all our parts. I know that everything I have done and experienced in life has brought me to this place in my career and, looking back, I see how all the dots join up. In my case, these indelible markers started before I did….
Rana Safvi’s Digital Dastarkhwan
The past few days have been glorious. I illustrated some delectable recipes from the incredibly insightful and perceptive Rana Safvi. Rana, as you already know, is an author and historian with a passion for culture and heritage. She is the founder and moderator of the popular #shair platform on Twitter which is credited for reviving…
The pleasures of a cup of tea
Hotel Breakfasts Few things are more pleasurable than hotel breakfasts. Who doesn’t love elaborate spreads of baked goods, eggs and cold cuts, chicken and vegetables dressed in ways one only sees in beautifully illustrated volumes of the 1001 Arabian Nights? What a splendid start to the day! What I actually love about these busy spreads…
Delhi – Day 1
…and I’m back on a short sketching trip. This time in Delhi. The flight was delayed by at least 1.5 hours, of which quite some time went in the aircraft, amidst a sea of confusing remarks, panic and crying babies. Phew. Glad ‘that’ got over. I got busy sketching though – By the time I…
Sweet Middle East: Anissa Helou
I have a strong sweet tooth and often say it’s because my family name, Helou, means “sweet” in Arabic. In truth, that has nothing to do with it. Most people in the Middle East and North Africa have a serious penchant for all things sugary. Sweets occupy an important place in our lives, and every…
In Search of the Perfect Curry: Chef Rick Stein
Whenever I hear the word ‘curry’, I’m filled with a longing for spicy hot food with the fragrance of cumin, cloves and cinnamon. I see deep-red colors from lots of Kashmiri chillies tinged with a suggestion of yellow from turmeric. I think of the tandoor oven, and slightly scorched naan shining with ghee and garlic;…
Marryam Reshii’s Home Style Kashmiri Mutton
Kashmiri homes usually do not favor small tikkas of mutton off the bone. To them, it’s akin to eating vegetables!
Vineet Bhatia: I Did Not Set Out To Be A Chef
I did not set out to be a chef. My first love was planes, and as a child I wanted to be a pilot and fly high above the clouds. My alarm clock was the sound of the Gulf Air DC10 flying over our flat in Bombay at 6 o’ clock every morning. My brother and I would cycle through the Juhu Aerodrome on our way to school and I would look with awe at the Cessnas and Bell helicopters stationed in their hangars, so close to me yet so distant. How I longed to fly in one of them!
Sadia Dehlvi’s Delhi in “Jasmine & Jinns” is Delightful and Inviting
The title of Sadia Dehlvi’s latest book ‘Jasmine and Jinns’, brings to mind images from fantasies like Tilism-e-Hoshruba and Alif-Laila. And why not! Within its 200+ pages, Sadia Dehlvi reminisces about her childhood, punctiliously preserved in photographs and mostly recollections of people, of whom only some remain. She introduces characters like Apa Saeeda, Amma, Mamoo…
