“You can add more cups of water for the rice next time. The lentils need more cooking, they should be softer,” saidFatimah bent Mohammed, author of five Emirati cookbooks.She said this after tasting a spoonful of the chicken machboos,which is a typical Emirati rice and chicken dish topped with yellow lentils mixed with fried onions and raisins and accompanied with a homemade fresh tomato sauce made fiery with chili peppers.”
Machboos is almost a permanent fixture in every home across the UAE. The flavour comes from the array of fragrant spices used to sauté the chicken andfrom the nutty smell of the rice as it isbaked in the oven for one hour.
Growing up in Abu Dhabi and living here the majority of my life, I’ve always been drawn to Emirati cuisine: its multilayered flavours, vibrant colours, and rich aromas. I’ve also been attracted to the air of secrecy surrounding it; the idea that if you wanted a taste of authenticity you had to wholeheartedly immerse yourself in Emirati culture and tradition. These covetedrecipes carry with them the soul of history and identity that are lovingly passed down from grandmother to mother and then daughter. So you can imagine how excited I was to try my hand at cookingthis dishes, to introducingthem to our menu, and to fusing the cuisine with other tastes and methods of cooking. Before all that I had to learn how to capture its essence – andFatimah bent Mohammed was my inspiring coach.
She had warmly and generously welcomed me and my team of chefs into her inviting kitchen. Her ingredients were meticulously prepped and organized on the countertop. Once we were ready, she patiently explained every step of the recipe, while we hung onto her every word. We cooked alongside her,vigorously taking notes, pictures and short video clips. We were given a week to absorb all the information and then re-enact the recipe without her help. When judgment day came around, weunveiled the dish with a flourish fromunder the tin foil, beautifully garnished with fresh coriander leaves, toasted cashews and fried onions. We were stuck by the heady smell of saffron, turmeric, cardamom and couldn’t help but smile when she beamed proudly, “just from the appearance, it looks perfect!”
I found out that though Fatimah bent Mohammed learnt her cooking skills from her family, it was her passion to experiment with various flavors and share her own recipes with other fellow foodies beyond her circle that propelled her into publishing her creations. She recounts to me her feelings of achievement after publishing her first book. “My first book was like my baby, I did everything by myself!” she gushed.
As we sat at her pristine white kitchen table sipping Emirati coffee and munching delicious cookies she had prepared, I asked what she thought of Emirati cuisine gaining momentum and being popularized as a trendy food concept.
“There aren’t many Emirati women who have the time and the energy after a long work day to stand in the kitchen and learn how to cook their traditional Emirati recipes. Emiratis today would rather go out and enjoy their cuisine at restaurants or even have it catered to them in theirworkplace.”
An Emirati food experience that has burst onto the UAE market with flair and creativity is the range of products by Danat Food Industries. A homegrown company, it is the first of its kind in the UAE to introduce Emirati ready-made mixes. Their Emirati bread, chababand kanfrosh cupcake off-the-shelf mixes stand out with their colourful packaging and with the hints of saffron and cardamom. The all-natural, rich Emirati spice mixesare used to enhance the flavours of traditional Emirati dishes or add new dimensions to western recipes.
To recreate the bread and chabab at homeyou have tofollow the simple steps on the label and mix in the extra ingredients right in the bottle. There’s no need for any kitchen utensils. It’s so convenient and mess-free that I allowed my kids to make the kanfrosh cupcakes by themselves. The chabab and bread are usually cooked for breakfast in the morning before school and are served with a cream cheese and honey.
Another hipEmirati food concept is the Meylas food Truck, which I was lucky enough to catch parked outsideMushrif Park, during its opening. I had my fill of fluffy sweet clouds of luqaimat, and strong black karaktea that soothes the heart.
{gallery}TheEpicurean-October2015{/gallery}
