The gooey goodness that is kunafa in ka'ak. Courtesy Arva Ahmed
The gooey goodness that is kunafa in ka'ak. Courtesy Arva Ahmed

Food Obsession: kunafa in ka'ak



One of the naughtiest breakfasts I've had in Dubai is, hands down, kunafa in ka'ak.

It's Monday, 10.30am. I take a bite. A savoury sesame flavour starts oscillating across my tongue. I hear the semolina crackle, a faint warning of what is to follow. The next few seconds swoop in without giving me a chance to retreat, to run back to my granola and milk reality. A warm, outlandishly sweet sensation gushes all over me, numbing my mind with the heady scent of melted clarified butter, tugging me under a gooey blanket of syrup-soaked cheese that is so dense, so rich, so comforting, that I won't emerge from the sugary daze until a few brutal cups of coffee later.

Every morning, the neighbourhood old-timer Al Samadi Sweets in Deira hypnotises many a waking soul with kunafa in ka'ak. Kunafa is a sweet Arabic cheese pie typically served for dessert, though the Lebanese have cleverly repurposed it as a street-style breakfast. A petty Dh10 can buy you this off-menu item at Al Samadi: a bubbling hot slice of kunafa na'ama tucked into a charming, purse-shaped bread studded with sesame seeds. The version of kunafa used in this breakfast concoction has a molten base of akkaawi cheese and a crunchy crust of semolina kataifi noodles, finely ground and sprinkled on top. The whole pie seems delightfully sloshed with buckets of liquid sugar and butter, should anyone attempt to crawl out of the shop craving a second helping of dessert.

To console myself about my morning indulgence, I only had to look at the rapidly diminishing tray of kunafa at the shop. I wasn't the only sinner that day. One giant tray of freshly baked pie had already vanished with their early morning orders, this second one was nearly gone, and soon, Al Samadi would put out a third.

Al Samadi Sweets, Al Murraggabat Road, Deira, 04 269 7717.

Arva Ahmed blogs about hidden foodie gems in Old Dubai at www.iliveinafryingpan.com

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Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

Rating: 4/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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MATCH INFO

Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

Abu Dhabi traffic facts

Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road

The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.

Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.

The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.

The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019

 

Paatal Lok season two

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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

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