The three-day Dubai Food Carnival – part of the Dubai Food Festival – starts today at Dubai International Marine Club. This family-friendly event will be packed with celebrity chefs, food tastings, chef demonstrations, food competitions, kids’ activities and more. Among the many notable chefs participating is Manal Al Alem, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Kitchen. She’ll be whipping up her signature cuisine in the Chef Dome each day.
What will you be cooking in the Chef Dome at the Dubai Food Carnival?
I will introduce a collection of my signature dishes, inspired by Emirati food. As always, I like to cook simple food which everyone can learn, cook and enjoy. In some of my dishes, I will introduce quinoa as a healthy option. I would like it to be used more in Arab diets.
What’s your favourite Middle Eastern dish to cook?
I like meat with yogurt. It’s one of the most famous dishes in all Mediterranean cuisines. I remember in my childhood when my mother used to cook this dish, I used to stand beside her waiting to taste it before she placed it on the dining table.
Middle Eastern cuisine is so deeply rooted in history – how important is culture to the cuisine?
It’s not just the taste. We have a huge range of cultures in the Middle Eastern cuisines. You will notice there is a big influence of culture among all. Hospitality, sharing food with neighbours and welcoming the guests really affects the cooking and serving style in our history.
What are the biggest misconceptions about Middle Eastern cuisine?
That all Middle Eastern food is fattening, the recipes are difficult and we have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But if you really try to understand Middle Eastern food, you will find a huge range of healthy dishes and healthy cooking methods.
Name five ingredients that are always in your kitchen.
Ginger, cardamom, saffron, olive oil and dates.
The Dubai Food Carnival runs from 3pm to 10pm on Thursday, February and from noon to 10pm tomorrow and Saturday. Dh30 for adults; kids under 12 are free. Visit www.dubaifoodcarnival.com
sjohnson@thenational.ae
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.+
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.+
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
From exhibitions to the battlefield
In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.
It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.
It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
