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Is your lady friend a mungbean muncher? Then seduce her tastebuds with this ultra-healthy dish.
Layered grilled vegetable with tamerilo chutney and feta cheese (serves two)
Vegetables: Sear the vegetables in a sizzling pan or on a grill. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate the seared vegetables with fresh herbs.
Chutney: Put all the ingredients into a pot and cook until it is soft. When it starts to become dry, add a little vegetable stock. Once all the ingredients are soft, strain it.
Presentation: Arrange vegetables on a plate. Put the feta cheese on the top and gratinate (place it under a hot grill until golden and crisp). Garnish with tamerilo chutney and basil leaves. Serve with tahini.
- Kevin Pohl, Chef de Cuisine, Azur Mediterranean restaurant, The Harbour Hotel and Residence
You'll need
(Prepare a day ahead)
- Sliced zucchini, 40g
-Sliced eggplant, 40g
-Bell pepper
triangles, 40g
- 1 white pepper
- Diced tomato, 30g
- Basil, 5g
-Olive oil, 3tbs
- Fresh oregano and thyme, 5g
- Tahini (sesame paste), 10g
- Feta cheese
cubes, 20g
- Salt, 2g
For the Chutney:
-Dry tamarind, 500g
- Chopped onion, 3g
- Coriander leaves, 3g
- Parsley leaves, 3g
- Tomato quarters, 20g
- White vinegar, 2tbs
- Refined sugar, 1tbs
- 2 pita bread
- Salt, 2g
- Pepper, 2g
Pasta perfect
Unsure whether you pasta's al dente?
The best way to tell if it's cooked is to taste it. It should be firm yet tender, with a tiny core in the middle. Alternately, remove a piece from the pot and cut it. The centre mustn't be white, just an off cream colour. Drain the pasta into a colander and shake off any excess water. Don't rinse it: starch enables the pasta to hold
the sauce.
Clueless?
For those eager to hone their culinary skills, the International Centre for Culinary Arts in Satwa can teach you a thing or two. Six cooking lessons (each three to four hours long), are Dhs2100, including cost of all ingredients. Al Hana Centre, Mankhool Rd, 04-3989745, www.iccadubai.ae
Guys earn respect
According to a survey by food company PurAsia, 20 per cent of women in the UK believe their partner is a better cook than they are. The research also found that 60 per cent of British men regularly cook, favouring foreign dishes over British food. What, no bangers and mash?
Chop chop
Five quick and easy Chinese eateries in Dubai:
1. Da Shi Dai, Uptown Mirdiff,
04-2888314 (also JBR, 04-4264636)
2. Chopstix, Marco Polo Hotel, Deira, 04-2720000
3. China Sea, Maktoum St Deira,
04-2959815
4. Chinese Treasure, Oud Metha, 04-3362525
5. The Noodle Bowl, Dune Centre, Satwa, 04-3453381
Go molecular
Due to open this month, The Observatory at the Harbour Hotel will give diners knockout views of the Gulf and Dubai Marina and a chance to sample some majorly inventive cuisine reportedly with a 'molecular gastronomy' spin - perhaps a playmate for the MG venue Tang, across the road at Le Meridien. We trust there will be glasses not test tubes.
Call 04-3194000
Zuma (not Jacob)
Opening in October, Zuma looks odds on to become DIFC's hottest place to hang after work. Not so surprising, seeing as the Japanese restaurant's mothership in London is a celebrity magnet with the likes of Bill Clinton, Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey, Robbie Williams, Posh and Becks among many others frequenting it. (And we know how Dubai likes celebs.) The decor's funky, the cuisine's likely to be top-notch plus there'll be a bar and a DJ playing lounge beats. Watch this space.
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