Joanna James
Dubai has quite a few things going for itself, which attracts well-heeled holiday-seekers from all around the world; ultra-modern architecture, swanky shopping centres and mind-blowing extravagance — what's also adding to the big city appeal is its assortments of delectable local dishes.
Enjoyed both as porridge and a gruel, harees has its roots embedded in neighbouring Saudi Arabia but is a staple throughout the Middle East, especially during the festive season of Ramadan. Just as the almost half a dozen names that refer to the centuries-old dish, harees comes to life in quite a few different variations, authentic to specific regions. The harees that is commonly seen in Dubai uses ground wheat which is mixed with water, butter, and meat — chicken and lamb being the most common varieties, but lamb is also a rare choice.
Served on massive communal platters, long-grained yellow-hued rice mixed with chicken and authentic Arabian spices — Majboos, Machboos or Kabsa is regarded as a national dish, not just in Dubai but also in all other countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arab mixed rice dish is immediately reminiscent of Indian Biryani to anyone who's had a taste of Indian cuisine, which makes perfect sense as majboos is heavily influenced by the famous biryani dish in the Indian subcontinent. Majboos originated as a by-product of chicken, which re-uses the same water used to cook the meat.
Neighbouring Oman may have secured the title as the originator of madrouba, but the mouth-watering dish is relished throughout the Middle East and glamourous Dubai in the UAE is no exception. Madrouba, which translates to "beaten" in Arabic — a moniker that describes the dish very well — has all its vegetables and meat beaten, which gives the porridge its comforting sensation. Chicken is the most common variety of meat, although fish and lamb could also be used, which is then mixed with a whole host of other ingredients, including rice, garlic, onion, tomatoes, yoghurt, and authentic Arabian spices — turmeric, cumin, cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, and black pepper.
Chicken Salona — or Dajaj Salona, as it is known locally, which translates to chicken stew — is not your ordinary, mediocre-tasting stew. Combining a wide variety of vegetables with a meat option, a mouthful of salona treats you to a truly flavourful relish. Unlike most Arabian dishes, salona has no set recipe, which means that you could whip up a pot of steaming salona with what you have at home at the time.
Satisfying the sweet tooths of tourists and locals alike, a luqaimat or two is an unmissable experience in Dubai. The bite-sized, fluffy, sweet fried dough balls could be found being served at cafes and top restaurants in Dubai, including the likes offered by Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
