Meet the Chefs: These culinary creatives are redefining Saudi cuisine

In the past year alone, the World Tourism Organisation estimated 18 million tourists visited Saudi, topping the list of most-visited Arab countries.

As the Kingdom continues to open up to tourism and trade, there are plenty more opportunities for the world to learn of and sample the country’s cuisine. And dare we say, more opportunities for the nation’s specialties to jostle for top spot among other global favourites?

Perhaps, that’s not too far off.

Meet the female chefs who are heralding a change in perception and taste buds, by readdressing Saudi food for a regional and international audience. Be it Dubai, London, or closer to home in Riyadh, these chefs are redefining how Saudi cuisine is perceived and presented.

Hatun Madani

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Found of Najabat, a Saudi Arabian restaurant in Dubai

Chef Hatun Madani is the founder of Najabat, a Saudi restaurant in Dubai.

While the restaurant was born from the desire to offer comfort food from her hometown of Madinah, Madani hopes to also change the perception that staples like “meat and rice” can be considered fine dining.

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“Khaleeji and Saudi cuisine is generally perceived as food that you can sit down and eat with your hand, which is beautiful,” she explains. “But if we want to put Saudi cuisine on the map, create a new experience for diners, and attract a global audience, one way to do that is to preserve the taste and authenticity of the dish, but present it Michelin star-style.”

The celebrity chef would love more people to try Saudi fare, adding: “My dream is to have Saudi Arabia on the map.”

Madani shares an example of how she took the tried and tested Hijazi dish, saleeg (a rice dish cooked in a milk and meat broth) and the accompanying duggus (a spicy sauce) to make Italian-style arancini fried rice and marinara balls.

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“While the flavour profile remains the same, it’s merely playing around with the presentation,” the restaurant founder explains.

Similarly, her take on the Hijazi specialty mantu (dumplings) is to colour them with natural dyes like saffron and spinach. Another example of modernising Saudi food is taking the central region’s margoog, and instead of cooking the dough in the stew, she finely chops meat and vegetables and stuffs them into the dough (in the style of ravioli), serving the dumplings in a delicious broth.

@najabat.ae

Roaya Saleh

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Founder of Villa Mamas

While Madani aspires to revamp Saudi cuisine, Chef Roaya Saleh, the founder of Villa Mamas – a franchise that first opened in Bahrain – aims to use local produce to create uniquely Saudi dishes and elevate the cuisine. The Bahraini-born restaurateur explains that while Khaleeji cuisine is similar, there are regional differences.

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“Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, being small islands, their cuisine has largely been shaped by trade with India, Iran, and Iraq,” she says. “But Saudi Arabia is vast and shares borders with Yemen, Jordan, and Iraq. So, there are those culinary influences. But also, that of Bedouin tribes, who were self-reliant on what they grew [and nurture] in the desert. In that way, Saudi cuisine is very diverse.”

For instance, you will find a rendition of the Yemeni haneeth (slow-cooked rice and meat) in the south-western region of Abha. The central region’s fare is largely dictated by wheat, dairy, and meat.

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In keeping with her ethos of serving local, Saleh explains how Villa Mamas in Bahrain serves jareesh, a cracked wheat porridge, with seafood, while she serves the same recipe with goat meat in Riyadh’s outpost. Saleh’s cooking style is influenced by what is grown in the Kingdom; za’atar and olive oil sourced from Al Jouf and vegetables from Al Qassim take centre stage in her kitchen.

“Saudi cuisine is very rich and still undiscovered,” the former banker says.

Saleh is currently working with Saudi chefs to recreate national dishes that will be served canapé-style.

@villamammasriyadh

Nawal AlKhalawi

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Founder of Asfar Experience, a seasonal restaurant concept

Like Saleh, Chef Nawal AlKhalawi, founder of seasonal restaurant concept Asfar Experience, is an advocate of using local produce in her culinary ventures. Last year, AlKhalawi hosted a three-month pop-up restaurant in AlUla, where she used homegrown ingredients to create traditional specialties. Some of these were new even to her (despite having grown up in the Hijaz region).

For example, AlKhalawi used pumpkin harvested in AlUla to create a pumpkin and meat stew that can be enjoyed with local bread.

“And that was the story of the menu,”she explains.“I speak with the local community, rope them in on the experience, and craft my menu based on what is available in the region. It’s a community-based culinary approach.”

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Taking place on the roof of a boutique hotel in the Old Town, the traditional look and feel of the location played a role in the success of the pop-up.

“It highlighted the beautiful parts of our culture, while offering global fare in a sustainable way,” AlKhalawi explains. “And I think that’s what guests found different from other dining experiences and really enjoyed.”

More recently, AlKhalawi curated an experience for the G20 Youth Summit in London, where she presented a rendition of 13 dishes from different Saudi regions. These included thyme-infused olive oil from Al Jouf and Najran, a mango and ginger sobiya, a thick pudding unique to Makkah and the Jazan region, machboos rubyan, red rice with shrimp and black lemon from the Eastern Province, and rose ice-cream and date crumble from Aseer.

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In addition to culinary experiences, AlKhalawi also runs a consultancy that provides sustainable food products from the Kingdom, including honey and camel milk.

Just like the other chefs, AlKhalawi’s aspirations for Saudi cuisine is for more people to come to the country and experience it, as opposed to trying a Saudi restaurant in London. As travel and tourism industries open up, restaurants and culinary experiences are an important part of those offerings.

“[I find] that people are intrigued and curious to know, ‘What is Saudi food? Is it similar to Lebanese or Turkish?’ So, they come with no expectations and it’s a new experience for them,” the chef adds. “It’s all about bringing people together on the table, and it’s an honour for me to share Saudi culture and heritage.”

@asfar.experience