Latest news with #Arabic-style
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Recipe of the day: Chicken shawarma
This dish is perfect for lunch or dinner. This chicken shawarma is a tasty and easy dish made with chicken, spices, and garlic. The chicken is marinated to soak up all the flavours, then cooked until golden and juicy. Serve it with creamy garlic sauce (toum), fresh vegetables, and soft Arabic pita bread. ALSO READ: Recipe of the day: Mince and mushroom pies Chicken shawarma Ingredients 1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh. Thinly sliced 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 garlic cloves minced 1 teaspoon paprika ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Toum for serving Vegetables for serving Arabic-style pita Method Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and crushed red pepper. Add the chicken and gently toss to coat. (If you'd like to marinate the chicken, cover the bowl and rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours.) Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and allow it to cook on one side undisturbed for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and continue cooking on the other side, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, 4-7 more minutes. Transfer the chicken shawarma to a serving platter and enjoy with the Toum, vegetables, and Arabic-style pita, if desired. *This recipe was sourced from with permission Chicken shawarma Read more Recipe of the day: Mince and mushroom pies Author: Yumna Jawad Ingredients Scale 1x 2x 3x 1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh. Thinly sliced 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 garlic cloves minced 1 teaspoon paprika ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Toum for serving Vegetables for serving Arabic-style pita Instructions Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and crushed red pepper. Add the chicken and gently toss to coat. (If you'd like to marinate the chicken, cover the bowl and rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours.) Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and allow it to cook on one side undisturbed for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and continue cooking on the other side, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, 4-7 more minutes. Transfer the chicken shawarma to a serving platter and enjoy with the Toum, vegetables, and Arabic-style pita, if desired. NOW READ: Recipe of the day:Two ingredient pizza dough
Tatler Asia
07-05-2025
- Tatler Asia
Inside Hong Kong's halal food scene: Best restaurants, choice of cuisines and halal categories
Bushra With its halal-certified kitchen, Bushra offers an authentic Middle Eastern dining experience. Their menu features both well-known favourites and rare gems, including marinated beef skewers, lamb chops, lamb ribs and Arabic-style braised beef with rice. Don't miss their special brunch menu showcasing classics such as hummus, baba ghanoush and falafel—perfect for a weekend gathering. Address: 66 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui Shahrazad Lebanese Dining Lounge and Bar Shahrazad boasts a fully halal menu and a halal-certified kitchen. Step inside and you'll feel transported to the Middle East with its décor: low seating arrangements, plethora of cushions and rugs, and ornate decorations that spell glorious maximalism. This indulgent approach extends to the menu, which features roasted eggplant, traditional Lebanese grill items such as lamb kofta and grilled beef skewer. Tatler tip: Get the mixed platter for a taste of everything—it's the perfect size for two to three people. Address: 2/F, Carfield Commercial Building, 77 Wyndham Street, Central Islamic Centre Canteen Above Fridays can be busy at the Islamic Centre Canteen For a halal-friendly dim sum meal, head to the Islamic Center Canteen, a fully halal-certified restaurant that is known for its pork-free dumplings. You'll also be able to enjoy beef salad, noodles with sliced chicken and other Chinese delicacies. However, as it's located next to a prayer room within a mosque, Fridays after prayer time can get very busy and the waiting times can be long. Tatler tip: Go at 10am to get dumplings served steaming hot. Otherwise, it might be a hit or miss. Address: Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre, 40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai Gaylord Indian Restaurant As the oldest Indian restaurant in Hong Kong, Gaylord, founded in 1972, is an institution in itself. With a halal-certified kitchen, it offers authentic Indian cuisine with high-quality ingredients and feature live Indian music every evening. Don't miss the tasting menu celebrating the restaurant's 50 years—it includes truffle butter chicken, lamb galouti kebab, and more specialities from northern India, a delicious way to experience half a century of culinary excellence.
The National
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Iftar of the week: Inside Burj Al Arab's first Ramadan tent
It may be one of the flagship luxury hotels in the emirate, but this is the first time that Burj Al Arab has launched a pop-up tent for Ramadan. Sitting beside the sail-shaped structure on its terrace, the sizable tent is an ideal way to soak up the hotel's charm and get a taste of its culinary offerings during the holy month. Named Al Diwan, the temporary venue is a result of a collaboration with Nakheel and Meraas, and inside awaits a buffet menu crafted by Al Iwan's – the hotel's Arabic restaurant – head chef Solayman Hasan and his team. It's always nice to drive over the bridge toward the Burj Al Arab by night as neon lights illuminate its exterior. Car whisked away by the valet, we jump in a buggy for what turns out to be a short (yet windy) journey around the corner of the lobby entrance towards the terrace, where a transparent dome stands tall. It's chilly this evening, so as we check in (and pose for a picture against the brand wall), we're handed the softest navy and cream pashmina to drape over shoulders, which is a nice touch, and in-keeping with the colour scheme. To enter the Ramadan tent, we walk through a series of archways lit up with orange-hued lights, adding a festive feel to the occasion. Of course, dishes of dates await at every table, ready for fasts to be broken. And, naturally, they are some of the finest we've tasted in a while – soft, sweet and pitted. Over at the dessert table stands a cone-shaped tower constructed of more dates, this time stuffed with different nuts and dried fruits. After a welcome Arabic coffee, we opt for hibiscus juice from the offering of traditional iftar drinks, but fizzy soft drinks are also available upon request. Now, for the main event – the extensive buffet. This evening, the special dish is the lamb ouzi, which is slow-cooked and served with oriental rice and nuts, presented in a supersized circular chafing dish. While three menus are on rotation throughout Ramadan, here's what else is served during our visit. Winding along the buffet stations, we start at the soup station, where lentil and tomato are the options. Next, we fill our plates at the fresh salads and cold mezze stations – think muhammara, avocado hummus, stuffed vine leaves, pickled turnips, ajowan prawn salad and rocca salad. Hot mezze (kept warm a bit further along at the live cooking station) includes falafel, cheese rolls, kibbeh and spinach fatayer. There is almost too much to choose from for the mains available to self-serve. Alongside the lamb, this includes Arabic-style seafood and meat barbeques, veal harees, chicken biriyani, vegetable tagine and kebab with eggplant sauce. Chefs are also at the ready to whip up a pasta dish on demand, with a range of sauces and toppings. If you have a sweet tooth, you'll agree that the best is definitely saved until last. We pick treats from the busy dessert table, which featured a mountain of macarons, plates of cookies and a basbousa cake to one side. Popular desserts from Arab cuisine, including luqaimat, cheese kunafa and inventive baklava bites were also on offer. The fresh waffle and ice cream stations were a nice theatrical touch. This is a space where one can take their time for iftar. It's easy to forget it's a temporary set-up as we scan the venue to see lantern chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, decorative crescent moon displays, lit-up gold archways, rich navy carpets and decorative round tables big enough to seat whole families. Although smaller tables are available for a more intimate dining experience, we join a welcoming round table in the centre of the room and chat with fellow diners. Throughout the evening, gentle live performances from kanoon and oud musicians add to the ambience without overwhelming the evening of chat and laughter with loved ones. As we arrive a little late, it's already dark when we're seated. But with the clear dome overlooking the waters, one imagines it's a memorable viewing spot to countdown to sunset throughout the holy month. Iftar at Al Diwan is priced Dh360 per person and served daily from sunset until 8.30pm. Suhoor, priced at Dh260 per person, is available from 10pm to 1am on weekdays and 10pm to 2am on weekends. This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel. Call 04 301 7333 for reservations
South China Morning Post
15-03-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
What does China Islamic Association's rebrand reveal about Beijing's integration drive?
The semi-official China Islamic Association has removed its traditional Arabic-style green logo featuring stars above a mosque dome from both its website and social media account as Beijing pushes the sinicisation of religions in China. Advertisement The rebrand, which features a simpler blue logo, could alienate ordinary Muslims and provoke a sense of cultural erasure and suspicion, undermining the integration of Islam within mainstream Chinese society, analysts have warned. On February 21, the group's official WeChat social media account – 'China Islamic Association Online' – still displayed a post featuring its traditional logo – a green background with traditional Islamic symbols such as the Arabic-style onion dome topped by a crescent moon and the association's Chinese and English names. Since February 26, however, the association's posts have featured a new design that has a blue background and only the Chinese characters of the group's name. The symbols have all been all removed. The association has not responded to repeated requests for comment by the South China Morning Post. The social media account of the China Islamic Association has replaced its traditional logo (right) with a new design (left) that features a blue background and only the Chinese characters of the group's name. The new logo appeared just ahead of Ramadan – one of the most sacred times for Muslims – which began on February 28 and ends on March 30 this year. It is a time when Muslims fast during daylight hours to cultivate patience, spirituality, humility and submission to God.
