A group of 16 diners are sitting around a table set with crystal candleholders and patterned plates. Evocative Arabic tunes — from Ya Zaman by Mike Massy to Magic Marrakech Lounge Music by Hobbi Lak — play in the background as they prepare for the Palestinian feast ahead.
However, guests are first served a story — one of many shared this evening. “When I was a child, my dad used to force us to pick olives,” says chef Ahmed Halawa, who hails from Nablus, Palestine.
“At the time, we didn’t appreciate it because we would rather have spent our time playing. But he would make us do it, then take us to the pressing house to see the olives being cold-pressed right in front of us.
“We’d each take a loaf of bread that we could put directly under the tap from which the olive oil poured out and eat it fresh. In retrospect, nothing can beat that culinary experience, nor the smell, the taste or the quality of the oil.”
Knafeh Nabulsiyeh uses the cheese that is legendary in my home town, where people often begin and end their meal with knafeh
Chef Ahmed Halawa
On that delectable note, we dig into the musakhan rolls laid out in front of us, one of four starters in chef Halawa’s supper club this evening. The dough is soaked in olive oil and lavishly sprinkled with sumac, both products are sourced from Palestine by the chef. “It’s difficult to procure, but the quality makes it worth it,” says the former marketing consultant.
Chef Halawa has been hosting supper clubs since 2019, including the Full Life one he’s currently doing in collaboration with Deliveroo, all proceeds of which will be used to purchase food boxes for Emirates Red Crescent.
While he enjoyed his demanding job in corporate communications for many years, he says he was left feeling like something was missing. As a result, he started cooking for friends, acquaintances and, eventually, strangers over the weekend.
“I was working extra, but it energised me. Everyone has some free time and it’s up to you how you use it,” says the chef. “The pandemic helped crystallise my decision to switch careers and it’s been so fulfilling; I meet amazing people and am able to share stories of my culture with them. It’s a beautiful experience and I am very grateful.”
Joining the Full Life campaign is one way Halawa wants to express his gratitude. “We often get carried away with life and forget there are people who are less fortunate than us. This is my way of helping," he adds.
As well as using authentic and quality ingredients of the highest standards, which includes the aforementioned Palestinian olive oil and sumac, the chef tweaks his dishes to make them healthier and tastier.
When describing chicken, it is rare you can say it "falls off the bone". Yet, that’s exactly what it does in the djaj mahshi dish. The Levantine stuffed-chicken creation is masterful in its execution of tender meat (cooked for nearly two hours at varying temperatures), filled with lightly spiced rice and toasted cashews and almonds.
The chef has also perfected a version of muhammara, which is soft and creamy in consistency instead of thick and tough; while his fattoush comes with carrots instead of toasted pita. As one diner remarks: “The bread was my favourite part of this salad, but I don’t miss it at all thanks to the crunchiness of the carrots.”
Significant tweaks are also made to the chef’s favourite dish: knafeh Nabulsiyeh. So named after his home town and the Nabulsi cheese it is famed for, this is the only dessert ever offered at any of Halawa’s supper clubs.
“I rotate the menu between about five salads, 15 starters and 10 to 15 mains, including paella, but only one dessert,” he says. “Knafeh Nabulsiyeh is a special dish and the cheese it uses is legendary in my home town, where people often begin and end their meal with knafeh.”
A slice of this delicious dessert is also relatively guilt-free, especially as Halawa promises he uses much less sugar syrup and ghee and "none of that orange food dye”.
He even makes it fresh in front of guests in his living room, on a big gas cooker, which is typically used for paella. “I like to let the cheese melt on a low flame for 15 to 17 minutes, so it does not get rubbery or dry.
"The saltiness of this particular cheese combined with the sugar syrup makes this dish an all-time favourite — with me and my guests,” Halawa tells the group of rapt listeners standing around the burner, waiting to see him flip the now crunchy, crumbly, cheesy knafeh.
What ensues is a discussion — and some good-natured debate, as is befitting any successful supper club — about the many variations of knafeh around the region. In Lebanon, it is often eaten with kaak and even within bread at breakfast. In Jordan, the original Habibah enjoys roaring trade from a hole-in-the-wall shop, which is open around the clock. In the UAE, the dessert is often served in spring roll form or made with breadcrumbs.
At this little supper club in Jumeirah Village Circle, it is quite simply delectable and marks a fitting end to the best kind of evening: one filled with good food and interesting conversation, all for a worthy cause.
Places are still open for chef Halawa’s Full Life supper club, at 7.30pm on Thursday, August 18, which costs Dh375 per person and can be booked @chefhalawa
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
