The Indian festival of lights is this Thursday, October 23, and, from decadent sweets to savoury mains, Diwali spreads have it all. For those hosting their own celebration, chef Sameer Sehgal of Armani / Amal restaurant in Armani Hotel Dubai shares his favourite traditional recipes prepared with a modern twist.
Achari gobhi (cauliflower with pickling spices)
Serves 4
Ingredients
Cooking oil (to deep-fry cauliflower)
About 60g to 80g fresh ginger, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 green chillies, diced
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
30ml mustard oil
100ml vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
Salt, to taste
1 large cauliflower, washed, cut into bite-size florets
2 tbsp plain yogurt, whisked Lemon juice from ½ lemon ¼ bunch coriander leaves, chopped
Ingredients for pickling spices
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies ½ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp black onion seeds (also called kalonji)
Method
Heat cooking oil to 180°C.
Dry roast all the pickling spices in a very hot non-stick pan for 1 to 2 minutes until they turn brown. Then grind to a coarse texture and set aside.
Next, combine ginger, garlic and green chillies with 1 to 2 tbsp water and blend until it becomes a smooth paste. Add turmeric and red chilli powder and set aside.
In a heavy-bottom pan, heat mustard oil until it smokes. Remove from heat and add vegetable oil. Re-heat and sauté the sliced onions until brown.
Add in the ginger garlic paste and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Add sugar and salt to taste.
Next, fry the cauliflower florets in the hot oil until crisp. Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes. Lower the heat and slowly whisk in yogurt, cooking for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and finish with lemon juice and fresh, chopped coriander leaves.
Note: You can use more red chilli powder and/or dry red chilli to make the dish spicier. For a healthy option, do not deep-fry the cauliflower. Instead, add raw florets to the pan and cook with lid closed for 15 to 18 minutes until florets are soft.
Paneer pudina tikka (tandoori paneer infused with mint)
Serves 4
Ingredients
100g fresh ginger, peeled and diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 green chillies, diced
500g fresh paneer
1 yellow capsicum
1 red capsicum
1 large red onion
100ml lemon juice
½ tbsp salt
4 sprigs mint
50g gram flour (also called chickpea flour or besan)
50g unsalted butter
100g labneh
100g cream cheese
1½ tsp turmeric powder
75ml vegetable oil
100ml double cream
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper powder
Mint chutney (optional)
Ingredients for basting paste
½ tsp chaat masala
½ tsp yellow chilli powder
½ tsp dried mint powder
50g butter
Method
Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and 1 to 2 tbsp of water to a blender to make a fine garlic paste. Set aside.
Wash the paneer block once and cut into 5cm to 6cm squares. Wash both capsicums and cut into 4cm to 5cm squares. Peel the onion and cut into similar sized squares. In a bowl, combine paneer with cut vegetables.
Mix the lemon juice and the ½ tbsp of salt with the garlic paste from above. Spread over the paneer and vegetables and refrigerate for one hour.
Next, wash the mint sprigs well and chop the leaves. In a non-stick pan, lightly sauté the gram flour with butter. In a bowl, combine the labneh, cream cheese, turmeric powder, vegetable oil, double cream, 1 tsp salt and white pepper powder. Whisk until smooth and adjust seasoning as needed.
Pour this mixture over the paneer (after it has been refrigerated for one full hour) and refrigerate again for two to three hours.
Once marination is complete, preheat oven to 200°C.
Spray a large, non-stick rimmed baking sheet or tray with vegetable oil. Spread the paneer and vegetables on the tray. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Note: lower the temperature to 160°C after the first 12 minutes.
Once paneer is in the oven, melt 50g butter in a microwave. Then add chaat masala, yellow chilli powder and dried mint powder to the melted butter to make the basting paste.
Halfway through cooking time, apply half of the basting paste on the paneer with a brush and return to the oven to finish cooking. When done, remove the paneer from the oven, transfer to a serving tray and apply the rest of the basting paste to the paneer.
Serve hot with mint chutney.
Phirni (chilled rice pudding with pistachios and sultanas)
Serves 4
Ingredients
75g basmati rice
1l whole milk
2 pods green cardamom, crushed
150g granulated sugar
2 tbsp toasted pistachios, slivered
30g sultanas (raisins)
Gold leaf, to decorate (optional)
Method
Wash the rice and soak it for 30 minutes. Pour into a blender and process to a smooth purée.
Pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil.
Add the green cardamom and reduce heat. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the rice purée and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Then stir in the sugar, pistachios and sultanas and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat once it has reached a thick consistency and strain to eliminate any lumps.
Pour into a bowl and cool before serving.
Serve hot or cold. Garnish with gold leaf and/or pistachios.
sjohnson@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
Fight card
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)
Catch 74kg
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)
Strawweight (Female)
Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)
Lightweight
Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE%20SPECS
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
