Even as a chef and a person who derives an addicting amount of pleasure from standing over a stove for hours, I can still recognise the drudgery and altogether exhaustive nature of pulling together meals during the week. Inevitably, after a long day of work, your brain goes on autopilot and you find yourself making the same dishes repeatedly.
These meals can leave you and your loved ones uninspired and unsatiated because, let’s face it, variety, my dear, is the spice of life.
So, I posit that perhaps through you and me, we can work together to elevate home cooking, we can lift each other up one unassuming ingredient at a time. Here I bring you three recipes from my kitchen unapologetically brought together by laziness, my desire to always enjoy my food and, in one instance, to pay heed to the loud voice in my head of my personal trainer asking me to “eat healthy”.
Add these to your weekly roster of dishes to make both your spirit and your tummy happy.
Rice is always nice
Rice, especially white rice, takes no more than 12 minutes to cook up through the absorption method. You can leave it to do its thing, whilst you prep other dishes. It is easy on the stomach and also one of those things that is always leftover from a large meal. Repurposing it gives the frugal me quite the head rush.
Kimchi fried rice
Serves 3-4 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, whisked with salt and pepper
- 2 ½ tbsps olive oil, divided
- 50g spring onions, chop and divide the white and green parts
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 180g sliced cabbage kimchi and its juice
- 180g chicken/beef cocktail sausages, sliced (can be substituted with poached chicken breast)
- 180g cooked basmati rice
- 1½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 sheet nori, cut into ribbons
- Small knob of butter
- Salt, to taste
- Sprinkle of gochugaru Korean chili flakes
- Sprinkle of Korean sesame
- Fried egg, one per person (optional)
Method
- Cook the rice and let it cool completely in the fridge, while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This helps keep the rice fluffy (alternatively use leftover rice).
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, add the whisked egg, and gently fold into big curds, until cooked. Remove and set aside. Next add half a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the sausage on high flame, until coloured on both sides. Remove and set with eggs.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil, then the garlic, and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Add spring onion whites and stir on a full flame.
- Add the sliced kimchi along with its juices on medium flame, stir a little and then add the rice and mix quickly on a high flame. Add the sesame oil, a sprinkle of salt and the Korean chili flakes.
- Once everything is incorporated, add the cooked egg and sausage, and stir on a low flame, then add the butter and stir.
- Do a taste test, then add salt if desired or more kimchi. Garnish with the leftover spring onions, lay the nori on top and sprinkle with some sesame.
- For added richness, serve with a fried egg on top.
Freeze the beetroot
Beetroots are notorious for spoiling quickly. I buy about half a kilo at one go, roast them simply wrapped in foil at 180°C, until a knife can go through them (so about 35 to 45 minutes), peel and blitz them for but a minute to get a grainy texture. This freezes well for up to 3 months and can be used to with a spice combination to punch up some white rice.
Roast beet rice
Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes (if puree is prepped in advance)
Cook time: 18 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 3½ tbsp roasted beetroot puree (if frozen, allow to thaw a little while rice cooks)
- ½ tsp ghee (omit if vegan)
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ inch green chili
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ tsp butter (optional)
- Lime wedges, coriander and mint leaves, to garnish
Method
- Wash and strain the rice, set into a little pot with water and salt. Once it comes to a boil, lower the flame, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the flame but don't touch the rice for a few minutes, then fluff slightly with a fork.
- In a pan, heat up the ghee and olive oil. Add the chili and, once it sizzles, add the cumin and fennel, and stir around. Next add the grated garlic and saute on a low flame.
- Once the garlic is slightly golden, add the beetroot puree and stir on a medium flame, to evaporate any excess liquid. Next add the rice and continue to stir on a high flame (if needed) until all the rice has turned a lovely red-pink.
- Take off the heat, add the butter (if using), then rip some mint leaves by hand and into the rice. Stir and serve hot, garnished with coriander and lime wedges.
Soup up
Harking back to my personal trainer’s voice in my head, heard especially loud every time I am about to bite into a buttered piece of bread, I can’t say the food tyrant has managed to dissuade me from eating what I want, but I try and eat healthier but no less tastier with dishes like this. The fact that it’s a one-pot meal is an added pro.
Vegetarians can replace the chicken stock and add in veg like potatoes, spinach, pumpkin or sweet potato. You can also swap the dried herbs with coriander stalks, chopped fine.
Chicken and quinoa soup
Serves 2 to 4 people
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients for the soup
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup red onion
- 5 cloves of garlic, grated
- 3 green chillies (optional)
- ½ cup carrots, grated
- 1/3 cup celery in a small dice
- ½ tsp dried sage
- 1½ litre chicken stock
- ½ cup quinoa (I use white)
- Sea salt and freshly crushed pepper, to season
- 1 tsp lemon or lime zest
- 1/3 cup lime or lemon juice
- 250g chicken breast, sliced to cook faster
- Lime wedges, to garnish
Ingredients for the yoghurt topping
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- 3 jalapenos pickles chopped
- Small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
Method
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pot, add the onions and allow them to turn translucent but not colour.
- Add the carrots and stir for two minutes. Add the celery and chili, stir, then add the garlic and stir till fragrant. Make sure nothing colours too much.
- On a low flame, add the sage and stir. Then add the quinoa and stir until you can smell its nutty flavor, about 30 seconds. Add the heated chicken stock. Stir and raise the flame to allow it to boil. Season with salt, pepper and zest.
- Once it is boiling, add the chicken breast, lower the flame and cover the pot to poach the chicken, about 12 to 15 minutes, then remove the chicken, allow to cool slightly and shred it.
- Check if the quinoa is done (the tails on the granules would have extended slightly), then add the lime/lemon juice and stir.
- Turn the stove off and check the seasoning. You can add the chicken back to the soup at this point or add it on top.
- Whisk the Greek yogurt with a fork, add in the chopped jalpenos and mix.
- Serve the soup topped with a dollop of the jalapeno-infused yogurt (wait until the soup is not scalding hot as the yogurt may split), sprinkle chopped coriander and garnish with lime wedges.
The five pillars of Islam
Afro%20salons
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20women%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESisu%20Hair%20Salon%2C%20Jumeirah%201%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EBoho%20Salon%2C%20Al%20Barsha%20South%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EMoonlight%2C%20Al%20Falah%20Street%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20men%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMK%20Barbershop%2C%20Dar%20Al%20Wasl%20Mall%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ERegency%20Saloon%2C%20Al%20Zahiyah%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EUptown%20Barbershop%2C%20Al%20Nasseriya%2C%20Sharjah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
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
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
The%20Woman%20King%20
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More coverage from the Future Forum
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right 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.
