Join The National and Table Tales on a culinary journey around the Middle East to savour the quintessential dishes that embody the spirit of Ramadan. From table staples to family favourites, this series of recipes pays homage to the holy month and the home cook.
Fatteh is a Levantine dish of fried or toasted bread layered with grains, meat or vegetables and topped with yoghurt. There isn’t a direct translation in English for fatteh, which is derived from the Arabic verb fatta, meaning to crumble bread. Some refer to it as the “nachos of the Middle East”. Fatteh is popular at iftar tables for its soothing layer of yoghurt.
Recipe contributor Hanan Sayed Worrell of Table Tales says: "Historically, the aubergine has been a favourite of the poor and ridiculed by the rich. Early on, aubergines (eggplants in the US) were round and white, resembling large eggs. Some say that the vegetable's Arabic name, bad al jan, which means the djinn has laid eggs, shows that it was considered evil.
“But not in this case. Fattet al makdous is a well-known Damascene dish, which might be laborious to make, but has dramatic appeal with its different layers of texture and flavours. I learnt to make it from my Syrian grandmother.”
“Over the years, I have also adapted an easier vegetarian version, by simply slicing the eggplant, brushing it with oil and grilling it in the oven before simmering in the tomato sauce, to make a divine fatteh that is at once creamy, tangy and crunchy.”
Fattet al makdous – stuffed aubergine in tomato and yoghurt-tahini sauce
Serves 8
Ingredients for the stuffed aubergine:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 55g pine nuts, divided
- 120ml cooking oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 350g minced beef
- 1 tsp seven spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 5kg (about 8-9) baby aubergines
Ingredients for tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 750g tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for yoghurt sauce:
- 450g plain yoghurt
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for fatteh:
- 1-2 small pittas
- Cooking oil (if frying the bread)
- Pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley, to garnish
Method for stuffed aubergine:
- Saute the pine nuts in one spoon of oil, shaking the pan until lightly browned. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Add two tablespoons of cooking oil to the skillet and saute the onions until transparent. Add the beef and crush with a fork to combine. Season with seven spice, cinnamon, salt and pepper, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the beef has cooked. Remove from the heat. Stir in two tablespoons of the pine nuts.
- Peel the aubergines lengthwise in alternating strips. Hollow with a corer and fill with the meat and pine nut mixture. Add the remaining cooking oil to a deep skillet over medium heat. Fry the aubergine, turning until golden brown.
Method for tomato sauce:
- In a wide saucepan, saute the onions in olive oil until transparent. Add the tomato sauce, paste, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add the aubergines to the sauce and simmer on low heat for 30 to 40 minutes or until the aubergines are soft, turning them over a couple times.
Method for yoghurt sauce:
- Mix the yoghurt with all the ingredients. Adjust to taste. Bring to room temperature.
Method for fatteh:
- Cut the pitta into two centimetre squares. Fry in hot oil for a minute or two until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. (Alternatively, open the pitta, toast in the oven and then crush into pieces.)
- To serve, place the pitta pieces at the bottom of a deep serving dish and pour over the yoghurt sauce.
- Layer the aubergine from the tomato sauce over it. Drizzle with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle pine nuts on top and garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley.
This dish has been brought to you by international recipe hunter Hanan Sayed Worrell, author of Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi. The Table Tales concept celebrates the people and stories that give flavour to recipes of the Middle East.
HIJRA
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Rating: 3/5
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
More on Quran memorisation:
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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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
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- 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
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
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BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
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5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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