JEDDAH: A 27-year-old Saudi woman chef has come up with a winning recipe for women who want to turn their passion for cooking into professional careers in the Kingdom.
“If a person has a talent in cooking, they must not neglect it because this is one of the most challenging and fun journeys anyone can have,” said Asma Abdulhadi Tabaaji.
A career cooking in hotels and restaurants is rare for Saudi women, but Tabaaji has worked hard to reach the peak of her profession and last month was head chef for the iftar table at the Ramadan Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center — the biggest in the Middle East.
Tabaaji’s love for cooking was developed in difficult circumstances when she was forced to take on kitchen duties as a child following the death of her parents.
“I have loved cooking since I was young,” she told Arab News
Shouldering family responsibilities at an early age turned Tabaaji into a strong, determined individual.
She entered the challenging catering field by working from home five years ago. “I started by selling traditional Saudi cuisines at Thumamah (desert district) in Riyadh, because it gets crowded at weekends. Then, I prepared buffets for small parties and celebrations.
“After that, I applied to Hyatt Regency Hotel and I made the food menu there, adding cuisines and modifying some recipes.”
Shortly afterwards, Tabaaji joined Fairmont Hotel and prepared the food menu there, adding Arab and international dishes to the menu. Now she is head chef with Premier Catering, a company that handles a host of major events and celebrations.
Tabaaji’s journey has not been easy, but she has tasted success, which makes her more determined to build her name in the field she has chosen.
“I am grateful for the presence of my family. They have been my supporters forever,” she said.
Tabaaji said she realized Saudi women were a rarity in the Kingdom’s professional kitchens, but hotels and employers had been welcoming.
“I expected them to be more surprised. But women are starting to step into the world of kitchens in all public places,” she said.
Asked how she could change the way Saudi society views female chefs, Tabaaji said: “Saudi society is welcoming development and change. It is aware of the crucial role women can play in all fields, not only cooking.
“Saudi women play the main role in the kitchen of each and every house in Saudi Arabia, so it did not take long to accept a female presence in hotel and restaurant kitchens.”
Tabaaji enjoys the positive feedback she gets for her delicious food, “especially traditional Saudi cuisines from the western province, Indonesian cuisines, and shrimp in all its forms.”
She believes her role is still not restricted to her family and work, but extends to encouraging women to take “a step further and become chefs of the future.”
“I want to give workshops for women on how to prepare catering and buffets because these are the most challenging duties any cook can face.
“I also dream of my own restaurant. I will be keen to give opportunities to Saudi female and male cooks equally because lots of them are talented and creative, but are shy of stepping into the market,” she said.
How this Saudi woman became the queen of the kitchen
How this Saudi woman became the queen of the kitchen
- Tabaaji’s love for cooking was developed in difficult circumstances when she was forced to take on kitchen duties as a child following the death of her parents
- Saudi society is welcoming development and change. It is aware of the crucial role women can play in all fields, not only cooking
Recipes for Success: Chef Aniket Chatterjee offers advice and a mutton curry recipe
DUBAI: Aniket Chatterjee — currently chef de cuisine at Atrangi by Ritu Dalmia in Dubai — says his cooking is shaped as much by memory and personal history as it is by technique.
Working closely with celebrity chef and restaurateur Dalmia, Chatterjee has developed a style that looks at Indian food not through trends, he says, but through stories — from home kitchens and street food to lesser-known regional traditions.
Many of his dishes at Atrangi are contemporary adaptations of familiar Indian flavors and everyday recipes. His approach reflects how Indian cuisine in Dubai, and beyond, is shifting, with more diners interested in regional cooking, comfort food and the stories behind where dishes come from, he tells Arab News.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
I put a lot of stress and pressure on myself, which was leading to my passion getting depleted.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Always cook with intuition and intent. Cooking depends a lot on your mindset. Once you start cooking not because someone wants to eat, but because you want to feed them, that’s a game changer.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Simple: salt. Seasoning is key. Someone once said: “The difference between good food and great food is a pinch of salt,” and I strongly believe that. And love, of course.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
Obviously it’s a mechanism, after working for so many years, that I try to analyze anything that I eat. But it’s just for understanding or inspiration purposes. I do believe in giving feedback because I genuinely want the restaurant or the cook to be better.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants?
The thing that ticks me off is anything which starts with “viral.” I’m out. I don’t like it when restaurants follow trends and don’t do what they are actually capable of doing or love to do.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish?
I love Japanese food. It’s simple yet complex. But my favorite dish changes weekly. It is like that one song that you listen to on a loop and then you get sick of it. I do the same with food. Last week it was mandi with haneeth ribs — the fat, the freshness from the tomato, rice and laban is so beautifully balanced. This week, it’s mostly ramen.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I love to make a nice bowl of pasta. Usually, back home, in my pantry, we always have the ingredients, because even my mom loves it. It’s usually a nice simple tomato and basil spaghetti with some fresh mozzarella or a ragu or an aglio e olio.
What customer behavior most annoys you?
When they tell us they are allergic to something but later turns out they just don’t like the particular thing. That has happened multiple times.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
A nice spicy curry — chicken or lamb. It’s therapeutic. Making curry, for me, is the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s very complex and layered, and it’s completely based on understanding, not a recipe.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
It’s not a dish, it’s two ingredients: doodhi (bottle gourd) and karela (bitter gourd). I absolutely despised both those vegetables with all my heart, until I took on a challenge to work around it. It worked out and I have had a lot of my fellow haters end up liking both.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I don’t like shouting; I feel that’s a very weak approach to leading a team. You have to be calm and composed. I’m a firm believer in energies and that it transpires into the food, so I don’t want a stressful work environment and having fun in the kitchen is mandatory. Of course, there are some non-negotiables, and that’s where the discipline kicks in.
Chef Aniket’s lazy Sunday mutton curry
(serves 4)
Ingredients
Marination:
Mutton or lamb curry cut – 600g
Mutton or lamb fat (preferably in cubes) – 100g
Full fat yoghurt – 50g
Red onion (sliced) – 450g
Ginger and garlic paste – 80g
Coriander stems (whole) – 15g
Mustard oil – 30ml
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 16g
Turmeric powder – 8g
Coriander powder – 14g
Roasted cumin powder – 14g
Black salt – to taste
Garam masala:
Cumin – 8g
Cinnamon – 4g
Cloves – 2g
Green cardamom – 6g
Black cardamom – 2g
Bay leaf – 2 pcs
Whole dried red chilli – 1 pc
Black pepper – 3g
Fennel seeds – 6g
For the tempering:
Mustard oil – 80ml
Whole dried red chilli – 2 to 3 pcs
Bay leaf – 2 to 3 pcs
Black pepper (whole) – 6g
Cinnamon sticks – 2 to 3 pcs
Instructions:
Take a bowl and combine all the ingredients listed under marination. Let it sit for at least three hours, preferably overnight in the fridge.
For the spice mix, combine all the ingredients listed under garam masala in a cold non-stick pan and slowly bring to heat. Toss the spices as they warm so they roast evenly without burning. Once cooled, blend into a coarse powder.
Take a pressure cooker and add the mustard oil from the tempering. Once hot, add the dry spices and saute for a minute.
Add the marinated mutton or lamb directly into the oil. The marinade will have released some water, so separate it and add only the meat, onions and fat first. This helps the meat and onions sear and caramelize properly.
Once browned, add the remaining marinade liquid and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and cook for two whistles plus 30 minutes for mutton, or two whistles plus 15 minutes for lamb. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes until the steam releases naturally.
Once the meat is tender, adjust the consistency and seasoning to taste.
Turn off the heat and add one tablespoon of the garam masala. At this point, add one tablespoon clarified butter or ghee, julienned ginger (5 g), lemon juice to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Finish with plenty of fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or parathas.
