JEDDAH: There are no two ways about it: Saudi Arabia loves Japanese food. From deep-fried, inauthentic sushi rolls to the most delicate cuts of ootoro and salmon sashimi, you can find them all in the Kingdom.
Despite the popularity of Japanese cuisine, the availability of original ingredients in Saudi markets is sorely lacking, forcing enthusiasts of Japanese food to turn to restaurants for their fix.
While some ingredients — such as sushi rice, tofu and kombu — are available on and off, other ingredients such as wakame seaweed, bonito flakes and kewpie mayonnaise are much harder — if not impossible — to find.
Noura Alajmi, a home cook who often makes sushi, tempura and other delicacies, said she thinks the ingredients are not readily available because of Japanese food’s reputation for being hard to make.
“I wouldn’t call it difficult, I’d call it finicky maybe. It requires dedication and patience to make good Japanese food. But it’s not impossible, it’s doable,” she said.
Alajmi hopes to see miso paste, kombu, bonito flakes and other ingredients on Saudi supermarket shelves soon.
“I think there’s a market for it. People here love Japanese food, and home cooking is so in right now,” she said.
“But more than anything, I want Japanese ingredients in Saudi supermarkets so I can stop ordering them online and paying ridiculous shipping prices.”
The Kingdom’s history with Japanese food goes way back. In October 1985, Tokyo became the first Japanese restaurant in Saudi Arabia.
A favorite of many a Japanese ambassador, and widely known to serve the most authentic Japanese food in the Kingdom, Tokyo was the go-to place for Japanese food in Saudi Arabia.
But Japanese and Japanese-fusion restaurants have popped up all over the Kingdom, from quick and easy options such as Sushi Yoshi, Mee So Hungry and Samurai, to more sophisticated (and expensive) options such as Shogun, Okku and Nozomi.
Japanese food is just as popular elsewhere in the Gulf. Chef Masaharu Morimoto owns two restaurants in the Middle East: Morimoto Dubai and Morimoto Doha.
Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, otherwise known as Nobu, also has two restaurants in Dubai and Doha. Rocky Aoki’s famous Benihana has an outlet in Kuwait and in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia even boasts a local sushi expert. Chef Khulood Olaqi, who is famous for her home-based business turned gourmet sushi restaurant, is renowned for being the first Saudi woman to open her own restaurant and run the kitchen herself.
Passionate home cooks aside, even restaurants sometimes have a hard time finding authentic Japanese ingredients in the region, often having to resort to local alternatives.
Akio Hayakawa, director of Fujiya restaurant in Dubai, said they work hard to ensure that most of what they use in the kitchen is sourced directly from Japan.
He does resort to using some locally sourced items, but insists the food’s authenticity stays the same.
“We wanted to bring more authentic Japanese food to Dubai, but we have to adjust sometimes, like the soy sauce we use in Japan, for example. So we have to search for suitable alternatives,” he said.
Hayakawa lucked out, finding a local supplier for wagyu beef. But Olaqi — who often has to resort to frozen hamachi fish and tuna, and is still hunting for bonito flakes at her local supermarkets — has not found her golden ticket yet.
“There are so many ingredients that we don’t have: Bonito, wakame seaweed, yuzukosho, just to name a few. We can mostly make do with what’s available, but we need more options,” she said.
“I’d love to serve fresh ootoro. If I could find a supplier who could guarantee me fresh tuna, decently priced, I’d be so happy.”
Tempura or teriyaki, Saudis crave Japanese food
https://arab.news/652mb
Tempura or teriyaki, Saudis crave Japanese food
- Popularity ofJapanese cuisine is growing with many fusion-food restaurants popping up across the Kingdom
- Not many original Japanese ingredients can be found, forcing enthusiasts to turn to restaurants
Experts call on people to prevent food waste
- Academics and specialists agreed that Saudi Arabia should implement new initiatives to combat the rising challenge of food waste and loss effectively
- Titled “Stop Food Waste,” the virtual event was organized by Saudi Platform in cooperation with Vision Platform
JEDDAH: Preventing food waste can be made possible through greater adoption of affordable and user-friendly technologies, best practices initiatives, and more awareness campaigns, experts who met at a recent virtual awareness meeting have said.
The academics and specialists agreed that Saudi Arabia should implement new initiatives to combat the rising challenge of food waste and loss effectively.
Titled “Stop Food Waste,” the virtual event was organized by Saudi Platform in cooperation with Vision Platform. It revealed that more than 33 percent of food is wasted in the Kingdom, which costs Saudi Arabia around SR40 billion ($10.66 billion) annually.
Najah Al-Omari, an international trainer and family counsellor, presented a video about recycling plant waste. Citing Qur’anic verses, she explained the difference between loss and waste and highlighted the importance of preserving food.
She presented a group of slides about Saudi citizens’ consumption of food compared to global consumption rates.
“The comparison between food waste rates reveals shocking numbers, after local waste exceeded global levels by a large margin,” she said.
Al-Omari presented a set of instructions on preserving food, reducing food waste, and achieving sustainability, and noted the extent of the impact of food waste on individuals in particular, and the country in general.
She also presented a set of practical solutions to stop food waste, some of which relate to the enactment of legislation.
Al-Omari discussed how specialized charitable organizations play a role in treating the impact of loss and waste.
Fahd Turkestani, an environmental expert, confirmed that such awareness meetings spread the culture of preserving grace and awareness in society.
He said: “In France, they ask the customer to take his or her leftover food with him (or her); and in Italy, they have put in place binding laws to limit waste. In Britain, the first supermarket was opened for leftover food.
“A restaurant in Chicago refused to use the waste bin for two years, forcing customers to consume all their meals; and in Denmark, the country succeeded in reducing food surplus by 25 percent, within five years, thanks to effective awareness programs.”
Turkestani called on the Saudi authorities to enact strict laws, including fines and penalties, to combat waste.
Meanwhile, Nouf Halawani, director of social responsibility projects at Savola World, reviewed the experiences and practices in the Kingdom during the past years. “New technologies are needed to reduce food waste,” she said.
Abdullah Osama Filali, chairman of the board of directors of the Hefz Al-Nema organization in the Makkah region, highlighted effective initiatives undertaken by the association to reduce waste, which included making agreements with hotels, restaurants, and wedding halls, to take surplus food, package it, and distribute it to the needy.
He pointed out that 800,000 meals were distributed during the year, benefiting needy families, after recycling and investing surplus food in these areas.
Music, art, local dishes stir the senses at Diriyah’s Ramadan market
- Live cooking, henna stations, oud and piano performers among the activities and entertainment at the market
RIYADH: Music, food and art are the sense-stirring offerings at Diriyah’s JAX Ramadan Market, which opened this week.
The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale is hosting the market as a part of the “Layali Biennale” program.
“The (JAX Ramadan) market is such a cute idea ... the atmosphere, the music, the food, the people all of it is such a fun vibe for Ramadan nights,” Jood Marzouqi, a visitor, told Arab News.
The JAX Ramadan Market is open to the public from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., until April 1, and offers visitors a taste of local Ramadan favorites with a modern twist.
Bateel Ismail, the food and beverage lead of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, told Arab News: “The JAX Ramadan Market has seven main selections of hot stations for live-cooking food and eight stations for other miscellaneous cuisines and products including chocolates, dates, tea, cheese, and specialty crackers.
“We also present a henna station and live activities for families.”
Ismail said: “We curated a diverse range of businesses that offer unique and high-quality products. We also considered factors such as the authenticity of the products, the cultural significance, and the ability to provide a delightful experience for visitors.
“The goal was to create a vibrant and enjoyable market that showcases the best of Ramadan’s most famous food.”
The market featured live oud and piano performances for guests to enjoy while shopping.
To foster Ramadan’s community spirit, the market has set up a long table where guests can sit together to eat and chat.
One of the booths named Balila Al-Hijaz offers boiled chickpeas with toppings of pickles and spices including cumin.
A variety of stuffed dates can be found at several booths including The Flavors of Hijaz and Musa & Palm. On the dessert side, Najd Luqaimat has fried dough balls stuffed with cheese, drizzled with honey, chocolate or other syrups.
Visitor Marzouqi said the market captures the spirit of the holy month. “I grew up in Jeddah. Having food with friends and hanging out, was our most memorable tradition during Ramadan in Jeddah.”
She added: “Since I’ve moved to Riyadh, I started missing that, and I heard about this market; and honestly it feels similar to Jeddah. It’s a little different but the vibes, atmosphere and energy truly remind me of a Ramadan back home.”
When asked, Marzouqi said her favorite booth was “definitely the Flavors of Hijaz.”
“I wish it (the market) was bigger. The space is smaller than I expected, but it’s still a fun activity for Ramadan nights.”
Also at the market, The Truffleers, a Saudi Arabia luxury chocolate truffle company, featured several varieties of their products including salted-butter caramel truffles, pure chocolate truffles, Arabian coffee beans, and cookie crisps.
The Truffleers was launched three years ago in Dhahran and has now expanded across the Kingdom.
Wijdan Hussein, operations manager of The Truffleers, told Arab News: “We have seven locations within the Kingdom and we are participating in events such as the JAX Ramadan Market. We are showcasing our chocolate truffle products.
“Our participation in the market today has been very nice, the atmosphere is wonderful, and everything is very beautiful.”
Another booth featuring handmade Saudi Arabia desserts is Okay by Sara, a sweets company that displays their take on ghorayebah, a type of local butter cookie.
Afnan Mahmoud, a sales representative from Okay by Sara, said: “All of our desserts are handmade and come in different designs, based on the occasion you have. For example, if you order dessert for the occasion of Ramadan or any celebration we will specialize it and design it for you.”
Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief donates tons of dates and food aid to families in need
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has donated 40 tons of dates to Malaysia and Poland, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
In Warsaw, Poland, 15 tons of dates were handed over, while in Malaysia a further 23 tonnes were distributed as part of the agency’s ongoing work to assist those most in need.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance launched the Kingdom’s gift program to distribute dates and iftar meals in Amman, Jordan.
The first stage involves the delivery of approximately 5 tons of dates to more than 20,000 people.
The second part of the program aims to provide iftar meals to over 7,000 people.
KSrelief also provided 2,900 food aid parcels to Montenegro, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Benin and Sudan, benefiting 14,275 people.
Crown prince receives governors of Saudi regions
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received governors of the Kingdom’s regions following their 31st annual meeting, the Saudi Press Agency said early Thursday.
The Crown Prince was briefed on the most prominent topics discussed at the annual meeting.
He commended the governors’ efforts to serve the country, citizens and residents, and their work to achieve comprehensive development.
Saudi Arabia to host conference on role of universities in promoting peaceful coexistence
- The event will take place at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University on April 28 and 29
RIYADH: Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh will host an international conference next month titled “The Role of Universities in Promoting the Values of National Belonging and Peaceful Coexistence.” It will take place on April 28 and 29 under the patronage of King Salman.
Ahmed bin Salem Al-Ameri, the president of the university, thanked the king for his support and said the aim of the event is to “highlight the experiences of universities in promoting these lofty values, and to demonstrate the importance of correct doctrine and the approach of moderation,” the Saudi Press agency reported on Wednesday.
The participants will include leaders, dignitaries, scholars and intellectuals from the Kingdom and other countries, he added, who will share their specialist legal, scientific and social expertise during lectures, discussion sessions and workshops.