Rachel Allen Discovers Arabian Treats On Abu Dhabi Desert Adventure

Irish Cooking Queen Takes A Page Out Of Arabian Nights

Ireland’s ‘Cooking Queen’ – the TV celebrity chef and best-selling cookbook author – Rachel Allen turned her hand to making ‘Saj’ – a tasty Arabian pizza-like treat - in an impromptu cooking class where she became the student at Abu Dhabi’s new desert get-away of Arabian Nights Village.

In the United Arab Emirates’ capital city for its annual Gourmet Abu Dhabi culinary festival, where Rachel is appearing as the celebrity chef, the popular TV personality received a one-to-one lesson in making ‘Saj’ which can be cooked with a variety of fillings, from the resident village baker, Azra.

Following a quick demonstration and instruction, Rachel then rolled out the dough, spread out a Za’atar filling of oregano, thyme, oil, sesame seeds and dried sumac before baking the treat on a special convex ‘Saj’ oven. The result was declared ‘delicious.’

“The different fillings, from cheese, minced lamb with onion, tomato and parsley and a third of chilli and tomato paste, breadcrumbs, nuts, olive oil and seeds were just so tasty and delightful and the bread is nothing short of moreish – I can see why this is so popular. Azra was so sweet in helping me get it right and the oven was fantastic, I’ve never seen one like this before and it’s left me thinking where I could buy one and how I can get it home,” said Rachel.

The cooking demo was a highlight of a Desert Day which saw Rachel call in at a camel farm to come face-to-face with a mother and her four-day old baby. “Just too cute,” said the Irish mother-of-three. The 4x4 journey to the sustainable Arabian Nights Village, tucked amid huge dunes in Abu Dhabi’s Al Khatem desert saw Rachel’s party traverse the mountainous dunes roller-coaster style.

I can see why they call it dune bashing!” said a breathless Rachel. “I’m not sure whether I liked it or I didn’t. One minute you’re laughing, the next screaming! More than once I had a feeling we would surely topple over but the driver is very experienced and eventually you get more confidence. For sure my kids would love this.”

At the Arabian Nights Village, where no TVs are allowed, and where overnight accommodation comes in chalets built to recall the original oasis and seaside houses of the region, as well as goats’ hair Bedouin tents, Rachel took to the ‘souk’ (market) to have her hand decorated traditional henna-style.

It’s true what they say – henna does have a cooling effect – my hand cooled down immediately. I had to send photos back home straight away because my four-year-old daughter Scarlet wanted to see it.”

A surprise element was watching a local farmer tackle the heights of a village date palm as he clambered to the top, secured by a traditional rope harness, to fertilise the tree.

“I have found out so much today that I never knew. Really this has been a fun trip but one which has also been really informative,” said Rachel. “The desert is truly beautiful – the colour of the dunes, the green scrub which dot it, the blue skies and the silence make it a very special place. The village is a very relaxing place, and I would come back for an overnight stay to see the desert skies. It’s an adventure playground for kids – I just wished I had more time to take a dip in the pool to cool off.

“I’m certainly going to find out more about local cooking traditions here to see what I can incorporate into new dishes.”

Gourmet Abu Dhabi continues across 20 of the UAE capital’s finest restaurants until February 20th. For more details, log on to: www.gourmetabudhabi.ae. As part of Gourmet Abu Dhabi you can indulge your culinary Valentine’s spirit with fine Emirati local and international cuisine at Arabian Nights Village this February 14!

The package includes fun-filled desert activities, transfers to and from the village, an Emirati and international buffet dinner with soft drinks, tea, coffee and water included as well as live entertainment for AED450. An overnight stay at the Arabian Nights Village is available for a supplement of AED 500 (single/ double occupancy) to the Day Safari Package. For reservations, please call +971 2 676 9990 or email reservations@arabiannights.ae  

Emirate:  Abu Dhabi

Date: Feb 12, 2013

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