While we are currently in a nationwide lockdown, all flights are grounded and we cannot travel. We can still travel the world while staying at home – through our taste buds. Emirates is helping travelers escape their everyday life by inviting them on a culinary journey – discovering other cultures through their food. Emirates chefs share the ideal three-course-menu to give globetrotters a taste of their next vacation.
Starter: Spices and lentils in the United Arab Emirates
In the Middle East, lentils and other legumes are popular sources of nutrients. Therefore, as a starter, Emirates chef Said El Alam presents a traditional Arabic Lentil Soup. “Thanks to many different spices its’ signature taste will immediately make you feel as if you were strolling around one of the famous exotic spice bazaars in the Gulf”, Said says about the dish. Emirates’ recipe for lentil soup is simple enough for any beginner chef and the perfect way to start your culinary journey. See the full video with step-by-step instructions here.
For a truly Middle Eastern experience, Emirates has also made some of its most popular Arabic dishes available to its fans, including its signature Prawn machbous. The full list of recipes from fish sayadieh to lamb kofta can be viewed here.
Main course: Flavours of India
For the main dish home chefs can visit India and taste a flavorful lamb biryani. Emirates chef Ravi Nage presents the traditional Indian dish lamb biryani with yoghurt raita: “Using typical Indian spices like cardamom will transfer you to one of the many beautiful spice plantations of the country such as the Cardamom Hills between Kerala and Tamil Nadu” he elaborates. See the full videos with step-by-step instructions here: lamb biryani.
Dessert: Sweet temptation from Europe
Last but not least, there is always room for desert and some chefs even claim the dessert is the most important part of a menu. Udo Leick, Emirates German Chef introduces Emirates’ recipe of sweet crepes with apple compot. Known by many different names in Germany/Switzerland, the sweet pan dish is very popular among all age groups and served both as main course or dessert. “Together with the delicious apple, cream cheese and raisin filling the taste will immediately take you to a cozy café in Paris or a chalet on a mountain-top in Southern Germany/Switzerland”, Udo enthuses over the dish. See the full video with step-by-step instructions here.
These international dishes as well as many other multi-course gourmet menus – always adapted to the respective destination country and cooked with local ingredients – are taken from Emirate’ recipe books. Each year, more than 110 million meals from 12,450 different recipes are served on board Emirates’ restaurant in the sky with the same attention to detail in First, Business and Economy Class. The airline’s chefs focus on simple, well cooked dishes that emphasise fresh ingredients of the highest quality and are changed on a monthly basis.
Additionally, Emirates has a partnership with 25 South African wineries, from which 50 different South African wines have been enjoyed by global travellers onboard Emirates flights. Some of the South African wineries served onboard include Ken Forrester, Porseleinberg, Klein Constantia, Waterkloof and Boekenhoutskloof, just to mention a few. The airline also serves proudly South African inspired dishes such as, Rooibos cured salmon, lamb bunny chow, mossbolletjies bread, fillet of ostrich, Stellenbosch Red Verjus sauce with smoked ostrich lardons and a scrumptious cajun and paprika chicken breast roasted, Rooibos tea jus, a wide selection of cheeses and Malva pudding on various South African routes.
The Emirates Food Channel, available on Youtube, gives customers a behind-the-scenes look at how it creates its onboard menus and works with its global partners. The episodes showcase the detail that goes into menu development by Emirates chefs and ingredient sourcing for onboard meals.
Happy Cooking..
