An Arabic adventure with Sheherezade

Text and pix - Dilanka Mannakkara

I have been a great fan of Arabic, middle eastern cuisine although I have only savoured kebabs, naans, shawarmas in non - Arabic restaurants. I wanted to try out the authentic, traditional Arabic cuisine and the place was none other than Sheherezade which is the only exclusive Arabic restaurant in Sri Lanka.

I was invited by Shiromala, the charming Assistant PR Manager of Galadari and once I entered the restaurant I felt that I was in an Arabic world.

The exotic, Turkish décor, soft Lebanese music and most importantly the spicy cuisine of Lebanese recipes, dating back to a thousand years, is perfected on the sizzling stoves at the Sheherazade, and is presented on a buffet of delicate and aromatic spread of fine Mediterranean dishes.

The Sheherezade is well equipped with 'hubbli bubbli' at the Garden Terrace which brings out its true Mediterranean authenticity and is only open for dinner from 7 pm to 11 pm. Chef Ananda who has over 10 years of experience in this wonderful restaurant told me about the essential dishes of Arabic cuisine which are three starters namely Hummus, Muttabel and Tabbouleh.

Hummus is a dip/spread that is made from chickpeas. According to Chef Ananda in fact, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea and is one of the oldest foods dating back to ancient Egypt. If you frequently visit Middle Eastern restaurants and eat the hummus, you know that hummus tastes different everywhere as some types of hummus have a strong lemon flavour, some have an overwhelming garlic flavour and some hummus has a spicy tone. This had a tangy lemon flavour to it and tasted great with the crisp, freshly baked Naan.

Muttabel which is another famous appetizer is prepared with grilled eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, tahini, chopped tomato and green pepper as well. More frequently, eggplant is mixed with yoghurt, olive oil and garlic. Chef Ananda who gave the information told that Arabic spices are added to this exotic starter and it tasted wonderful with the egg plant flavour which was evident. Originally from the mountains of Syria and Lebanon, tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East.

In the Arab world, but particularly the Greater Syrian region, it is usually served as part of the mezze. These three appetizers are must tries at Sheherezade for all you diners who love Middle Eastern food.

The chicken shawarma which is another signature dish here was oozing with flavours. The chicken was grilled to perfection and the secret Arabic spices and the 24 hour marination did wonders to this authentic dish.

All these Arabic dishes has a lot of history attached to it and it is quite complex to make a shawarma. I dug in some literature about the shawarma which is very interesting. Shawarma is made by alternately stacking strips of fat and pieces of seasoned meat (beef, lamb or marinated chicken) on a stick - an onion or tomato is sometimes placed at the top of the stack for additional flavouring. The meat is roasted slowly on all sides as the spit rotates in front of, or over, a flame for hours. Traditionally a wood fire was used (now a gas flame is common). While specialty restaurants might offer two or more meat selections, some establishments have just one skewer which is what Galadari uses. While cooking, the meat is shaved off the stack with a large knife, an electric knife or a small circular saw, dropping to a circular tray below to be retrieved.

Beef can be used for shawarma instead of lamb, and turkey is used instead of chicken. In Saudi Arabia, goat is as common as beef or lamb. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage. Some shawarma stores use hot dog buns or baguettes, but most have pita and lavash. Sometimes, beef shawarma - despite its name - contains some lamb in addition to the beef, to ensure juiciness.

Another one of my top picks was the chicken kebab which was juicy, succulent and bursting with flavours. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer or döner kebab served wrapped in bread with a salad and a dressing.

The traditional meat for kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and taboos, it may now be beef, goat, chicken, pork, fish and seafood or even vegetarian foods like falafel or tofu. Sheherezade had juicy beef, chicken and the original lamb doner kebab and almost on all days the kebabs are served alongside the buffet.

The buffet had popular Arabic desserts like honey bread, Turkey bread and also caramel pudding, mousse and fruits. But the standout was Umali - a hot dessert which is similar to a bread pudding. This has become one of the best known desserts in the UAE and quite literally means 'the queen of puddings'. A particular favourite during Ramadan according to Restaurant Manager Anil and was not overly sweet. It included puff pastry, milk, various kinds of nuts, cream, raisins and cinnamon and was scrumptious.

A strawberry flavored Shisha which I had for 45 minutes but still couldn't finish wrapped up a perfect Arabic dining experience for me at Sheherezade.