Where We Are Going Today: Tama restaurant at Habitas AlUla
The menu of Tama is infused with global and Middle Eastern cuisine, with some recipes inspired by Saudi Arabia’s unique flavors
Updated 13 January 2023
Nada Hameed
During my trip to AlUla in December, I had the chance to visit many luxurious hotel restaurants. Tama at Habitas was among the most outstanding.
Tama is located in the heart of AlUla’s enchanting landscapes. I was surrounded with panoramic astonishing views, not to mention the ‘Infinity Pool’ and its crystal-clear, beautiful blue water.
The restaurant’s name is inspired by Aramaic, one of the world’s first-known written languages, and translates as “here and now”. The place brings you positivity to appreciate the present moment and where you are at.
The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. I chose indoors as the weather was a bit cold. Near my table was an artwork of a woman in an indigo blue gown practicing yoga on top of a rock, created for Desert X 2020 by Lita Albuquerque, an American environmental artist.
The artwork features a statue called Najma, which represents a fictional astronaut visiting our planet to spread wisdom and knowledge.
The menu of Tama is infused with global and Middle Eastern cuisine, with some recipes inspired by Saudi Arabia’s unique flavors.
I was starving after a two-hour flight and a 50-minute ride to reach the resort.
For starters, I ordered beet hummus, consisting of pickled beets, za’atar, extra virgin olive oil, and freshly baked homemade naan bread.
A Spanish side dish called ‘Berenjena de Tamarindo’ is aubergine glazed with tamarind sour and sweet sauce, sesame oil and lemongrass, with edible flowers and leaves for presentation.
For my main course, I chose a beautifully slow-cooked lamb shank, which was juicy and tender and served with tepache gravy. Caramelized sweet potato rounded off the plate.
As a sweet tooth, I said ‘Yes’ to dessert. The menu was tempting with so many options, inspired by mostly Arabian sweets such as baklava, kunafa, Umm Ali, and more.
I ended my solo lunch with a warm date cake served in a cup with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream on top.
For more information and to experience Tama visit: experiencealula.com.
RIYADH: When fasting from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan many people can overlook the importance of a well-rounded diet and either overeat or fail to ingest enough nutrients for the day.
Dr. Mohammed Baker Alawamy, a consultant adult gastroenterologist and therapeutic endoscopist from Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, highlighted several ways of keeping healthy this Ramadan through diet and exercise.
“Drink ample amounts of water, try to limit the amount of refined sugars in your diet, and be cognizant (of) the amount of protein you consume,” Alawamy said.
Eating proper nutrition — such as a Mediterranean diet — staying hydrated and getting enough sleep can nurture the body during Ramadan and harness the benefits of fasting. (Shutterstock)
Many people find themselves overeating during the month of Ramadan while others complain of weight loss due to having a lower caloric intake. The ideal wellness goal while fasting is finding the right balance that provides the body with proper nutrition to complete the fast.
“My rule of thumb is 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight to reduce the muscle losses during the fasting month of Ramadan,” Alawamy said.
HIGHLIGHT
The ideal wellness goal while fasting is finding the right balance that provides the body with proper nutrition to complete the fast. Many people have their sleep disrupted because of the tradition of spending late nights with family and friends. Maintaining proper sleep is also important in Ramadan.
The holy month of Ramadan is one of the best times to create a reset for the body with changes in habits including avoiding unhealthy food.
When choosing the right sahoor or iftar drink to consume, many people choose smoothies believing that it is a healthy option that will satisfy their hunger throughout the day.
Eating proper nutrition — such as a Mediterranean diet — staying hydrated and getting enough sleep can nurture the body during Ramadan and harness the benefits of fasting. (Shutterstock)
“What I usually tell my patients, the worst kind of calorie you can consume is one that is easily absorbed, does not satisfy your hunger, and is calorie dense,” Alawamy said.
Alawamy explained that most of these calorie-dense foods include juices, smoothies and ice cream.
“Obviously, you can make smoothies that are balanced and nutritionally excellent, but most people use frozen fruits, add sugar or ice cream, and do not include much fiber in that mix,” he said.
High fiber, balanced diets such as the Mediterranean diet have been shown to affect health positively. (Supplied)
When asked about what “gut-healthy” foods people should make a part of their Ramadan routine, Alawamy explained that he has some reservations about the term gut healthy since it is “always misconstrued or misrepresented.”
“It is always best to stick to the basics. High fiber, balanced diets such as the Mediterranean diet have been shown to affect health positively,” he explained.
Many medical experts suggest avoiding eating processed foods and relying on nutritional options such as fresh fruits and vegetables and snacks such as nuts.
Diet and exercise are two ways to stay healthy this Ramadan. (Shutterstock)
“Nuts contain a significant amount of polyunsaturated fats, which are healthy and help reduce the (craving) for other less nutritious foods,” the doctor said.
When the month of Ramadan begins many stop exercising completely, but Alawamy says it is a great time to do light workouts.
“It (Ramadan) is an excellent opportunity for most people to do low-intensity level exercises, for example, normal pace walking or brisk walking as well as stretching and yoga,” he said.
People can even engage in high-intensity exercise after breaking their fast, he said.
Maintaining proper sleep is also important in Ramadan. In many parts of the world, many have their sleep disrupted because of the tradition of spending late nights with family and friends.
Some people use Ramadan as a time to be drastically reduce food intake but losing weight too quickly can potentially be harmful to the body. Therefore, it is important to find a certain balance when it comes to the quality and quantity of the foods consumed, ways of staying active and regulating the body’s sleeping schedule.
When trying to find a healthy Ramadan routine that suits your individual needs and health requirements one can feel overwhelmed by the different voices and opinions online. It is always best to do thorough research and contact a trusted physician for advice.
Where We Are Going Today: Ortisei bakery in Riyadh
The bakery serves a variety of options, including croissants, flatbreads, sweets, beverages, sourdough bread, panini and sandwiches. The cakes are also well-reviewed
Updated 27 March 2023
Haifa Alshammari
If you are looking for a place to go to with friends or family for brunch, you can visit Ortisei. With many options for beverages, sweets, and sandwiches, the bakery can serve all members of the group with its menu.
Ortisei opened its doors last summer in Almalqa district in Riyadh, every day from 6 a.m. until 1 a.m. The bakery got its name from a small village in northern Italy and it is best known for serving different kinds of baked goods and coffee at a good price.
Along with its delicious food, bright interiors, and comfortable settings, it has a calm atmosphere that makes it great for people searching for quiet locations to work.
The bakery serves a variety of options, including croissants, flatbreads, sweets, beverages, sourdough bread, panini and sandwiches. The cakes are also well-reviewed.
Among these, “Orti Sunshine” and chicken avocado are some personal favorite choices from the sourdough menu. The former is worth a try because of the unique mix of spices, creating an explosion of flavors in one bite that challenges your taste buds.
For people who are friends of the environment, Ortisei uses natural flowers as part of its decor on every dining table. In addition, it has a small fountain that creates natural water sounds in the background, connecting you with nature.
For more information, check out Ortisei’s account on Instagram @ortisei_ksa. The chefz application is also collaborating with the bakery to deliver delicious foods right to your door.
In Sudan, the arduously made “helo-murr,” which means “bittersweet,” is a drink synonymous with Ramadan
It can be found on almost every table across the northeast African country at the end of the day’s fast
Updated 26 March 2023
AFP
OM ESHR, Sudan: As generations of Sudanese have done before her, Wissal Abdel Ghany crouched next to a fire to prepare a traditional drink, a thirst-quenching favorite enjoyed during the fasting month of Ramadan.
In Sudan, the arduously made “helo-murr,” which means “bittersweet,” is a drink synonymous with the Islamic holy month.
It can be found on almost every table across the northeast African country at the end of the day’s fast.
“Without it, our table feels empty,” said Abdel Ghany, wearing a bright orange headscarf.
She sat in a small room in the village of Om Eshr, on the outskirts of the capital Khartoum, which teemed with a small force of women busily scraping and spreading a mixture before serving the beverage in clear glasses.
The drink has satisfied thirsty fasters for decades and recipes are “inherited from our mothers and grandmothers,” the 43-year-old said.
Corn is harvested and left to dry in the sun before being ground and mixed with spices such as fenugreek, cumin or even hibiscus — Sudan’s other essential Ramadan beverage.
This mixture is then soaked in sugar and water for several days.
Abdel Ghany spread a layer of the thick brown paste over a grill plate above the coals of a wood fire, cooking it into a thin, leather-colored film.
The resulting crepe-like layer is then peeled away and stored — ready to be soaked in the final step to create the beloved drink.
Served as cold as possible, the drink is one of many ways that fasting Sudanese cool off, a significant challenge in one of the world’s hottest countries.
The daytime fasting month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, after which they traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast.
In Sudan, the brew is so identified with Ramadan that even the US embassy took to Twitter to promote its staff making it, with diplomats wielding wooden spoons over embers and sipping the amber liquid.
Abdel Ghany said preparing the drink is a collective effort, bringing “together our sisters and friends.”
“We make it together to share among ourselves,” she said.
In Sudan’s cities, she added, some people don’t make it themselves.
“But they still have to offer it for dinner, so they buy it ready-made,” she said.
For Abdel Ghany, the preparation of helo-murr and the holy month cannot be separated.
“All it takes is a whiff of the scent coming out of a home to know that Ramadan is here,” she said.
It is made by blending or mashing the meat in the curry and serving hot with flat breads or on its own.
Here, Prashant Chipkar Qureshi, the culinary head chef at Masti Cocktails and Cuisine at Time Out Market Dubai, shares his lamb haleem recipe for a hearty iftar.
Lamb haleem is made by blending or mashing the meat in the curry. (Shutterstock)
Ingredients:
200 grams broken wheat
200 grams boneless lamb
2 grams red chili powder
50 grams yogurt
30ml ghee
5 grams mint
50 grams yellow moong dal
10 grams ginger garlic paste
2 grams turmeric
50-gram onion
50 grams haleem masala
20 grams coriander leaves
1-piece green chilies
Salt, to taste
Lemon wedges, 1 lemon
2 grams garam masala powder
1 gram peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
50 grams cashew nuts
Method:
To prepare this popular delicacy, wash and soak the broken wheat for half an hour. Trim the lamb (boneless) of any excess fat. Add the lamb to a vassal with about one cup of water and put it over a medium flame. Fry the onion until golden brown and set aside.
To the lamb, add half a tablespoon of ginger and garlic paste, half a teaspoon of salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder, along with a pinch of turmeric powder. Cook the mixture for eight to 10 minutes and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Shred and keep aside.
Boil the broken wheat along with the yellow moong dal with a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, green chillies, and peppercorns in eight cups of water until it is cooked completely, and the water is absorbed. Blend this mix for a few seconds.
Heat the oil in another container and add whole spices including a cinnamon stick, cooked and shredded lamb, the remaining green chillies, haleem masala, and half a cup of fresh coriander, and saute for two to three minutes. Add curd and saute for another 10 to 15 minutes. Add three cups of water and bring to a boil.
To this, add the blended broken wheat and dal mixture and mix well while adding a little ghee as you go. Let it simmer and cook slowly for at least 30 minutes. Serve hot garnished with fried onions prepared in step one, mint leaves, cashew nuts, lemon wedges, and the remaining fresh coriander.
Where We Are Going Today: Shovel Roastery - a coffee bar in Riyadh
Customers often say that the location serves the best flat white — a blend of micro-foamed milk poured over a single or double shot of espresso. There are many different milk options available at the shop.
Updated 25 March 2023
Rahaf Jambi
If you are looking for a new coffee tasting experience then visit Shovel Roastery in Riyadh.
Customers can enjoy specialty coffee, baked goods and see the roasting of beans in an open part of the shop.
Shovel Roastery hosts a coffee tasting bar, where customers can sample varieties before ordering, and purchase beans for brewing at home.
The staff are enthusiastic, welcoming and professional, giving customers a warm experience.
Shovel Roastery’s prices are fair, starting at SR10 ($2.66), but the shop also offers pricey varieties like premium Ethiopian bean brews that cost up to SR30.
Customers often say that the location serves the best flat white — a blend of micro-foamed milk poured over a single or double shot of espresso. There are many different milk options available at the shop.
As a special offering, Shovel Roastery also offers an event delivery service using a Jeep, with the vehicle traveling to businesses and universities. If you have any special events coming up, call Shovel Roastery and they will deliver coffee for your guests out of the Jeep.
Additionally, the shop stocks a line of specialty chocolates, Lurve, that come in a variety of flavors and are suitable for any occasion. Flavors include lavender, mint, coconut, salted caramel, coffee, dark and many more.
Cacao beans used to make the chocolate are shipped from Ecuador, after which they are roasted and ground into a powder. Flavors and sugars are then added before the chocolate is molded.
A very rich hot chocolate is also available at Shovel Roastery, with customers claiming that it is among the best in Riyadh.
Lurve has won an international award for its range of chocolates.
Shovel Roastery has two locations in Riyadh. It opens until late and offers online sales.
Visit Instagram @al_shovel for additional details.
