Prosaically with his hands in the air and a grin on his face, Majde Alhinani says, “During Ramadan, I cook with my eyes and with my heart. Food that is created from the heart will always taste great to those who eat it. It makes no difference that I cannot try the dishes myself.”
The 30-year-old Syrian is the Arabic Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, and is one of the numerous chefs across the country who will spend hours preparing food to feed large groups of people, while foregoing food themselves.
Business goes on
During the month-long observance of Ramadan, Muslims fast, and ritually, this time of year is earmarked for prayer, self-reflection, and purification. But in the busy hotel kitchens, life, work and business must go on, especially if each day must end in a feast that features foods from an array of cuisines and cultures.
This year, in the sweltering temperatures of July and August, it is reasonable to assume that people who are surrounded by food with nary a bite to eat may find the going tough. But if Majde can be deemed the personification of a professional chef, it is a cakewalk.
“I am a Muslim and have been fasting since childhood. Ramadan is very important to me and I love feeding people. Put all these things together and the results are wonderful,” he says, reassuringly. At the Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, these results take the form of iftaar and suhoor banquets, and Majde is involved in both preparation and participation.
Fatteh-making
A chef in the UAE for 14 years, Majde has been a part of The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, since its pre-opening in 2010, and his speciality is Middle Eastern cuisine — especially foods with influences from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. These will be showcased at the iftar buffet, offering Arabian cuisine as well as a range of dishes with a Mediterranean influence. But the key highlight is the live demonstration of fatteh-making.
Majde is deeply passionate about the fatteh, and he remembers this ubiquitous dish from his childhood in Syria as something all families made on special occasions. “Throughout Ramadan, I will teach guests how to make this classic Levantine dish of toasted pitta, chickpeas and tahini-yogurt sauce. Guests can also choose their personal favourites from a variety of fillings including meats, vegetables and offal.”
At suhoor the menu will feature à la carte Arabian dishes and a dessert buffet featuring classic Arabian sweets and dates. Together, the two popular Ramadan meals at the hotel attract up to 400 guests every evening, including regular patrons who book their tables in advance for consecutive days or weeks.
As with the rest of the year, Majde gets a day off once a week during Ramadan. If his family is around, he cooks iftar for them, but if they are not, he heads back to work after breaking his fast and opts to spend the evening with colleagues in the kitchen and guests in the restaurant.
“Some guests ask for me personally, and there are some dishes that I would like to oversee myself such as the ouzi (Middle Eastern dish of baked lamb with spiced rice). So I cook even when I am not supposed to, and it gives me the greatest pleasure,” he says.While Majde believes that cooking with his heart is the key to cooking while fasting, his boss, Executive Chef Ron Pietruszka is quick to add that within each team at the hotel’s large kitchen there are non-fasting professionals who try, test and taste each dish before it is served to guests.
Enjoy your food
Both chefs caution guests, who dine at buffet iftars after hours of fasting, to take things slow. “We cook with our hearts, so people must eat with their hearts too. They must enjoy each flavour and savour every dish slowly,” says Majde.
Pietruszka has a slightly different take on how food must be enjoyed after a fast. “The mentality is: get your money’s worth, but the reality is: pace yourself.”
For non-Muslims, the concept of fasting chefs working in busy kitchens may be disarming, but it is charming to know that Pietruszka also fasts during Ramadan to give company and show support to his Muslim colleagues. A Catholic from Chicago, Pietruszka has been practicing this voluntary gesture for years, and besides the respect he commands, he also wins popularity votes in his kitchen.
