Arabian cuisine gets an Irish twist

In today’s era of theatrical celebrity chefs who create personalities as extravagant as a Mexican paella, Rachel Allen is perhaps one of the least likely personages to fit the modern bill of Hollywood cooks.

With her ashen blonde locks tied up, sleeves rolled up, and soft Irish tones humbly addressing the camera, the Dublin-born chef comes across as a throwback to the traditional kitchens of yesteryears where home baking and slow cooking were de rigueur. Allen has shone the spotlight on comforting, home cooking.

At the ongoing Gourmet Abu Dhabi, the lady dubbed as the Irish cooking queen is making her Middle Eastern debut at a range of culinary demonstrations. “I’m really looking forward to trying all the myriad spices and ingredients. I often cook Middle Eastern dishes and can’t wait to try the food in restaurants and people’s homes as well as to bring back the wonderful ingredients to cook with myself,” the 40-year-old mother of three tells GN Focus in an email interview.

Hailing from the highly reputed Ballymaloe Cookery School, Allen’s culinary output is largely inspired by her Dublin heritage where home cooking is a favourite.

Her greatest influence was the food her mother cooked, what she calls “good-quality, wholesome home-cooked meals”. And from Allen’s regular appearances on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, this is the genre of food that has made her name synonymous with Irish cuisine.

“I certainly enjoy eating gourmet delicacies from time to time, but I will always prefer home-cooked meals. That is the food I teach and cook. It’s the food we all share around our tables every day and have done for generations,” she says.

Alongside what Allen calls “an unwavering devotion to the potato”, Ireland has exported dishes such as Irish stew and colcannon to the ends of the earth. And she is now looking forward to writing the next chapter of Irish cuisine’s travels.

Although she wouldn’t reveal the dishes she has planned for Gourmet, Allen did hint that she could be looking to fuse Arabian and Irish cuisines despite their patently divergent derivations. “Well, the traditional food cultures are quite different, but Ireland’s food culture is now thoroughly modern and Irish cooks are often looking for new influences, ingredients and ideas to incorporate,” she says.

“The ubiquity of hummus is just one example of the many Arabian dishes that we eat all the time. I hope my visit could bring some of the Irish food culture to the UAE,” she says.

“I’m in the process of writing a new book. I can’t reveal the theme at the moment, but... I can tell you with certainty that it will be full of really great food!”

Asked what she would prepare for Emirati royalty if she was to introduce Irish flavours to the country, Allen says, “Irish stew with colcannon to represent Ireland’s wonderfully flavourful but none the less simple food.” ■