Gather, cook, celebrate: Manal Al Alem’s Eid table

Eid Al Fitr should be a moment of celebration. But too many home cooks find themselves overwhelmed and exhausted because they’ve attempted elaborate menus that leave them too tired to enjoy the holiday.

Chef Manal Al Alem has seen it happen too many times. “One of the biggest mistakes I see is people overcomplicating their menus, trying too many new recipes at once or tackling elaborate dishes without enough preparation. Or they spend too much time in the kitchen on a day of celebration instead of enjoying the moment with family and friends,” the TV chef and author told Friday ahead of this year’s holiday.

After a strenuous month of fasting, she says, the focus should be on easy, tried-and-tested recipes. “My advice is to keep things simple yet special,” she says. She suggests picking a few standout favourites that you feel confident making, making as much as possible ahead of time, and involving the family wherever you can.

“Don’t be afraid to delegate,” she says. “Eid should be about joy, togetherness, and good food – but all without the stress!”

That no-nonsense approach has built her a YouTube following of 2.5 million subscribers and delivered two best-selling Arabic-language cookbooks Manal Al-Alem’s Kitchen, and a book on regional dessert recipes, Manal Al-Alem Kitchen for Arabian Sweets.

Often called the “Queen of the Arabic kitchen”, Al Alem remembers being around food a lot as the child of Palestinian refugees growing up in Jordan. But as she has said elsewhere, it was a young bride in Kuwait that she taught herself to cook from magazines. As she learnt, she tweaked each recipe, wrote it down and then demonstrated it to home chefs in cooking classes across the region.

By the early 2010s, she’d made it onto TV, filling the gap for Arabic food content with an easy-going instructional approach that simplifies even the most daunting culinary undertakings.

Since 2013, she’s been presenting Matbakh Manal Al Alem on TV, most recently on the Warner Bros Discovery channel Fatafeat this past Ramadan. “My goal with this series has been to bring families together through food, celebrating Ramadan culinary traditions while adding new twists to classic favourites,” she says. “I want to inspire home chefs with practical tips, cultural insights, and creative meal ideas that make the season even more special.”

Each episode has a different theme. For the Eid Al Fitr special, she’s presenting a feast that echoes the warmth of the holiday with impressive recipes that are easy to put together. “Eid is all about gathering with loved ones, and I want to help make that moment even more memorable with dishes that bring warmth and happiness to the table,” she says.

It’s something she also takes offline – perhaps as a way of closing the circle. Alongside her TV career, Al Alem has supported charitable initiatives around food security and women’s empowerment. Her work includes serving as a United Nations ambassador for the World Food Program.

As for what comes next, she skilfully evades questions about whether she’ll open a restaurant of her own. “It’s definitely something I’ve thought about,” she says. “The idea is incredibly exciting. [But] I’m currently focused on exploring other creative projects. Who knows what the future holds?”

Instagram: @manalalalem