Inside the kitchen preparing UAE’s biggest iftar

Abu Dhabi: Every corner of the giant mazelike kitchen is buzzing with activities and staff are busy carrying out their duties diligently. Their work does not stop in Ramadan as the kitchen operates around the clock to prepare the UAE’s biggest Iftar every night.

The Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Club and Hotel prepares Iftar for over 25,000 people a day and around 35,000 a day on a weekend, over the 30 days of Ramadan, which is then served at the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

“The kitchen operates 24 hours. We have 350 chefs, 450 service staff and 160 stewards because cleanliness is a top priority here. It’s a real teamwork and [takes] lots of hard work to achieve what we do every day,” said George Gebrayel, executive chef at the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Club and Hotel.

Gebrayel took Gulf News on an exclusive tour of the kitchen to show us how the grand Iftar is put together.

There are what seems like an endless number of hallways and doors that lead to countless freezers, cooling rooms, cooking stations, preparation and packing areas.

Organised by the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the kitchen prepares one box for every fasting guest daily which includes; biryani with roast chicken or lamb, vegetable saloona, salad, laban drink, date, apple, water and fruit Juice.

Timing and planning are crucial in their operation. In one room, rice is being cleaned for next day’s iftar while another group boils rice in a cooking area for that day’s meal. An army of staff then work carefully but briskly to pack the cooked rice in boxes which are then kept at over 65 degrees before it is sent to the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Iftar tents.

“We use around 7,000kg of rice a day. This (Iftar) is really huge … there is no room for carelessness in our work.” Gebrayel explains.

As we step into another room the Smell of raw chicken is overpowering, but it does not seem to bother the men who are busy cutting them in halves. The rooms turn out to be where the frozen chicken is defrosted for the days ahead.

“It takes two days to defrost the chicken and we use around 10,000kg to 12,000kg of chicken a day, so planning is very important,” said Gebrayel.

He then opens up a cool room filled with stacks and stacks of marinated chicken and explains that once the chicken is defrosted, it is marinated and left over night to take in all the flavours. This was to be the next day’s Iftar.

As we march on enormous pots of lamb were cooking away that evening’s lamb biryani next to the vegetable saloona pots, filling the air with the aroma of spices and deliciousness. It would be another three hours before the lamb was cooked and ready to be dished.

As the afternoon sets and the day’s Iftar packs are ready, the peeling and cutting of vegetables begin for the next day’s Iftar. Although the vegetable preparation room is a big space, the volume of onions being cut brings tears to one’s eyes upon entering the room. They staff prepare around 7000kg of vegetables on a daily basis.

Gebrayel has been involved in the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Iftar since its inception in 2004 and has seen the Iftar grow in popularity year by year, which he said feels like a huge achievement for him and his team.

“It is a big challenge for us but we enjoy it because we feel that we are part of the event and part of the spirit of Ramadan.”

Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Iftar facts:

Iftar pack: biryani with roast chicken or lamb, vegetable saloona, salad, laban drink, date, apple, water and fruit Juice.