Calling all Asian food lovers to Jeddah hotel’s year-long festival

Colorful salad bar at the Asian food festival.

Asian food has numerous fans in Saudi Arabia as well as in other Arab countries. It was perhaps based on this popular demand that Mövenpick Hotel in Jeddah (main branch) organized a year round Asian food festival, which kicked off on Wednesday Oct. 26, 2016.
Hassan Hassanein, general manager at the hotel, said the main reason to bring back the Asian food festival was due to numerous requests by customers and based on several market surveys. The Asian Barbecue Night festival was launched in the hotel’s renowned Panoramic View restaurant.
“Food tasting was conducted to ensure high quality and we guarantee it will meet our guests’ expectations,” he said.
The Asian themed night was inaugurated by Hassanein, along with Asif Hassan Memon, Deputy Consul General of Pakistan; Shehzad Ahmed Khan, Commercial Consular at Pakistani consulate; Junaid Rafique, Minister at Pakistani consulate; Dr. Irshad Ahmad, Consul Press, Information & Cultural Affairs at Indian consulate; Aijaz Ahmed Khan, President of Jeddah Cricket Association (JCA); Amir Mohammed Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Journalist Forum (PJF); and Tariq Shabbir, Financial Controller at Movenpick.
Chef Sabar Husian from Pakistan, who is the main chef overseeing the festival, told Arab News a select main course menu comprising Indian and Pakistani dishes, along with Bengali fish and a few South Indian, Thai and Malaysian dishes are on offer now. The menu will be expanded based on public demand and more dishes from other Asian countries will be added.
Husian said he and his colleagues from India selected the best dishes from various Asian countries. On the first day of the festival, on offer were butter chicken, chicken biryani, chicken tandoori Indian style, gosht (meat) khari Pakistani style, saag gosht (meat with spinach), stuffed eggplant Pakistani style, Bengali fish curry, gosht pasli (fried meat) in Peshawari and Afghani style, gosht pulao Afghani style (meat with plain rice), aloo zeera (fried potatoes in curry), simple nan (bread), chicken mixed grill, meat grill, roast goat with rice in Afghani and Peshawari style, cauliflower pakora (fried cauliflower in gram flour batter), spring rolls, samosa with cheese, eggplant curry, and bell pepper with chicken curry.
The salad menu consists of the following dishes: continental salad, tandoori cauliflower salad, fried eggplant with yogurt, cold egg curry, fried eggplant, baked potatoes, baked cauliflower, south Indian style artichoke, kachumbar salad, chickpea chat, spicy cabbage salad south Indian style, onion salad, tomato salad and oriental salad. Fattoush, mutabal, hummus and others are also available.
Chef Husian said that since many Saudis and Arabs are fond of Indian and Pakistani cuisines, the menus features more dishes from those countries and that more Asian dishes will soon be added. “We want to give a special taste to the public and with their response we will enhance the menu,” he said.
The chef said they use regular Pakistani and Indian spices available in the Saudi market, in addition to Kashmiri red chili to give that bright red color to the food.
“Our food has a touch of home,” Chef Husian added.
I tried most of the dishes and was impressed. The ingredients were all fresh and delicious.
The gosht pasli was the best fried meat I had ever had. There were so many dishes that it was difficult to taste each one of them.
In desserts, I had carrot halwa, kheer (milk pudding), cakes and fresh fruit.