Thursday lunches at my uncle's house are always an event. Whether it's the people that are invited or the conversations held, it's a colorful scene. Ambassadors, general managers, and a bunch of hilarious and important figures always grace the table, but today, we hosted an invisible guest that brought the dining table to life with her outstanding food.
Al6af Al-3ayyar is the owner/manager of the Baytooti kitchen, which is a unique catering service that provides a wide variety of authentic Kuwaiti cooking that only dear old Mama could conjure. The easy, the difficult, the heavy, the light, the Kuwaiti, the international - it's all there for you to choose from. Today was a trial run at my uncle's house - we were having a load of guests over and we wanted to try something different. We got a referral to Mrs. Al6af's catering service and decided to endeavor in what would be the most delectable Kuwaiti meal I've had in a LONG time. We went for the Breaded Shrimps, Fatoosh with pomegranate, Rocca salad with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and olives, Qoozi Bil-laban, Zbaidi 5ethra, Emrabyan, M6abag Zbaidi, Green Rice, and 9ab Belgafsha for dessert. Sounds heavy, right? WRONG. I was able to have a decent portion of each platter and still be satisfactorily full; not the kind of full where I want to roll down a hill.
So let's start with presentation, shall we? Presentation of food is always important; to me, to you, to everyone. Because let's face it - if it doesn't look good, there's a 95% chance you're not touching it. And 5% is not an easy stretch. However, Mrs. Al6af didn't fail to please with her neat and eye-catching presentation of every dish. It wasn't piled into a buffet dish like cafeteria food from the lunch lady. You could tell exactly what was in each dish just by looking at the top, whether it was a colorful array of fresh vegetables, or a crusted golden-brown Zbaidi nestling on top of the marigold rice. And since everything (thankfully) was in the safe range of what I'd normally eat, you can bet I tucked in to each and every dish. (Thank God for the gym. Thank God, Thank God, Thank GOD!)
The salads were both wonderful. The Fatoosh was easy on the eyes as well as the tastebuds, due to the selection of fresh vegetables and just the right amount of sumac. The pomegranate and the coriander add a whole new dimension to your typical Fatoosh, giving it a perfect freshness just in time for spring. The Rocca salad was also no exception. The earthy mushrooms and sweet sun-dried tomatoes gave the exact contrast in flavor that the peppery rocca leaves were asking for, and the two kinds of olives laced with the lemony dressing will bring the sure-fire Mediterranean flavors to any Kuwaiti household.
The Breaded Shrimps would put every Shrimpy in Kuwait to shame. Seriously. These are not your average run-of-the-mill breaded shrimps. Imagine a croque-monsieur, but it's actually a shrimp with lemony veggies layered onto it, and THEN breaded and fried. Heaven. I say HEAVEN!
Now, I'll say right off the bat that I am no 5ethra fan - I've tried it twice in my life, today being the third. You know how they say the third time's a charm? They were right. For those of you who have no idea what 5ethra is, it's a mash (much like yireesh) of rice and fish. It was still not 10000% to my liking, just because the texture of these kinds of foods don't appeal to me. But when it comes down to flavor, the lemon and coriander were very apparent, taking away the fishy taste that I'd experienced on my last two (and bad) 5ethra trials. So, 1 up for 5ethra, but only if Mrs. Al6af is cooking.
Qoozi is a Kuwaiti classic. It's so dense and takes hours to cook, and not every household can get it right. Today was the first time I've ever tried Qoozi Bil-Laban, and though I had a small piece, it was perfectly cooked. The meat fell right off the bone (which made 3abdul's job of carving the meat a LOT easier), and it was tender. The laban layer was adorned with pine nuts, so the soury yogurt and nutty flavors infused themselves into the meat, giving the Qoozi a Shami touch that was delightfully unexpected.
As for the Emrabyan and M6abag Zbaidi, no Kuwaiti household can ever go wrong. It's just the making-it-exciting part that's the hardest. There was something going on in the rice; I'm still deciding whether it's the fresh dill or the traces of lemony love that just made it outstanding. I tried to hold back on eating these two dishes because the Gym Fairy in my head was going hysterical, but I shut her out and landed myself a heaping plateful of both dishes. Just the rice alone is a wonder; now imagine it with fresh flaky Zbaidi or beautifully curled pink shrimps cooked to perfection. See what I mean?
The Green Rice is a whole other story. This rice is greener than a Christmas tree, and funny enough, no food coloring or crazy additives went into the cooking proccess. Some say the vibrant verde color comes from boiled broccoli and spinach, and that the rice is cooked in the remaining water. I, as a cooking maniac, refuse to believe so because if you over-cook broccoli and spinach, you just end up with wilted green-grey vegetables. But, I think they tell us this myth to keep us guessing! ;) Still, it was wonderful - light, airy, and refreshing, and of course the fabulous vibrant vegetables layered into the shreds of green make it all worth the weight. On the side of the Green Rice is a hefty bowl laden with the creamiest Cucumber Raita (5yar Bil-Laban) that I've ever had, and might I add how delicious it was with the Green Rice.
Keep in mind that the rice dishes are accompanied by 3 different kinds of daqoos - chunky eggplant, fiery red tomato, and a piquant 9abbar daqoos that was one of the most delicious I've ever tried.
Last, but DEFINITELY not least, the 9ab Belgafsha. 9ab Belgafsha, in my humble opinion, is God's gift to the Kuwaiti population. It really hits the spot for me. But since we're discussing the magical wonder that is Al6af Al-3ayyar's cooking, I'd like to say that her 9ab Belgafsha had outdone my uncle's 9ab Belgafsha by a touch. I'm not used to tasting the hint of sourness that came through with Mrs. Al6af's 9.B.G, but it was surprisingly pleasant. The pieces were precisely scooped, and the cardamom flakes daintily sprinkled atop each syrupy piece gave everyone at lunch a taste of Erm'6an that they will never forget. If it were up to me, I'd order 9ab Belgafsha from the Baytooti kitchen all day, everyday. But, I don't think the Gym Fairy would be too happy with that!
The only negative aspect about ordering from Mrs. Al6af is that she doesn't cook for small groups. Each dish will easily feed about 15-20 people, depending on their portions and how many times they come back to the buffet table for her scrumptious food. But that shouldn't stop you from making orders for dinner parties, milchas, weddings; whatever it may be. Give her a call and make your family's day!

Giving your tastebuds a run for their money,
The Culinary Connoisseur

To contact Mrs. Al6af Al-3ayyar and get your own taste of Baytooti cooking, call: 66106060. You will not be disappointed!