Your New Year’s Eve in the renowned “City of Gold” will be full of lights, festivities, and food. As you welcome 2023 in a few, indulge yourself with this list of New Year’s Eve dishes that will help you enjoy the New Year’s Eve frenzy in Dubai:
Sushi platters
Whether sophisticated or street-inspired, this Japanese delicacy is one to beat with its popularity on the party scenes. With its diverse flavor profile and ability to fuse with other cuisine types, you will find sushi in Dubai almost everywhere– even during a festive celebration like New Year’s Eve. Sushi, being popular in the city, rolls its influence from the humble streets of Sheik Zayed where you can find a low-priced, authentic Japanese sushi platter to the chicer and more luxurious gold leaf-embellished sushi diner inside the Downtown, where you can indulge in the view of the famed Burj Khalifa.
Authentic barbecue
No one can replace the smell of meat in the holiday scenes, much more during New Year’s Eve. Although Dubai has had strict regulations regarding barbecue grilling, this did not stop locals from sizzling their meat. Owing to its Turkish and Arabic origin, traditional barbecue dishes like a kebab are a mainstay among locals and other tourists. With Dubai being an international hub for cuisines, you should not be surprised if you will see varieties of kebabs being offered in the city, with grills having Indian-inspired mutton kebabs and a humongous one-meter long Iranian kebab at only AED 60– fairly cheap for its serving size.
Machboos
If you want to shy away from the lights and sounds for New Year’s Eve and enjoy a peaceful yet hearty dinner inside your home, machboos should be on your list. Loosely regarded as one of Dubai’s national food, you will experience Middle Eastern spices like nuts, cloves, cardamom, and turmeric powder combined in a concoction of basmati rice and chicken broth. Although a staple in most Gulf countries, this dish has found its good resting place in Dubai. The fluffy consistency of basmati rice and the synergy of all spices over a well-roasted chicken are only a few of the feelings you can get when you prepare this dish over a celebration– New Year’s Eve to be perfect.
Tharid
Another classic Emirati meal that might complete your homey New Year’s Eve platter in Dubai is Tharid (also known as Thareed). Your celebration for the coming of 2023 will be so much blessed, being this stew dish as prophet Muhammad’s favorite food. Heavily spiced just like machboos, the power of this dish also lies with the meat you choose, with locals preferring lamb, which is slow-cooked for at least 1.5 hours, along with other seasonal vegetables of your choice. Your patience of waiting for a long time will surely be rewarded with a tender yet melts-into-your-mouth texture of meat with its juices floating with the sauce, which can be scooped with a flatbread named rigag.
Featured image from iStock
