Douha Alotaishan started her journey as a self-taught chef, her cooking ethos being all about fervors and flavors. Led by a desire to experience the flavors of every cuisine, Douha cooked for her
family and friends at gatherings, who recognized her talent and encouraged her to start her own cooking business. She says that they foresaw her culinary talent and ability to win the customers’ hearts.
Douha further honed her culinary skills by attending culinary courses, including traveling to Hyderabad for forty days. It wasn’t long before she was appearing on Matbak Douha on The Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) as one of the first female Saudi chefs to have her own TV show. Along with running her cooking show, she founded Majlisna, a restaurant dedicated to Najdi food.
She says, “Having new cooking academies in the Kingdom and the involvement of Saudi chefs in the F&B industry is key to the growth and evolution of the Saudi food culture.”
Tamen is a rice dish originating from Hail that Duha assembles into cheesy risotto balls with an international twist.
Instructions:
100 grams pumpkin purée
100 grams risotto rice
50 grams unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
20 grams breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
100 grams mozzarella cheese
1 cup marinara sauce
½ tsp black lemon powder
1 tsp tomato paste
500 ml chicken stock
1 egg
Oil for frying
Instructions:
1. Heat pot over medium heat and add butter.
2. Sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft but not colored.
Add black lemon powder and salt.
3. Add pumpkin paste and rice followed by just enough hot chicken broth to cover the rice and pumpkin. As soon as the rice begins to dry out, add another ladle of broth and stir occasionally. Keep adding more broth, a ladle at a time, when the rice starts to dry out until reaching the right consistency (about 15-20 minutes).
3. When the rice is cooked, gently stir in the tomato paste and mozzarella cheese.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl; cool slightly.
5. Shape mixture into 1 to ¼-inch balls. Dunk into egg batter and roll in bread crumbs,
patting to help coating adhere.
6. Deep-fry the balls in batches for 2–3 minutes until golden brown all over.
7. Spoon some warm marinara sauce into the bottom of a serving dish and pile a few balls into the center. Dust with a bit of freshly grated cheese and herbs.
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