Emirati recipes

Explore 20 recipes, with ingredient quantities and step-by-step cooking instructions.

Chicken Salona

An Emirati-style chicken salona with tender chicken and vegetables simmered in a warmly spiced tomato broth.

Fragrant Emirati chicken machboos with basmati rice, dried lime and Gulf spices cooked in a rich chicken broth.

Comforting shorbat adas, a smooth red lentil soup scented with cumin, turmeric and lemon.

Grilled hammour marinated with lemon, garlic and warm Gulf spices, cooked until moist inside with lightly charred edges.

Soft Emirati khameer bread scented with cardamom and saffron, lightly sweetened and cooked until puffed and golden.

A vegetarian Emirati thareed with regag bread soaked in a warmly spiced tomato-and-vegetable stew with loomi.

Emirati chicken madhrooba, a comforting savoury porridge of chicken, rice and warm spices cooked until soft and creamy.

Spiced hammour sayadiya with seasoned fish served over deeply flavoured onion rice and finished with lemon.

Traditional sweet-savoury balaleet with saffron-cardamom vermicelli topped with a thin savoury omelette.

Emirati chebab breakfast pancakes scented with saffron and cardamom, cooked until golden and served with date syrup or honey.

Crisp Emirati-style cheese sambousek filled with a creamy mix of white cheese, herbs and nigella, folded into half-moons and fried until golden.

A fresh Gulf-inspired salad of peppery rocket, sweet dates, cucumber, toasted almonds and feta with a bright lemon-sumac dressing.

Emirati luqaimat: crisp, airy yeast-fried dumplings finished with date syrup and sesame for a sticky, fragrant dessert.

Strong saffron karak tea simmered with black tea, cardamom, evaporated milk and a touch of saffron until rich and aromatic.

Traditional Emirati harees made by slowly cooking wheat and lamb until they merge into a silky, porridge-like dish, finished with ghee.

Thin Emirati regag bread cooked until crisp, topped with egg and a little cheese for a fast savoury breakfast or snack.

A family-style chicken thareed bake with spiced tomato broth, tender vegetables and pieces of flatbread that absorb the savoury juices.

Soft regag-style wraps filled with spiced grilled chicken, chopped salad and a light tahini-yogurt sauce for an Emirati-inspired street-food meal.

Celebration-style lamb ouzi with slow-roasted spiced lamb, fragrant rice, toasted nuts and raisins for an Eid family table.

A simple one-pot tomato chickpea stew with Gulf spices, fresh coriander and lemon, built from pantry ingredients for an easy meat-free meal.