Recipes for success: Saudi chef Turkan Sharawi offers advice, recipe for flourless chili chocolate cake 

Sharawi joined the Fatafeat channel in 2022 and quickly became a fan favorite. (Supplied)
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Updated 17 August 2023
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Recipes for success: Saudi chef Turkan Sharawi offers advice, recipe for flourless chili chocolate cake 

DUBAI: Saudi chef Turkan Sharawi is rapidly making a name for herself in the world of gastronomy. Her culinary journey began with a childhood passion for cooking, and has blossomed into a full-fledged odyssey. After completing her education, Sharawi set her sights on mastering cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in France, where she polished her skills and expanded her culinary insight. 

On returning to Saudi Arabia, Sharawi began working as a private chef for high-profile clients. She quickly gained a reputation for inventive dishes and creative flair, and her popularity rocketed on social media. 

In 2022, Sharawi joined the Fatafeat channel and quickly became a fan favorite. She presented “Chef on a Bike,” which followed Sharawi as she traveled on a motorcycle through the Kingdom and Dubai discovering new ingredients and creating unique recipes inspired by local flavors. 

Beyond her exquisite dishes, it was her vibrant personality that stole the show.  

With flavors that tell stories and presentation that is a visual feast, Sharawi has not only mastered the art of cooking but has also become a compelling culinary storyteller, leaving an indelible mark on the world’s palate. 

Here, she discusses respect, sustainability and knife skills, and shares a recipe for a flourless chocolate chili cake. 

Q: What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?  

A: I’m always concerned about leftover food. I’d really like every cook to think about not wasting food; use everything possible. For example, a simple chocolate cake can be reused for topping and filling new dishes.  

When you started out as a professional, what was the most common mistake you made? 

I had to improve my knife skills. Mistakes when chopping are common and easy to make, but can be really dangerous.  

When you go out to eat, what’s your favorite cuisine?  

Each one has its own unique styles and flavors. For example, in French cuisine, I like the techniques. In Italian cuisine, I like the flavors. In Indian cuisine, I like the spices.    

When you do go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

I really try to understand the culture and critique the food based on its origin. The most common issue I find is the quality of ingredients.  

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?  

I grew up in a city overlooking the beautiful Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, so I love cooking fish when it’s fresh. So I’d say pan-seared sea bass fillet with butter and citrus aioli with green salad.  

What request by customers most annoys you? 

When I cook a dish just the way it should be and a customer wants to change an ingredient or the cooking style.  

What’s your favorite dish to cook?  

I like to cook steaks. It was the first dish I learned when I started out and I like how each cut has its own technique. I was so eager to learn all of them.  

As a head chef, what are you like?  

I try to stay calm and cool all the time. I like to make good connections with the staff. I like to hear their opinions and discuss ways to improve the dishes.  

Chef Turkan’s flourless chocolate chili cake  




(Supplied)

INGREDIENTS: 

190g unsalted butter  

190g dark chocolate  

1 tsp cayenne powder  

75ml espresso cooled 

Vanilla  

3 eggs  

135g caster sugar  

Flaky sea salt  

Cocoa powder 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

•   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 

•   In a heatproof bowl, combine the unsalted butter and dark chocolate. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir the chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool slightly. 

•   Add the cayenne powder to the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir well to incorporate the spice. 

•   In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled espresso and a dash of vanilla extract. Add the espresso mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. 

•   In another bowl, beat the eggs and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. 

•   Gently fold the egg-sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture until everything is well combined. 

•   Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. 

•   Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are set but the center is still slightly gooey. 

•   Remove from the oven and cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

•   Once cool, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top and dust with cocoa powder. Serve. 


Yara Shahidi stars in new Jean Paul Gaultier campaign

Updated 24 August 2025
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Yara Shahidi stars in new Jean Paul Gaultier campaign

DUBAI: Part-Middle Eastern actress Yara Shahidi is the face of Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest “Divine” campaign for the luxury brand’s new elixir.

 The French brand released its Divine eau de parfum as an elixir — a type of concentrated perfume — this week, with Shahidi starring in the campaign alongside model Raphael Diogo.

Crafted by perfumer Quentin Bisch, the scent has floral and marine notes and was first released as an eau de parfum in 2023.

The fragrance is vegan, cruelty free and made with 90 percent “natural origin ingredients responsibly sourced,” according to the label.  

In a new set of images and clips shared on social media, Shahidi can be seen posing in a gold-hued sequinned gown while clutching the new product. The actress also showed off a velvet black top edged with gold baubles in another image.

In the original 2023 campaign, Shahidi appeared alongside Spanish actress Lola Rodriquez, South African catwalk star Thando Hopa, US actress and model Tess McMillan, Lagos-born model Janet Jumbo and Brazilian runway model Ana Elisa de Brito.  

The “Grown-ish” star was also included in the casting decisions and creative aspects of the launch, which aimed to celebrate women. 

“Actress, model, activist, social justice advocate and feminist, she was one of Time Magazines’ Most Influential Teens of 2016. Harvard graduate and creator of Eighteen x 18, a platform to encourage young US people to vote, Yara Shahidi has many different faces,” the brand wrote in a statement at the time.

The collaboration came after Shahidi was spotted wearing a custom-made, bronzed look by Jean Paul Gaultier at the 2023 Met Gala.

 Shahidi is also a global ambassador for the Dior’s fashion and beauty lines and was named among National Geographic’s list of 33 “visionaries, creators, icons, and adventurers” from across the globe earlier this year.

Part-Middle Eastern star Shahidi, whose father is Iranian, was named on the list in the “Creators” subsection that celebrates “out-of-the-box thinkers developing innovative solutions.”

The “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” actress was highlighted due to her podcast “The Optimist Project.”

Shahidi, 25, launched the podcast to explore how to live a more fulfilling life with various special guests hosted on each episode.

Shahidi, a Harvard graduate, says she was inspired by the dynamic conversations she has with members of her diverse family. 

 


Filmmakers urge Venice Film Festival to take stand on Gaza

Updated 24 August 2025
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Filmmakers urge Venice Film Festival to take stand on Gaza

DUBAI: Hundreds of filmmakers and cultural figures have rallied behind an open letter demanding the Venice Film Festival break its silence on Gaza, calling on it to take a “clear and unambiguous stand” against what they denounce as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The appeal, organized under the banner of Venice4Palestine, was sent to the Venice film festival umbrella organization, the Biennale di Venezia, on Friday.

In the letter, the group accuses the Israeli government and military of carrying out genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing across Palestine. It urges the festival to avoid becoming “a sad and empty showcase” by providing instead “a place of dialogue, active participation and resistance, as it has been in the past.”

Signatories include British filmmaker Ken Loach, Italian actor Toni Servillo (star of 2025 Venice opener, “La Grazia” from Paolo Sorrentino), Italian actress and director siblings Alba and Alice Rohrwacher, actress Jasmine Trinca, French directors Celine Sciamma and Audrey Diwan, British actor Charles Dance, and Palestinian directorial duo Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, who won best director in Cannes Un Certain Regard this year for their latest film, “Once Upon A Time In Gaza.”

The letter references the deaths of nearly 250 Palestinian media workers since the start of the conflict and stresses that cultural institutions cannot remain detached.

“As the spotlight turns on the Venice Film Festival, we’re in danger of going through yet another major event that remains indifferent to this human, civil, and political tragedy,” it reads. “‘The show must go on,’ we are told, as we’re urged to look away — as if the ‘film world’ had nothing to do with the ‘real world.’

“For once, the show must stop. We must interrupt the flow of indifference and open a path to awareness.” It concludes: “There is no cinema without humanity.”

In response, the Biennale said the festival “has always been, throughout their history, places of open discussion and sensitivity to all the most pressing issues facing society and the world.”

It pointed to works in the lineup such as “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s competition entry about the killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza in 2024.


Bands pull out of UK festival following Palestinian flag controversy

Updated 24 August 2025
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Bands pull out of UK festival following Palestinian flag controversy

  • Incident sparks wave of boycotts from other performers

LONDON: Several bands withdrew from a British festival on Saturday following claims that Irish folk group The Mary Wallopers had their set cut short for displaying a Palestinian flag.

The incident sparked a wave of boycotts from other performers in solidarity, it was reported on Sunday.

The Last Dinner Party, Cliffords, and The Academic announced that they would no longer perform at the annual Victorious Festival in Portsmouth, citing concerns over political censorship.

Rock band The Last Dinner Party described the incident as “outrageous” and said they could not condone silencing artists.

“As Gazans are deliberately plunged into catastrophic famine after two years of escalating violence, it is urgent and obvious that artists use their platform to draw attention to the cause,” the band said in a statement shared on Instagram.

They urged fans to support Palestinian medical charities and apologized to those hoping to see them perform.

The Mary Wallopers claimed the festival released a “misleading statement” by suggesting their set was cut due to a discriminatory chant, rather than the band’s call to “Free Palestine.”

They released video footage showing a crew member removing the flag from the stage before the sound was cut.

“The same crew member is later heard saying ‘You aren’t playing until the flag is removed’,” the band added.

The Academic said they could not “in good conscience” perform at a festival that silenced free speech, while Cliffords said they “refuse to play if we are to be censored for showing our support to the people of Palestine.”

Festival organizers initially said The Mary Wallopers’ microphones were turned off after displaying the flag, citing a long-standing policy against flags for safety and event management reasons.

They said: “We spoke to the artist before the performance regarding the festival’s long-standing policy of not allowing flags of any kind at the event, but (we said) that we respect their right to express their views during the show.”

They acknowledged, however, that the policy was not communicated sensitively and apologized for the way the situation was handled.

They added: “The Mary Wallopers are a fantastic band, and we were very much looking forward to their performance on Friday.

“We are in the business of putting on great shows, not cutting them off, and this is the last thing we wanted — for the band, their fans and ourselves.”

Organizers also pledged to make a “substantial donation” to humanitarian relief efforts for Palestinians.

The festival’s closing day on Sunday was set to feature Kings of Leon, with Bloc Party, Gabrielle, and The Reytons among the other acts scheduled to perform.


Annemarie Jacir’s ‘Palestine 36’ chosen as Oscar submission

Updated 23 August 2025
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Annemarie Jacir’s ‘Palestine 36’ chosen as Oscar submission

  • Film received partial funding from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, Qatar-based Katara Studios

DUBAI: Palestinian filmmaker and writer Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” has been selected as Palestine’s official submission for the Oscars’ international feature film category.

Set in 1930s Palestine, the drama explores the lives of individuals during the uprising against British colonial rule. Against a backdrop of sweeping change, the film delves into themes of identity, resistance and transformation.

The story follows Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), a young man caught between his rural village and the rapidly changing city of Jerusalem; Afra (Wardi Eilabouni), a girl navigating an uncertain world with the guidance of her grandmother (Hiam Abbass); and a port worker (Saleh Bakri), who finds himself drawn into an emerging uprising. A British official, portrayed by Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, attempts to maintain order as tensions rise.

The cast also features “Game of Thrones” star Liam Cunningham, Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, and Palestinian talents Yasmine Al-Massri and Kamel El-Basha.

“Palestine 36” was selected as Palestine’s Oscar entry by an independent committee of Palestinian film professionals in a move officially confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.

The film received partial funding from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, and Qatar-based Katara Studios. Watermelon Pictures has acquired distribution rights to the film.

Featuring rare archival footage of 1930s Palestine, “Palestine 36” is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 5, where it will become the first Arab film to screen in the festival’s prestigious Gala section.

Jacir, who has been working on “Palestine 36” since before the pandemic, is known for her focus on Palestinian narratives. Her previous films include “Salt of This Sea” (2008), “When I Saw You” (2012), and “Wajib” (2017), all of which received critical acclaim and represented Palestine at the Academy Awards. “Palestine 36” is her fourth film to be submitted by Palestine for Oscar consideration.

It is the 18th film to be submitted by Palestine since it began participating in the international feature category. To date, the country has received two nominations in the category, both for films directed by Hany Abu-Assad: “Paradise Now” in 2006 and “Omar” in 2014.

The Oscars’ international feature shortlist will be announced on Dec. 16, with final nominations revealed on Jan. 22.


Artist Salma Dib channels resistance and street energy in ‘No Trespassing’

Updated 23 August 2025
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Artist Salma Dib channels resistance and street energy in ‘No Trespassing’

DUBAI: Palestinian artist Salma Dib is among six creatives featured in “No Trespassing,” the summer exhibition at Dubai’s Ishara Art Foundation. 

Running until Aug. 30, the show brings the raw energy of street art into a gallery space, inviting artists to explore physical, political and personal boundaries through their work.

“It’s very exciting for me,” Dib told Arab News. “I’ve always enjoyed Ishara’s programming and the way they completely transformed the space each time. This show is extra special for me as an artist because I got to be part of this transformation alongside all the other great artists in the show working inside the space the whole time.”

Salma Dib is among six creatives featured in “No Trespassing.” (Supplied)

Dib created a large-scale, distressed wall installation layered with paint, Arabic text and marks that resemble remnants of protest posters. 

“My work comes from observing how people reclaim or protect their place, their voices and their right to self-expression, especially in places under political tension,” she explained. “The walls I create are covered in posters, graffiti and writing that demand to be seen.”

Her walls are built from worn materials, archival posters and layers of graffiti-like marks. “I always stress I’m not trying to emulate the streets, but borrowing from its energy and delivering the urgency, the messiness and the fear that comes from needing your voice to be heard amid the chaos.”

Dib’s process is driven by both improvization and political memory. “I was born in what to this day is still considered a refugee camp,” she said. “Making art became my way of holding onto those fragments, of piecing together something that felt like home.”

Ultimately, she hopes visitors leave with one message: “To understand that every mark is part of an ongoing conversation … that carries the voices of a community that insists on existing and being heard.”