DEEP DISH Name: Faridah Bakhtiar Restaurant: Anaar Catering Title: Owner and Manager What do you like most about Kuwait? First, Kuwait gave me my wonderful beautiful family, then taught me patience and endurance, and I love the sea and tranquility. Where is your favorite place to shop for food and ingredients in Kuwait? Souq Al Mubarakia is a favorite of mine but to maintain authenticity of the food I prepare, many ingredients are imported. What is the one ingredient in food that you think makes all the difference to the taste of the whole dish? I guess the first thing that comes to the mind is LOVE. I think the state of relaxation and joy that you are in while cooking, is very important. What food most reminds you of your mother’s house, and why? My mother is a great cook and rice is part of the main meal. In my native land known as Bakhtiari region we have our own special dishes. A dish called Dampokht Morgh. Dampokht means you cook the rice in its water and Morgh is chicken. I can smell the cumin, chicken and rice cooked together, and now I am getting hungry. What do you do to relax in Kuwait? Walking by the sea and gardening at our chalet. If you were to leave Kuwait and could take only one memento with you, what would it be? It is hard to choose one memento, but for sure it will be the time I spend with my family. Who in the world would you most like to meet, and if they came to your house for dinner, what would you serve them? I would like to invite Jamie Oliver, he is a very natural person and I would serve him Chelo Kabab, Ghormeh sabzi and Torshi (pickle). I’d love to see his reaction and get his opinion. What experience most defined your decision and desire to get in to the food industry? The fact that my mother is a great cook influenced me. We all love food and like to try new dishes. A meal gathers people, and although it is about delivering food to my customers, I care more about nourishing, caring and serving people. 36
If there was one meal you could eat every day without consequences, what would it be? Honestly, it would be Persian food, not because I myself have a Persian catering business, but because I love rice and dishes like Shirine Polo, Bagali Polo, Chelo Kabab, and Chelo with Gheymeh Badenjan. Whenever we travel, after a few days you will usually find me in Persian, Indian or Chinese restaurants to have rice.