Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, located in the heart of the ancient cultural district of Dubai, recently hosted the 9th Annual Biryani Muqabala, a live cooking competition sponsored by award winning Mumtaz Mahal Restaurant.
Naina Shakeb was declared top winner with her entry of Batair Biryani while Gurpreet Modi bagged the first prize for her entry Mummy Ke Haath Ki Biryani and Kanwal Javed received the second prize for her Prawn Tawa Biryani entry. The winning recipes will be featured as a Mumtaz Mahal Restaurant special menu and diners will have a chance to taste the delectable dish. A distinguished panel of judges comprising renowned food critic and writer Rakesh Puri, well-known blogger Ishita Saha and Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa’s Executive Chef Glen, monitored the cooking, sampled the dishes and selected the top three winners from the 10 selected candidates out of the total 65 entries gathered. The participants were each given a time limit to prepare the ingredients, cook the dish and present the meal on the table. The recipes were judged based on hygiene, cooking style and method, ingredients, taste and presentation.Habib Khan, General Manager, Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, said: “We are delighted to hold this extra ordinary event and warmly congratulate the participants and the winners of our Biryani Muqabla. The creativity and dedication observed while cooking speak for itself and you all are winners in terms of your hard work and concentration toward making these dishes.”The Biryani Muqabla was officially sponsored by 'Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa’, Swis Ros watches, Baskin Robins & Sterling Perfums.