Imad's Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus

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I didn’t know that… Early in his career, Andy Warhol illustrated etiquette expert Amy Vanderbilt’s cookbook (Claire named her book after a set of Warhol’s prints). Photography by Maren Caruso Alarnab’s testimony is split into nine sections interspersed within the different recipe chapters of the book. His writing throughout is frank, soulful and brimming with raw emotion. An entry midway through sees him reflecting on his relationship with his mother, who died in Syria less than two months after he arrived in the UK. Later on, he talks of the frustrations of Syrian refugees, who believe the plight of their countrymen have been forgotten by many in the West. And in a final message, he writes tenderly of needing more people to use their voice to call for greater support and protection for those displaced across the globe. Alarnab also adapted a few recipes to make them gluten-free or vegan. He says he enjoys the creativity that comes with making these kinds of adjustments. He also likes sampling other cultures’ dishes. Recipe to make: Pear and panjiri trifle – panjiri is a Punjabi dessert made from flour cooked in ghee, with sugar or jaggery, spices and ground nuts.

Unfortunately, since Mez made the 9-month journey, things have only got harder, and Josi has spent the last four years on this journey. Most of that time he has been trapped in Libya, trying to cross the Mediterranean sea to make it to the safety of Europe. He has attempted the sea crossing four times, been captured by the Libyan coastguard four times, thrown into Libyan smuggler prison and suffered the unimaginable horrors that come with that. Beatings, torture, modern day slavery, starvation and more. While his restaurant is booked solid every weekend for the next few months, Alarnab warns that the industry faces an uncertain future. “There is a huge demand from customers but a lot of places face very serious staff shortages – we had to hire a whole new team for this opening.”

Or, how about...?

Recipe I can’t wait to make: Kankankan cauliflower fritters with yogurt and mayo sauce (photograph: Yuki Sugiura). Food writer, photographer and supper club cook Uyen Luu has created a beautiful book that majors – as you’d hope – on the pleasurable combining of sweet, sour, hot, umami and bitter flavours. I didn’t know whether to make dumplings (and if so, tapioca with sweet lime sauce, or cabbage, tofu and kimchi first?) or throw myself at the mercy of the fried bánh canh noodles with purple sprouting broccoli. In the end, I made the lemongrass noodle soup and it was a bowl of happiness. Written with joy and zest, expect equally delicious helpings of the traditional and fresh takes. s a kitchen – it’s my kitchen – and this is my dining area. I love it that way,” Alarnab says. This is the first cookbook by Imad Alarnab, a renowned chef from Damascus. Imad now runs an acclaimed restaurant in London, which was named GQ’s “Best Breakthrough Restaurant 2022.” Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is a bustling tour through 90 traditional and adapted Syrian dishes that can be made in the comfort of your own home. Imad introduces us to the delicious flavors and techniques of the Syrian kitchen. And alongside delicious recipes, mouthwatering photography, and beautiful illustrations, Imad shares the unforgettable details of how he came to settle in London, as well as the story of his home country, Syria. This book is a celebration of how food has the power to bring people together. This episode is about my Eritrean foster brother Mez and his younger brother Josi. A few years after Mez left Eritrea to avoid compulsory military service, so too did his little brother Josi. Josi is two years younger than Mez and they grew up doing everything together. They wore the same clothes, liked all the same things and Mez described him as being his little shadow. So despite Mez’s warnings of how dangerous it was, it’s no wonder that when he also became of age to be called up to the military, Josi chose to follow in his older brothers footsteps and flee the dictatorship in which he lived, in the hope of joining his older brother here in the UK.

Su Scott’s intimate book shares the food and experience of a Korean mother living in Britain, and the relationship between her, her daughter and the food they eat. It’s engagingly written, and there’s much here about the importance of food and identity. The book is beautifully designed and photographed, and the recipes are a delight. Expect everything from innovative ferments (white cabbage and apple kimchi) to bold mains such as grilled clams with sweet doenjang (fermented soybean paste) vinaigrette.

A love letter from Damascus to London

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is divided into chapters which are interspersed with further details about Imad’s journey to the UK as well as information about Syrian cuisine. Amidst the recipes are essays about his love of Damascus, his love for his wife and daughters, and a moving piece about his beloved mother who died shortly after he left Damascus.