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RIYADH: Jeddah-born chef Rayan Al-Ayesh is the development chef at the Modern Food Company, which currently has nine brands operating in the Kingdom. He works in MFC’s Japanese sector — covering the grill restaurant Robata, Myazu, and Kayzo by Myazu — and was responsible for developing the menu and operations for the latter.  

While he’s currently specializing in Japanese cuisine, Al-Ayesh says he loves all kinds of food. “I can’t be biased towards one cuisine. Although I would say that I lean more toward the gourmet kind of comfort foods, and I guess that applies more to Italian cuisine,” he tells Arab News. “Not that other cuisines don’t have that, but, for some reason, the Italians kind of mastered the art of simplicity and letting the ingredients just speak for their themselves in a minimalistic way. It gives me the sense of home-cooked meals, and family gatherings, heartily cooked with love and passion.” 

Here, Al-Ayesh discusses the importance of preparation, the necessity of thermometers, and the challenge of rice, and provides a recipe for veal al limone, which he describes as “quite the people pleaser.” 

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

A: Not preparing properly. It’s a very basic thing, but it’s so important. In my early days I’d just start cooking, and suddenly, ‘Oh, I need this!’ And then you have to keep things on the fire and go prepare something else. Then you get back and it’s already overcooked. Whenever you decide to cook, you need to visualize what you need to do, and prepare everything before you start. The French call it ‘mise en place.’ You have all your ingredients set aside, whether chopped, measured, processed or whatever. It’s really important that you don’t need to prepare anything once you’re into the production stage. 

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?  

Honestly, I can’t stress enough the importance of having a thermometer in the kitchen. It’s so unpleasant when overcook something. It’s also really useful to have an oven thermometer, because sometimes ovens at home aren’t reliable. It gives you an accurate read on the internal temperature, not the one you see on the digital screen outside.  

What one ingredient can instantly prove any dish?  

I actually have two. The one that’s always been with me throughout my career is butter. Finishing off any dish with butter always elevates the flavors. Another one is kimchi. It gives that umami kick — much more depth of flavor.  

What’s the most common mistake that you find in other restaurants?  

This business is very tough, very challenging. You’ll see people investing in terms of location, atmosphere, decor, everything… until it comes to the food. It’s heartbreaking when the food doesn’t match up to a magnificent location. That’s usually because of the pressure to start generating cash quickly, and that’s when some shortcuts come into play. You know, you always have just one first impression. If you don’t give enough attention to that, it really (affects) your reputation. 

What’s your favorite dish to cook? 

Well, I would say one of my favorite things to do is barbecue nights with my family. During COVID lockdowns, quarantined at our beach house, I’d stand by the barbeque station and happily accommodate my family’s preferences. My dad loves his own T-Bone steak or ribeye. My mom loves her fillet tenderloins. My sister would enjoy the grilled prawns, so we could all get together and start marinating and preparing and have all these different crazy ideas.

What’s the most challenging dish for you?  

It’s a bit of a funny one, but I always had issues with cooking rice. The ratio of rice to water has to be scientifically calculated and measured just right. You can’t just do it by eye. I always used to try to avoid it. But thankfully, with practice, I’ve been able to kind of master it. 

Chef Rayan’s veal al limone 

INGREDIENTS: 

Half a cup of flour; salt and pepper to taste; 3tbsp vegetable oil; 8 pieces (60g each) veal tenderloin, pounded flat; 100g shallots (minced); 25g garlic (minced); 1 lemon (juiced); 400ml chicken stock; 2tbsp capers; 1tbsp butter; 3tbsp parsley 

INSTRUCTIONS:  

1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate or shallow baking dish. 

2. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat for two minutes so the pan is nice and hot. Then add the oil and heat for another 30 seconds. 

3. Coat both sides of the veal cutlets in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour. 

4. Fry the veal in batches – don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. 

5. Set the cooked veal aside, covered in foil (you can also place them in a very low temperature oven).  

6. Discard the oil and, in the same pan, place the butter, onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown (around 1-2 minutes).  

7. Add the lemon juice and capers to the pan. Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan too (they add flavor).  

8. Once the lemon juice has evaporated, add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 5 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by half.  

9. Swirl in the some butter and chopped parsley right at the end. 

10. Add more salt and lemon juice if needed. 

11. Plate two cutlets per person, garnished with lemon slices. Sauce generously and serve immediately. Enjoy.