The masterclass element of Gourmet Abu Dhabi kicked off this morning, with the Emirati chef Khulood Atiq launching her cookbook Sarareed. She was clearly thrilled and immensely proud, both to be there and to be introducing Sarareed. Atiq cooked two traditional recipes from her book, the first of which was tahta maleh, a dish which members of her family have been cooking for over fifty years. She explained that while the flavours are characteristically Emirati - thanks to the use of fragrant spices and sour pickles - the preparation is similar to that of an Indian biryani. You can either salt and cure the fish yourself (a lengthy process that would take around 2-3 months), buy it ready cured from the fish market or use an alternative, such as tinned tuna. Note, what is written below is my interpretation of the recipe from watching Atiq prepare the dish; the text will differ in Sarareed Tahta maleh Serves 4 1kg basmati rice, soaked 5 black peppercorns 2 cinnamon sticks 3 cardamon pods 2 tbsp ghee 3 tbsp vegetable oil 3 onions, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 2 green chill peppers (or to taste), chopped 2 tomatoes, quartered 4 loumi (dried lime), peeled and chopped 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cumin power 1/2 tsp saffron 1kg al maleh (salted fish) 1/2 tsp turmeric Cook the soaked rice in boiling water with the black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cardamon seeds and a tablespoon of ghee, until the rice is three quarters cooked. Drain and set aside, adding another tablespoon of ghee to prevent the rice from sticking together. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan, add the finely chopped onions, garlic and the chillies and cook over a medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, the loumi, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, saffron and approximately 50ml water. Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the pieces of al maleh to the pan, stirring gently to avoid breaking the fish into pieces. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over a medium, add the turmeric and saute for a minute or so. Set aside. Heat a final tablespoon of oil in large casserole dish, add half the rice to the pan and spread out over the base. Add the fish mixture and finish with a final layer of rice. Pour over the turmeric and oil mixture, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes more, until the rice is fluffy. Serve hot with a side of pickles or salad.