Getting to Know Chef Faisal

Getting to Know CHEF FAISAL AL DELEIGAN

Meet Served Magazine’s latest contributor.

Faisal Al Deleigan is a Banker, a worldrenowned Chef, consultant, and a humanitarian soul at heart.

“Listen to your instinct and follow your heart”. This is the mantra of Chef Faisal who believes in following your passions. Faisal courageously left a highly paid job and gave up a successful, 10-year banking career to follow his passion for cooking. This love for food paved his way to becoming a successful culinary expert and consultant.

Faisal is now a world-renowned Chef and runs a highly successful F&B business: Chef Faisal Consultancy in Saudi Arabia. For the past 12 years he has mentored and tutored business owners of restaurants across; fast food, casual and fine dining sectors in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

What is your fondest food memory?

My fondest food memory harks back to my childhood when I was just 10 years old. We were lucky enough to only ever eat home-cooked food back then. I was with my neighbour one day and decided to explore the area around us, and this shawarma roll caught my eye for the first time. The sight of it made my mouth water. I had no money to buy one and was too scared to have to ask my parents, so I saved up my school lunch money until one day I had enough to buy a sandwich. It was the greatest experience tasting something new and exploring food like that.

What was your childhood kitchen like, and who did the cooking?

Our kitchen was very modest, consisting of only one thin counter, a small range cooker and a tiny fridge. My mum did all the cooking back then, and she took great pride in it. Mum absolutely adores cooking for her family; she has always cooked with love, and I was brought up to do the same. So, while the kitchen itself was small, our passion for food was immense!

Who inspires you most?

I am inspired by lots of people but none more so than my family (my wife and two kids). Everything I do is for them; they inspire me in every step I take, and they’ve always kept me going when things have been tough.

What are the pillars of Saudi Arabian cuisine, and how do they show up (if at all) in your cooking today?

The main characteristic of Saudi food is slow cooking, and there is no doubt that this is often a feature of my dishes. Another essential aspect of Saudi cuisine is the notion that rich in flavour doesn’t mean having loads of ingredients, rather that it is rich in taste. I would like to think that this is also reflected in my cooking!

What’s your current favourite meal to eat out? And where?

Lately I have been getting into the Slow Food movement, so rather than eating out, my focus is to simply associate the pleasure of food with a commitment to my community and the environment.

Can you pick one must-have ingredients?

If you’d have asked me this question years ago, I would have said my ‘must-have’ was butter or meat, and my opinion used to alternate between the two. However, with all the experience I’ve accumulated over recent years, I can say with all certainty that it’s salt.

How would you describe your unique style in 3 words?

Creative, balanced and sophisticated (yet simple). Sorry, it’s hard to describe my style in three words!

What’s your signature dish?

They say I am a salad master, so I would probably say that salad is my signature dish. I enjoy bringing out the pizzazz of an impressive and special dish just using simple ingredients.

What’s your guilty food pleasure?

I love a great juicy burger, but it certainly does leave me feeling somewhat guilty.

Can you share some top tips or kitchen hacks? (For example for food waste management or time-saving in the kitchen)

I don’t really have any hacks, but certainly the biggest tip I can give you is that food preparation and having an organised kitchen are key to saving lots of time in the kitchen. Prep may seem like a dull part of cooking, but if you plan well you will be more relaxed as you cook, you will enjoy the process and the end result will likely be tastier!

What words of advice would you give to your past self as a banker considering the career change?

I would tell my past self, ‘Keep going, you’re doing well.’ I do not regret any of my steps in life, even the failures, as all these steps helped to shape me into who I am now. I have learned a lot from all my past experiences, and I think they have made me a more rounded person. There is always more to learn, though, and I’m looking forward to new experiences and challenges in the future.

What are your career ambitions?

To be one of the best consultants in the world in my field.

Beet Soup

Serves 2 Prep Time 20 mins Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups beetroot 3 tbsp olive oil 1/8 tsp sea salt 1/8 tsp black pepper

For Soup:

3 tbsp butter 4 tbsp white onion 3/4 cup carrots 1 cup tomatoes 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp sweet paprika powder 1 1/2 cup roasted beetroot 750ml vegetable stock

For vegetable stock: 7 cups water 1 cup brown mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup white onion, sliced 1/2 cup fresh parsley 1/2 cup fresh coriander 4 cinnamon sticks 4 tsp whole black pepper 4 pcs bay leaves 10 pcs cloves 4 pcs dry black lemon

Per Serving: 3 1/2 cups beetroot soup 2 tbsp cooking cream 1/2 tsp sumac powder Dried flower petal pieces

Instructions: Roasting the Beetroot

Peel the beetroot and cut into one-inch chunks. Mix with oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap in aluminium foil, place on an oven tray and roast in a preheated oven for 50 minutes at 350°F (180°C. (NOTE - you can roast the beetroot directly on the oven tray, but the tin foil makes clean-up easier, and the steam is held inside and helps to cook the beetroot.

Vegetable stock

Combine all the ingredients in a soup kettle or large boiling pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Then, strain through a fine mesh or cheese cloth and store the liquid in the fridge for use as a vegetable stock.

Making the soup

Chop the onion, carrot and tomatoes into chunks. In a saucepan add the butter, carrots, onion, and roasted beetroot and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, tomato and all the spices. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend for 2 minutes until smooth.

Plating & serving

Pour the blended soup into soup bowls. Garnish with dried flower petals, cooking cream, and a pinch of sumac.

Steak with Berry Sauce

Serve: 2 Prep time: 15min Cooking time: 30min

Ingredients for the berries red wine sauce: 240ml water 40g sugar 1/4 tsp black pepper powder 30ml lemon juice 140g frozen raspberries and blueberries 1/4 tsp sea salt 120ml red wine

Beef tenderloin marinade: 260g beef tenderloin 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp black pepper powder 1/4 tsp rosemary powder 80ml olive oil

Mashed potato: 140g boiled potato 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp white pepper powder 40ml cooking cream

Serving: 160g mashed potato 2 pc grilled beef tenderloin 200ml red wine sauce 6 pcs micro edible flower 4g fried spring onion 4 pcs microgreen

Instructions:

Berries and red wine sauce:

In a saucepan add all the ingredients except the mixed berries. Cook for 8 minutes on medium heat then add the berries and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.

Beef tenderloin marinade:

In a bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix well with the beef.

Mashed potato:

Boil the potato for 15 minutes and remove the skin, mash well in a saucepan, add all ingredients, and cook on a low heat until smooth.

Frying:

Cut the spring onion into julienne shape and fry in a preheated fryer at 160°C for 30 seconds.

Beef tenderloin cooking:

On a preheated griller, grill the beef tenderloin on both sides for 6 minutes with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Serving:

Place the beef on a plate. Alongside, place the mashed potato, then drizzle the berries and red wine sauce on top. Finally, garnish with the fried spring onion and edible flowers.

Chicken Strips With Buffalo Chocolate Sauce

Serves 2 Prep 30 mins Cooking 20 mins

Buffalo chocolate sauce:

120ml milk 80ml corn syrup 140g dark chocolate 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp sea salt 40ml Franks red hot wing sauce

Chicken marinade:

300g chicken breast 1/4 tsp oregano powder 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 black pepper powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Flour mix:

200g All-purpose flour 6g sea salt 2g black pepper powder 2 tsp sweet paprika powder 30g corn flour

Batter for chicken:

500ml water with ice 10ml soda water 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp black pepper powder 1/4 tsp onion powder

By Chef Faisal Al Deleigan

Instructions:

For the buffalo chocolate:

In a saucepan, add all of the ingredients for the Buffalo chocolate sauce except for the chocolate and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the dark chocolate, then mix well.

For the chicken marinade:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well to marinate the chicken for frying.

For chicken batter:

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk well.

For the chicken strips:

Take a piece of marinated chicken, dust with the flour mix. Then dip in the batter and keep for 30 seconds. Dust with the flour mix once again.

For frying:

In a preheated fryer 160°C, deep fry the chicken strips for 5 minutes.

Serving

On a wooden board or serving plate, lay the chicken strips, and drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top.

"LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCT AND FOLLOW YOUR HEART"

– Chef Faisal Al Deleigan