RIYADH: The only thing sparkling brighter than the stars on the red carpet and performers on stage were the dresses on the runway as Lebanese icon Elie Saab put on a spectacle on Wednesday night in Riyadh with Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Halle Berry hitting the stage in addition to a runway show of his creations.

In celebration of 45 years of Elie Saab, the show displayed 300 designs under the theme “1001 Seasons of Elie Saab,” an homage to the 1001 nights collection of Middle Eastern folktales.

Former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld styled all the looks for the runway.

Guests were given a surprise when stars Lopez, Camila Cabello, Nancy Ajram, Amr Diab, and the legendary Celine Dion took to the stage in celebration of Elie Saab.

Opening the show was none other than Hollywood actress Berry wearing the same Elie Saab gown she wore when she won her first Oscar in 2002, making her the first Black woman to win the award for Best Actress.

Prior to the show, Berry was seen on the red carpet talking about how this was her first time meeting Saab in person, “That was the highlight of this trip for me to finally meet this man who I have been inextricably connected to for 22 years, and to give him a hug and tell him thank you.”

Celebrity stylist Law Roach, known for styling Hollywood A-listers like Zendaya, Anya Taylor Joy, Bella Hadid, and Celine Dion, talked to Arab News about Elie Saab’s ability to transcend eras.

“Elie Saab is one of the few couturiers whose clothes can be passed down to generations and generations and be reinterpreted.”

“Maybe someone got married in it (a dress), and maybe generations down the granddaughter of someone gets married in the same dress, it has that possibility of just being timeless and forever,” he said.

The spectacle began with a performance by Lopez, a frequent wearer of Saab’s creations. The first designs exhibited an array of black-and-white dresses adorned in classic crystals, a signature touch in most of his designs.

Next up was “an ode to the female figure”, where dresses in different shades of pink and green were lit up on stage with the help of singer-songwriter Camila Cabello. This section of the show featured what looked like a garden theme, detailing the beauty of the natural world as it interconnects with the beauty of women.

The tale continued into a silver and blue chapter, where the audience was given a touch of Arab culture with Lebanese singing icon Nancy Ajram, a nod to Elie Saab’s Lebanese heritage as well, followed by Egyptian star Amr Diab.

“Elie Saab, the name introduces itself. When we say Elie Saab we say elegance… when I wear Elie Saab I look at myself in the mirror more often and find myself more beautiful,” Ajram stated before her performance.

“I am also happy that a Lebanese creative deserves to be honored, is very successful, and we all see ourselves in him.”

The show concluded with a showcase by Dion, who gave an emotional and empowering performance that had the entire audience on their feet.

“Being here (in Riyadh) for the first time is kind of a dream come true,” Dion said.

“His (Elie Saab’s) generosity, his talent, he has been singing with me because I have been wearing his dresses, his talent, for many, many, years.”

Elie Saab Jr., CEO of Elie Saab, said: “We have been thinking a lot about how to create an international event in high fashion in the heart of Riyadh. And I believe it is a one of a kind event, not just for Riyadh, but for the whole world and the whole fashion industry.”

The evening was attended by more than 1,000 guests, including Egyptian actress Youssra; Italian star Monica Bellucci; British models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Poppy Delevingne  and Jourdan Dunn, supermodels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and Helena Christensen, and Arab actresses Nadine Njeim, Cyrine Abdel Nour, and Tara Emad.

Mustafa Sammak, COO of Ohana Development, which collaborated with Elie Saab on the Waterfront Tower in Abu Dhabi, told Arab News at the event that the showcase “powerfully reflects Middle Eastern artistry and heritage, drawing global attention to the region’s luxury landscape and creative depth. It reminds us that design — whether in fashion or real estate — has the ability to tell stories and bridge cultures.”

DUBAI: Celebrity chef, painter and actor Ranveer Brar was born in Lucknow, northern India, and fell in love with cooking at a very young age. While accompanying his grandfather to the local gurudwara (Sikh place of worship), he remembers sneaking into the community kitchen — known as a langar — excited by all the activity there. 

“A few years later, when I was a pre-teen, the priest called me aside and asked me to prepare the rice dish, as his wife was unwell that day. I had no list of ingredients, nor the recipe, but, recalling what I’d observed, I prepared the dish and it turned out quite well. That was my first experience of instant gratification with food,” Brar tells Arab News. “After my debut at the gurudwara, my next attempt at cooking was when my mother fell ill and I made rajma — again, without any recipe, I just made it from my memory of watching my mother make it. I overheard my dad complimenting the attempt and, at that moment, I realized that food was my calling.” 

Brar opened his first restaurant in the Gulf in Dubai late last year.  

“Kashkan means ‘From Kashmir to Kanyakumari,’” he says. “The UAE, and Dubai in particular, seemed like the perfect venue because it is a melting pot of both cultures and cuisines, so what better place to celebrate Kashkan’s melange of flavours?”  

Here, Brar discusses his favorite ingredient, the toughest dish to perfect, and advice for amateurs. 

When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?  

Trying to do too much and over-express myself. As a result, I was losing myself — the idea I was trying to express was getting lost. With age I understood that not everything one knows needs to be expressed in a single dish. Wisdom lies in choosing the right moment for the right expression.  

What’s your top tip for amateurs? 

Stick to the basics. If you get the fundamentals right, you can rarely go wrong with cooking. They can then become the basis for innovation as one evolves. 

What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish? 

That would be coriander for me, adding a lot of freshness. From the stalks to the leaves, every element of the herb is fascinating. Also olive oil, which adds richness. 

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

I don’t really. I view food as food. The reason I am who I am is because food has always made me happy, so I don’t want to take that role away from food in my life. When eating out, I try to feel, understand and appreciate the intent of the person who’s cooking. But when it’s my cooking, I tend to be quite harsh and critical of myself, because every time you cook, it’s an opportunity to improve yourself. 

What’s your favorite cuisine? 

It’s usually the local food of the place I am travelling to. Also, the simpler the restaurant, the more likely I am to end up there. I believe the essence of good food is its simplicity. What better than street food and age-old places to understand the true culture and cuisine of any place? 

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home? 

Has to be khichdi. It’s the perfect one-pot meal that has everything your appetite needs. Add in vegetables and you get a good proportion of all nutrients on your plate. And don’t forget the ghee! 

What customer request most annoys you? 

Strangely, it’s when they ask for salt! Salt is such an important element of any dish. A little too much salt can subdue other flavors and too little can fail to elevate them. I feel it’s the chef’s judgment of the amount of salt that allows us to experience the dish as intended. So when customers ask for salt it disappoints me, because the true nature of the dish might get spoiled. 

What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?    

My special chicken curry. Be it family or friends, I always get asked for that. It’s now a signature dish at Kashkan too.   

What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right? 

Biryani is something I would love to keep perfecting. You have to cook many layers of rice at the same time, giving it minimum water, minimum heat over a long period of time, with every grain of rice being the same, every layer of flavor equally coating the rice. I think biryani is the perfect test for anyone who is a student of Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat. 

As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back? 

I used to be a disciplinarian believing that cooking was all about control; the heat, environment, ingredients and cooking itself. Now I’m more relaxed; it’s more collaborative, it’s more about letting the team express themselves and my role is to guide them through that expression.  

RECIPE: SAAG MEAT 

Preparation time: 10 minutes  

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes  

Serves 2-4 

INGREDIENTS: 

For the marination:  

4 medium Onions, sliced 

¼ cup fresh Fenugreek leaves 

¾ cup Curd, beaten 

Salt to taste 

½ tsp Turmeric powder 

½ tsp Degi red chili powder 

½ tsp Coriander powder 

1 kg Mutton (with bones)  

½  tbsp Ginger Garlic paste 

For the mutton:  

3-4 tbsp Oil 

3 Bay leaf 

2 Black cardamom 

2 Cloves 

¼ tsp Cumin seeds 

Marinated Mutton 

Salt to taste 

few fresh Fenugreek leaves 

Little water 

For the saag meat: 

1 tbsp Oil 

1 tbsp Ghee 

1 inch Ginger (peeled & chopped) 

4-5 Garlic cloves, chopped 

2 medium Onions, chopped 

2-3 Green chillies 

2 Dry red chillies 

2-3 medium bunch fresh Spinach leaves, chopped 

¼ cup Amaranth (Bathua)  

Salt to taste 

Little water 

1 tbsp Butter, cubed 

Pressure Cooked Mutton 

½ tbsp unsalted Butter or white butter, cubed (optional) 

½ tsp Mustard oil 

For garnish:  

Coriander sprig 

INSTRUCTIONS 

For marination:  

In a bowl, add onions, fresh fenugreek leaves, curd, salt to taste, turmeric powder, deg red chili powder, coriander powder, mutton, ginger garlic paste and mix it well. 

Keep it aside for further use. 

For the mutton: 

In a pressure cooker, add oil, once it's hot, add bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds and let it splutter. 

Add marinated mutton and saute it for 6-7 minutes. Add salt to taste and cook for a while. 

Add a few fenugreek leaves and mix well. Add water, close the lid and cook it for 5-6 whistles or until the mutton is tender. 

Keep it aside for further use. 

For the saag meat: 

In a kadai (Indian wok), add oil, ghee, once it's hot, ginger, garlic, onion, green chillies and saute for a minute. 

Add dry red chillies and saute well. Add spinach, amaranth leaves, salt to taste, water and saute well.  

Add butter, close the lid and cook it for 3-4 minutes. 

Add cooked mutton and let it simmer for a while. 

To finish, add unsalted butter or white butter, mustard oil and stir it well. 

Transfer it to a serving dish and  garnish it with coriander sprig. 

Serve hot with roti.