Recipes for success: Saudi chef Mona Mosly discusses her VOX cinemas collab, the importance of being yourself

Chef Mona Mosly joined forces with VOX Cinemas in Riyadh and Jeddah to curate an expanded menu that features more than 20 dishes. (Supplied)
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Updated 24 February 2023
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Recipes for success: Saudi chef Mona Mosly discusses her VOX cinemas collab, the importance of being yourself

DUBAI: Known for her creative take on classic favorites, Saudi chef Mona Mosly is one of the region’s most recognizable celebrity chefs, renowned for her creative takes on classic favorites.  

As well as being a judge on the Arabic-language version of talent show “Top Chef,” Mosly has extensive experience in culinary art, having trained professionally in Switzerland before attending the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu in London and subsequently honing her craft at restaurants across the Middle East. 

In January, Mosly joined forces with VOX Cinemas in Riyadh and Jeddah to curate an expanded menu that features more than 20 dishes, including kibbeh nachos and BBQ chicken bao, Armenian tabbouleh, dukka madani chicken burger, halva cookies with Syrian ice cream, Thai curry salmon and more.  




Greek Nachos. (Supplied)

“What I love about this is that (movies) bring people joy,” Mosly tells Arab News. “I believe that I can bring people joy with my food as well. And it’s all about happiness, right? So it’s a beautiful collaboration for me.” 

When VOX first reached out, Mosly says, her first thought was to create a menu of cinema food, “with an Arabic or Saudi twist.” 

She explains: “I believe that food has to be related to us. It could take us to a beautiful memory. It could remind us of flavors from our childhood and all that.”  




Armenian Tabbouleh. (Supplied)

One of her favorite dishes on the menu is the kibbeh nachos. “It’s basically kibbeh, but it looks like nachos. Instead of cheddar sauce, I used mohamara sauce, so it gives the same feeling,” she says. “I also love the fish and chips, because it has a very nice story behind it. I like food that can gather different cultures together.” 

Here, Mosly takes a trip down memory lane to when she first started her career, and offers advice for amateur chefs.  

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

 A: When I was working for Leylaty ballroom in Jeddah, I once burned 80 kilos of morels — one of the most expensive mushrooms. But after that, morel became my favorite ingredient. In kitchens — or any job where you work with your hands — if you don't make mistakes, you’ll never learn. 

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs? 

Be yourself. Food is all about who you are. You translate what you have within you to people.  




BBQ Beef Burger. (Supplied)

What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?  

Garlic. Or onion. They are the essence of food. 

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

After six years of ‘Top Chef,’ believe me, I don’t want to critique anything. I’m done critiquing. I go out to have fun. I’ve reached a place where I don’t want to critique, I just want to enjoy. 

What’s the most-common mistake you find restaurants making? 

What annoys me the most is when food doesn’t have a taste because the cook didn’t respect the ingredients. I don’t understand how you can end up cooking a dish that doesn’t taste of anything.   




Halva Cookies with Syrian Ice Cream. (Supplied)

When you go out to eat, what’s your favorite cuisine? 

It depends. My cheat meal will always be a burger. But if I want to give myself a treat, I'll go for sushi — or Japanese cuisine anyway. 

What customer behavior or request most annoys you? 

When people like something, they don’t try other stuff. I find that sad, rather than annoying. Why did you like the first thing that you tried? Because you tried it. That’s why you have to try other things too.  

What’s your favorite dish to cook and why? 

I do enjoy things like rolling warak enab (stuffed vine leaves) or stuff that takes time, because I’m a very fast person. I do everything very quickly. So, I like things that calm me down like baking. I like having to wait.  

As a head chef, what are you like in the kitchen? Are you laidback? Or a disciplinarian? 

I believe that when you are loved, appreciated and respected, you can do wonders. So, that’s what I try to give to the people I work with. Really, I like to dance, I like to sing, I like to enjoy being with my team. But when something goes wrong, something goes wrong. So, sometimes, I do have to shout. 

Chef Mona’s Calamari 

  • 1lb or 1/2kg squid rings and tentacles, thawed 
  • Buttermilk brine (300g cold buttermilk & 10g salt, stirred) 
  • 300g or 1 3/4c ap flour 
  • 100g or 3/4c cornstarch 
  • 6g or 2tsp baking powder 
  • 2-3g or 1ish tsp black pepper (finely ground) 
  • 2qt or 8c neutral oil (peanut, canola, etc) 
  • Few pinches of salt

Or 
100g flour 
100g semolina half soft half medium 

MARINARA / “RED SAUCE”

  • 800g or 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes 
  • 1/2g or 1tsp dried basil 
  • 1/2g or 1tsp dried oregano 
  • 1/2g or 1/2tsp dried chili flake 
  • 10g or 2 1/3tsp sugar 
  • 7g or 1 1/4tsp salt 
  • 50g or 3Tbsp tomato paste 
  • 25g or 2Tbsp (double glug) olive oil 
  • 15g or 2 cloves minced garlic 

CHIPOTLE RANCH SAUCE 

  • 125g or 1/2c mayo 
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced 
  • 5-10g or 1-2tsp hot sauce 
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo 
  • 15g or 1Tbsp lemon juice 
  • 50g or 1/2c sour cream 

TARTARE SAUCE 

  • 250g mayo 
  • 25g capers 
  • 25g gherkins
  • 25g onion 
  • 3g parsley 
  • 2g chives

‘Disney movies unite us,’ says Louaye Moulayess as he promotes ‘Moana 2’

Updated 24 November 2024
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‘Disney movies unite us,’ says Louaye Moulayess as he promotes ‘Moana 2’

DUBAI: From a young age, Lebanese animator Louaye Moulayess has loved Disney movies.

Speaking to Arab News about his latest project, “Moana 2,” which is released in cinemas in the Middle East on Nov. 28, Moulayess said diverse voice is what makes Disney storytelling so compelling.

From a young age, Lebanese animator Louaye Moulayess has loved Disney movies. (Supplied)

“We all grew up with different kinds of stories told to us, right? I grew up with specific Lebanese stories. For example, if I turned on the TV in Lebanon as compared to somebody in Lisbon, for example, we’re going to watch different things. Our sensibilities are going to be a bit different. Now we all have something in common, which is Disney movies,” he told Arab News.

At a time when his home country, Lebanon, is defending against Israeli attacks, US-based Moulayess finds comfort in his work and storytelling. “It all comes back to the stories my grandparents and parents told me,” he said, adding that Disney movies have always brought him hope.

“Moana 2,” set in ancient Polynesia, picks up three years after the events of the 2016 original. Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors and forms her own crew to travel the vast seas of Oceania, reuniting with her shapeshifting, magical friend, Maui (Dwayne Johnson).

“I loved the first movie. When I started working on ‘Moana 2,’ I felt like I already knew the characters very well. So, I knew Moana and I knew Maui … I knew how they moved, I knew what their personalities were. But, at the same time, they became somebody else three years after.

“So, the challenge was a bit different compared a new movie, where we would have had to figure out the characters and how they moved and how they behave. The challenge here was, I know this character, but this character has changed. How do we make it new and find the specificity of this new personality?” Moulayess said.

When asked what sparked his interest in animation, Moulayess pointed to Disney again. “I think the moment I made my decision was after watching ‘Lion King.’ Like the first sequence of the ‘Circle of Life,’ after that when everything goes black and you see the title of the movie. It really shocked me in the best way. I was like, ‘Who is this Walt Disney?’ I thought it was one person doing this back when I was a kid, because I saw the name Walt Disney. I was like, ‘It must be one person doing this.’ And I decided I’d do this one day. So, this is what triggered everything. And slowly, I just gravitated towards animation,” he said.

Now based in Burbank, California, Moulayess left Lebanon for the US as a young student.

“In Lebanon, when I graduated high school, I looked around for majors that had animation, but back then, there wasn’t anything available. Now there are a couple schools that offer animation majors.

“Back then, I knew I had to leave to make my studies, so I went to San Francisco and joined a school called Academy of Art University in San Francisco,” Moulayess said.

After four years of university, Moulayess landed himself an internship with Pixar Animation Studios. “I was very, very lucky that I did an internship there, where I worked on ‘Cars 2,’” he said.

From there, he moved on to Blue Sky Studios for “seven wonderful years,” working on the “Ice Age” films, “The Peanuts Movie” and “Ferdinand,” before making his way to Disney in 2019, working on “Frozen 2” before taking on “Raya and the Last Dragon.” 


Fans praise co-star as May Calamawy’s role is cut from ‘Gladiator II’

Updated 24 November 2024
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Fans praise co-star as May Calamawy’s role is cut from ‘Gladiator II’

DUBAI: Fans of Egyptian Palestinian “Moon Knight” actress May Calamawy have taken to social media to complain after almost all her scenes were cut from Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” while co-star Pedro Pascal seemed to wade into the online debate this week by sharing behind-the-scenes shots including the actress.

Pascal posted a series of photographs on Instagram taken on the film shoot in Morocco, including several snaps with Calamawy, after she was removed from all promotional material and largely removed from the film.

“Thank you for reminding people May Calamawy was in ‘Gladiator II.’ So sad how she’s been treated in this,” one user commented on his Instagram post.

The 38-year-old star played the dual role of Layla El-Faouly and Scarlet Scarab in Marvel series “Moon Knight” before being cast in the highly anticipated “Gladiator II,” a sequel to the Oscar-winning original released in 2000.

Her casting in the film was first announced in May 2023.

At the time, Deadline reported that Scott had cast Calamawy after a lengthy search, writing: “While many of the leading roles were straight offers, Scott wanted to do a similar search he did for the (Paul) Mescal part for the role that Calamawy ultimately landed.

“Given the importance of the character to the story, Scott wanted a thorough search, and following multiple auditions Calamawy landed the part,” Deadline added.

However, fans noticed that in the final cut, which hit cinemas last weekend, Calamawy is only seen in passing and she has no dialogue.

Scott has yet to comment on Calamawy’s removal from the two hour and 28-minute film, although her storyline may have not made it past the editing stage in order to trim the runtime.

Regardless, fans on social media are unhappy about the cuts.

“May Calamawy you will always be loved!!! They didn’t deserve you anyway,” one social media user wrote on X, while another posted: “You had May Calamawy … and you decided to cut her? This could’ve possibly been her breakout role!”

Calamawy also stars in upcoming crime mystery “The Actor,” alongside André Holland, Gemma Chan, Toby Jones and Tracey Ullman.


Pakistan’s Iram Parveen Bilal bags Best Director award for ‘Wakhri’ at Indian film festival

Updated 24 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Iram Parveen Bilal bags Best Director award for ‘Wakhri’ at Indian film festival

  • Wakhri, meaning one of a kind, is inspired by life of murdered Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch
  • Yellowstone International Film Festival is an Indian festival that showcases films from around the world

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal this week bagged the Best Director Feature Film award at the fifth Yellowstone International Film Festival, held in India’s New Delhi, for her film “Wakhri.”
Wakhri, meaning one of a kind in the Punjabi language, was inspired by the life of murdered Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch. The film’s plot revolves around the challenges faced by a widowed schoolteacher named Noor, who becomes a social media sensation overnight. 
Yellowstone International Film Festival is an Indian film festival that showcases films from around the world, providing a platform for filmmakers. With special categories such as women empowerment films, environmental films and student films, this year’s YIFF was held from Nov. 15-20 in New Delhi. 
“Thank you for the honor, [YIFF] jury and organizers,” Bilal wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “[Wakhri] shines brightest with its audiences. Deep gratitude to my entire team, cast and crew alike, for enhancing my vision every step of the way.”
Wakhri had its world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December 2023 before its release in Pakistan on Jan. 5 this year. 
Written by Bilal and Mehrub Moiz Awan, Wakhri has been produced by Abid Aziz Merchant, Apoorva Bakshi and Bilal’s Parveen Shah Productions.
The film stars prominent Pakistani actress Faryal Mehmood in the lead role, Gulshan Mated, Sajjad Gul, Salem Mairaj, Sohail Sameer, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Akbar Islam, Tooba Siddiqui, Behjat Nizami and Bushra Habib.


Bella Hadid guest stars on ‘Holland’s Next Top Model’ alongside her mother

Updated 23 November 2024
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Bella Hadid guest stars on ‘Holland’s Next Top Model’ alongside her mother

DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Bella Hadid shared a series of images from her experience as a guest judge on “Holland’s Next Top Model,” the reality series where her mother, Yolanda Hadid, serves as one of the judges.

The post features a carousel of photos and videos, including moments with her mother, the show’s judges and contestants, as well as behind-the-scenes shots from various photoshoots.

In the caption, the runway star expressed her excitement about her fragrance brand, Orebella, being featured on the episode, describing it as “a dream.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bella (@bellahadid)

She said: “Thank you @hollandsnexttopmodelnl for having me on as a guest judge! To have @orebella be shot, on a show so dear to my heart, in my most beautiful Holland, was a dream.”

Hadid also reflected on her admiration for her mother. “To watch my mama work and be a second mama to a new generation of young creative human beings is such a blessing to me! Things that my mom can teach, she wasn’t taught. It’s part of who she is,” she said. “Her talent, nurturing ability, maternal instincts, confidence in hard work and success, faith in people and love for fashion is what makes her so special, especially on a show like this. I am so proud of you, mama.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bella (@bellahadid)

The model described the transformative journey of the contestants on the show. “This was just an incredible experience to watch these young women and men push themselves but also grow to know themselves better than when they arrived,” she added. “I saw so much of myself in every one of them, and I am proud of each one for getting through a competition that I know for sure is mentally and physically exhausting.”

Hadid launched her brand in May with three fragrances: Salted Muse, Blooming Fire and Window2Soul.

In August, she expanded her collection with the launch of a new scent called Nightcap, described as a “warm and spicy” fragrance featuring notes of ginger, cardamom and vanilla.

For the launch, she hosted a party in West Hollywood, where she wore a dusty-pink gown with delicate embroidery and bow detail from Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad.


Part-Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair fronts Balmain’s Resort 2025 campaign

Updated 23 November 2024
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Part-Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair fronts Balmain’s Resort 2025 campaign

DUBAI: French Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair this week shared pictures from her latest campaign with Balmain, showcasing the brand’s Resort 2025 collection.

In one of the images, Al-Zuhair donned a strapless denim mini dress paired with two matching denim handbags and calf-high black boots.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Balmain (@balmain)

In the second image, she wore a black sequined two-piece outfit, featuring a crop top and a high-waisted skirt. The design incorporates gold and silver embellishments, with the top featuring the word “L’aime,” meaning “loves” in French. The setting, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, tied the look to the brand’s Parisian roots.

This is not Al-Zuhair’s first collaboration with Balmain. She previously walked for the brand during Paris Fashion Week in September.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Balmain (@balmain)

She showcased a structured gray blazer over a classic black T-shirt, complemented by vibrant red suede over-the-knee boots that added a bold pop of color. Her ensemble was completed with a neutral-toned shoulder bag and a striking gold pendant necklace.

The model has been spending the week in Dubai and shared a moment on Instagram featuring an advertisement she spotted for Maison Alaia in Dubai Mall. “Casually shopping in Dubai Mall … and look who I found,” she said in the caption.

Al-Zuhair also shared a photo of herself having lunch with a friend at Al Mandaloun, a Lebanese restaurant in Dubai.