My Top 5 Dubai Carb Run Go-Tos

If there’s one thing I can’t say no to, it’s bread.

And noodles.

And potatoes.

And okay, flavored rice.

So it’s really not surprising that my idea of a cheat day is a carb run.

In a melting pot of a city like Dubai, the carb choices are endless.

Here are 5 of my go-tos on my (not-so-seldom) carb runs.

#5: Shawarma

This one’s a no-brainer.

When I first arrived in the U.A.E. almost a year ago, “shawarma” was the only Arabic word I spoke.

But it was a word that opened doors.

If you love shawarma, you’re on the right track to becoming a full-fledged expat.

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern sandwich made with meat rotating on a vertical spit.

Chicken or beef makes no difference.

The smell will draw you in from miles away.

And seeing that chunky ballerina twirl will make your heart skip a beat.

Shawarma can be served on a plate or in a wrap.

Heck, in the Philippines, shawarma is served with noodles or rice (add 10 pesos for fried egg – yum!)

Shawarma is eaten as a fast food with pita (lightly burnt), dressed with fresh vegetables including cucumber, onion, tomato, lettuce, cabbage – and French fries.

Let the Westerners have their hamburger and fries.

I’ll take a shawarma for here and another to go with extra large fries, please.

#4: Chapati

Chapati is my breakfast of choice on weekdays when I’m just sick of sliced bread.

They’re one-third the price of sliced bread, so they’re basically survival food for when you’re broke and still ten days away from getting your salary.

It’s an Indian flat bread made of the soft dough mixture of atta flour, salt, and water.

The atta is made from finely ground gehun, a type of hard Indian wheat.

Chapati in itself has a bland taste.

Traditionally, Indians prepare it without salt to provide a culinary background for spicy main dishes.

For light snacks, they top it with butter or ghee.

I have mine with Nutella, rolled up, and dipped in coffee.

#3: Paratha

Paratha is like chapati’s chubbier cousin.

It is just one more type of the many delightful Indian flat breads there are, but what makes a paratha special is its multi-layered coatings of ghee (clarified butter).

It tastes vaguely like a croissant – but much flatter and more compact, so you can lie to your conscience and say it’s a healthier alternative.

Parathas are mostly found in supermarket open coolers alongside TV dinner meals.

They’re classified as lazy people food, but I still only eat parathas for weekend breakfasts, because popping flat bread on a frying pan for 2 minutes is hard work.

The funny thing is, the market for frozen parathas is directed at the non-Indians of the city.

There’s a long running joke (at least I hope it’s just a joke) that an Indian bride non-negotiable is the ability to make the perfect paratha from scratch.

So really, happy Indian husbands and children have no use of frozen parathas when mama’s in the house.

#2: Biryani

Biryani is my first love in Dubai, I kid you not.

On my first lunch out in the city, my roommate introduced me to biryani.

Since then, I have had weekly cravings for this Indian mixed rice with chicken or mutton gosht as the prime ingredient.

There are also the cheaper varieties: the vegetable biryani and the egg biryani which are just as good.

But I like to order the fish biryani for lunch, because I like to lie to myself and say I’m keeping up my protein intake (even when biryani is 90% rice).

Biryani spices include nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint leaves, ginger, onions, garlic, and saffron (in specialty restaurants).

It goes without saying that biryani can have a very strong spicy flavor that does not appeal to everyone.

But a typical order usually comes with fresh vegetables and yogurt on the side, along with two or three Indian condiments which only serve to heat the dish up even more.

#1: Mazbi

Or Mathbi.

Or Madhbi.

Because this is the UAE and spellings are the least of the Arabs’ worries.

Mazbi is similar to its more famous cousin mandi.

Both are mixed rice dishes from the Yemeni, which later gained a cult following among the rest of the Arabs – including one significant Arab in particular.

The Bae is a huge mazbi fan.

And it didn’t take him a lot to convince me to follow suit.

Mazbi is made from basmati rice mixed with spices and cooked in such a way that it comes out dewy and fragrant.

The meat (usually chicken or lamb) is charcoal-grilled to perfection and sits on top of the steaming rice.

An average order of mazbi can feed 3-4 people, so I never eat mazbi without good company.