Saturday, August 9, 2008

5/8/08






And the final layout from left to right...
Episode 9
Side dish: potato and pumpkin dish
Main dish: veal thigh with vegetables
Dessert: sako dessert








Episode 10
Side dish: white soup
Main dish: shrimp kabsa
Dessert: konaffa balls with cream and apple filling








Mini konafa cups,,,perfect for Ramadan and buffets :)











Episode 11
Side dish: fried vegetables in bread baskets
Main dish: Msakhan fatta
Dessert: dates cake with toffee sauce





















Friday, August 8, 2008

4/8/2008














Episode 6

Side dish: Savory torte









Main dish: Chicken tikka with vegetables



Dessert: Sweet pie




Episode 7

Side dish: Salad cups


Main dish: Chicken qouzi



Dessert: Basboosa with thick cream











Episode 8



Side dish: Spaghetti with béchamel



Main dish: Stuffed duck



Dessert: Qatta eggs

Saturday, August 2, 2008

1/8/2008

We got up at 6:30am, we were divided 2 groups: Manal, Ghina, Amal, Lama, Fernal went to the studio to start preparing for the show. Hamed, Yara, Me and Lein and Lenna went to Sultan Center to get the ingredients and raw materials for the show today.

The work was still going on in the outer kitchen, while in the inner kitchen Yara and Amal were preparing the ingredients for the recipes in the show, and preparing the steps that need to be prepared before the shooting starts.

Lama picking out the right pan for the right recipe.


Manal was preparing the dough for her new recipe...coloured dough rolls,,,


This is what it looked like,,yummmmy

And Yara just had to taste it :)



1pm: The outer kitchen was beginning to look good, the kitchen was finished and the decoration was about to be done.


Gamal and Ghina putting up the curtains.


The final design of the spices shelves.


With the kitchen still needing some work and the crew not ready I had to find something to get me throught the day,,,
Mocha frappacino with chocolate sauce and whipping cream from Starbucks!!!

In the inner kitchen, the each recipe had to be pre-prepared and all the steps ready in plastic trays ready to be shifted to the outer kitchen on time.



Everything in the inner kitchen was ready and it was time for Manal to get ready for TV,,,off to the dressing room and makeup.


The crew were now ready, the cameras and the crane were in place and the lenses were adjusted to the colours. Hammoud the crane guy was checking the colour balance.


Let the show begin!!

1st episode

Side dish: potato pastries with curry
Main dish: Chicken Kabsa with chicken
Dessert: Mini chocolate tarts with dates


3:34pm:
Manal, the director Mr. Mohamed Hashim (right) and the camera man were discussing the positions and the camera angles.











4:05pm:
Manal and Yara checking the final details before the shooting starts, the crane camera man Hammoud checks the lens, the movement and makes sure the colours are adjusted on the monitor.












Last touch of makeup before the cameras start shooting.















Beautiful!


















The appetizer: potato pastries




















The main dish: Chicken Biryani with chicken! yummmy!














The dessert: Chocolate tarts with dates and almonds


















2nd episode:

Side dish: coloured rolls
Main dish: shrimps with curry sauce
Dessert: pears with apricot sauce





























































Isnt this a lovely table setting for Ramadan!




























31/7/2008

One more day to go!!


We were in the studio from 3pm to make sure the studio was ready for the shooting the next day. This is what it looked like,,


There was still alot of work to be done,,the guys from Ikea were still putting up the back shelves and the counter was half done. the kitchen needed to be finished and the decoration was still nowhere to be seen, curtains, tables, chairs, accessories and the cooking utensils where still not ready.

The inner kitchen was well arranged,,


These are the items for serving and decorating the kitchen. As well as for the serving table's layout.


The designers, the director, my dad and Ghina were gathering on how the left area behind the dinning table was to be designed,,,too many opinions and too many ideas


City center (a big shopping centre like carrefour) was a few streets away from the studio, so we went there with the studio manager to buy some things for the kitchen,,,I rode in a Hummer :)
6:45pm the light manager came in with the crew and fixed all the spotlights and made sure the shadows werent visible.

at 9:39pm finally the shelves were hung up and the kitchen counter was fixed. The workers had to go home because the time was getting late. We are supposed to start shooting at 2 pm the next day and this is what the studio looked like,,


Monday, July 14, 2008

The making-of Matbakh Manal Al-Alem 2008

Manal Al-Alem's new show Matbakh Manal Al-Alem 2008 will air inshallah in Ramadan on AbuDhabi TV. I will post the details later for all the viewers.
This site will be dedicated to the making of the cooking show, I hope all the fans will enjoy seeing what the backstage looks like and who much effort is needed for this production.