Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
Last week our company participated with a stand in the Paper Arabia 2015 Exhibition in Dubai and my husband and I went there to support our representative. Exhibition lasted three days and we stayed another two to explore the city.
Our company converts tissue paper into toilet paper, kitchen towel, napkins, facial tissue and handkerchief. We service the Greek market and we export to over 15 countries in Europe. Lately we started a cooperation with a chain of supermarkets in the Gulf and we went there to promote our company and see how the products we send there are placed and marketed.
It was quite a tiring trip, with the first three days completely consumed at the exhibition center and only late at night did we have the chance to go out and have a late dinner. Thankfully, everything went very well and I was very happy with the interest and feedback I received. After finishing with my duties, we had the chance to just go around Dubai and do some tourism.
Dubai before 1960’s was a dessert and people were living in homes as the one showed in the picture. It was during the 60’s that oil was discovered and from then on the lives of these people have changed dramatically. From desert cabins they became billionaires owning big houses, expensive cars and sky scrapers. Quite a change don’t you think?
Dubai is a very rich with luxurious restaurants and hotels city, but very expensive. I compared prices with Greece and they were truly much more expensive than here. Also, eating out is quite expensive, as in order to eat in a moderately good restaurant a salad, a main course and a beverage one pays about 50 euros/56 dollars per person, whereas here you can eat in a same establishment with about 30 euros/34 dollars.
Locals are the minority of the population being about 800.000, with the majority being people from India, who are about 60% of the total population. There is no taxation and the locals have everything free i.e. education, health care system etc. plus 10,000 euros/ 11,308 dollars per child per month as a subsidy from the Sheik. Not bad!!
One of the main disadvantages of the city is its climate. While we were there temperature didn’t fall under 39°C/102°F and the humidity was crazy high. These made the conditions extremely hard for anyone who would want to walk around. That’s why they all take their walks in the malls were air condition is available. The city is full of skyscrapers and the only buildings that present an architectonic interest due to their Arabic style are the mosques . What I mean to say is that, according to my personal opinion, instead of all these high establishments which are not in their culture, I would prefer buildings that would be closer to the Arabic architecture have a local color and be closer to their mentality. Also, all this money spent in these enormous buildings could have been spent in creating green and oases something that would improve the microclimate of the area and perhaps bring some rain and coolness. All these air conditions and cars the only thing they are doing is to increase the temperature to even higher levels making it unbearable for more than 15 minutes. All in all is a very luxurious, exaggerated city, a great experience for me, but not quite my style.
While there, I tried several kitchens as there is no local kitchen available apart from only one place in the city and unfortunately we didn’t have the time to go there. One of the things I really liked there was Lemon-Mint. It is basically a lemonade with mint inside, very refreshing and digestive after a filling meal. When I came back I tried to recreate it and it was a success. So here I am giving you photos from Dubai and two recipes for Lemon-Mint slightly different one from the other. The first makes a thicker juice while the second resembles more a common lemonade. You can choose whichever you want.
- 2 lemons, cut in pieces with their skin on
- 1 lt / 34 fl oz. of water
- ½ cup syrup (1/2 cup water, ½ cup sugar)
- 2 handfuls of mint
- In a pot add the sugar and water and boil just until the sugar melts.
- Remove transfer it to a glass vessel and place it in the fridge to cold.
- In your blender mix the lemon, water, and mint and blend until the mint has been chopped finely.
- Add the cold syrup and stir.
- Pass it through a strainer to take out all the little pieces.
- Put in the fridge until the time you are about to serve it.
- Serve it with ground ice.
If you want stronger lemon flavor decrease the water by 1 cup.
- 150 ml / 5 fl oz. lemon juice
- 350 ml / 12 fl oz. water
- ½ cup syrup (1/2 cup water, ½ cup sugar)
- 2 handfuls of mint
- In a pot add the sugar and water and boil just until the sugar melts.
- Remove transfer it to a glass vessel and place it in the fridge to cold.
- In your blender mix the lemon juice, water, and mint and blend until the mint has been chopped finely.
- Add the cold syrup and stir.
- Put in the fridge until the time you are about to serve it.
- Serve it with ground ice.
- 150 ml χυμό λεμονιού
- 350 ml νερό
- ½ φλιτζάνι σιρόπι (1/2 φλιτζάνι νερό, ½ φλιτζάνι ζάχαρη)
- 2 χούφτες δυόσμο
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα προσθέστε τη ζάχαρη και το νερό και βράστε μόνο μέχρι να λιώσει η ζάχαρη.
- Βάλτε το σε ένα γυάλινο δοχείο και τοποθετήστε το στο ψυγείο να κρυώσει.
- Στο μπλέντερ σας ρίξτε το χυμό λεμονιού, το νερό, και το δυόσμο και ανακατέψτε μέχρι ο δυόσμος να γίνει μικρά κομματάκια.
- Ρίξτεε το κρύο σιρόπι και ανακατέψτε.
- Βάλτε στο ψυγείο μέχρι την ώρα που πρόκειται να το σερβίρετε.
- Σερβίρετε με τριμμένο πάγο.
- 2 λεμόνια με τη φλούδα τους ψιλοκομμένα
- 1 λίτρο νερό
- ½ φλιτζάνι σιρόπι (1/2 φλιτζάνι νερό, ½ φλιτζάνι ζάχαρη)
- 2 χούφτες δυόσμο
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα προσθέστε τη ζάχαρη και το νερό και βράστε μόνο μέχρι να λιώσει η ζάχαρη.
- Βάλτε το σε ένα γυάλινο δοχείο και τοποθετήστε το στο ψυγείο να κρυώσει.
- Στο μπλέντερ σας ρίξτε το λεμόνι, το νερό, και το δυόσμο και ανακατέψτε μέχρι ο δυόσμος να γίνει μικρά κομματάκια.
- Ρίξτε το κρύο σιρόπι και ανακατέψτε.
- Περάστε το από ένα σουρωτήρι να φύγουν τα μικρά κομματάκια.
- Βάλτε στο ψυγείο μέχρι την ώρα που πρόκειται να το σερβίρετε.
- Σερβίρετε με τριμμένο πάγο.
Αν θέλετε πιο έντονη τη γεύση του λεμονιού μειώστε κατά ένα φλυτζάνι το νερό.
