Unleash your inner chef with these restaurant-quality meal kits

Fact: it tastes better if you make it yourself…

Just because the UAE’s restaurants have had to temporarily close their doors to customers, doesn’t mean you have to go without your favourite dishes.

Sure, you could have a ready-to-eat dinner delivered, but if you’re looking to fill some time and flex your culinary mettle, why not order a meal kit and make these restaurant-quality dishes at home?

Couqley at Home

Couqley Bistro & Bar is bringing some French flair into your home with its DIY meal kits, available to collect from the JLT restaurant. Flip your own burgers or cook a gourmet steak dinner, complete with Couqley sauce, salad and ready-to-cook fries.

Couqley French Bistro & Bar, Cluster A, JLT. Order two hours in advance for collection. Tel: (04) 5149339 or WhatsApp: 05 549 0097.

Salt Burgers

Sling your own burgers with Salt’s barbecue kit. The box has everything you need to create your own juicy cheeseburgers, including 10 wagyu beef patties, 10 buns, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, pickles, chopped onion, seasoning and three of Salt’s signature sauces, Original, Fire and BBQ Sriracha.

Salt, various locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Salt Home Kit, Dhs210. find-salt.com

Bystro

Now operating as a ‘virtual deli’, Bystro has come up with a clever menu of ‘home cooked meals for home bound people’. The affordable options include ready-to-bake lasagnes and cottage pies for the kids, plus mains of steak tacos or chicken parmigiana. You can also stock up on quality coffee beans from Raw, Minor Figures oat milk, homemade granola packs, and a shakshouka mix for cafe-quality breakfasts at home.

Bystro, Al Manara and JLT, Dubai Kids meals, Dhs15, mains from Dhs30. teambystro.com

Fuchsia Urban Thai

Looking for a way to keep your little ones entertained and get a healthy dinner on the table? Fuchsia Urban Thai lets you tick both of those boxes with their Thai Tots Cooking Kits. Young and old will love the mild flavours of the sweet and sour noodles, and Asian-spiced falafel wraps.

Fuchsia Thai, Downtown Dubai, Dhs48 to Dhs50, via Deliveroo

Maiz Tacos

Available for pick-up from the JLT eatery, the Maiz Tacos Taqueria Box is packed with enough ingredients to make 10 tacos, including freshly made tortillas, salsas and garnishes. Choose your filling of pollo asado (zesty chicken), el jefe (pulled Angus beef), calabaza (roasted chipotle pumpkin) or la tierra (roasted cauliflower and sweet potato).

Maiz Tacos, Basement Level, Lakeshore Tower, Cluster Y, JLT. Taqueria Box, from Dhs200. Tel: (04) 5144712 to order.

Let’s Cook

If you’re looking to make an ongoing commitment, rather than a one-off meal, try a meal subscription service, such as the weekly boxes from Let’s Cook. From now until April 9, you can save 40 per cent on your order by using the code: BESAFE40.

Let’s Cook, letscook.me

Kibsons

Kibsons DIY boxes have you covered from morning to night, with immunity-boosting smoothies, satisfying breakfast dishes, salads, soups and mains.

Kibsons, DIY boxes from Dhs20. kibsons.com

Hello Chef

If you’re snacking with the same intensity that we are, there’s a good chance we’ll all emerge from our homes a few stones heavier in a few weeks time. The weekly meal boxes from Hello Chef make it a breeze to keep an eye on what you’re eating, listing calorie, protein, fat and carb content. There are low-carb, vegan and gluten-free options, too.

Hello Chef, from Dhs43 per serving. hellochef.me

Right Bite

While some of us will be eating our feelings, others will see this as a golden opportunity to detox and press reset. If you fall into the latter camp, the virtuous monthly meal plans from Right Bite will help you stay on track with low-carb, vegan, and calorie-controlled options. For a limited time, you can save 20 per cent on two 20-day meal plans.

Right Bite, from Dhs3,097 a month. rightbite.com

Cafe Isan

Create your own Thai feast at home with a meal box from Cafe Isan. Take your pick of vegetable spring rolls, som tum salad, dim sum, satay and tom yum soup, all transported in cooler boxes and ready to enjoy within 24 hours. Pre-order for delivery anywhere in Dubai between midday and 4pm.

Cafe Isan, JLT, Dhs28 to Dhs41. Tel: (04) 5579778. cafeisan.co

Serves Daily

A group of dads are behind this wholesome delivery service in the capital, which delivers ready-to-cook pies, pastas and tray bakes in proper ceramic cookware. You just pop them in the oven, then they collect the pans during their next drop-off. We’re talking good old fashioned comfort food in the form of fish pie, chicken and broccoli bake, meatballs and lasagne.

Serves Daily, Abu Dhabi. Order via WhatsApp, (0)50 428 4101. servesdaily.ae