Pakistani cooking star Chef Rahat Ali is no more

Renowned cooking show host and television personality in Pakistan Chef Rahat Ali is no more, her family confirmed on Friday. Pakistani cooking show industry has lost its pride.

A mentor in every kitchen

Chef Rahat Ali for decades held kitchen classes at home in Pakistan. Through her renowned and most-watched cooking show Dawat-e-Rahat, Chef Rahat Ali brought home traditional Pakistani dishes like qorma, nihari, biryani, barbecue, and naan along with Arab cuisine as well as various international recipes and made them easily accessible to the public with simple and effective steps.

Chef Rahat’s unique cooking style made even complex Pakistani cuisines and modern international cuisines such as pizzas accessible. With her bright smile and unique teaching techniques and the way she patiently addressed queries, everyone who learned to cook in the pre smartphone and digital era definitely have fond memories of Chef Rahat Ali and her show.

From her show, millions learnt to make dishes such as karhai, Nihari and BBQ which are a permanent feature of their cuisine. “The recipes shared on Chef Rahat Ali’s Dawat e Rahat have been cornerstones in many households,” fans mourn on social media.
From being on air until mobile phones
A phenomenon much before smart phones and ai in the kitchens, Pakistani household learnt to make everything under the sun from chef Rahat Ali and millions would stand by the television and jot down the cooking instructions. She’d host a Monday-to-Friday live show where she would take up callers and answer the cooking dilemmas. She is also recognised as among the first chefs of Pakistan who teach comprehensive Arabian cooking recipes to her viewers live on air. Her famous Chicken dishes can be found as a popular selection of menus across the country.

Legacy and family

Her daughter, Chef Maeda Rahat Ali also carries the torch of a Chef and resides in the USA. While news first broke out from her niece and thousands have taken to social media to offer condolences including the comments “I learned cooking from her,” and “May Allah grant her a place in Jannah.”

It was announced that Chef Rahat Ali would be laid to rest in her native hometown of Lahore. The family also requested to give them the space they require and pray for the eternal soul of Chef Rahat Ali.

Her impact

She didn’t just educate cooking skills, she gave the kitchen-shy confidence to get into cooking with clear and concise information.