Ham El-Waylly, a renowned fine-dining chef, has shifted his approach to home cooking, emphasizing simplicity and accessibility in his newly released cookbook, "Hello, Home Cooking." Known for his meticulous plating techniques, El-Waylly said the pandemic prompted him to rethink his culinary practices at home, leading him to embrace recipes rooted in his multicultural upbringing, drawing from Qatari, Bolivian, Brazilian, and Egyptian influences.

The cookbook features a collection of approachable yet elevated dishes that blend El-Waylly’s professional expertise with the comfort of familiar flavors. One standout recipe adapts a lemony bulgur salad topped with salmon, designed to strike a balance between everyday convenience and refined technique.

While reminiscent of tabbouleh, El-Waylly refrains from labeling the dish as such, noting that the fine bulgur typically used in traditional versions is often unavailable in U.S. markets. Instead, he describes it as a grain bowl, allowing home cooks to use whatever coarseness of bulgur they can find. To enhance the grain’s natural flavor, El-Waylly toasts the bulgur in a dry pan before cooking it, a step that elevates its nutty aroma.

Once cooked and cooled, the bulgur is combined with chopped vegetables and a blend of three fresh herbs—parsley, dill, and mint—alongside a hint of cinnamon, lemon juice, and olive oil. El-Waylly advises careful chopping of parsley to preserve its delicate taste, recommending slicing it only once to avoid bruising the leaves.

The salmon accompanying the grain bowl is prepared with a technique to achieve crisp skin, a method El-Waylly describes as a way to lift a simple home dish into something special. The fish is first seared skin-side down in a hot, oiled skillet, pressed briefly for even contact with the pan, then finished in the oven to ensure a tender interior and a golden, crispy crust.

The resulting dish combines freshness and texture, offering a nourishing and flavorful meal that reflects El-Waylly’s philosophy of making home cooking both accessible and elevated. Through this recipe and others in the cookbook, El-Waylly encourages cooks of all levels to infuse their everyday meals with creativity and professional techniques without sacrificing ease or comfort.