TikTok chef shares recipes using only ingredients Gaza has access to and it's heartbreaking | indy100

Leading international association says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

FMM - F24 Video Clips / VideoElephant

By the end of this month, over 640,000 people in Gaza are expected to face the highest level of food insecurity – classified as "catastrophic" – according to the United Nations.

It's the most severe classification of hunger, with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres describing it as "a man-made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself."

"Famine is not about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival," he added.

Against this harrowing backdrop, chef Yasmin Nasir, a Jordanian-Canadian trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London, is using her platform to shine a light on Gaza’s reality, one recipe at a time.

On TikTok and Instagram, Yasmin (@yasmin.nasir) has shared food content since 2022. But recently, her work has taken on a new purpose: creating simple, high-protein meals using the kind of basic ingredients still available to many Palestinians.

One of her viral videos shows how to make vegan seitan chicken using just three ingredients: flour, water, and salt.

"Hopefully those ingredients are available to you," she says in the clip, later adding that the dish contains a "high percentage of plant-based proteins."

@yasmin.nasir
دجاج القمح، نباتي و مصنوع بس من الطحين، و مليان بروتينات! Seitan Chicken, is washed flour vegan meat substitute, filled with Plant Based Proteins. المكونات لكل 1 كوب طحين 1/2 كوب ماء 1/2 ملعقة صغيرة ملح بهارات حسب الرغبة (أنا استخدمت بودرة مرق، بودرة بصل و ثوم، بابريكا، ملح و فلفل) ماء لغسل العجين Ingredients For every 1 cup Flour 1/2 cup Water 1/2 tsp Salt Spices (I used chicken stock powder, onion & garlic powder, paprika, salt & pepper) Water to wash the dough طريقة التحضير: 1) اعجن الطحين مع الماء والملح حتى تتكون عجينة متماسكة. كلما زادت مدة العجن، زادت نسبة تطوير الجلوتين. 2) اترك العجينة ترتاح في ماء وملح لمدة ساعة. 3) اغسل العجينة بالماء ٤ إلى ٥ مرات حتى يصبح الماء صافيًا ويتبقى لديك كرة من الجلوتين فقط. بالنسبة لماء النشا، انقله إلى وعاء كبير واتركه حتى يترسب النشا في القاع، ثم جففه واستخدمه في وصفات أخرى. 4) تبل الجلوتين واتركه يرتاح لمدة ساعة، ثم قطعه إلى شرائح، وجدله واربطه عدة مرات. 5) اقلي السيتان قليًا خفيفًا من الجهتين، ثم لُفه في قطعة قماش نظيفة أو شاش، واغليه على نار هادئة جدًا مع التوابل لمدة ساعة. 6) بعد أن يبرد، يمكن تفتيته تمامًا مثل الدجاج. يمكنك تناوله كما هو، أو قليه، أو شويه، أو استخدامه في أي طبق. Preparation Menthod - Knead flour, water & salt into a dough. The more you knead, the more gluten is developed - Rest your dough in water and salt for 1 hour - Wash your dough in water 4 to 5 times till the water runs clear and a ball of gluten remains. - As for the starch water, transfer the starch water to a big bowl and set aside till the starch sinks to the bottom, then dry the starch and use it in other recipes. - Season your gluten and rest for 1 hour, then cut into strips, braid and knot multiple times - Shallow fry the seitan on both sides, then wrap in a cheesecloth or clean fabric, then simmer in boiling water and spices for 1 hour on super low heat. - Once cool, it shreds just like chicken. You can eat as is, or fry, grill, or incorporate in any dish #seitan #chicken #vegan #yallayasmin #yallanotbokh #yasminnasir #دجاج #نباتي # يلا_ياسمين # يلا_نطبخ #ياسمين_ناصر

Last week, journalist Hebh Jamal (@hebh_jama) drew attention to Yasmin’s work in a post on social media, writing: "This chef makes videos on TikTok aimed at those in Gaza to make food only with the ingredients that they have.

"For example, she taught people how to make vegan chicken, and the comments are flooded with people thanking her after trying her recipes.

"This is how you use your platform."

Hebh also shared a screenshot appearing to show a woman in Gaza watching one of Yasmin's recipe videos.

— (@)

Praise for Yasmin’s heartfelt efforts quickly poured in, with one user calling her the "rare sight of an influencer who uses her platform for something good."

Another described her work as "so beautiful," adding: "It’s touching to see someone actually think about what’s available in Gaza and turn it into ingredients. I wish I could do more, like her. May more people with real, useful skills show up for Palestinians."

A third wrote: "Imagine the impact it'll make, the smile she'll put on those innocent kids' faces. Humanity will be proud cos this is definitely like inventing electricity in the olden days."

And one comment, echoing the sentiment behind Yasmin's mission, simply read: "This is what a purposeful life looks like. Make impact and leave a legacy!"

Yet the need Yasmin responds to is growing at an unprecedented pace.

Since the last Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis in May, the number of children at severe risk of dying from malnutrition by June 2026 has tripled from 14,100 to 43,400.

The latest UN report marks the sharpest decline in conditions since assessments began, officially confirming famine in the Middle East for the first time.

Although aid has increased slightly since July, it remains critically inadequate – with nearly all cropland destroyed and nine in ten people repeatedly displaced.

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