 |  |
Week 4 of Eating Around the World took us to Egypt.
Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan, and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies Saudi Arabia, although Jordan and Saudi Arabia do not share a land border with Egypt.
So with all that, it is no wonder I was surprised by the food eaten in Egypt. It's food influences are middle eastern, but it does have Mediterranean influences also and influences of all of its surrounding countries.
I was pleasantly surprised by Egyptian food, I got to try things I had never eaten before and I really liked it.
So for Egypt I decided to make
Egyptian Lentil Soup
Egyptian Hummus
Salatet Zabadee (Egyptian Cucumber Salad)
Tahini
Egyptian Spiced Carrot Puree
Egyptian Beetroot Dip
Egyptian Dukkah
Taameyya (Egyptian Falafel)
Egyptian Kofta
Baked Bechamel Pasta
Egyptian Limoonada (Orange Blossom Lemonade)
There was a few things I didn't get around to trying but I will one day, and they are
Mesa'a'ah, an Egyptian Spicy Eggplant dish
Koshary: This is considered the national dish of Egypt and a very popular street food.
So here is run down of the food I cooked for Egypt week.
Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan, and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies Saudi Arabia, although Jordan and Saudi Arabia do not share a land border with Egypt.
So with all that, it is no wonder I was surprised by the food eaten in Egypt. It's food influences are middle eastern, but it does have Mediterranean influences also and influences of all of its surrounding countries.
I was pleasantly surprised by Egyptian food, I got to try things I had never eaten before and I really liked it.
So for Egypt I decided to make
Egyptian Lentil Soup
Egyptian Hummus
Salatet Zabadee (Egyptian Cucumber Salad)
Tahini
Egyptian Spiced Carrot Puree
Egyptian Beetroot Dip
Egyptian Dukkah
Taameyya (Egyptian Falafel)
Egyptian Kofta
Baked Bechamel Pasta
Egyptian Limoonada (Orange Blossom Lemonade)
There was a few things I didn't get around to trying but I will one day, and they are
Mesa'a'ah, an Egyptian Spicy Eggplant dish
Koshary: This is considered the national dish of Egypt and a very popular street food.
So here is run down of the food I cooked for Egypt week.
Egyptian Lentil Soup: I really quite liked this soup, it was really thick, like a pumpkin soup, it had a similar sweetness to it also, the spices were delicious in the soup, I would definitely make this again.
Egyptian Hummus: who doesn't love hummus, simple, healthy and delicious. I really prefer homemade to store bought. This is one of my sons favourite things to eat. This recipe uses tinned chickpeas, it is great when you have unexpected guests pop around and you can throw this together quickly.
Here is the Egyptian version that I found:
Here is the Egyptian version that I found:
Egyptian Hummus
1 x 400g tin Chickpeas, drained and washed
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
¼ Teaspoon of Salt
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
Pinch of Cumin
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 Sprig of Chopped Parsley (optional)
Extra Olive Oil, to drizzle over the top
Add the chickpeas (save a few for decoration), extra virgin olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic into the blender and blend into a fluffy paste.
If the hummus looks too dry, add a little more oil and lemon.
Put the blended paste into a serving bowl, add a pinch of cumin and stir.
Create a whirlpool effect in your bowl of hummus with a spoon and then drizzle extra olive oil on top as shown in the picture below. Sprinkle on a pinch of cayenne pepper, decorate with the reserved chickpeas.
Serve with fresh, warm pita bread.
You can also experiment with toppings and seasoning. A sprinkle of Egyptian dukkah also works rather well too.
1 x 400g tin Chickpeas, drained and washed
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
¼ Teaspoon of Salt
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
Pinch of Cumin
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 Sprig of Chopped Parsley (optional)
Extra Olive Oil, to drizzle over the top
Add the chickpeas (save a few for decoration), extra virgin olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic into the blender and blend into a fluffy paste.
If the hummus looks too dry, add a little more oil and lemon.
Put the blended paste into a serving bowl, add a pinch of cumin and stir.
Create a whirlpool effect in your bowl of hummus with a spoon and then drizzle extra olive oil on top as shown in the picture below. Sprinkle on a pinch of cayenne pepper, decorate with the reserved chickpeas.
Serve with fresh, warm pita bread.
You can also experiment with toppings and seasoning. A sprinkle of Egyptian dukkah also works rather well too.
Salatet Zabadee (Egyptian Cucumber Salad): This was my daughter's favourite, she could eat this all of the time. This was a perfect addition to the kofta wraps. It is great summer salad.
You could add 1 small minced garlic clove, but I chose not to as I had garlic in other sides.
Once you squeeze the liquid out of the cucumber, don't discard it, my daughter happily drank it.
Here is the recipe:
You could add 1 small minced garlic clove, but I chose not to as I had garlic in other sides.
Once you squeeze the liquid out of the cucumber, don't discard it, my daughter happily drank it.
Here is the recipe:
Salatet Zabadee (Egyptian Cucumber Salad)
1 cucumber
1 cup yogurt
4-5 mint leaves, to taste, minced
Salt to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to garnish
Ground Paprika, to garnish
Shred the cucumber and leave aside for 15 minutes.
Place the yoghurt in a medium sized bowl, stir until smooth. Squeeze the juice out of the cucumber and add the cucumber flesh to the yogurt. Add the minced mint leaves. Add salt to taste, stir to combine. The dip is now ready.
Serve on a platter garnished with olive oil and paprika.
1 cucumber
1 cup yogurt
4-5 mint leaves, to taste, minced
Salt to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to garnish
Ground Paprika, to garnish
Shred the cucumber and leave aside for 15 minutes.
Place the yoghurt in a medium sized bowl, stir until smooth. Squeeze the juice out of the cucumber and add the cucumber flesh to the yogurt. Add the minced mint leaves. Add salt to taste, stir to combine. The dip is now ready.
Serve on a platter garnished with olive oil and paprika.
Tahini: This was another great side to the kofta wraps I made, also a favourite of mine. This was delicious also. So far Egypt has been great.
Here is the recipe:
Here is the recipe:
Tahini
1/2 cup tahini.
1/4 cup water - plus or minus depending on your preferred sauce thickness.
2 Tablespoon white vinegar.
2 teaspoon lime juice.
2 garlic cloves- minced.
1/2 teaspoon coriander.
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste.
1/4 teaspoon cumin.
For garnishing: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and any or all of coriander/cumin/red pepper flakes, paprika, cayenne…
In a small food processor add all the ingredients, except for the garlic. Mix well until everything is well combined.
Pour contents in a bowl, add the garlic and mix.
Pour into serving bowls, add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some coriander/cumin or red pepper flakes on top.
Serving suggestions: as a dip with pita bread, or use it instead of mayonnaise in many sandwiches especially falafel and kofta, serve alongside seafood dishes or with grilled meat/chicken.
1/2 cup tahini.
1/4 cup water - plus or minus depending on your preferred sauce thickness.
2 Tablespoon white vinegar.
2 teaspoon lime juice.
2 garlic cloves- minced.
1/2 teaspoon coriander.
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste.
1/4 teaspoon cumin.
For garnishing: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and any or all of coriander/cumin/red pepper flakes, paprika, cayenne…
In a small food processor add all the ingredients, except for the garlic. Mix well until everything is well combined.
Pour contents in a bowl, add the garlic and mix.
Pour into serving bowls, add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some coriander/cumin or red pepper flakes on top.
Serving suggestions: as a dip with pita bread, or use it instead of mayonnaise in many sandwiches especially falafel and kofta, serve alongside seafood dishes or with grilled meat/chicken.
Egyptian Spiced Carrot Puree. And then we get to the carrot puree. I'll start by saying I really don't like carrots, but I go to a Turkish restaurant near me (Pasha's in Bondi) and they make this Carrot Dip which is the most delicious thing to eat. This was nothing like that, I had high hopes for it, but it was just all carrot. I can assure you this will not be made again.
Egyptian Beetroot Dip: My youngest son loved this, but overall it was not a favourite with my family. I will explain though that recently I made a huge beetroot salad for a party I was attending, and just before we had to go to the party I came down with a stomach bug, beetroot was the last thing I ate, this happened over 3 months ago, but I still get a queezy feeling when I see beetroot. So although I may not try this recipe again, once I get over my beetroot issues, I would probably try another version.
Egyptian Dukkah: Well this one surprised my family. When I put it on the table, my family at first were like 'what is that', but after trying it, they kept going back for more. This is a great snack food for me.
Here is the recipe:
Here is the recipe:
Egyptian Dukkah
100g sesame seeds
100g blanched almonds
50g coriander seeds
10g cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Bread
Olive Oil
Toast all seeds and almonds together in a hot dry pan. Keep stirring until fragrant.
Cool, then coarsely grind with salt and pepper.
To serve, dip the bread into the olive oil and then into the dukkah.
100g sesame seeds
100g blanched almonds
50g coriander seeds
10g cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Bread
Olive Oil
Toast all seeds and almonds together in a hot dry pan. Keep stirring until fragrant.
Cool, then coarsely grind with salt and pepper.
To serve, dip the bread into the olive oil and then into the dukkah.
Taameyya (Egyptian Falafel). First time trying falafel. The Egyptians make it with dried broad beans instead of chickpeas. I have to say I quite liked them, they had a great crisp outer coating and were quite tasty. Was it the greatest thing I have ever eaten, no, but I would definitely eat them again. This recipe can be found at www.mattersofthebelly.com/taameyya-the-original-egyptian-falafel/
Egyptian Kofta Rolls: Now this one surprised us all, first time making kofta. We loved them. Now I only made the amount the recipe suggested, but my family could have eaten so much more. The koftas were soft and moist, had a great flavour to them. I'll definitely be making this dish again and again.
Baked Bechamel Pasta: This is Egypts version of the Greeks Pastitsio. The difference is this one is 'cheeseless' (although in the end I did sprinkle a little over the top). With the little ingredients that went into making this, this was actually delicious. I would definitely make this again.
Egyptian Limoonada (Orange Blossom Lemonade). In my house we love homemade lemonade, and this version with the addition of the orange blossom was delicious. Add orange blossom to taste, use the recipe as a guide.
Here is the recipe:
Here is the recipe:
Egyptian Limoonada (Orange Blossom Lemonade)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup boiling hot water
10 lemons
2 tsp orange blossom water
1/2 bunch mint, roughly torn
Ice & soda water, to serve
Dissolve the sugar in the boiling hot water and set aside to cool.
Juice the lemons and tip into a jug. Add the sugar and orange blossom water and stir well. Chill until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, stir through the mint.
Pour a small amount over ice in a glass and top up with soda water. Enjoy!
If you'd like to make this a bit more adult you can add a splash of vodka, gin or white rum.
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup boiling hot water
10 lemons
2 tsp orange blossom water
1/2 bunch mint, roughly torn
Ice & soda water, to serve
Dissolve the sugar in the boiling hot water and set aside to cool.
Juice the lemons and tip into a jug. Add the sugar and orange blossom water and stir well. Chill until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, stir through the mint.
Pour a small amount over ice in a glass and top up with soda water. Enjoy!
If you'd like to make this a bit more adult you can add a splash of vodka, gin or white rum.
Now to add another sticker to my world map.
Next stop Sudan
RSS Feed