Richoux, City Stars and Mohandessin
July 18, 2010 3 Comments
One of my favorite eateries here in Cairo; the standards have been consistently excellent for the past 2 years. Check out the review over at Cairo 360.com
Peace out.
Foodie’s Guides
May 25, 2010 8 Comments
For the past month or so, I’ve been writing feature articles for Cairo 360 and even a few reviews. For convenience, the links are listed after the jump.
One of the toughest things about writing these guides is the word limit. Like any well-run publication, adherence to word limits borders on fanaticism; a necessary evil I’m afraid. Otherwise, pages will be truncated and look horrible. The word limit necessitates that I miss a few outlets and even a few districts of Cairo to stay within the limits. The good news is that there will be at least one more follow up for each guide coming in the next couple of months (Carpal tunnel and Editorial Favors willing).
I remember when getting peanut butter was akin to searching for the Golden Fleece, but now the heretofore unfulfilled demand for better quality and wider variety of foodstuffs is being met by large chains and smaller, specialty shops around the capital. The flipside is that by definition, prestige ingredients are not cheap. Unless you possess Croesus’ wealth, having porcini mushroom omelets for breakfast should not be how you live your life. Lest I be accused of living in a bubble and encouraging greed, I want to go on record and fully explain that not all things we eat need to cost an arm and a leg; so plan your shopping lists accordingly.
Now that’s out of the way, click on “Read more” to get to the links.
5 minutes, Deep fried.
4 Non Blondes…
April 19, 2010 Leave a Comment
If you live in cairo and have an internet connection, then you’re already aware of the latest addition to the Cairo Guide scene. I’ve written a few articles for them over the past few weeks: some are about food, others are not. Below, I’m going to link to the food writing. Enjoy.
Foodie Shopping in the Capital
Right now, I’m making Coca Cola fried chicken, mashed potato and buttermilk biscuits. I’m thinking of experimenting with making a chicken breast au crepinette. Thoughts?
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Beachy Snacks
April 6, 2010 1 Comment
Originally submitted to Campus July 2009 – not sure if it was published or not
We all get the beach munchies. Has something to do with the iodine in the sea water that makes us peckish while we tan (or, in my case, burn). So I’ve been tasked with providing you with recipes for foods to eat, as opposed to the regular Soda and Chips combination of your less imaginative friends.
The trick here is to choose seasonal ingredients, prepared very quickly and ones that will keep well in the sun for hours. In addition, the emphasis was on snacks, so it can’t be heavy or cloying; ideally it should replenish your nutrients lost while sweating your socks off, as well as being refreshing. The food also can’t be messy or fussy; so to that end, I’ve come up with 3 little plates that can be eaten only with a fork. Or chopsticks, if you’re Asian. Either way, I’m assuming you’re gonna be with three other friends. So scale up or down as you see fit.
Recipes follow after the jump:
On Egyptian flavors, and Caramelised Onions
March 22, 2010 2 Comments
<Originally Published in G-Mag>
Everyone is aware of the four basic taste families – Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter. There also happens to be a fifth, called “Umami”. This is a Japanese term which describes the “meatiness” that you taste when eating a steak or grilled mushrooms. A great tasting dish typically has at least 3 of these different taste profiles.
Egyptian food hasn’t got the most glamorous reputation, but the flavor profiles can be astounding; let’s take a look at two of them:
Om Ali Vs Bread & Butter Pudding
January 29, 2010 2 Comments
<Originally Published in Campus Magazine, September 2009>
On the left - Om Ali! On the right - Bread and Butter Pudding!
Ramadan – or as I like to call it: “Radamaddacanman” – is on its way (don’t worry, it takes some time to pronounce correctly). We all know that Ramadan is more about feasting than fasting; and no feast is complete without a rich dessert that sticks to your thighs.
Om Ali is synonymous with richness and a staple of many a Ramadan Fitar table – even though it is readily available at other times of the year. It’s simplest incarnation is toasted Filo pastry pieces, buttered and covered in a spiced milk mixture and baked in a ramekin. Typical toppings include raisins, walnuts and coconut, and some recipes call for cloves or cinnamon in the milk mixture.
Got Soul?
January 11, 2010 11 Comments
<Originally Published in CAMPUS Magazine>
I’ve been asked to write about what makes Egyptian food special; to observe and report on what gives our food it’s “Edge”. For a person more interested in the classical school of French Cuisine, this was a bit of a curve-ball. Do I look at the techniques or the ingredients? Should I focus on the tastes and textures and presentation? Or should I look at food history and come up with some bizarre and probably far-fetched theory about why Egyptians eat what they eat? No, the real question is this: Why would I choose to walk into a restaurant serving Egyptian fare as opposed to a French Bistro? After much artery clogging soul searching, I’ve come to a realization:
Egyptian food has no “Edge” – but it’s got soul. Lots of it.
Breakfasting in Cairo (if you’re up early enough)
December 26, 2009 7 Comments
<Originally published in CAMPUS magazine, August 2009>
Summer is here. School is out. Good times will be had by all. So instead of doing the same old routine, why not change it up a little while you’re still in Cairo? Wake up early and go have breakfast with the usual suspects you hang out with.
More and more restaurants are offering breakfast options on their menus, especially American/European styled fare. Unfortunately for me, writing up these kinds of reviews exposes the inverse relationship between my wallet’s fatness and my own; but it is work I must do. Here’s a quick rundown of my favorite places to get my morning fix. Notably absent are coffee house chains, like Cilantro, Beano’s, Starbucks, Second Cup Etc. We’re talking restaurants, baby; not some prepackaged, vacuum packed, sterile airport lounge.
And please leave the laptops at home – there should be no such thing as a “working breakfast”. I don’t care if you’re crunching numbers over coffee, Googling over a bowl of grapefruit or browsing Facebook; with a forkful of scrambled eggs; you need to relax. No one likes a party pooper, and computing over crumpet means you’re wound way too tight.
The Dude’s Shrimp Cocktail
December 3, 2009 1 Comment
Rye Bread Wedge? Interesting...
<First Published in CAMPUS Magazine, June 2009>
I don’t know about you, but I love a good shrimp cocktail. It could just be Jumbo Prawns in a cocktail sauce, or an elaborate affair with avocado and a whole assortment of other ingredients. Either way, it’s one of those things that brings a super-sized smile to my face. A great shrimp cocktail is a refined indulgence, best eaten when you want to be cool – both gustatorily and mentally.
A recipe I use incorporates many different elements, and is meant to be layered. I’ve eschewed the use of jumbo shrimp in favor of those beautiful little shrimps. Since I live in Cairo, getting fresh seafood is not really an option, so I go for the frozen prepackaged (and cleaned) shrimp found at your local Hypermarket. The quantities can be scaled to your taste, the recipe serves one.
The recipe follows after the jump:
Engineering the Burger
November 22, 2009 1 Comment
First Published in CAMPUS magazine, May 2009
We all love a good burger. As the (self proclaimed) King of Burgers so insightfully points out, we each like to have it our own way. I’ve known people who like to add peanut butter and bacon to their burgers; others go for exotic flavors, like Thai-flavored oysters or top off their patty with a gratin of blue cheese, Porcini and wild mushrooms. There are stuffed burgers, too; and that just opens up a whole new can of whoop-ass, so I’ll leave you to your imagination about what could possibly be stuffed into a burger patty.
