“The concept has roots in Buddhist teachings. Just as there are forms of meditation that involve sitting, breathing, standing and walking, many Buddhist teachers encourage their students to meditate with food, expanding consciousness by paying close attention to the sensation and purpose of each morsel. In one common exercise, a student is given three raisins, or a tangerine, to spend 10 or 20 minutes gazing at, musing on, holding and patiently masticating. “

Porn groove soundtrack  is completely optional.

Cooking Time: Boom Chica Wow!

I’ve been on a bit of an Subcontinental food buzz recently; and an invitation to take AmounsBouche back to Essence Barbecue in Mohandessin was one i could not resist. We both love Massala at the Karvin Hotel, but being bound to the island of Zamalek and its immediate vicinity, we were pleased to finally have an alternative to the horrendous Nawab when the curry bug bites.

Nothing has changed from my previous review – the Pakoras are still among the best things I have ever eaten; pungently spiced with an impossibly light and airy texture and the potato samosas are little potato curry flavor grenades. We did not like the meat samosas, which had a strong lamb flavor, but were bland otherwise.

The kitchen clearly enjoys the process of creation, even going so far as to add a little black salt to the lemonade we ordered. It was a nice flourish, i thought, but it should have been announced to prepare us for the added twist. It was sent back in favor of the more boring ‘regular’ lemonade (but they did add a tinsel umbrella…) Probably more successful is their new Lunch menu, offering both vegetarian and carnivorous options for a flat price of EGP50. Included are four courses, and it can be ordered, and indeed is designed for, takeaway.

The service is still as fresh faced as ever, and the head waiter is more comfortable and familiar with all the items on the menu. We didn’t get a chance to meet the Chef this time, but if you take my word for it, she won’t be leaving cairo anytime soon.

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Peace out.

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.

A Foodie’s Guide to: Prestige Ingredients

A Foodie’s Guide to: Fruits and Vegetables in Cairo

A Foodie’s Guide to: Bakeries in Cairo

A Foodie’s Guide to: Butchers in Cairo

Mom, Dad … I’m a foodie.

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

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:

Pickled Tomato Wedges

• 4 large tomatoes cut into ¾ inch wedges.
• 3 Fresh Parsley sprigs, leaves chopped finely.
• 1 TBSP white vinegar
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Lemon juice
• ½ TSP Dried mint powder
• Salt and pepper to taste.

A great touch is to put the tomatos in the fridge for a while before making this salad. That way, you maximize the refreshing effect, and bring out the full minty freshness. Combine the dressing in a bowl, and pour over the wedges. Throw in some whole fresh mint leaves for effect.

Summer Fruit cocktail

• 4 peaches cut into ¾ in wedges
• ½ kilo strawberries cleaned and halved.
• ¼ Watermelon, cut into bite sized chunks, preferably seedless (or seeds removed)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup white grape juice
• 2 cans club soda
• 2 sprigs of fresh mint.
• 2 cloves

Yes, only 2 cloves. Any more, and you’ll overpower the rest of the ingredients.  Dump all the above into a big pitcher. Mix well. Add ice, if needed. When the juice runs out, grab a fork and start eating!

Smoked Salmon on toast

• ¼ kilo smoked salmon, sliced (natch)
• 1 TBSP capers
• 2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped finely
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 TBSP sour cream
• Slices of toasted bread.
• 1 TSP olive oil.

Combine the capers, dill lemon juice and sour cream. Spread over the toast. Layer over the slices of smoked salmon.

Devour.

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:

Molokheyya:

Also known as Jew’s Mallow; this dish transforms the raw bitterness of the Molokheyya leaves into a sumptuous and complex broth, which is naturally thickened by the compounds in the leaves itself. The addition of cilantro and garlic gives a further depth of flavor, and adds saltiness which serves to whet the appetite. Common additions to Molokheyya include dem3a; which is a particularly salty tomato sauce to further enhance the broth. Molokheyya is typically served with some sort of protein: duck breast, roast chicken or braised beef. The end result is a wonderfully satisfying dish that only your mother has perfected.

Koshary:

The staple of many an all-nighter for students on a budget; this dish brings together a lot of seemingly bland components, but transforms them into something decidedly unique. Texturally, it’s a grab bag of cooked pasta, rice, lentils, chick peas, fried onions, tomato sauce and garlic vinaigrette. Even though there is no meat involved, this is the one vegetarian dish that packs one hell of an Umami wallop. Couple that with the tangy sourness of the garlic vinaigrette, the subtle sweetness of the fried onions and the saltiness of the tomato sauce; and you get a perfect storm of texture and flavor. Be sure to try eating it out of a plastic bag.

Recipe – Umami packed Caramelized onions

[Prep time 5 minutes, Cooking time approx  60 minutes]

1. 5 large white onions – finely sliced
2. Very Large pot
3. 2 TBSP Olive oil
4. 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
5. 1 beef Bouillon cube
6. 2 TBSP Brown sugar
7. 1 TSP White sugar
8. 2 TSP Salt
9. 3 TSP Pepper

• On a medium low heat, add the onions to the pot – do not overcrowd the pot, the layer at the bottom should be no more than a couple of centimeters deep. If necessary, cook in batches.
• Add oil, and coat the onions.  Give it a couple of tosses to coat the onions.
• Add salt and pepper, cover and let it cook over a low heat for 20 minutes. Check on it every now and then to give it a quick stir, to prevent the onions from “catching” on the bottom of the pot. After this point, they should start to become soft and transparent.
• Add the sugars, Worcestershire sauce and the bouillon cube; stirring to evenly distribute it among the cooking onions. Cover again, and let it cook over a medium-low heat for another 30 minutes. Once again, check on it often to make sure it doesn’t catch. If the onions look like they’re beginning to fry, then turn down the heat a little and stir.
• At this point, the onions should have turned a brown color’ give it a taste and season accordingly. You can finish it off with another splash of Worcestershire sauce or even a little bit of barbecue sauce.
• This mixture keeps for upto 2 weeks in the fridge. Enjoy it with anything your heart desires – scrambled eggs, meat, or even potatoes.

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.

The origins of Om Ali have been attributed, in most legends, to Ezz El Din Aybak, the first Mamluk Sultan of Egypt in the mid 13th century. One legend describes how Om Ali was a dish created to celebrate the brutal assassination of Ezz El Din Aybak’s second wife by his first wife. Another legend claims that the Sultan was on a hunting trip, and a peasant woman named Om Ali made him a dessert of leftover bread, sugar and milk as an offering. The sultan liked it, and had the dish permanently named after her.
On the other hand, Food historians have reliably traced back the original bread pudding to the 12th century, as a way for peasants to salvage stale bread. The current incarnation, bread and butter pudding, was developed much later. In the 1845, a cookbook listed one of the earliest known recipes for bread and butter pudding. It was an evolution of the Bread Pudding as the formerly expensive ingredients for the pudding became more affordable and available. Later on, it became a staple of British Christmas dinners.
But the Om Ali Legend I prefer – and the one that makes the most sense – is the one that attributes the creation of the dish to Miss O’Malley, one of Khedive Ismail’s mistresses during the mid 19th Century. She was an Irish woman, and perhaps when she felt amorous, would use stale bread to make her lover a traditional English bread pudding. More likely, however, was that Miss O’Malley cooked a Christmas dinner and served bread and butter pudding during the feast. What’s even more interesting is that Ramadan and Christmas coincided from 1868 till 1870. During this time, Khedive Ismail was in power as Ruler of Egypt, and would have definitely appreciated the introduction of a British Dessert at the Ramadan Fitar Table, in a gesture combining both religious events.
Thankfully, Egyptians back then chose to arabicize her name to “Om Ali” rather than call the dish “Brid Buddin”.
Whatever; both are insanely tasty and rich. The main difference between them is that the Bread and Butter pudding soaks the stale bread in custard; while Om Ali simply uses a spiced milk mixture. The result is that the Om Ali has a thinner consistency than the bread and butter pudding. Whichever you decide to make I can guarantee it will be the perfect denouement to a Protein rich meal.

Om Ali:

You can get prepackaged Om Ali Kits, but you get the best results if you construct this from scratch; the entire preparation time takes less than 10 minutes. For added dimension, I use Sahlab mix to give a rich thick sauce. This particular recipe serves 2 to 3 people.
Dry Ingredients:
•    500gms thawed puff pastry sheets
•    ½ cup chopped pecans
•    ½ cup chopped hazelnuts
•    ½ cup chopped walnuts
•    ¼ Cup white Sugar
•     ½ cup raisins
•     ½ cup flaked coconut

Wet Ingredients:
•    ½ cup Sahlab mix
•    ½ cup Sugar
•    3 cups Milk
•    1 tsp cinnamon

Topping
•    1 TBSP cold butter, cut into small cubes.

Method
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a large clay ramekin.
2.    Toast the pastry sheets in the ramekin in the oven until crunchy and golden.
3.    In a bowl, combine walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, coconut and sugar. Break toasted pastry into pieces and stir into nut mixture. Place at the bottom of the Ramekin.
4.    In a saucepan, prepare the Sahlab mix with the milk and cinnamon, and bring to a boil.
5.    Pour the Sahlab over the dry ingredients. It should just cover the dry ingredients.
6.    Sprinkle the cold butter cubes over the surface of the mixture.
7.    Place dessert in the oven until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.
8.    Serve hot. Devour.

Bread and Butter Pudding

This is a bit more labor intensive than the Om Ali, but the results are still fantastic. It is typically served with some sort of fruit compote, and in the spirit of Ramadan, I’ve included a recipe for cherry-apricot compote. This serves 4 hungry diners.
For the Bread and Butter pudding.
•    300ml Milk
•    600ml whipping cream
•    1 packet vanilla
•    5 Eggs
•    190g caster/powdered sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
•    4 tbsp raisins
•    12 slices of lightly toasted bread, cut into cubes.
•    250g Butter, melted.

Method
1.    Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Warm the milk and cream with the vanilla in a pan until lukewarm. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.
2.    Add the warm milk and cream to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking well. This is very important, because you do not want the eggs to scramble. Set aside until lukewarm.
3.    Put a tablespoon of raisins each into a casserole dish. Then dip the slices of bread into the melted butter and add to the casserole dish.
4.    Pour the cream mixture over the bread; it must be lukewarm not cold when poured to prevent the butter from hardening.
5.    Leave the bread to soak up the cream mixture for about 15 minutes, then add more mixture until the bread is very soft and gooey. Sprinkle over some caster sugar.
6.    Place the casserole dish in a deep roasting tray, pour hot water into the tray around the casserole dish and bake until set, around 25-30 minutes. You can tell the pudding has set by gently shaking the casserole dish – it should “jiggle” like a jelly, but not be too runny. The top should also be golden brown.

Cherry-Apricot compote

This is a great addition to any Ramadan dessert, especially since cherries happen to be in season at the moment. Use this with either of the two desserts, or with cereal for a fantastic sohour option. It can be made a day in advance, and keeps well in the fridge for upto a week.

•    1 1/4 cups sugar
•    1 cup water
•    1 cup unsweetened orange juice
•    2 teaspoons grated orange peel
•    500gms dried apricots, chopped
•    500gms fresh cherries; pitted and halved.

Method
1.    Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan.
2.    Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil.
3.    Add apricots and cherries; simmer until fruit is tender, about 5 minutes.
4.    Transfer to bowl. Chill until cold, about 2 hours.
5.    Serve over dessert or get a spoon and enjoy!

Cooking Time – 35 minutes

Add all the Wet mix ingredients into a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil.

Remove it from the stove and let it cool down and infuse for about 20 minutes.

Next, in a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour, whisking it constantly to prevent the flour from clumping.

Crush the Stock cube into the flour and butter mixture, and keep stirring it in. if it starts getting too “dry” add a little bit more butter.

Keep stirring till the color of the dry mix begins to turn a light caramel color, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the wet mix slowly, stirring the whole time.

Keep stirring the sauce over medium heat until it just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t worry if It seems too thin – it thickens as it stands.

————————————-

Step Two: Put the Pasta On.

A simple rule of thumb is 1 liter of boiling water and 10 grams of salt (about ¾ TSP) for every 100 grams of pasta. Remember to add the pasta only once the water has come to a boil. Cook it for 7-10 minutes to get “al dente”.

Don’t be shy and test it while it’s cooking to make sure it’s cooked right. Instead of the boring Penne pasta, try mixing it up with some shells or farfelle; it’ll be a very nice surprise for your guests.

———————————————————————-

Step Three: Stir and Fry the Garlic Chicken Thigh

Heat your skillet over a high heat. Add olive oil and sliced onions.

Cook the onions until they start turning color, about 2-3 minutes.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and add it to the skillet along with the garlic and soy sauce. Stir constantly!

Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the chicken just start to develop some color on their surface.

Add the chicken stock and turn down the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer until the liquid has reduced by two thirds.

———————————————————-

Step Four: Bring it all together, and bake.

1/3 cup of crushed Bake Rolls.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Add the chicken to the cooked pasta, and mix it well. Add a little of the béchamel sauce as well.

Layer that on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Pour over the remaining Bechamel sauce and sprinkle the crushed bake rolls on top.

Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

.

.

Devour.

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.

Casper and Gambini’s, City Stars and Nile Towers

Fluffy Pancakes with fresh fruit and maple syrup; a Caramelized onion frittata so light you could use it as a floatation device; superb, freshly brewed cups of coffee. ‘Nuff said.

It’s no secret to the five people who’ve have read my food blog that I am a huge fan of C&G. Whatever it is they do, they do it very well. I prefer the City Stars location, since in the mornings you’re bathed in the soft glow of sunlight, and the mall is quiet until around noon. Breakfast is apparantly offered all day long, but in reality, you can only order it from 9am to 12pm.

If you’re planning on spending the day at the mall you won’t find a better way to start.

Felfela, Downtown

I’m talking the “Tourist Restaurant”; not the sandwich shop. I’ve been coming to Felfela ever since I was 6 years old, and it’s one of those places that feels like home everytime I walk in. This establishment is not everyone’s list of places with great food – but it should be.

The foul medammis in all it’s different incarnations are supremely satisfying, especially when coupled Ta’ameyya, an egg and bastirma omelet, French fries, pickled tomatoes and the traditional pickled carrots and beets (read: Torshy). The bread is fresh and baked on the premises. Tahina and Baba Ghanough should also make an appearance on your table to complete the experience. Wash it down with water or a soft drink or, if you’re feeling crude and feckless, drink a brew for breakfast.

References to “The Clash” aside, I want you to remember to look up from your plate once in a while and get acquainted with one of Cairo’s oldest and most storied traditional restaurants. Oh, and a few grunts of approval to whomever you’re having brekkie with can’t hurt either.

McDonald’s, Anywhere

Last year, I had much cause for celebration and jubilation – McDonald’s began serving their calorie laden breakfasts at most locations. My dream of having those excellent pancakes at home, without making them from scratch, became a reality when the gentleman on the other end of the phone confirmed to me that “Yes, sir. We do deliver breakfasts.”

15 minutes later, I was staring a double order of pancakes in the face, and armed with my own maple syrup, I took that bad boy down. The coffee isn’t bad, either. Besides the pancakes, there are hash-browns, scrambled eggs and the heart attack inducing Egg and Cheese McMuffin, made on a real English muffin, which makes my heart skip a beat even as I write this.

If you want to get down and dirty, and have a greasy lipped smile at the end of your breakfast, then check out Mickey D’s. The delivery option can help you turn the breakfast into a picnic; drive to your preferred location, call them up on the cell phone and they will deliver to wherever you happen to be. Convenience to the Extreme.

Le Chantilly, Korba

A Long time dinner eater, but first time breakfast eater, I only recently discovered that Le Chantilly offers a breakfast menu. Eggs, Croissants, jam and tea; the best option is to have a European style continental breakfast. If you’re sitting inside, or even in their outdoor seating area, the restaurant makes you feel like you’re in a bubble, and although it can get quite crowded, you will never struggle to have a decent breakfast conversation with your friend, or enjoy a quiet read of your favorite morning paper or magazine.

Lucille’s, Maadi

Ask “breakfast in Cairo” to anyone and nine times out of ten, the reply will be “Definitely Lucille’s”. And rightfully so; this greasy spoon diner serves up some of the best pancakes in town, and one of the only places you can have a short stack, with hash-browns, biscuit and gravy, eggs and beef bacon all on the same plate. The thin American coffee complements the meal perfectly. Whenever I’m having breakfast there, I’m transported back to my favorite diner in New Haven, CT, USA: Cody’s Diner. The only difference is the notable absence of whiskers on your female waiter.

They can make your eggs any way you want, and they even offer French Toast. I have yet to try it, but if it’s anything like the pancakes, then I expect a huge portion and a satisfied set of taste buds.

Lucille’s is a bit pricy, and if you plan on having breakfast on a weekend, then make sure you get there early or call to save a table, or else you’ll be left standing on the sidewalk, hungry, rejected and contemplating a stale Beano’s croissant.

Fuddruckers, Dokki

One of the first places to make a decent stack of pancakes about a decade ago, Fuddruckers is still going strong. Ignore the oversized burgers, and head over to the Shooting Club location in the morning. On the weekends, it can get a bit hot if you sit near the window, but if you’re a sunlight junkie, then this should be right up your alley.

I can’t recommend anything else they have for breakfast, other than the huge fluffy pancakes and bottomless cups of brewed coffee. I wouldn’t want to; just make sure they give you enough syrup, and you have enough room in your stomach for the festival of pan fried dough you are about to eat.

Marriot Hotel, Zamalek

There are a number of options, but I’ll focus on two of them. The fare on offer at each is different, but they share one thing in common: Eating here will put a dent in your wallet for sure.

The first is the pool side café. For outdoor atmosphere, the poolside café gets top marks; having 2 eggs and a steak for breakfast in the sun-tinged greenery of the hotel’s poolside courtyard is the embodiment of living the high life. But the food is a bit mediocre, with most hotels; it’s about style rather than substance.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Marriot Zamalek, Roy’s is one of the very few high-end restaurants open 24 hours a day. The fare on offer is distinctly American, and they have breakfast rolls that are simply to die for.  The atmosphere does leave a lot to be desired; Roy’s is not only tucked away in a corner of the hotel, it’s also half buried in the ground, giving a distinct “Basement Chic” appeal, and a minimum of direct sunlight.