authentic Egyptian recipes
Egyptian Coffee with Cardamom Egyptian coffee is a wonderful dark, full flavoured coffee. It’s very concentrated, similar to an espresso. And just like espresso it’s served in a very small glass or cup – demi-tasse size. Egyptian coffee is very finely ground and usually has …
Crimson Salad The glorious colours of this salad are so vibrant. Obviously the predominant colour is crimson, as the name suggests is the dark crimson red. This is brought by the ripe, red bell peppers. It’s then accentuated by the deeper raspberry or almost purple …
Almond Crescents, to me, are a quintessential Arabic biscuit that goes perfectly with a glass of sweet, mint tea. These exemplary bite size morsels are really easy to make and the result never fails to delight, they simply melt in your mouth.
They are perfect to offer when visitors call at times such as Eid. Similarly, they’re a great gift to take when you are the visitor.
Makes about 40 Almond Crescents
To make vanilla scented icing sugar split a vanilla pod and place it in an airtight container with your icing sugar and leave it over-night or up to 6 months.
*The vanilla pod can be re-used
Pre-heat your oven to 180° C
Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl beat the butter until it becomes light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat again until they mix combines thoroughly and again becomes nice and fluffy.
Add the nuts, salt and almond essence and mix thoroughly.
Gradually sift in the flour – Add 2 cups initially and then add the rest a couple of tablespoons at a time until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough.
* Make sure to scrape down the sides so that everything mixes thoroughly
Break off a small piece of dough about the size of a walnut, roll it into a sausage with pointed ends and then form it into a crescent shape. Then place it on the lined baking tray.
Repeat this process until all your dough has been used up.
Place the crescents onto the greaseproof paper on the baking trays and put them into your pre-heated oven.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
As soon as they have finished baking, these need to be rolled in icing sugar, whilst they’re still warm .
Once your Almond Crescents have cooled they’ll be ready to serve.
These beautiful biscuits can be kept for a couple of days in an airtight container.
They can also be cooked in advance, in larger quantities, for celebrations such as Eid, and frozen.
Almond crescents are such lovely little biscuits and so easy to make. I do hope you’ll try making some. Let me know how you get on.
I love getting your photos, so make sure you send them in.
Harissa Paste Harissa paste is fantastic for adding a hit of flavour and heat to your food. Harissa paste never fails to make your food sing. Whether you use it as a marinade for recipes such as harissa chicken or you use it as a …
Chicken Livers Chicken livers are incredibly tasty and are so tender they almost melt in your mouth. Only taking a couple of minutes to cook, they are a great choice for a quick meal and they’re amazingly easy to prepare. There are many options for …
Strawberry and Rose Jam is a beautiful conserve. If you close your eyeswhilst eating it, it’s truly magical. It’s reminiscent of Turkish Delight, whilst at the same time being the essence of what idyllic summers are supposed to be, in a jar.
I make this wonderful jam in Egypt when the strawberry season (which is in January) overwhelms you with vast quantities of this delicious, fragrant fruit. Over there, all fruit and vegetables are ripened in the fields, in the full sun, so the strawberries are simply bursting with flavour and smell glorious.
My parents’ first visit to Egypt was during such a season and my dad couldn’t wait to make some strawberry jam. His jam was unbelievable; the flavour was out of this world and it was just the most wonderful deep, ruby red colour.
The next version was Strawberry and Rose Jam with the addition of rose water. It was truly fantastic; filling your senses with the best that summer had to offer. It’s a beautiful jam, truly magical. It has the essence of all of what summers are supposed to be.
In Aromatherapy the scent of rose petals is considered excellent for balancing, mind, heart and emotions. It’s known to boost serotonin. And this can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and in turn increase feelings of joy and happiness.
This may explain why it is such a joy to eat this beautiful conserve. As I said, it is the essence of idyllic summers in a jar.
I must say here that, it is really important to choose a good quality rosewater. Otherwise you could end up with jam that smells like soap, so be warned. Good rosewater is a bit more expensive but it’s worth it.
Adding the vanilla bean is possibly totally unnecessary BUT it just takes it to another level and makes it totally spellbinding. Absolutely gorgeous.
This jam is just as wonderful with your croissants in the morning, as it is dolloped into a bowl of creamy Greek yogurt. And to be honest there’s nothing better on homemade scones which are still warm from the oven with lashings of clotted cream. Or even as the filling for a very special Victoria Sponge.
Before you begin put a couple of china saucers or plates into the freezer to use for testing the jam later.
Put the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan and heat it over a medium heat.
Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, skimming away any foam that forms on the top.
Reduce the heat down to a gentle simmer.
Add the rose water and the vanilla.
Stirring frequently, continue to cook the jam for about another 20-30 minutes until it starts to thicken and jell.
To test if jam is done, take one of the saucers you put in the freezer before you started cooking and put a large teaspoonful of jam on it.
Put the saucer with the jam on it back into the freezer to chill for a couple of minutes to get the jam down to room temperature. Push the jam with your finger. If the surface crinkles up, and you can draw a line through the middle of it with your finger and the jam stays separated, rather than the jam running together again, then it is done.
Ladle the jam into sterilized jars.
I do hope you’ll try this wonderful jam it really is so good, like I said all the flavours of idyllic summers in a pot.
Let me know how you get on with it.
Pita bread – Aish abyad pita bread In Egypt, the bread is best likened to pita bread. The main difference is that it’s round. Bread is an incredibly important staple in Egypt. If you’d like to find out more see my article ‘Bread in Egypt’. …
Banana Milkshake – known in Egypt as Moz bi Leban Creamy Banana Milkshake is a wonderful, rich, whipped drink that seems really indulgent and yet it’s remarkably healthy. This banana milkshake has no nasty hidden extras The beauty of making your own banana milkshake is …
This Chicken in Breadcrumbs recipe leaves KFC standing in the shadows. If you want to make chicken that gets everyone excited and wanting to have it again and again, then this is a great recipe for you.
The chicken is marinated. This enhances its flavour right from the start. The Baharat spice blend, sometimes known as Arabic 7 Spice is a blend of cumin, ground coriander, alspice, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom and the impact this spice blend alone has on the dish is phenominal.
A coating of breadcrumbs is the next step , but not just any breadcrumbs. These have been seasoned to give even greater impact. The chicken in breadcrumbs is then fried to give a crispy coating with a real bite.
This has long been a family favourite.
Lay it between 2 large sheets of cling film or greaseproof paper.
Using a rolling pin beat the chicken until it is only 0.5cm thick. Don’t be tempted to cut the chicken, the beating actually tenderises the chicken as well as making it flatter.
Cut the chicken into 3 more manageable size pieces.
Repeat this process with the other chicken fillets.
Put the lemon juice garlic, onion, salt pepper and 7 spice into a large bowl and mix them together.
Put the chicken into the marinade. Mix it thoroughly to ensure it’s coated thoroughly.
Put the chicken into the fridge. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes – over night would be even better.
Set up 3 wide shallow bowls. And an additional plate.
In the first bowl put the flour, with a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
In the second bowl put the beaten egg.
In the third bowl put the breadcrumbs and mix in the smoked paprika.
Lift the chicken out of the marinade. Using your hand wipe off any excess marinade.
Put it into the flour and turn it over a couple of times to coat it.
Shake off any excess flour then put it into the beaten egg. Turn it over a couple of times to coat it.
Allow any excess egg to drip off before putting it into the breadcrumbs. Turn it over a couple of times to coat it thoroughly.
Put your coated chicken onto the plate.
Repeat this process until all your chicken is coated in breadcrumbs.
Heat oil (about 5cm deep) in a deep, frying pan.
When the oil becomes hot and begins to sizzle, reduce the heat, and begin frying your chicken.
Fry just a few pieces of chicken at a time.
Fry them until they become a beautiful crispy, golden brown.
Turn them to brown the other side.
Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil when cooked.
Fry all the chicken in this way.
Your Chicken is going to be beautifully crispy and packed with flavour; the real star of the show. So, you could have it on its own, with just a simple herb salad. If you feel that you’d like more, you could serve it with shareya rice or sauté potatoes with maybe a few pickles on the side and tahini sauce to drizzle over the top.
Alternatively, after flattening the chicken fillets initially, cut the chicken into strips before breadcrumbing them and make Chicken Gourjons. These are a great choice for a Mezze style meal.
Enjoy!
I hope you’ll try this recipe. You’ll be surprised how easy it is. It’s definitely one to have up your sleeve; a real crowd pleaser.
I hope you liked the recipe – Subscribe to get many more recipes from Secrets of a Cairo Kitchen
Strawberry and Rose Cordial Strawberry and Rose Cordial, what could be more perfect for a refreshing summer drink than a glass filled with lots of ice and all the scents and flavours of an idyllic summer. We associate Strawberries, with the long hot summers of …