authentic Egyptian recipes
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 …
Chicken in breadcrumbs – Chicken bennay 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 …
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 our childhood, with Wimbledon on the telly and with nothing more to do than swim and play. They were the indulgence of my childhood summers. Delicious, wonderfully ripe strawberries topped with whipped cream or Cornish ice-cream.
Although strawberries are available all year round, in our supermarkets nowadays, they are never better than in Summertime when they’re available locally and they are fully ripened out in the sun. Even just their fragrance is intoxicating.
And roses; the scent of roses with their sweet deeply luscious perfume; the perfume that’s floral and yet at times fruity, evoking feelings of peace and well-being.
Rose is a scent that never fails to capture all that’s wonderous. As such, it’s even used by Aromatherapists to lift the spirit and alleviate depression in their clients.
I must give a note of warning here though. I can’t stress enough just how important it is to use a decent quality rose water for this recipe, after all you only need a very small amount. If you use one of the cheaper options available, don’t be surprised if your Strawberry and Rose Cordial turns out tasting like soap, cheap soap at that. It’s just not worth it, either buy something decent or please don’t use it at all, because it will simply ruin your cordial.
Be careful, don’t be heavy-handed with the rose water. The cordial needs to be balanced. As I said you only need a tiny amount of rose water to add a secondary layer of flavour and scent to your drink.
The slightest hint is enough. Otherwise, it will seem as if you’re at the perfume counter at Boots and your Strawberry and Rose Cordial will be overwhelmed by just one single ingredient.
Another thing to be aware of is that different rose water has different strengths. So, I would suggest, initially only adding half the quantity stated in the recipe and then making up a diluted glass of your cordial, to check whether more is needed, before you add the full amount, just in case.
Hull (remove the green leafy part) the strawberries and cut them into quarters.
Put the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water into a pan, over a medium heat and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and leave to rest for about an hour.
Mash the strawberries to a fine pulp. You can do this with a potato masher or a food processor.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp.
Add ½ tsp rose water to the puree and mix.
Pour the puree into a sterilized container and store in the fridge.
First, take a tall glass & fill it 1/3 with ice.
Followed by 3 tablespoons of your delicious Strawberry and Rose Cordial.
Then top up with either cold water, soda water or, my favourite, sparkling mineral water.
*Before serving your first glass of cordial, do a taste test. Taste the diluted drink and see if you need to add the remaining rose water or if it’s good as it is.
To finish off, mint leaves or a strawberry, or both could be used to garnish your cordial. And of course adding a straw always seems to make a drink seem more special.
I’m sure you’re going to love this drink. It’s an idyllic summer in a glass. Close your eyes and be transported back to those wonderful summers of your childhood when days were sunny, long and carefree.
Your Strawberry and Rose cordial can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
Home-made Lemonade Home-made lemonade is traditionally tart, whilst at the same time sweet. Such a lovely refreshing drink on a hot day, especially served with lots of ice. Most people love the fresh citrus tang. But I know some people have find it a little …
Watermelon Cooler Watermelon cooler; on a hot summers’ day this is the ideal drink. The twist of lime adds freshness to the beautifully sweet watermelon. When it’s watermelon season and they’re beautifully ripe and sweet, this is a delightful alternative for this great fruit. …
Date milkshake is beautifully thick and creamy.
It’s naturally sweet from the dates, so, there’s no need to add sugar. And there’s no additives, no artificial flavourings, no artificial colourants or E numbers. All round it’s the best milkshake you could have.
If you’re wanting a natural treat, that you can give the kids that they’re sure to love, you can’t get better.
Kids absolutely love it. Kids from 1 year old to 101 year old that is.
During the Holy month of Ramadan, Muslims Fast from sunrise to sunset. During this time they have nothing to eat or drink, they can’t smoke and they can’t have relationships with their spouse. At sunset it’s time to break the fast. It’s traditional to break the Fast with milk and dates. This recipe combines the two and so Date Milkshake is perfect for Iftar (breaking of the Fast).
For this recipe you need about 12 soft dates. These are available in all Arabic grocers and they’re also available in many supermarkets also nowadays.
If absolutely necessary, harder dates (the sort I remember being handed around at Christmas time in my childhood) can be used but it would be necessary to soak them for a few of hours first to soften them.
In Egypt during date season, you quite often get a glut of dates which become a little over-ripe and would spoil if they weren’t dealt with. These are excellent for freezing. Simply remove the stones first and bag them up. They are then perfect for this recipe and have the added bonus of being frozen. As a result the milkshake tastes like it has ice-cream added. Absolutely delicious.
* you could use a mixture of milk and water to make a lighter, shake, if you wished.
Making date milkshake couldn’t be simpler.
Remove the stones from the dates. Put them into a blender.
Add the milk. Blitz them until they are completely blended and thick and frothy.
Pour your delicious date milk shake into a large jug.
Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Topping your milkshakes with Whipped creamed may be a bit over indulgent, but kids absolutely love a bit of drama (even grown-up kids).
I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Lemon Yoghurt Drink This Lemon Yoghurt Drink is fantastic. I was introduced to it relatively recently, when we went to share an Iftar meal during Ramadan with friends. It’s really refreshing and silky smooth. They say….”When Life Gives You Lemons,… Make Lemonade.” Well I say …
Hibiscus drink – Karkade – كَركَديه This glorious Hibiscus drink – known in Egypt as Karkadé and pronounced kark-a-day is an amazing fruit cordial. It’s made from dried Hibiscus sepals ( part of the flower). Not only does it taste great but it looks truly …
Mango Yoghurt Drink is a deliciously, rich, silky smooth drink with the gloriously exotic taste of mangoes. The best drink ever when mangoes are in season.
When it’s hot outdoors a glassful of chilled mango yoghurt drink is a real treat that refreshes you and also replenishes you, giving a real boost to the system.
Unlike yoghurt drinks you’ll buy in the store, this yoghurt drink is all natural. No preservatives, no artificial colours or flavourings. No added sugar, the mango already brings all the sweetness needed, and it sweetens it perfectly.
I’m really surprised that there are still people out there that haven’t tasted a mango. I can’t imagine never having had that pleasure, and not knowing just how good they are.
I must take a minute and qualify that remark though. A beautiful ripe mango that has been ripened out in the summer sun is absolutely sublime and melts in your mouth and the sweet sticky juice dribbles down the side of your mouth, it’s so fantastically juicy.
A mango that is under-ripe can taste really quite aggressively sharp and be hard as a coconut.
And a mango that has been picked early for export and then left to ripen in a box can be just as bad. The sun hasn’t had the chance to develop the sugars or even the flavours generally, so they may be a little softer but they can just taste like cardboard.
So please,don’t be tempted to buy cheap mangoes. If you’re going to buy a mango, buy it from a good supplier not an ecconomy supermarket. And make sure its ripe. Yes, it will be more expensive, but it will be sooo worth it.
If you’re not sure how to know when a mango is ripe, let me explain. First you should know that there are different types of mango, just like there are different types of apple. Some are ripe when they turn a lovely gold with a reddish glow. Others are dark green and will always stay that colour even when fully ripe. So colour isn’t necessarily the best guide for you.
You can squeeze one gently to judge ripeness. A ripe mango is similar to a peach in so much as the flesh will become softer as it ripens. Another really good sign that a mango is ripe is that it may have a sweet fruity fragrance and this generally indicates that the flesh is going to be really tasty too.
So, if you’ve never tasted a mango let me try to describe what you might expect it to taste like. The flesh has the bite similar to a cantaloupe melon or a papaya. A ripe mango is beautifully sweet. It has the taste I’ve heard described as the cross between a peach and a pineapple. Other people have said that they are like a sweet citrus, crossed with a cantaloupe or sweet honey dew melon. They’re also very fragrant, smelling quite tropical.
I know those descriptions seem to cover quite a broad spectrum but they have quite an individual flavour which is tricky to pinpoint. I would definitely recommend trying one and not leaving it a day longer, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.
Peel the mango and remove the stone. Roughly chop the flesh.
Put the mango flesh or pulp into a blender with the yoghurt and blitz thoroughly.
Fill a large jug 1/4 full with ice.
Pour your blitzed mango yoghurt into the jug over the ice. Add the water and mix thoroughly.
Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Serve with plenty of ice
*This mix is also great to make ice lollies, in which case you don’t need to add the water
pickled turnip with beetroot Pickled turnip is a favourite side dish on any table in Egypt. Pickles are served with just about every meal over there; breakfast, lunch and dinner. They’re also wonderful popped into a kebab or a falafel sandwich, much as you would …