authentic Egyptian recipes
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad Roasted Butternut Squash Salad : Butternut squash, roasted until tender and seasoned with Dukkah (a warm aromatic nut and spice blend), is the main star of the show with this dish. The sweet nutty flavour of the butternut squash is perfectly …
Lamb Fettah Lamb Fettah : Beautifully tender, succulent chunks of meat are laid over Egyptian rice which has been cooked in tasty stock. At its base are pieces of crispy bread. These have been soaked in a wonderfully rich gravy which the bread sucks up …
Savoury Ghoulash is (as one of my Son-in-Laws described it) “The Best Meat Pie Ever”.
It’s crispy and buttery micro-thin layers of filo pastry, encasing the tastiest minced beef filling that’s been seasoned to perfection.
Anyone who’s got a fear of making pastry doesn’t have to worry. The pastry comes straight from the shop or supermarket – you don’t even need to roll it & it’s perfect every time. Fantastic!
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C
Heat up the oil in a large frying pan.
Put the mince into a bowl and break it up so it’s loose and not in clumps.
Add the mince, onions and peppers to the hot frying pan. Spread the mix evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Then don’t stir it or move it around. This will allow the meat to brown and take on a lovely colour and flavour. If you keep stirring it that won’t happen and instead it will start to cook in the steam you create, and the meat will go a greyish colour with much less flavour. Only, once the meat starts to brown should you stir it.
Keeping it still will also allow the onions to caramelise a little and brings another layer of flavour.
Fry you meat for about 10 – 15 minutes until it starts to brown and the onions soften.
Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients for the filling.
Bring it to the boil over a medium flame and then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stirring regularly. By this time the sauce will have thickened and reduced to a much thicker consistency.
Remove the bay leaves.
Take the pan off the heat and put to one side.
Butter your baking dish
Lay one layer of pastry in the base and then brush over with the melted butter, then repeat this process 7 more times.
Pour the cooked meat sauce in the baking dish, over the pastry. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to level the surface .
Next, lay another 8 layers of pastry over the meat filling, buttering between each layer.
Drizzle any excess butter you may have left over the top layer of pastry.
Your ghoulash now needs to be cut with a sharp knife. This needs to be done before cooking because after the pastry has been cooked, it becomes lovely and crisp and the whole thing would just break up if you tried to cut it then.
Cut straight down the centre lengthways and then into 4 equal portions in the other direction, making 8 rectangles.
Pour the stock all over your Savoury Ghoulash
Put your Ghoulash into the pre-heated oven and cook for about 30 – 40 minutes until the pastry becomes a lovely golden brown.
Remove your tray of Savoury Ghoulash from the oven & wait for it to cool down a little before serving.
I’m confident that you will love this recipe. Give it a go and let me know what you think.
Baklava Rolls look incredibly complex but they’re incredibly easy to make. Micro-thin layers of crispy buttery filo pastry with nuts in a fragrant syrup
I remember the first time my daughter-in-law made Harissa Chicken for us – I was just blown away. It was absolutely delicious; the chicken is so flavoursome having been marinated in a rich, spicy, red pepper and tomato paste and it tastes like it’s straight out of the smoker.
Harissa is possibly the best loved condiment of the Middle East. It’s well-known for its spicy credentials, but it should be known for so much more than this.
A pizazz of heat comes from the spicy chilli, sweetness from the wonderful roasted red peppers, seductive smokiness thanks to the smoked paprika and the zing of a citrus blast is added to the mix, by the fresh lemon juice. Cumin brings in a slightly sweet, warming slightly nutty flavour. Whilst aniseed has a liquorice flavour that is sweet, mildly spicy, and very aromatic. Some recipes include caraway instead of aniseed, but my personal choice is aniseed.
Harissa is a fantastic spice mix to use especially when you’re entertaining. Everyone will want to know what you’ve added to the chicken to create such amazing flavours. A real conversation if ever there was one!
You can buy ready-made Harissa Paste from shops and supermarkets but I prefer to make my own. I make it with a little less chilli than shop-bought varieties, but it still has all the other spice elements to work their magic. If you choose to use shop-bought harissa I would suggest you consider using a little less.
You will only need to use 4 tablespoons of the harissa paste. The rest can be stored in the fridge for about two weeks and used as a condiment . Alternatively it’s wonderful used in dishes such as Shakshuka and Lentil Soup. It can also be added to rice or any stews you make, and every time it’s a winner.
This is used if you want to add a sensational smoky flavour
Put all the ingredients for the harissa paste into a food processor or blender and blitz them until they form a paste.
Remember you only need 4 tablespoons of this glorious marinade for this recipe. The rest can be stored in a covered jam jar, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can be used as a condiment to perk up your meals or as a marinade for other dishes.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the chicken portions and massage it into the meat.
Put the chicken into a large bowl and smother them in the harissa paste. Add the extra chopped garlic and grated ginger and massage them once more. Allow the chicken to marinate in the rich marinade for a couple of hours or over-night if you can, to allow the flavours to be absorbed.
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees
Lay the chopped onions and sliced peppers in a roasted tray along with the tomatoes.
Drizzle oil over the top of them and then turn them over, so that all the vegetables have a light coating of oil.
Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables.
Lay the marinated chicken on top of the vegetables.
Use cooking foil to cover the roasting tray and seal it, to stop it from drying out during the cooking process..
Put the roasting tray into the oven and let your chicken cook for 40 minutes.
To check that your chicken is cooked thoroughly, insert a knife into the meat – there should be no sign of redness or blood and all the juices should run clear. If this is not the case then return the chicken to the oven for a little longer.
Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove the foil but put it to one side to be used again later.
Your chicken now needs its skin to be browned and crisped up, to match its appearance with its amazing flavours.
Drizzle a very light coating of oil onto the chicken, this will assist in the browning process.
Turn your grill on to high and let it warm up for a few minutes before putting your chicken under for about 5 minutes. This should be enough time to allow it to brown slightly, and become a wonderful glowing version of its former self.
Lay the aluminium foil bowl, that you made, in the roasting tray with the chicken. Pour a few drops of oil into the foil bowl.
Next, hold the charcoal with tongs above a flame and set it alight, when it starts to glow red, blow out the flame and let it smoke. Put the charcoal into the foil bowl with the oil. Quickly cover and seal the roasting tray with foil or a tight fitting lid and let your chicken bask in the smoky aromas for around 10 minutes.
Before serving add the fresh coriander to the onions and peppers and gently mix them through.
Harissa chicken is delicious served over a bed of Egyptian Rice with Shareya. To present it, lay the vegetables with the coriander over the rice. Then, top with the glorious chicken, which will be its crowning glory.
Alternatively it’s very popular when included as part of a mezze.
This is definitely one of those meals that will make the taste buds sing for joy!
Let me know how you enjoyed it. And don’t forget to send in your photos – I love seeing them.
Chicken Over Potato Layers Chicken Over Potato Layers is a sensational way to enjoy chicken. The seasoned butter bastes the chicken and then the juices run down into the potatoes giving them phenomenal flavour. You’ll need a deep oven-proof dish or roasting tray measuring about …
Kofta are the Middle Eastern cousin of the meat ball. Seasoned perfectly to bring out the wonderful flavours of the meat .
Chicken shawarma is one of Egypt’s favourite street foods. But it’s a real treat to have at home as well. It’s incredibly tasty, with every bite packed with flavour. What can I say? It’s a real crowd pleaser.
When it comes to tasty meals Chicken Shawarma ranks highly and it never fails to please.
Chicken Shawarma is a great option when you’re looking for ideas for a relaxed meal for when family and friends come round.
All the prepping can be done well in advance. And the actual cooking takes only a matter of minutes. Quicker than ordering a Take-Away!
Chicken Shawarma can be cooked on a barbeque which is great. Sadly , it’s not always the weather for barbeques. So, this recipe shows you how to cook it indoors without having to miss out on the wonderfully smoky flavour a barbeque gives you.
It can be served in a wrap with some lovely fresh salad. Alternatively it can served with vegetables in a wrap or just with a little rice. This recipe includes the details of how to prepare the vegetables.
This recipe smokes the chicken after it’s been cooked, giving it a glorious barbeque flavour. This is much easier than you think by the way, so don’t be put off thinking it’s too difficult.
I really hope you’ll try this recipe. It really is so tasty and it’s especially popular with teenagers.
This recipe should be enough for 4 people.
500g chicken fillet – a mix of breast and thigh
First, cut your chicken into 1cm slices.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. Wipe off the marinade, back into the bowl. Ensure as much of the liquid is removed as possible (otherwise the chicken will boil rather than fry).
Heat a large frying pan over a high flame. When it’s really hot drizzle oil into it.
When the oil is really hot, gently lower some of the chicken into the pan.
You will need to cook the chicken in a few batches.
Don’t overcrowd the pan because this will cause the temperature of the pan to drop.
Spread the chicken out so that it is only a single layer, so that each piece has contact with the hot pan.
Don’t stir the chicken. Let it brown. The spices will form a slight crust. When the chicken is thoroughly browned turn it over to cook the other side.
Once the chicken is browned on both sides remove it from the pan.
Continue cooking the batches until all the chicken is browned.
Put your chicken to the side & keep warm.
Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onions and peppers and allow them to fry for about 3 minutes. Mixing continuously. You want the vegetables to stay fairly firm.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Mixing continuously.
Now everything should be cooked. Remove the pan from the heat
Now its time to slice your chicken – about 1/2 cm thick would be about right.
Then put the sliced chicken back into the pan, laying it on top of the onions, peppers & tomato.
Now to add the magic
Shape the tin foil into a small egg cup shape – double thickness.
Scrape the chicken away from the centre of the pan and sit the tin foil cup in the centre of the pan.
Set the charcoal alight by holding it over the gas flame for a few minutes. When the coal begins to glow blow out the flame.
Drizzle a little oil into the tin foil cup that you have just made and then put the charcoal in the oil.
Quickly cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid or seal it with tin foil and allow it to smoke for 5 minutes.
Keep the pan in a warm place.
While your chicken is smoking warm your flat breads. Warm bread is so much better.
Before serving, add the chopped herbs to your chicken shawarma and mix through.
Spread garlic sauce, tahini, or mayo on the flat breads.
Then lay your glorious, smoky, chicken shawarma down the centre of the bread.
Add a little herb salad if you wish and some tahini. Maybe add a drizzle of chilli sauce if you love a little extra heat.
Wrap the bread around your gloriously smoky Chicken Shawarma and it’s ready.
Enjoy!
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Cauliflower fritters – Arnabeet mukly Cauliflower fritters or Arnabeet mukly as they’re known in Egypt, are so addictive. What are cauliflower fritters? Cauliflower fritters are cauliflower florets, which have been tenderised and then coated in a delicious spiced batter and fried to have a wonderful …
