Hummus with Pickled Lemon

Hummus might be the most famous Middle Eastern/Egyptian food around the world. Of course, there are countless flavors of hummus. Today, we will make hummus with pickled lemons stuffed with safflower.

Check out the pickled lemons recipe below:

http://authenticegyptiancooking.blogspot.kr/2015/11/lemon-pickles-with-safflower.html

Ingredients:

1- A cup of chickpeas, cooked.

2- Two or three pickled lemons.

3- One tablespoon of tihini paste.

4- One teaspoon of olive oil.

5- Salt.

6- Cumin.

Spices to taste.

7- Water.

Preparations:

1- Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor.

2- Add water as needed.

3- Mix until you get the consistency you like.

Serve with pita chips and fresh cucumber and carrots.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa

Chicken and Mushrooms Lasagna With Bechamel Sauce

Just made it for last night dinner and it was so delicious, it took about an hour and a half to be done.

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:
1- A half a pack of lasagna pasta.
2- Two chicken breasts. Sliced
3- One onion. Sliced.
4- Some mushroom. As desired.
5- Mozzarella.
6- Oil.

Bechamel:
1- Five tablespoons of flour.
2- Four tablespoons of butter.
3- A bottle of whole milk, 1 liter.


Preparations:
1- Boil the lasagna. Don’t make it too soft.
2- Use a frying pan and light fry the chicken, onion and mushrooms.

For the bechamel:
1- Use a deep pot and melt the butter. Medium heat.
2- Add the flour. Use a whisk and stir for 3 minutes, until the flour mixed well with the butter.
3- Add milk and keep string until it’s thick enough, It shouldn’t be so thick.
If there are some lumps you can use a screen and use the liquid only.

The Lasagna:
1- Use an oven tray.
2- Add some of the bechamel in the bottom.
3- Put down a layer of lasagna.
4- A layer of the mix, chicken, mushrooms and onion.
5-Then some mozzarella.
6- Do this twice.
7- On the top a layer of lasagna, bechamel and mozzarella.
8- Preheat the oven 250 degree. I’m using an electric oven.
9- And cook it until it’s all golden.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa

Tomato Rice

In Egypt, we eat rice almost everyday. Maybe that's why we have many different rice dishes.

Ingredients:
1- One cups of Egyptian rice or basmati rice.
2- One small onion, diced.
3- One garlic clove, mashed.
4- Two tablespoon of oil.
5- Two tomatoes, diced.
6- One cube of chicken/vegetable broth.
7- One tablespoon of tomato paste.
8- One teaspoon of salt.
9- One teaspoon of cumin.
10- A bunch of fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped.
11- 1 ½ cups of water.

Preparations:
1- In a deep pot, heat the oil, fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add the diced tomato and stir well.
2- Add the broth and rice, stir well.
3- Add the salt and cumin.
4- Add the chopped parsley and cilantro. Stir well.
5- Add the water, the water should cover the rice.
6- bring to boil.
7- reduce the heat. and cover the pot.
8- Cook until done. Taste the rice to see if it's soft.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa!

Lemon pickles with safflower

My mom used to go to the street market and buy the freshest lemon, then come home and bring out the big jars to make pickles. We didn't have a pickling room but we did have a pickling space.

Ingredients:
1- One kilo of lemon.
2- 250g of hot red pepper, chopped.
3- 50g of safflower.
4- 50g of black seed.
5- 250 of salt.
6- 100ml of olive oil.
7- 500 ml lemon juice.

Preparations:
1-  Wash the lemons and dry them with a towel.
2- Mix the chopped pepper with salt. Then, add the safflower and black seed. Mix all of them well.
3- Make small cuts in the lemons and stuff the cuts with the spices.
4- Put the lemons in the jar.
5- Add the lemon juice. Then add the olive oil on top.
6- The jar must be air tight.
7- Leave the pickles for one to two months to be done.
Keep in dry place away from air and water.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa!

Spicy Farmer's Cheese

Early in the morning farmers go to the street market to sell their fresh homemade cheese. In Egypt, sometimes farmers come to your door to sell the cheese. It's always yummy.

Ingredients:
1- Three liters of whole milk.
2- 16-20 tablespoon of white vinegar.
3- One teaspoon of salt.
4- Chili powder, as desired. I like spicy so I add a lot!.
5- One tablespoon of olive oil.
6- Cucumber, diced.
7- Tomato, diced.
8- Green rocket.

Preparations:
1- In a deep pot, heat the milk on low heat. Once it starts boiling remove from heat.
2- Add the vinegar and the salt.
3-  Let it sit until it clumps, it takes few hours. I usually add 16 spoons of apple vinegar, If it doesn't clumps enough I add 4 more spoons.
4- Put a cheesecloth on the top of a sieve. Put the clumps in the cheesecloth and squeeze it to get rid of the liquid.
5- Put the cheese in the fridge.

To Serve:
1- Add the chili powder and olive oil to the cheese.
2- Add the fresh veggies to the cheese and mix.
3- Serve cold with pita bread.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa!

Turmeric Rice

In Egypt, we have so many different rice dishes, the most common one is Egyptian white rice cooked with fried vermicelli. Turmeric rice is the second most common and it is very delicious.

Ingredients:
1- 350g of basmati rice.
2- 50g of unsalted butter.
3- 500ml water.
4- One teaspoon of salt.
5- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
6-One cinnamon stick.
7- A dash of ground cardamom.
8- One teaspoon of turmeric.

Preparations:
1- In a heavy bottomed pot, mix all of the ingredients together. Cook on medium heat, uncovered. Bring to boil and make sure that the butter melted.
2- Stir the rice for few seconds. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 6 minutes.
3- Remove from heat. Keep the lid on for 5 more minutes.
Serve hot. Served as a side dish with fish.

Be Al-hana We Al-shafa!  

Liver Fillet With Bran Flakes

Liver is a very popular street food in Egypt. Everywhere you go you will find a restaurant or food truck that sells cow liver. There are variety of ways to cook liver and all of them are yummy! Today, we will make fried liver fillet.

Ingredients:
1- One cow liver cut into thin fillets.
2- Three garlic gloves, mashed.
3- Three tablespoons of lemon juice.
4- One tablespoon of vinegar.
5- One teaspoon of salt.
6- One teaspoon of black pepper.
7- ½ of teaspoon cumin.
8- Bran flakes.
9- One teaspoon of cornstarch.
10- A dash of salt.
11- Oil for frying.

Preparations:
1- In a deep bowl, mix the first seven ingredients together. Let the liver marinade for 10 minutes.
2- In another bowl, mix bran flakes with the cornstarch and a dash of salt.
3- Heat the oil in deep frying pan.
4- Coat the liver fillets with the bran mixture.
5- Fry the liver fillet in oil until golden brown.
Serve in a pita sandwich, or serve with green salad or serve with tomato pasta.

Be-alhana We Al-shafa!

Easy Pickles

My mom used to make everything at home, even pickles. It is very easy to make home-made pickle. It takes just a few steps.

Carrot Pickles:
Ingredients: 
1- Half a kilo of carrots, fresh and hard.
2- Five chili peppers.
3- Five full tablespoons of salt.
4- A tablespoon of oil.
5- Water.
6- Garlic cloves (optional).

Preparation: 
Slice the carrots. Use a knife to poke some holes in the chili peppers. Mix the salt with water and fill a medium-sized jar with it, then add the carrots, garlic and the pepper. Add a spoonful of oil and close the jar tightly and leave it for 10 to 15 days.

Cucumber Pickles:
Ingredients:
1- Fresh five cucumbers.
2- Four tablespoon of salt.
3- Water.
4- One spoon of oil.

Preparation:
Warm the water up. It should be warm not hot. Add the salt and mix it together. Slice the cucumber and add it to the salty water. The last step is to add a spoonful of oil. Close the jar tightly and leave it  2 days.

4 Ways to Eat Ful Mudammas Like an Egyptian

4 Ways to Eat Ful Mudammas Like an Egyptian 

Ful Mudammas is the most traditional Egyptian dish. We eat it everyday for breakfast and it is the one single dish all of the Egyptians agree on. Fava beans cooked slowly over night, flavored with lentil an tomatoes. MMM, nom.
Ful mudammas is also a common dish in Middle Eastern countries. There are a lot of ways to eat it. In this post, I will tell you the most four popular ways to eat it!

For an authentic ful mudammas recipe, please click the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarians-Guide-Egyptian-Street-Food-ebook/dp/B00ON28UH6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


1- Foul mudammas with tahini and spices:

Ingredients:
1- One tablespoon of tahini paste.
2- One tablespoon of olive oil.
3- Salt.
4- Cumin.
5- Chili powder. 
Spices to taste. I like it spicy so I add a lot of chili powder. 
6- One tablespoon of lemon juice. 
7- One cup of cooked ful.

Preparations:
1- In a deep bowl, mix cooked ful with all of the ingredients and mix well. 
Served hot with pita bread or Egyptian whole wheat bread.

2- Ful Mudammas with scrambled eggs:

Ingredients:
1- One tablespoon of butter.
2- Two eggs.
3- One teaspoon of salt.
4- One teaspoon of black pepper.
5- One cup of cooked ful. 

Preparations:
1- In a non-stick pan, melt the butter.
2- Season the butter with salt and black pepper.
3- On a low-medium heat, scramble the eggs in butter.
4- Add the cooked ful and stir. 
Served with bread and cucumber pickles.

3- Ful mudammas with fresh vegetables:

Ingredients: 
1- One cup of cooked ful.
2- One diced tomato.
3- One diced cucumber.
4- A bunch green rocket, chopped.
5- One small onion, diced.
6- Salt.
7-Cumin.
8- Chili powder.
Spices to taste.

Preparations: 
1- In a deep bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.
Serve with Egyptian bread.

4- Ful mudammas with tomato sauce:

Ingredients:
1- One cup of cooked ful.
2- Two garlic cloves, chopped.
3- One tablespoon of olive oil.
4- Three tomatoes, diced.
5- One teaspoon of salt.
6-1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
7- ½ teaspoon of paprika.
8- One green bell pepper, diced.

Preparations:
1- On a medium heat, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until golden brown.
2- Add the tomatoes and spices, give it a stir. Cook for few minutes until it starts thicken. 
3- Add the ful and green pepper, stir and cook for about 15 minutes.
Serve hot with Egyptian bread. 
Be-alhana We Al-shafa! 

Egyptian Fried Chicken

This recipe is absolutely my favorite fried chicken, I grew up eating it every other day.

Ingredients:
1- Four chicken breasts.
2- One onion sliced.
3- Five tablespoons of lemon juice.
4- One teaspoon of salt.
5- One teaspoon of black pepper.
6- One big egg.
7- Oil for frying.
8- Few spoons of House seasoning.
9- Three tablespoons of Flour.

For the house seasoning:
1- Two tablespoons of Flour.
2- 1/2 a tablespoon of paprika.
3- 1/2 a tablespoon of ginger powder.
4- 1/4 a tablespoon of black pepper.
5- 1/4 a tablespoon of white pepper.
6- One tablespoon of dry parsley.
7- 1/4 a teaspoon of ground anise.
8- 1/2 a tablespoon of cumin.
9- 1/2 a tablespoon of coriander.
10- 1/2 a tablespoon of dry basil.
11- 1/2 a tablespoon of thyme.
12- 1/2 a tablespoon of rosemary.
13- 1/2 a tablespoon of garlic powder.
14-  1/2 a tablespoon of onion powder.
15- One tablespoon of salt.
16- 500g bread crumbs.
Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until they turn into soft powder. Keep in airtight jar.

Preparations:
1- In a deep bowl, mix the sliced onions, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Soak chicken breasts in it overnight or at least for 6 hours.
2- Coat the chicken with flour.
3- Beat the egg, coat the chicken with the egg.
4- Heat the oil.
5- Coat the chicken with the house seasoning.
6- Fry the chicken until golden brown.

Be-alhana we Al-shafa

How to Eat Tuna like an Egyptian

With the simplest ingredients you can spice up the taste of ordinary food like tuna. It isn’t even a real recipe! All you have to do is add spices. In Egypt we never eat plain tuna... we always make it spicier.

Ingredients:
1- One can of tuna.
2- Salt.
3- Cumin powder.
4- Chili powder.
5- Lemon juice.
Spice to taste.

Preparation: 
1- Drain the oil from the tuna.
2- In a mixing bowl, mix the tuna with the spices and two teaspoon of lemon juice and it is done .

The second recipe is tuna with tahini paste. It is for good for sandwiches and it takes few minutes to make!

Ingredients : 
1- One can of tuna.
2- 1/4 cup of tahini.
3- One tablespoon of chopped garlic.
4- Two tablespoon of lemon juice.
5- Few tablespoons of water.
6- Salt, to taste.
7- Cumin, to taste.
8- One green bell pepper, chopped to small pieces.
9- One onion, chopped to small pieces.
10- Fresh cilantro.

Preparation: 
1- In a mixing bowl, mix tahini paste with water, stir well to make tahini thinner.
2- Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, lemon juice and cilantro and mix well.
3- Add the tuna and spices and mix.

The third recipe is green salad tuna. It is very light to the stomach, plus it tastes very good.
Ingredients : 
1- One can of tuna.
2- One tomato
3- One onion
4- One cucumber
5- One teaspoon of salt
6- One teaspoon of lemon juice

Preparation: 
Cut the vegetables to small pieces and add the salt and lemon juice, then the tuna. Mix it well and it is ready.

Be-alhana we Al-shafa!

Shish Taook

I think it’s a perfect dish. It’s very easy to make, and it tastes delicious!

Serves 2 people

Ingredients:
1- Four chicken breasts
2- One cup of yogurt
3- Four or five tablespoons of soy sauce
4- Three quarters of a cup of orange juice
5- Salt
6- Black pepper
7- Chili powder
Spices to taste
8- One onion
9- Colored pepper


Preparations:
1- Bring a deep bowl and mix the first 7 ingredients together.
2- Keep it in fridge for 2 hours at least.
3- Cut the chicken to small pieces.
4- Cut the pepper and onion to small equal pieces.
5- Put a piece of pepper, onion and chicken on a skewer and repeat it until you finish it all.
6- Grill it.
And Be El-hana we El-shafa

Mahshy Kossa- Stuffed Zucchinis

In Egypt we have many kinds of mahshy, today I want to share mahshy kossa recipe with you. Stuffed zucchini is one of the many Egyptian zucchini dishes and mahshy is the best way to eat it. It’s delicious and healthy.

Ingredients:
1- A pound of medium-size zucchini
2- Two cup of rice
3- Tomato juice or two spoons of tomato paste
4- One onion
5- Fresh parsley
6- Teaspoon of cinnamon
7- Two teaspoons of salt
8- Two teaspoons of black pepper
9- Oil
10- Water or chicken soup.

Preparations:
1- Remove the hearts of the zucchinis using a coring knife and wash from inside.
2- Chop the onion to small pieces, grease the pot and fry the onion until it gets golden, then add the tomato juice on medium heat.
3- Add the parsley. Leave it on the fire until the tomato gets thicker, then turn the burner off.
4- Add the rice, salt, black pepper, and cinnamon. Mix it very well.
5- put some black pepper inside the zucchinis.
6- Then stuff the zucchinis with rice.
7- Grease the deep pot and put the zucchinis in it.
8- Use another pot to boil water or chicken soup and add a teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Once the water boils, add it to the zucchinis in the other pot. Cover the zucchinis halfway with water.
9- Turn the burner on medium heat and the mahshy will absorb the water and the color of the zucchinis will change. Reduce the heat and taste one.

Bl-hana we Al-shafa!

Baked Mashed Potatoes Stuffed With Beef

Another delicious Egyptian dish, and it’s one of the many different ways to cook beef and potatoes. Nothing really can goes wrong with beef and potatoes! It's a fantastic fall meal.


Ingredients:
1- 4-6 medium sized potatoes.
2- 300g of ground beef.
3- One onion.
4- One teaspoon of salt.
5- Two teaspoon of black pepper.
6- One egg, for brushing.
7- One tablespoon of butter.
8- Few spoons of oil.

Preparations:
1- Boil the potatoes in a deep pot.
2- Use a different deep pot to cook the beef.
3- Cut the onion to small pieces.
4- Grease the pot and add the onion.
5- Fry and stir the onion for a few minutes until it gets golden.
6- Add the ground beef and stir well.
7- When all of the beef is brown add a small cup of water.
8- Add salt and black pepper to the beef. And leave 20-30 minutes to be done. Don’t forget to check on it.
9- After the potatoes are done, peel them and mash them.
10- Bring an oven tray and melt the butter in it to grease the bottom.
11- Put half of the potatoes on the bottom, then the beef in the middle and put the other half on the top.
12- beat an egg and add a teaspoon of black pepper.
13- put the egg on the top of the potatoes to give it golden color.
14- put the potatoes in a preheated oven 250 C.
The cooking time is from 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. I’m using an electric oven.

Bl-hana we Al-shafa

Tuna Pizza

My mom used to make tuna pizza for us every week. We absolutely loved it and used to wait for the weekend to have it. This actually my favorite type of pizza, when I make and take a bite it always brings back the good old memories!

Ingredients:
1- Two cups of all purpose flour.
2- One tablespoon of instant yeast.
3- Half  teaspoon salt.
4- half  teaspoon sugar.
5- One tablespoon of plain yogurt.
6- One tablespoon of olive oil.
7- A cup of water.

For the topping:
1- A can of tuna, drained.
2- Green and black olives, diced.
3- Tomato paste.
4- Cheddar cheese, shredded.  

Preparations: 
1- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients well.
2- Add yogurt and mix gently. Add olive oil and mix.
3- Add the water slowly and knead well.
4- Flour the surface of a wooden board, transfer the dough to the board and keep kneading until the dough is soft and doesn't stick to your hand.
5- Cover the dough with a towel for 30 minutes to rise.
6- preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.
7- On a floured surface roll the dough with a rolling pin.
8- Transfer the dough to the pizza oven tray.
9- Spread the tomato paste on the dough.
10- Top it with tuna and olives.
11- Cover the top with cheddar cheese.
12- Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes.

Bl-hana we Al-shafa  

Milk Bread

Bread is a basic thing in Egyptian cuisine, we have different types of bread. Pita bread, whole wheat flat bread, farmer's bread, buns..etc. Today we'll make milk bread. It's easy and yummy.

Ingredients:
1- Two cups of flour.
2- A dash of salt.
3-  One tablespoon of sugar.
4- One tablespoon of instant yeast.
5- 3/4 cup of milk.
6- Two tablespoon of butter, softened.
7- Milk, for brushing.

Preparations:
1- Microwave the butter for 10 seconds to melt.
2- In a mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients well.
3- Let the dough rest.
4- Cut the dough into small pieces, and let it rest to rise.
5- On a floured surface roll them with a rolling pin into a round shape.
6- Put it in the oven tray and brush the top of the bread with milk.
7- Bake in the oven on a high temperature until done. Or fry it on a non-stick pan, it takes few minutes on each side.