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The American University in Cairo Press - Samia Abdennour

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167 pages

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A newly revised and expanded edition of a perennial bestselling cookbook
Since its original publication twenty years ago, Samia Abdennour's Egyptian Cooking has become a true classic a must-have cookbook for anyone who wants to eat as the Egyptians do. From hearty staples like foul midammis (stewed fava beans) and kushari (a mix of pasta, rice, and lentils under a rich tomato sauce) to more complex meals such as roast leg of lamb and baked stuffed fish, Egyptian Cooking runs the gamut of the national cuisine. Now, in this revised and expanded edition, Abdennour has added over eighty new recipes from all over the Middle East, including some of the most popular dishes from the Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa. With 485 recipes and mouthwatering color photographs, this versatile guide gives users a wide array of basic meals and sumptuous dishes.
With entries organized under the categories of Mezze, Breakfast, Main Courses, Sweets and Desserts, and Beverages, Egyptian Cooking offers a comprehensive collection of Middle Eastern recipes in one volume. Spiral-bound for easy accessibility while cooking, this practical handbook offers detailed advice on shopping, food preparation, and unusual ingredients, as well as the Arabic names for individual items and recipes. Ideal for the novice as well as the experienced cook, this expanded edition of an Egyptian bestseller is the ideal introduction to cooking this delicious cuisine at home.

Sujets

Cuisine

Cuisine par plats

Cuisine du monde

Cuisine d'Asie

Cuisine d'Europe

Cooking

Middle Eastern

Regional cooking

Ethnic Cooking

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Publié par	The American University in Cairo Press
Date de parution	01 octobre 2005
Nombre de lectures	4
EAN13	9781617972669
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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Egyptian Cooking
and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
Egyptian Cooking
and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
Samia Abdennour
Photographs by Graham Waite
The American University in Cairo Press Cairo New York
To My beloved family

Samir Soha, Reda, Hana and Neda Samer, Salma and Souhail

With all my love
Copyright 1984, 1996, 1997, 2005 by
The American University in Cairo Press
113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo, Egypt
420 Fifth Avenue, New York 10018
www.aucpress.com
New and revised edition 2005
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Dar el Kutub No. 2826/05
e-ISBN 978 161 797 266 9
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 11 10 09 08 07
Printed in Egypt
Contents

Introduction
Useful Hints
Mezze
Breakfast
Main Courses
Sweets and Desserts
Beverages
Pastes and Mixed Spices
Kitchen Utensils
Spices
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgments

The author expresses her deep appreciation to Jill Lucas Hassan and Alice Gosak Gary for their help and encouragement.
Introduction

This is a new version of my original book Egyptian Cooking-A Practical Guide. To it I have added some one hundred of my favorite recipes from my second book Middle Eastern Cooking-A Practical Guide. Here again the titles of the recipes bear the names in their native language, with their English translation. They reflect what the average middle-class Egyptian would serve without any of the sophisticated recipes copied and adapted from the west.
The book has been divided into five parts: Mezze, Breakfast, Main Courses, Sweets and Desserts, and Beverages.
Breakfast, if and when taken at home, usually consists of beans, bean cakes, eggs and/or pickles. Cheeses and jam-called nawashif or dry things -also form part of this meal.
Mezze are the small dishes that are usually served with drinks. They are also served as side dishes.
Main courses are enjoyed at both lunch and dinner. Lunch is a meal that is eaten any time between two and five o clock, where starches-mainly rice and bread-form the bulk of the meal. These are wetted with vegetables cooked with meat or fish. Dinner is non-specific- either similar to lunch (usually leftovers) or similar to the nawashif of breakfast.
Sweets comprise ices, puddings and desserts.
Beverages-hot and cold-are all non-alcoholic.
There are traditional dishes included here that are served on special occasions; their method of preparation varies according to region, e.g. people of coastal cities will prepare with fish what Upper Egyptians will prepare with beef and others with poultry. The names however, remain the same.
The recipes are for 4-6 persons. The weights are expressed in grams and measurements in ordinary-sized cups, table- and teaspoons. The quantities recommended can be increased or decreased according to taste and budget.
I have included a list of Useful Hints that may be helpful to newcomers to our cuisine. Also a list of the spices and their uses.
I hope you will enjoy working through this book. Bi-l-hana wi-1-shifa as we say, or with pleasure and health.

Samia Abdennour
Useful Hints

Karafs - Celery
The celery mentioned in this book, whether used in pickles, soups, or stews, is home-grown and has thin stems and leaves-very similar to parsley. It is never eaten raw, but used to flavor foods. Discard only the roots; the stems and leaves are small.
Khiyar - Cucumbers
The best are the firm, dark-green, medium-sized ones-about 7-10 cms long and 2-3 cms in diameter. Larger cucumbers have more seeds and are saturated with moisture. When using large cucumbers, peel, slice, or dice, place in strainer, and sprinkle lightly with salt. They will thus lose their excess moisture. Pat dry before using.
Toom - Garlic
When crushing garlic, always add a pinch of salt.
Fry garlic in a small frying pan; less of it will stick.
An easy way to store garlic is to buy it early in the season, when the garlic is still full of moisture. Remove the roots, stem, and first layer or two of the peel. Weigh down the heads and mince with salt in a ratio of 5 measures of garlic to 1 measure of salt. Place in a glass jar with a tight-fitting non-metal lid. The garlic will thus keep for a whole year-there is no need to refrigerate since the salt acts as a preservative. The garlic will turn yellow, but the taste will remain the same-it can be used raw in salads or for cooking.
Samak - Fish
When choosing fresh fish, make sure the gills are red and hard to open. The eyes should be bright and the texture of the flesh should be firm. To cook fresh fish, first remove the innards, then wash with cold water, rub gently with flour and salt, and rinse thoroughly. Dry inside and out before cooking or adding spices and/or batter. This process will reduce the smell of fish.
Asir lamun - Lemon juice
Fresh lime juice can also be substituted, if you like.
Marinading
It is better to marinade in a glass, ceramic, or earthenware container, rather than metal.
Minced meat
Use cuts of meat marbled with fat, or add cooking oil to the meat while mincing. The fat imparts a better flavor to the vegetables used with meat, and prevents the meat from drying out when grilled.
Na na - Mint
Buy mint fresh and dry it at home. It comes in small bunches. The best is na na baladi, or local mint. It has thin stems, bears small leaves, and has the strongest aroma. To preserve mint, rinse in several changes of water and spread out to dry, turning it over every day or so to allow proper drying. Mint takes about 7-10 days to dry. Pick the dried leaves, discard the stems, and rub the leaves in the palm of your hand to crush into powder form. Then pass the mint through a thin strainer and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Bu uul - Dry pulses
Whether already soaked or not, simmer pulses until tender and do not salt until toward the end of their cooking time. They also absorb their dressing better while still tepid.
Mezze

1 Mezze (Egypt) and Mokabbalat (Lebanon and Syria)
This is an assortment of small dishes, like hors d oeuvres, served with drinks, as appetizers, or as side dishes. Mezze comprises a large selection of dishes that can serve as meals in themselves. Though many of these dishes, such as stuffed vine leaves, fried liver, tabuli, etc. form part of the mezze, yet they are mentioned only under their respective entries.
In Iran, mezze consists mainly of a large bowl of different fresh herbs, depending on seasonal availability.
2 Fuul nabit - Bean sprouts
There are two ways to prepare this dish before the actual cooking. The first is to soak the beans in an earthenware or glass container for 4-6 days, rinsing and changing the water every 12 hours. They are ready when the beans have germinated at least 1 cm.
The second method is to soak the beans for 24 hours, then rinse, drain, and cover the beans with a wet cloth, repeating this procedure for 4-6 days, until the beans germinate about 3 cms or more.
The difference between the two methods is a stronger nutty taste in the latter-as the beans in the first method are soaked in water for 4-6 days, they become softer and therefore absorb the juices better.
1/2 kg dried broad beans
2 large onions cut into quarters
10-15 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin powder
chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Place beans in pot with onions, cover with water, and boil for 20-30 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and lemon juice and boil for another 5-7 minutes.
To test if cooked, squeeze bean between thumb and finger. If the skin comes off easily, the beans are ready. Remove from flame and spoon into glass or ceramic container together with the liquid. Let cool, then add chopped parsley.
To serve, drain and serve the juice in small cups (optional). It is customary to eat the beans without their outside covering-bite on the bean, press into mouth, and discard the skin.
3 Lubya nashfa, barda - Dried French beans, cold
1/4 kg dried French beans
5-7 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon oil
salt and pepper
Soak beans overnight. Strain, cover with fresh water, and boil until tender, about 30 minutes. Strain and spread to cool.
Crush garlic with salt, add lemon juice, oil, and seasoning and mix. Pour over beans and blend gently and thoroughly.
4 Fasulya beida, barda - Dried haricot beans, cold
1/4 kg dried haricot beans
2 red onions
3 firm tomatoes
salad dressing (266)
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
salt
Soak beans overnight. Strain, cover with fresh water, and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt, skim, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Drain and spread to cool.
Slice onions thinly, dice tomatoes, and add to beans together with chopped parsley and salad dressing. Mix thoroughly.
5 Kubeiba a ras - Kubeiba patties
kubeiba (95)
With rolling pin, spread kubeiba very thinly (about 1/2 cm) over greased surface. Cut into round discs (5 cm in diameter) and fry. Remove onto absorbent paper and serve warm or cold.
6 Tabuli - Bulgur salad
1 cup finely ground bulgur (Arabic burghul, cracked wheat)
3-4 spring onions
2-3 firm tomatoes
3-4 cucumbers
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt
lettuce or raw vine leaves
To clean bulgur, place in metal container, cover with water, and rub-the impurities will float to the top, while the small stones will sink to the bottom and can be heard scratching the container when gently rocked. Rinse several times until water remains clear. Soak bulgur for 2-3 hours (longer if necessary, as it should not be crunchy). Drain well. Dice all the vegetables, except the lettuce and vine leaves. Place the oil, lemon juice, and salt in bottom of salad bowl and cover with the bulgur and vegetables. Toss well.
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