Egyptian Food-- Help!

[NeedInfo3839 2]

Ok, my current fiance is Egyptian, and I want to be able to make things that he would know.

I LOVE to cook. Always have. My ex husband was from India, and during that 6-year marriage, I mastered Indian cooking. He never missed home, and his male Indian friends told him he was lucky, lol . Its fairly simple and basic. After a while, I saw a pattern and I was able to improvise like an Indian woman-- A lot of garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and spices like cumin, cinnamon, garaham masala, chilies, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, coriander, cilantro, etc. Usually about a teaspoon of each spice sauteed in the oil for 3 minutes, and you're good to go. Both whole and ground spices. Mostly just making a meat rub (like with fish). Or a base sauces with those ingredients (in different combinations), and adding the meat to let it cook into like a stew. Put it over basmatti rice. Maybe flavored rices like Biryani, or Pulao. Or flat breads like chapatties, na'am, and pouri. In a nutshell, that's it.

So... Like the above basic sum of Indian cooking, is there a way to kind of sum up Egyptian style cooking? Or does anyone know of any good Egyptian cook books that I can study, to get the basic idea? I'm sure I can master it with practice. I'll see if I can find an Egytpian restaurant in San Francisco, to sample the way some things should taste. But I would like to get it mastered during this year, before I marry my fiance. I just REALLY want to make him feel at home. I only wish I were close enough to visit his mother, because I would be hanging out in her kitchen all the time! lol.

Thanks in advance, if anyone can help

[Tim/Mav 305]

Do This: No More needed. Go to U-Tube Videos and look-up Egypt cooking and there will be 500 Recipes just to start then you will get idea.

My Fiancee is Philipphines and I had to Learn alot. But, since I love to cook. It was all easy. Just a Change of Ingredients. LOL

[Tim/Mav 305]

The link off U-tube Videos. Funny though: Looks Indian. Food is Food. Beef, Poultry, Pork. It is all how you pre-pare it. Some of the veggies may differ but there is always a Substitute.

[Ayman___ 92]

Ok, my current fiance is Egyptian, and I want to be able to make things that he would know.

I LOVE to cook. Always have. My ex husband was from India, and during that 6-year marriage, I mastered Indian cooking. He never missed home, and his male Indian friends told him he was lucky, lol . Its fairly simple and basic. After a while, I saw a pattern and I was able to improvise like an Indian woman-- A lot of garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and spices like cumin, cinnamon, garaham masala, chilies, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, coriander, cilantro, etc. Usually about a teaspoon of each spice sauteed in the oil for 3 minutes, and you're good to go. Both whole and ground spices. Mostly just making a meat rub (like with fish). Or a base sauces with those ingredients (in different combinations), and adding the meat to let it cook into like a stew. Put it over basmatti rice. Maybe flavored rices like Biryani, or Pulao. Or flat breads like chapatties, na'am, and pouri. In a nutshell, that's it.

So... Like the above basic sum of Indian cooking, is there a way to kind of sum up Egyptian style cooking? Or does anyone know of any good Egyptian cook books that I can study, to get the basic idea? I'm sure I can master it with practice. I'll see if I can find an Egytpian restaurant in San Francisco, to sample the way some things should taste. But I would like to get it mastered during this year, before I marry my fiance. I just REALLY want to make him feel at home. I only wish I were close enough to visit his mother, because I would be hanging out in her kitchen all the time! lol.

Thanks in advance, if anyone can help

I'm married to an egyptain His mom makes alot of sauce fresh with lots of garlic and they love fresh vegies like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes ,herbs and love pasta Just search on youtube or google egyptain foods you will find many .I'm Italian so I love the food the food his mom makes because the garlic .You can even find a recipe on the bread they eat here it's easy to make.It's like pita bread to me.also they make stuffed grape leaves,They make something looks like pesto sauce but it's called Mulukhiya.It's easy to make.salata ( salads)my favorite is the pickled eggplant Just Search on google you will find it and also like someone said youtube is good place to find it.I been in egypt now 3 months soon back to the states Of course going to miss my husband but I have my exam in August and I'm Moving .Take care good luck it's easy

[NeedInfo3839 2]

I'm married to an egyptain His mom makes alot of sauce fresh with lots of garlic and they love fresh vegies like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes ,herbs and love pasta Just search on youtube or google egyptain foods you will find many .I'm Italian so I love the food the food his mom makes because the garlic .You can even find a recipe on the bread they eat here it's easy to make.It's like pita bread to me.also they make stuffed grape leaves,They make something looks like pesto sauce but it's called Mulukhiya.It's easy to make.salata ( salads)my favorite is the pickled eggplant Just Search on google you will find it and also like someone said youtube is good place to find it.I been in egypt now 3 months soon back to the states Of course going to miss my husband but I have my exam in August and I'm Moving .Take care good luck it's easy

Thanks you guys, I will look some of this up and check YouTube. Just if he does end up living here with me, I want him to at least feel at home when he is "at home" lol.

[Mithra 1,185]

I wouldn't say there's a formula to making Egyptian food. It isn't quite like other Mid Eastern foods with the usual - tomatoes, garlic, onions, cumin, coriander, etc. A lot of the foods do contain those things but some don't. This site has some decent recipes - http://members.cox.net/ahmedheissa/Recipnew.html I can make quite a few things that are typically Egyptian if you want to PM me and I'll type some out for you. I don't have set recipes so it won't be too accurate but it turns out well for me. I'm a pinch of this, pinch of that type person.

[Ayman___ 92]

Best Advice I can Say Is Watch his Mom Cooking .You will see how she cooks and this is something he is use to.Her way of cooking as she is the one who raised him.Like I said My Husband's Mom Uses Alot Of Garlic and I'm Italian we cook with alot of garlic.So watcch his mother cooking and you will learn it easy.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

This site has some decent recipes - http://members.cox.n...a/Recipnew.html

That is an excellent website When I want to cook Egyptian, that's where I turn first.

Otherwise, if AbuS wants some Egyptian food, he skypes his mom and has her dictate the recipe to him.

But for the most part, we don't eat a lot of Egyptian food. We actually eat a lot of Indian, because I find it easier to healthify by reducing the ghee, upping the veggies and making whole wheat chapati. It's kind of hard to do that with Egyptian food. It took him a few years to build up a spice tolerance, but now he drowns everything in hot sauce and can eat the pakistani iftar fare with gusto.

Here are a few, inauthentic "egyptian" healthied recipes we've done recently:

http://umms.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/food-matters-monday-11/

http://umms.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/food-matters-monday-7/

I used to be pretty good at bechamel, but I haven't made it in years. My other, favorite Egyptian dish we never eat is koshari - carbs on top of carbs on top of carbs, topped with fried onions and hot sauce. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Alas, I've never been able to make it as good as they do in Cairo.

[Mithra 1,185]

We rarely eat Egyptian food at home, too. It's like every couple months or so. My husband and I prefer Levantine style food so we either make or get carry out from Mid Eastern restaurants. I love Egyptian falafel/tameya but I have yet to find anything here like it. I haven't tried making it either. I can make pretty good koshary but it's really messy and you have to use like 5 or so pans to make it so clean up isn't fun. Some husbands really crave food from "home" and some don't really need it often. My husband falls in with the latter. We mostly eat "American" stuff. Pseudo Mexican, Italian, etc.

[LaL 418]

So true re: the pots and pans used for making koshari. Aside from the empty carb overload - the cleanup is a big part of why I don't make it very often!

[NeedInfo3839 2]

Haven't had the pleasure of meeting his mom yet, but I would REALLY love to, can't wait! If she cooks anything, I'm gonna make Khalid stand in the kitchen with me and translate whatever she says (she doesn't speak English), and I'll write it down, and watch what she does.

In the mean time though, I'm gonna study what I can, so I'll have a basic understanding of it, like the names, and generally what certain dishes are.

Khalid does eat a lot of American food, like KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, because he works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I told him once,

"When we finally get to live together, I'm REALLY nervous about cooking for you, because I don't know what you grew up with."

He keeps saying, "All I care about is that it looks ok, and tastes good. Doesn't matter what country it originated in."

And that's really sweet, but I think he's just trying to keep me from feeling intimidated, lol.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Melissa N Khalid

[NeedInfo3839 2]

I told him since he is living single at the moment, he should learn to cook, so he's not living on fast food, because its just soooooo unhealthy. He complains that he is starting to notice a "belly", lol. I don't care, but he's all self concious about it...

But then he says "I CANNOT cook... And I doubt I could ever learn how." All he knows how to do is boil eggs, make sandwiches, and whip up simple bean dishes from canned beans, lol.

Oi... I gotta work with him, lol.

Edited June 10, 2011 by Melissa N Khalid

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I wouldn't say there's a formula to making Egyptian food. It isn't quite like other Mid Eastern foods with the usual - tomatoes, garlic, onions, cumin, coriander, etc. A lot of the foods do contain those things but some don't. This site has some decent recipes - http://members.cox.net/ahmedheissa/Recipnew.html I can make quite a few things that are typically Egyptian if you want to PM me and I'll type some out for you. I don't have set recipes so it won't be too accurate but it turns out well for me. I'm a pinch of this, pinch of that type person.

I'm inferring from your post that the OP could easily get away with making Indian food, as it is fairly similar to Egyptian.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

I'm inferring from your post that the OP could easily get away with making Indian food, as it is fairly similar to Egyptian.

My brother in law is from India and Adam is Egyptian. I would say similar but totally different if that makes sense. Riz likes alot of briyani and chicken dishes, Adam pretty much only likes Egyptian rice and mostly beef dishes. Garlic, cumin, onions,turmeric, corriander, and that stuff seems to be similar but Riz's dishes are alot more spicy than Adams IMO. Adam does like spicy, but mostly from jalapenos. Oh and curry for Riz but not for Adam

Edited June 10, 2011 by ~PalmTreeGurl~

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

My brother in law is from India and Adam is Egyptian. I would say similar but totally different if that makes sense. Riz likes alot of briyani and chicken dishes, Adam pretty much only likes Egyptian rice and mostly beef dishes. Garlic, cumin, onions,turmeric, corriander, and that stuff seems to be similar but Riz's dishes are alot more spicy than Adams IMO. Adam does like spicy, but mostly from jalapenos. Oh and curry for Riz but not for Adam

Btw, Adam says on our next visit, I need to spend a whole week or more in the kitchen with his mom so I can learn how to make Egyptian food. I suck at it, terribly! Even with VJ's MENA recipe book!