Sultan's Kitchen

[Veiled Princess 1]

I've got two really great cheesecake recipes if anyone is looking for some. One is called fudge truffle cheesecake and if you like chocolate, this is definitely towards the scale of chocolate overdose. It's so yummy. And the other is a marbled pumpkin cheesecake. Also reallygood. And both are fairly easy to make, though just take a bit of time.

I would love to have this recipe!

[doodlebug 3]

About 2 or 3 days after our wedding, insha Allah, we will be inviting some of Usama's relatives and friends to celebrate with us. Since it will just be he and I in his flat, I will be the one to have to cook for all of these people.

This is what I think I'll make.......tell me if people from Cairo would like/hate this menu:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ei/ep...8_42579,00.html

[UmmSqueakster 54]

That looks delicious doodle! If there is one thing about Egyptian gatherings, it is that there must be 10 billion dishes, heaped all over the table. Then the hosts will shove food on your plate, even when you insist that you're bursting at the seems.

I would make a few recipes you're comfortable with, and then supplement it with some prepared food from outside. You can easily purchase a few whole roasted chickens for 20 LE. See if you can find some place to buy mashi. Also, a variety of pickled vegetables. And, some fruit. Make a few dishes of rice and noodles too. Egyptians love their carbs.

Also, be prepared to substitute. there are a lot of ingredients we're familiar with here that you can't find in Egypt, or that are increadibly expensive. If you can't find something at the local corner store, find a "Metro," which sells a lot of american products. Some of the Metros I've been in will even take your credit card, or iwll have an ATM machine outside.

[ya falaha! 0]

You know, doodle, no one will expect you to cook for your own wedding party. Couldn't you have the party at his family's place? Or alternatively you could just serve cake and other refreshments. No one will expect you to feed everyone. For our wedding party we just had cake and other pastries with tea and pop.

About 2 or 3 days after our wedding, insha Allah, we will be inviting some of Usama's relatives and friends to celebrate with us. Since it will just be he and I in his flat, I will be the one to have to cook for all of these people.

This is what I think I'll make.......tell me if people from Cairo would like/hate this menu:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ei/ep...8_42579,00.html

[doodlebug 3]

You know, doodle, no one will expect you to cook for your own wedding party. Couldn't you have the party at his family's place? Or alternatively you could just serve cake and other refreshments. No one will expect you to feed everyone. For our wedding party we just had cake and other pastries with tea and pop.

About 2 or 3 days after our wedding, insha Allah, we will be inviting some of Usama's relatives and friends to celebrate with us. Since it will just be he and I in his flat, I will be the one to have to cook for all of these people.

This is what I think I'll make.......tell me if people from Cairo would like/hate this menu:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ei/ep...8_42579,00.html

He is expecting me to feed everyone!!!

There is no "family's place" either. His mom and dad are deceased and his sisters have left so it's just him. He does have an aunt, but he can't exactly ask her to host a party for himself, so it's just going to be us having a wee lil celebration with his friends and maybe some family.

He said he wants them to come for "lunch" so I'm thinking that's a whole sunday dinner type thing. I think he wants to impress his buddies with my culinary skills since he's bragged about it.

[ya falaha! 0]

Oooh...I wish you all the best of luck on that! Make sure you go to a bigger supermarket like Carrefour to get the ingredients. They have more imported goods there so you may find a lot of what you need. Plan a menu with simple ingredients that you know will be easy to find. Do you know any recipes for Egyptian or Arabic food?

[melly 0]

Alright, get ready for it! Brace yourselves! More chocolate than you can throw a... a.... well... something at!

Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

Chocolate crumb crust

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup melter butter

Combine all ingredients and press firmly onto the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Set aside.

Filling

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (in whatever form you use, dry or imitation, etc.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

1. In a heavy saucepan, on low heat, melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly (I just melt them in the microwave and it's fine. I just make sure to stir every 30 seconds so they don't scorch or what have you). When melted, remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk until the mixture is smooth.

Add melted chocolate chips and the rest of the ingredients (eggs and vanilla).

Mix well.

3. Pour into the prepared pan (with the crust already in it).

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until the center is set.

Cool and then chill.

You will need some whipped cream or a tall glass of ice cold milk with this.

Enjoy!

[doodlebug 3]

Oooh...I wish you all the best of luck on that! Make sure you go to a bigger supermarket like Carrefour to get the ingredients. They have more imported goods there so you may find a lot of what you need. Plan a menu with simple ingredients that you know will be easy to find. Do you know any recipes for Egyptian or Arabic food?

Just what I'm getting from here. Do you have that one for the stuff with the red sauce on top? I think it's couscous but I'm not too sure. I think they'd like that.

Last night he was attempting to make something with liver, onions and tomatoes. He was on the phone with a guy friend who was trying to coach him via his wife. I really feel bad because up until a month ago he never ever ever cooked (not even boil an egg or made tea), did laundry or cleaned. Now he was suddenly deserted and has to learn it all from scratch.

So apparently he likes liver so any recipes with liver would be good. He had to specifically state "cow liver, not the liver from a bull". Okkkk...whatevaaah. I've only had chicken liver myself.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Just what I'm getting from here. Do you have that one for the stuff with the red sauce on top? I think it's couscous but I'm not too sure. I think they'd like that.

I don't think Egyptians eat couscous. Don't say couscous in front of his friends though, cuz cous is a naughty word.

[cbd2cai 0]

Just what I'm getting from here. Do you have that one for the stuff with the red sauce on top? I think it's couscous but I'm not too sure. I think they'd like that.

I don't think Egyptians eat couscous. Don't say couscous in front of his friends though, cuz cous is a naughty word.

Yep, I was going to say that . . . but you beat me to it, Rahma!!!

Maybe she is thinking of koshary????

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Maybe she is thinking of koshary????

That's what I'm thinkin. If I remember correctly, most egyptians don't make koshari, becuase it's relatively cheap and plentiful from outside shops. I would definately make a few dishes and buy several from outside, so you're not slaving over a hot stove all day.

salivates

[doodlebug 3]

Maybe she is thinking of koshary????

That's what I'm thinkin. If I remember correctly, most egyptians don't make koshari, becuase it's relatively cheap and plentiful from outside shops. I would definately make a few dishes and buy several from outside, so you're not slaving over a hot stove all day.

salivates

Ok that looks like it has worms or something in it. Blech!

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Ok that looks like it has worms or something in it. Blech!

Oh man, it's my favorite egyptian food of all time. Don't hate until you try it. Maybe you can smuggle some back in your suitcase for me

[ya falaha! 0]

Oh it's really delicious, doodle. The "worms" are shaariya..small vermicelli pieces. I can tell you how to make firakh meshwiya which is really delicious and something very similar to American food. It's basically chicken cooked in the forn (oven) with potatoes, onions and spices. You can make large quantities of this very easily then serve it with rice or macarona, salad, baba ganoug, and torshi (pickled vegetables such as cauliflower, turnips, cucumbers, etc.). Egyptians like to have several plates on the table so make a few dishes and put them on several small plates.

Firakh meshwia

1 (or more) chicken cut into pieces

a few diced onions

sliced potatoes (as many as you like, cut au gratin style)

butter/semnah

spices..cumin (easy on the cumin), salt, pepper...they also sell a chicken spice packet in Egypt that you can pick up.

Butter a large pan then layer potatoes mixed with some of the spices, onions, more semnah/butter, chicken (skin on), more spices. Bake in the forn until chicken is cooked. Easy peasy.

Here's a quick recipe for baba ganoug that I got off Food Network. Egyptians tend to like their's a bit chunkier so just mash everything with a fork instead of putting it in a blender or food processor. Also you can add diced tomatoes and a bit of hot pepper. That's how my sisters prepare it.

1 eggplant

2 cloves garlic

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only

Salt and pepper

Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.

Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

Edited November 7, 2006 by moody

[jordanianprincess 0]

You guys sure make it hard for me to stick to my freakin diet.