1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (178 page)

In all its variations, kosheri is seasoned with mastic, the exotic, musky, earthy plant resin (see
listing
). It comes in the form of glassy white pebbles, the crystallized resin of the
Pistacia lentiscus
tree, which is cultivated only on the Greek island of Chios in the Aegean Sea but grows in the wild around the Mediterranean. Crushed and added as a thickener, stabilizer, and flavoring to Greek and Egyptian breads and dishes both sweet and savory, the mastic imparts a distinctly piney, slightly bitter edge. Hot mint tea (see
listing
) provides a fitting finish to the quick meal.

Where:
In Cairo
, Abou Sherif Kusheri, tel 20/2-2423-9788; Koshary El Tarir, at multiple locations,
cairo360.com
(search koshary el tarir);
in Ann Arbor, MI
, La Marsa, tel 734-622-0200,
lamarsacuisine.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
by Samia Abdennour (2010);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006);
egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com
(search kosheri).

Few desserts are sweeter than those whipped up in North African and Middle Eastern kitchens, and fewer still are more luxuriously sensual than
mahalabia
and
aish-el-saraya
, two seductive Egyptian specialties. Mahalabia is a boiled milk
pudding, a description that doesn’t nearly do justice to this ethereal, creamy-white, sweetly mellow dessert that holds its own against similar cool treats such as the creamy Italian
panna cotta
and the French blancmange. It owes its distinctive, pearly translucence to a cornstarchlike base of rice flour, stirred into cold milk along with sugar, and simmered until the mixture begins to thicken. Finely ground almonds are added for their texture and their bittersweet overtones, and, as a final fragrant touch, the mixture is perfumed with orange blossom water or rosewater. Chilled in pretty glass bowls, it sets into a light, lovely, and shivery pudding. Just before serving, each portion is decorated with chopped almonds and pistachios.

The second dessert, aish-el-saraya, or “bread of the palace,” is so simple to prepare and requires such humble ingredients that it may seem to belie its lofty name. But dip into this sumptuous pudding, made from thick slices of white bread baked under a dousing of butter and caramelized sugar or honey, and you’ll understand. Tooth-achingly sweet and fragrant with rosewater, each portion is given a sprinkling of chopped pistachios and an incredibly rich topping of
eishta
—the ivory-colored cream that gathers atop whole, non-homogenized milk and is so dense that it can be picked up with a fork. Served warm with a crown of this cold, velvety cream, aish-el-saraya is a royal treat indeed.

Where:
In Cairo
, El Mashrabia, tel 20/2-7348-3501;
in Brooklyn
, for mahalabia (called sahlab), Tanoreen, tel 718-748-5600,
tanoreen.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Egyptian Cuisine
by Nagwa E. Khalil (1980);
Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes
by Samia Abdennour (2010);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006);
lifestylefood.com.au
(search aish al saraya);
taste.fourseasons.com
(search mahalabia with orange).
Tip:
When making aish-elsaraya at home, crème fraîche or Devonshire cream can be substituted for
eishta.

With a flavor that combines hints of tart sorrel and spinach, mellowed by slightly toasty overtones, the long, green-leafed vegetable
molokhia
(mel-oo-HEE-ya) is the basis of the soup that bears its name, one of Egypt’s best-loved national dishes. Simmered in a broth made from chicken, duck or, preferably, rabbit, the leaves (from the
Corchorus olitorius
plant, whose tough fibers are made into jute) impart a mucilaginous texture, much as okra does. That is the characteristic most seductive to Egyptians, modern and ancient, the latter of whom believed the vegetable cured everything from freckles to mange.

Today, molokhia is appreciated for its distinctive flavor and texture, as well as its high nutrient content: It contains iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants. Despite such valuable benefits, though, the slippery brew can be off-putting to novices, who pale at the stringy—read, slimy—spoonfuls, at least until they become hooked on the soup’s savory silkiness.

The molokhia leaves not only impart the viscosity that enriches the broth and gives it substance, but also the almost antique, bronze-green
color and distinctive vegetal flavor, which is accented with a final flourish of
taklia
, a condiment of crushed, sautéed garlic spiked with coriander, cayenne pepper, and other herbs and spices that vary from cook to cook. Steamed white rice is spooned into the soup as one eats, soaking up the rich broth and cutting through the slippery texture.

Although generally served as soup, the vegetable also appears as a side dish, most delightfully in
fattet molokhia
, where it is combined into a casserole with toasted pita, cooked rice or chopped chickpeas, garlic, and butter.

While fresh molokhia leaves are the best and most authentic choice for these dishes, they are nearly impossible to find in the U.S.; dried or frozen leaves provide an acceptable alternative and are available in many Greek and Middle Eastern food stores. The dried leaves are crushed and steeped, much like tea leaves, until they double in bulk and can then be simmered in the meat stock—the frozen leaves maintain much more flavor, however, and thus are widely preferred.

Where:
In Cairo
, El Mashrabia, tel 20/2-7348-3501.
Further information and recipes:
A Book of Middle Eastern Food
by Claudia Roden (1974);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006);
The Africa Cookbook
by Jessica B. Harris (2010);
egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com
(search molokhia).

Om ali is similar to bread pudding.

For a dish with such ominous beginnings,
om ali
proves to be a remarkably felicitous dessert. As the story goes, the name, which means “Ali’s mother,” refers to the first wife of an Ayyubid dynasty (twelfth to thirteenth century) king. When he was murdered by his second wife, Om Ali retaliated by having her killed. No sooner was the dirty deed done than she created this dish as her glorified version of milk and honey—the food of the Promised Land. She served the luscious dessert to everyone in the palace in celebration.

And festive it is, with flaky, paper-thin leaves of phyllo pastry layered with a rich mixture of chopped pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, butter, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and covered with heavy sweet cream. Baked into
a fragrant pudding, om ali is firm but satiny, with the phyllo retaining some of its flaky crispness.

It is served gently warm with an extra splash of chilled cream and chopped nuts; adding a generous scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream or some sliced strawberries on the side would not be considered amiss either, tradition notwithstanding.

Widely available in Cairo restaurants, om ali is the perfect finish to a multicourse meal of Egyptian specialties, like roasted pigeons plumped with rice pilaf (see
listing
) or snowy, white-fleshed fish baked with onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and heady spices.

Where:
In Cairo
, El Mashrabia, tel 20/2-7348-3501;
in Ann Arbor, MI
, La Marsa, tel 734-622-0200,
lamarsacuisine.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
by Claudia Roden (2000);
egyptian-cuisine-recipes.com
(search om ali).

Known elsewhere as falafel, these hot and crunchy deep-fried bean croquettes are called
tamia
in Egypt, based on the Arabic and Hebrew word
taam
, meaning flavor. There are differences between falafel and tamia, however, beyond their names. According to the Middle Eastern food scholar Claudia Roden, tamia are believed to have been created by Christian Copts in Egypt for religious feasts, most especially Lent, when meatless dishes take center stage. The Israeli falafel, most familiar to Americans, is based on ground chickpeas, which produce a somewhat heavier texture and more rustic flavor, while the Egyptian tamia is made of milder, fresher-tasting broad beans (also known as fava beans).

The dried beans are soaked, then ground with enlivening additions of scallions, garlic, fresh herbs, cumin, sesame seeds, hot paprika, eggs, and plenty of salt and pepper. Formed into small, hamburgerlike cakes, they are dropped into sizzling oil until they float to the surface as crisp, gold-and-green patties. Drained on paper and sprinkled with minced parsley, they are served instantly. Too hot to handle is just hot enough.

Tamia may be arranged on beds of chopped salad, or stuck with toothpicks and enjoyed as hors d’oeuvres. They are at their best, however, when layered into warm pita rounds along with sharp pickled vegetables, cool, garlicky yogurt sauce, and a thin blanket of the slightly sweet sesame sauce tahini. A favorite Egyptian street food, tamia is doled out by vendors across the country, but many tamia connoisseurs consider the gold standard to be those—deep-fried to order, served seething hot—at Cairo’s El Tabei El Domyati, a chain of lively cafés that first opened its doors in 1926.

Where:
In Cairo
, El Tabei El Domyati at multiple locations,
cairo360.com
(search el tabei el domyati).
Further information and recipes:
The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
by Claudia Roden (2000);
My Egyptian Grandmother’s Kitchen
by Magda Mehdawy (2006);
foodrepublic.com
(search fava bean falafel);
epicurious.com
(search egyptian falafel, then click Ta’miyya).

B’stilla is both sweet and savory.

B’stilla
(sometimes spelled
bisteeya
or
pastilla
) is among the most distinguished dishes of Morocco. This savory, decadent meat pie consists of wafer-thin, crisp leaves of phyllo pastry layered with moist, gamy braised squab, butter, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and almonds or pistachios, all perfumed with garlic, onion, cinnamon, saffron, orange blossom water, and more. The baked pie is generously glossed with melted butter and decorated with crisscross sprinklings of confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, for a combination of flavors that ranges tantalizingly from savory to sweet and back again.

Prepared with costly squab and a panoply of spices, b’stilla is a popular main course in elegant homes and restaurants, but, made with chicken and a humbler list of ingredients, it is also sold in wedges from souk stalls and street vendors. Prepared with chicken, it is also a favorite festive food of Moroccan Jews—with some proprietary pride, as they may have introduced the luscious pie to North Africa when they were expelled from Andalusia during the Spanish Inquisition.

Although at first glance the b’stilla’s tissue-thin pastry suggests phyllo, the basis of many Arabic and Middle Eastern confections, the authentic pastry is in fact
warkha.
A culinary feat, warkha is made from small, kneaded balls of gossamer dough, which are tossed against a hot pan or griddle until they stick together in one overlapping sheet. Considering the difficulty of that step, many cooks rely on prepared warkha, which can be found in some Moroccan food markets in the U.S., although phyllo leaves are widely substituted as well. Time-intensive, extravagantly spiced, rich and buttery, it’s no wonder b’stilla is the star of the Moroccan table.