Culinary Chitchat: Egypt

Culinary Chitchat: Magic Carpet

Let’s dive into some serious eats. Cairo, now our home for some months, has lifted my culinary spirits and shown me the light. I’ll do my best to describe what, to me, is an ongoing food adventure second to none.

About twenty years ago, I had my first encounter with Middle Eastern food in New York City’s Greenwich Village at Magic Carpet. It was also the only restaurant that would come up as Middle Eastern in my area. So I ordered one night, not really knowing much of the cuisine or its history, Magic Combination #1: Spinach Pie and Kofta Kabob along with a free lentil soup and a salad quickly became a resident on my top ten list. The flaky puff pastry filled with spiced ground lamb and raisins, slathered in a tahini dressing, knocked my socks off. Sadly, the restaurant never recovered post 9/11; even with the run of a glowing New York Times article.

Here in Cairo, one thing I can say for sure is the food cannot be beaten. The combination of spices is unique and worth mastering. Most importantly, I’ve finally found the right spice combination to recreate that lamb and raisin dish from my Magic Carpet days; after some long chats with my local spice guy. In addition, I have mastered tahini which is a more delicate procedure than one would think to get right.

On the technical side of things: heavily pickled and slightly pickled items are everywhere and don’t even get me started on the olives. Braising is not big here but hot open fire grilling is. The new and exciting use of vegetables has added so much to my repertoire, so I find myself not craving meat as much as I used to in Vietnam or New York. Grilled Eggplant chopped and mixed with green chilis, yellow mustard, and white vinegar will leave you speechless even if you dislike eggplant.

The food here is inexpensive and can easily feed two adults on less than ten dollars a day and I have yet to have a bad meal. The only missing component is my hot sauce which is one of my must-haves at all times. This hot sauce resembles an African Piri Piri “minus the red capsicum pepper” and translates well into many dishes. I use it in the tahini recipe below but I also use it in hollandaise sauce or even as a marinade for lamb and beef.

Hot Sauce:

Take two tablespoons of good quality tomato paste in a pot with one roughly chopped head of garlic and sauté along with five to six long hatch green chopped chilies. To the pot add equal parts (about one cup each) rice wine and white vinegar and simmer. Finally, just add a bunch of thyme and tarragon along with half a tablespoon of white pepper. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool. Once cool blend the whole concoction including the woodsy stems. Bottle and cool.

Tahini the Egyptian way.

Start by finely chopping three large garlic cloves and place them in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and 3 spoonfuls of your new favorite hot sauce along with salt and pepper. Now just walk away. The longer the marinade sits the better.

Now, take 5 tablespoons of sesame paste. Make sure you mix the paste well before yanking it out of whatever it came in and add it to a clean bowl. With a chinois or fine mesh strainer add the marinade and mix, I find a fork works best here. To achieve the desired consistency add water a little bit at a time the more water you add the looser it will get. Serve over grilled eggplant or with Falafel.

Some truly outstanding restaurants in Cairo to try:

Le Grillon Restaurant & Garden Cafe

مطعم وحديقه الجريون 8 Kasr Al Nile, beside the Egyptian Museum & Steigenberger Hotel, ElTahrir, Cairo Governorate

You don’t just happen upon this place, but you should make a point of coming here. Tucked away down an alley off of the famous Tahir square, Cairo. A warm and charming old-school place with more atmosphere than I can describe; it’s a neighborhood joint for mostly local artists and writers. This place is a watering hole and conversation meeting ground not to be missed. The service is among the best we have had and the drinks are cold and well priced. Guaranteed to be warmly greeted by locals. Easy place to spend an evening chatting.

Al Dayaa

مطعم الضيعة

33 Street 231, Maadi as Sarayat Al Gharbeyah, Maadi, Cairo Governorate.

You’ll find the eggplant dish I mentioned here as well as all things Lebanese. Falafels that are off the charts and good service all on a quiet tree-lined street in a cute suburb of Cairo. About a twenty-minute drive from Downtown