Ancient cooking that runs from street food to home stews. Ful medames (slow-cooked fava beans) is breakfast for millions; koshari (rice, lentils, pasta, chickpeas, fried onion) is lunch; mahshi (stuffed vegetables) is dinner. Cumin, coriander, garlic and tomato anchor the seasoning; aysh baladi (Egyptian flatbread) accompanies every meal; basbousa and umm ali finish.
Lamb shoulder simmers in a spiced stock for 90 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, basmati rice cooks pilaf-style. Pieces of baladi bread (or pita) crisp in the oven. A dakka sauce: garlic, vinegar, coriander, butter, all sizzled briefly. A tomato sauce reduces. Layer: bread → rice → dakka → tomato sauce → shredded meat → ladles of cooking liquor.
Whole dried fava beans soak overnight, then simmer slowly until the skins soften and the beans are completely tender, they'll break down on the edges, stay whole at the heart. Garlic, lemon, cumin and salt mash through; a generous pour of olive oil at the end. Tomato, onion, parsley and a hard-boiled egg or two on top.
Mince mixes raw with finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, chilli and Egyptian spices. The mixture spreads onto flatbread and folds shut; an egg-and-oil wash glazes the surface; a hot oven (or skillet) crisps the bread while the filling cooks through. The spice blend, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, sumac, paprika, is the dish's signature.
Mixed beef-lamb mince combines with grated onion, garlic, cumin, allspice, parsley, breadcrumbs and an egg into walnut-sized meatballs. Pan-brown briefly. A tomato sauce cooks: onion, garlic, tomato, cumin, stock. Layer in a baking dish: rice on the bottom, meatballs on top, sauce over the lot, hot stock to cover. Bake covered 35 minutes; uncover 10 minutes more.
Bone-in chicken or beef simmers in stock 45-60 minutes with cardamom, bay and an onion to make a clear broth. Frozen chopped molokhia (or fresh chopped fine) goes in for the last 20 minutes, barely simmered, never boiled (over-boiling kills the texture). A taqliya of butter, garlic and ground coriander sizzles separately; poured hot into the pot at the end with a dramatic hiss. Serve over rice with lemon and bread.
