Egyptian Bread - 'Eeish baladi' - Egyptial Local Bread

Ingredient

1) 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour.
2) 7 oz. water.
3) 1/2 tsp. salt.
4) 1/4 oz. Dry Yeast.

Bake Procedures

1) Put flour and salt in an oversized bowl.
2) Mix Dry Yeast with the water.
3) Slowly add water.
4) Take turns kneading the dough.
5) Spread flour on a clean, flat surface.
6) Roll dough into small balls.
7) Form balls into flat round shapes or triangles.
8) Cover with a cloth for one to two hours only.
In one to two hours: 
Bake bread on a greased sheet for 30 minutes at 350 Degree heat. 

Roz Bel Laban ( Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:     
1 cup white rice
2 cups water
3 cups milk
1 cup sugar (adjust to desired sweetness)
1 tbl orange blossom water

Steps:

1. Rinse rice and place in a saucepan with water.
2. Cover and simmer over medium fire for 15-20 minutes.
3. Add milk, stirring constantly.
4. When it begins to thick, add sugar and orange blossom water.
5. Continue stirring constantly until rice is soft or well done.
6. Remove from fire and pour into platter spreading it thinly or in individual bowls.
7. Cool and serve.

Cairo Islamist camp angers residents

As thousands of Islamists massed for a third week at Cairo's Rabea al-Adaweya Square, residents were beginning to lose patience with ousted President Mohamed Morsy's supporters camped on their doorsteps.

In the neighbourhood of Nasr City, where the hot summer winds whip up the dust during the day, traffic grinds to a halt ahead of Rabea al-Adaweya square and its mosque.

Three weeks ago, tens of thousands of Morsy supporters flooded into the area and occupied it to demand his reinstatement.

They have been there ever since, and the square, decorated with pictures of the ousted president, now seems like a village market, with vegetable stalls, flag sellers and rest areas all catering to the crowds.

Under a sweltering July sun, many take refuge in the shade, sleeping or reading the Koran before the evening's iftar, when together they break the Ramadan fast.

In the so-called press centre, behind the stage where speakers spout rabble-rousing speeches, Farid Ismail, an official from Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood, insists that those gathered around the mosque are not going anywhere.

"We've stayed here for three weeks now, 21 days, and we will continue in this way, with this peaceful resistance," he said.

But he does admit there has been some friction with residents.

"Of course this large crowd in this place affects the residents of this area," he said. "We are working to remedy the problems."

Some of those living around Rabea al-Adaweya have taken a dim view of the protesters, a significant number of whom are camped on the small grass squares outside their apartment blocks.

On Saturday morning an energetic clean-up operation was under way, after a residents' statement voiced anger at the disruption.

Mindful of its image, the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, through its media relations outfit, offered "sincere apologies" for the disturbance.

It said protesters had been told to keep the place tidy and promised to turn down loudspeakers after midnight.

But Mohsen Fahmy, a bank manager who works nearby, could not hide his irritation.

"The situation is very bad now. For 17 days there have been about 20,000 people, strangers to the place, who have no apartments, nowhere to go to the toilet," he said.

Fahmy said those camping out in the area were dumping rubbish around the square and in the side streets.

The protesters have also set up checkpoints, where they examine residents' ID cards and bags as they come and go.

"They have no right to act like this," he said.

Many of the area's temporary residents were bused in to Rabea al-Adaweya from provinces outside Cairo.

"They are paid to stay. They come with their women and their children. They have no idea" about the problems they are creating, Fahmy said.

Munir, a member of Egypt's Coptic Christian community who runs a pharmacy near the protest hub, said the demonstration was hitting his business.

"Personally I want them to go, because I want my livelihood back," he said.

While some demonstrators come to him to buy medication, Munir says the companies that deliver his supplies are struggling to reach his shop because the streets are blocked.

His delivery boys, who drop prescriptions off to customers by scooter, are also finding it difficult to get around because of checkpoints set up by the army and the protesters.

Ismail, the Brotherhood official, conceded that there have been some problems with residents, but he countered that "many of them support this 'revolution'."

Dr. Hazem Farouk is one sympathetic resident.

"We have a problem here," he admitted, pointing to the closed roads.

"But as Egyptian people, we are searching for our dignity. It is a matter of dignity" to continue the protests, he said.

But as the Muslim Brotherhood risks becoming ever more marginalised by Egypt's interim government, by rejecting its legitimacy, so the protesters camping at Rabea al-Adawya increasingly risk losing the goodwill of their neighbours.

Koshary, lentils and fuul, oh my! Vegetarian fare is a natural part of Egyptian cuisine

As vegetarian diets continue to grow in popularity around the world, more and more Egyptians are making the shift to healthy, plant-based diets.

There is increasing awareness about how saturated fats pose serious health risks and are considered a major dietary contributor to cardiovascular diseases.

Saturated fats are often found in animal products, including poultry, meat, dairy foods and seafood.

Vegetarian food is not new to Egyptians. Egyptian cuisine is heavily based on vegetable dishes, most notably fuul medames and koshary, a mixture of rice, lentils and pasta that many consider the national dish.

“Authentic Egyptian cuisine has a wealth of vegetarian dishes to choose from, as we traditionally use many green, leafy vegetables — molokheya, kolkasia with salq, spinach cooked in many forms and arugula as accompaniments at meals,” says Samira Mahmoud, Egyptian Chef Association writer and chief editor.

Mahmoud adds that Egyptian cuisine also relies on many pulses, such as lentils, fava beans and black-eyed peas, which have now been shown to fulfil all protein needs when combined with rice in the same meal.

It is believed that local vegetarian food is popular among Egyptians because working-class families cannot afford the high cost of animal products due to difficult economic circumstances.

However, Mirjam van IJssel, the Egyptian Chef Association’s executive director, says there is a return to authentic Egyptian dishes with a modern, healthy twist — for example, not using ghee, or samna.

“The increase in vegetarian demand in Egypt is maybe as a result of the demand for more health-conscious consumption among the middle class and rich. There is also an increased interest in preserving Egyptian food traditions and many of those traditions are vegetarian,” IJssel says.

Besides local Egyptian food, there are a number of Asian restaurants, including Indian and Japanese, across Cairo that offer a mixed bag of vegetarian experiences. However, there is no vegetarian restaurant specializing in Egyptian cuisine, which IJseel attributes to fierce competition with Western cuisine.

“If Egyptian chefs stay close to their own cuisine, there are many options available for them to serve vegetarian fare. However, when the Western cuisine concept to have three components (protein, starch, vegetables) on a plate comes in, there seems to be a problem in rebalancing the plate or finding the main focal point of the plate, when the main protein component needs to be replaced,” IJseel explains.

This is still a challenge for chefs, she says, who often end up with a plate with only one element, such as vegetarian lasagna or another vegetarian pasta dish, or many “loose elements” that do not have harmony when combined on one plate.

Afaf Ezzat, professor at the Egyptian National Center for Nutrition Research, advises Egyptian vegetarians to avoid eating large quantities of Asian food and go for authentic Egyptian food instead.

“Though Asian foods are cooked in a healthy way — usually steamed or raw — it is not a given that they suit all types of body requirements. A sudden shift to a completely different health regimen could cause health disorders,” Ezzat says.

Every person should first understand the pros and cons of each diet and then follow the one that suits his or her digestive system and provides adequate nutrition, Ezzat explains.

Even though vegetarians are at lower risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, breast cancer and obesity as a result of their low fat and high fiber intakes, Ezzat recommends they have meals comprising the five major food categories, including protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12, to consume enough calories to meet energy needs.

“Our local pulses are traditionally eaten in every household with white rice. So actually, Egyptian cuisine is a great cuisine to live in when you make the choice to give up meat,” Mahmoud says.

Chocolate for Cairo: One city, two women, 60 chocolates

Purchasing chocolate is not an easy task. While it may take you seconds to pick a candy bar at the kiosk, picking a good chocolate from a chocolatier, especially in a country that is not well-known for its fine chocolate, can require some research.

In Europe, Godiva or Cote d’Or may be easy decisions, but where do you go in Cairo when you get a craving for good chocolate, or when you’re tired of taking Oriental sweets and cupcakes to every gathering? As two Egypt Independent foodie researchers, it was our duty to solve this dilemma once and for all.

We decided the Cairene island of culinary variety, Zamalek, was our best bet.

Fauchon

Located in front of the Gezira Club, next to the Bakery Shop, is a little choco-centric venue called Fauchon. Under its softly lit glass counter lie gold, pink and green cellophane-covered chocolate cubes that vary between noisette, creme de noisette, almond, milk chocolate and pistachio, among others.

Consensus has it that by far the best choice is the “coffee” chocolate — two layers of chocolate sandwiching a light, creamy layer of coffee paste. One kilo of these little delicacies will cost you a small fortune, but, of course, it’s all about how much delicious chocolate means to you.

In each piece — save the crocant, which is a little sticky — the mixture of tastes is beautiful and unique. A kilo will set you back a hefty LE860, so keep Fauchon chocolates for yourself or the people you love best.

If you’re chocolate shopping for yourself, try the selection by ordering one of each of the nine flavors and paying LE81. Conclusion: Fauchon is Cairo’s best established chocolatier but also its most expensive.

Fauchon

4 Gezira St., Zamalek, Cairo

Patchi

Patchi’s welcoming store on Taha Hussein Street is larger than the others. The walls are lined with lime-green boxes of chocolate; modern, elegant and equipped with a full nutritional breakdown complete with calorie counts and ingredients.

Across the wall, by the window, is Patchi’s more classic collection: from elaborate wooden boxes to fine Italian china, your chocolates will definitely arrive at your destination in style.

The Lebanese brand imports all its chocolate ingredients and assembles the final product in Egypt. The five branches in Cairo all offer top-quality chocolate with prices slightly higher than their competitors.

Prices range from LE210 per kilo for plain chocolate all the way to LE800 for the chocolate-covered marron glace. Patchi also offers sugar-free chocolate for LE310, made with a sweetener called maltitol.

Its chocolate definitely tastes good — a higher caliber than your regular Egyptian chocolate.

Patchi

15C Taha Hussein St., Zamalek

Celebrations

The Celebrations store offers the right balance of tasty chocolate and more affordable pricing. Its wide range of plain chocolate and chocolate with mint, crisp, nuts and marron makes them an easy and tasty choice.

The store is known for its elegant displays of chocolate for special occasions such as weddings and birthdays. You can also send them your own trays if you’d rather not purchase theirs.

Aside from the chocolates, the chocolatier also offers a range of cute giveaways that you can distribute with the chocolates at weddings and baby showers. Prices range from LE80 to LE200 per kilo.

Celebrations

4 Brazil St., Zamalek

Choco Chocola

Choco Chocola is located in the middle of Hassan Sabry Street, the heart of the island. Aside from a large collection of chocolate and a variety of fillings, the renowned chocolatier is known for what it calls “chocolate ice cream”: little pieces of chocolate stuffed with flavored ice cream.

The range include strawberry, mango, cheesecake, chocolate, vanilla and raspberry yogurt flavors. The cheesecake and the yogurt are particularly good. The contrast of tastes between the chocolate coating and cold, sweet filler is what makes this product successful and tasty, but the chocolate does need to be of a better quality.

They cost LE3 per piece and must be stored immediately in the freezer. Choco Chocola’s ordinary chocolate is adequate in taste and quality, and costs LE290 per kilo.

Choco Chocola

11 Hassan Sabry St., Zamalek

Passionelle

Unfortunately, Passionelle did not impress. White spots covered our piece of chocolate, which had obviously melted and regrouped numerous times.

The quality of the chocolate was also not up to par — it was too sweet and too milky, which kills the flavor of the cocoa. The shop took some risks with its prune chocolate and marron glace, which could have worked had the chocolate itself been better.

Chocolates here are sold at LE210 a kilo and, like Choco Chocola, each chocolate can also be personalized.

Passionelle

15 Maraashly St., Zamalek

JK Chocolates

Having stepped off the island, with the project complete and our minds made up, a young entrepreneur approached us with some chocolates on Road 9 in Maadi. JK Chocolates is presently by order only, but the quality made it worth mentioning on our list.

JK doesn’t skimp on quality and its strawberry and chocolate with walnut morsels matched Fauchon’s creamy, luscious level. JK has also branched out into fillings like chocolate chip cookie dough and mint.

JK Chocolates are sold at LE350 per kilo. Interested customers can stop by Maadi’s Road 9 by Greco Friday afternoon to try a sample.

JK Chocolates

010-6000-2600 / 010-0600-9941

jkchocolates@hotmail.com

Taste of Zamalek: A Saturday picnic at the Aquarium Grotto Garden

On Saturday, as I was trying to get through my usual weekend rituals, I noticed that Zamalek had come to a complete standstill. As we approached the Aquarium Grotto Garden, I saw that groups of people of all ages were gathered to explore what seemed to be a huge event.

We decided to park the car and check it out. We soon discovered that this was “Taste of Zamalek” — the first event of the sort, a picnic in one of the most beautiful gardens in Cairo.

Different booths had been set up selling a wide range of products. Unlike many of the popular bazaars, however, these focused on selling handmade products, like Fathet Kheir, or organic products like Khadra, which had a beautiful display of colorful pots of flowers and was definitely one of the signature items of the event.

As you walked past the bazaar booths, you came to the food corner — the heart of the event — which brought together many of Zamalek’s up-and-coming deli businesses. Zooba, Lychee, Makani, Cairo Kitchen, Khamira, Zo and The Medley were just a few of the familiar Zamalek hangouts present at the picnic.

Across from the food corner was the children’s corner, which was managed by Cairo Sitters, a group that offers its services in different languages to either tutor or babysit children. As a mother of two myself, I was very interested to see what Cairo Sitters had to offer, which ranged from caregiving, extracurricular activities and help going to events with moms.

At this particular event, they were responsible for the children having a great time, with treasure hunts and tours around the Aquarium Grotto Garden, as well as more focused activities such as crafts and face painting.

The event also featured a photo booth for little ones, with a wardrobe full of funky and stylish costumes to choose from — from hats and boas to glittering accessories and colorful sunglasses. Children excitedly posed for pictures while making silly faces and wearing their best smiles.

Nature Conservation Egypt, a nongovernmental organization, also took part in the festive event aiming to raise awareness about the history of the Aquarium Grotto Garden. Visitors were invited to take a tour to have a look at the aquarium, birds and plants scattered throughout the garden.

An artistic touch was added to the event with the exhibition of eye-catching paintings and sculptures created by Arts Mart, Le Souk, Rania al-Hakim, Fadia Badrawy and other distinguished artists.

The Zamalek Association, which organized the event, also held an auction for new Blackberry mobile phones offered for a lower price than their actual market value. The total proceeds raised that day would go toward the association’s quest to make the upscale neighborhood a cleaner and more environmentally friendly place. At the main gate, there was also a booth for whoever wanted to donate to the cause.

After seeing all the organized parts of the picnic, there came my favorite part — the chill-out zone. In no particular order, there were beanbags thrown on the green areas surrounding the booths where people could just relax and enjoy the fresh air and greenery, two things that we in Cairo seem to totally lack.

Some played board games, others ran after their children in a safe, open space, and many others just enjoyed good conversation, all with the backdrop of bands that were entertaining the crowd.

At the heart of the garden, people were seen letting loose and swaying softly to the music played by a number of promising bands, including Like Jelly, Ahmed Harfoush, Abou W El Shabab and Mariam Ali. It came as no surprise that the songs’ lyrics, featuring anti-regime ideas, seemed to be appealing to the elite residents.

Whether dancing to the music or just listening, the endless smiling faces that surrounded this little oasis could not be missed. For a moment, I forgot what Cairo had been going through all these past months, and was able to genuinely enjoy some quality time in my beloved city.

Jalan-jalan cari makan Brunei Final.

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7.Restoran Ahan Thai di Gadong...aha...kalau rasanya kan merasai minuman XL nya...sinilah tempat yang boleh aku syorkan untuk be'chill...be'dating...ber'borak....apa nya urg mcm2 ada di Gadong.Harganya boleh jua lah inda jua teluan labih mahal.

8.Andai ada kan mau rasa masakan Brunei asli iaitu menikmati hidangan ambuyat....bah bertandang tah ke Restoran SBB(Sarbini bin Batang).Speciality nya restoran ane ialah hidangan ambuyatnya...memang bila menjamah saja makanan bisdia atu...mcm balik ke zaman masakan mullah2 nini2 kitani dulu.Aku nda belurih gambarnya...tapi mun kamu kan mengaga aga saja arah belakang Melabau Complex,Muara sama Tg.Bunut.

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Ianya di Time Square...masakanya yg best laksa Singapuranya...hahah...try that baby...inda kamu menyasal makananya di sini.