Whole Fish Again (Tilapia this time) with Psycho Freak

I bought a couple whole Tilapia's (I'm a little obssessed with whole fish recently, I think it's because I feel like fillets are always so bland) and to cook them just stuffed them with rings of onions, tomatoes, lemons, some garlic, olive oil and salt, then put some lemon rings around them, wrapped them in foil and popped them in the oven. I enjoyed them :). (They kind of reminded me of "Samak Sengary" I like to have in Egypt.

Raw, upside down, stuffed Fish

 

Fish wrapped in foil before going in the oven 

 

 Cooke Fish

 

And this time I remembered to take pictures of the Freekeh <3 I love it's smoky taste. A much tastier and healthier alternative to boring rice.

 

The uncooked grains

 

Cooked Freekeh



low fat desserts...boooo

I tried this low fat cheesecake recipe, but to be honest, (1)
I'm not really a fan of cheesecake and (2) I was not too impressed. I should have gone with the low fat chocolate mousse instead! Also, the cups are so big and awkward looking (that's right, I blame it on the cups, not my abilities).

Bubble Tea

One of my favorite drinks in the world! We tried some at Wok of Fame, Villagio, Doha this past weekend and although it was not the best bubble tea I've ever had, it had the best tapioca pearls I've ever had. Perfect texture and bounce (sounds like a hair commercial) and so nice and fresh (this is the watermelon bubble tea).

The best bubble tea I've had is at the "Sweet Dreams TeaShop" in Waterloo and I always make sure to get a cup or ten when I visit my little Zibra. They also have a ton of boardgames and cards that are always fun. Unfortunately last time I was there in Feb I discovered they renovated and redesigned the place and although the bubble tea was as good as ever, it just wasn't the same grungy ambiance :(

The second best was from this cool mobile shop/van called "Cupp Tea Bar" that goes around the UK (I had it in Bristol). They make amazing hot Taro Bubble Tea. My favorite cold one is by far Lychee.

Lamby Lamb

I've been accused by sister zibra that I haven't cooked anything at all since Lemony Chicken but the truth is that I HAVE cooked but just haven't updated my blog. So to prove her wrong, I will put up some of the dishes I have cooked in the past few days.

First off: Lamb! I decided to try to get creative and take it to the next level and invent my own dishes (which probably isn't a good idea) but anyway, the results: (I will only share recipes if they are worth sharing)

 

Lemony Chicken

I've been really enjoying cooking with lemon zest recently and found THIS RECIPE which looked perfect, so I tried it out and it turned out fantabulous :) Will definitely do it again isA! Also, because I didn't have any oregano or thyme, I used fresh dill instead and used the juice of a whole lemon.

Oh and I almost forgot to take a picture but thankfully had a chicken breast leftover so took a photo of that last minute :)

 

Made some mint couscous to go with it (I told you I'm obsessed!).

 

Cooking a whole fish

I decided to give cooking a whole fish a shot and bought a couple Red Snappers. Found THIS RECIPE online and I love that there's the option to flavour it in different ways. I chose the Mediterranean ingredients (because I love Mediterranean food, but mostly because I had the ingredients). The only change I made was added some lemon zest, lemon juice and 4 cloves of garlic instead of the suggested 1. Et voila!

                                                                         Raw

                                                                       Cooked

 

I paired it with couscous flavored with mint leaves and lemon zest. I love couscous, it takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes delicious.

The best cuppajoe!

I'm elated to find a Nespresso machine at our new temporary home :) I've always wanted one, but they're pretty pricey. As far as I'm concerned, they make the best homemade coffee!
 

Bird Tongue Soup

Another traditional Egyptian soup, Bird Tongue Soup (aka lesaan asfour shourba) is definitely a comfort food for me. The "Chicken Soup" of Egyptians, it's a perfect pick-me-up when feeling ill or down. I made some yesterday, and as you can see in the pictures (sorry you'll ahve to tilt your head, can't figure out how to rotate the darn thing), I added too much bird tongue. Regardless, I enjoyed it and can't wait to have the leftovers today!

It's made in basically the same way as Mouloukhiyya but you just add bird tongue (aka Orzo), after lightly frying it to a golden color, to the soup. Easy and Delicious!

Also bought some roughly shredded roumy cheese (haven't had it in 7 months) to my rocket/dill/parsley salad.

When in the middle east, eat Shawerma!

So I made the BEST shawerma sandwich yesterday...perfect with french fries, pickles and garlic sauce <3...YUMMY!! Just look at the picture and admire it!



Just kidding! I wish I could make a delicious shawerma but I don't want to even attempt it because I might ruin its image in my head. I was craving shawerma a couple days ago (this post is a little outdated) so husband went to the nearest shawerma stand..our local Ikea...to get us some!! Yes, Ikeas sell shawermas, and yes they are delicious!! But I do have to admit, the one I had at "Lebanese Flower" was much better. But I couldn't wait the 40 min drive to pick it up and so the Ikea (2 min drive) one did it for me :)

 

Egyptian Classics for Future Use

Just came across this site today while looking up how to make Lesaan Asfour Soup. I can't wait to make some of these classics!!

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/7/49/48987/Life--Style/Food/Classic-Ramadan-recipes-from-Ahram-Online-II.aspx

Amateur Tip #5

Olive oil is delicious. Not to be used sparingly.

Amateur Tip #4

Herbes de provence is a heavenly mix of herbes. I use it on everything: chicken, seafood, meat, salad...EVVVERYTHING!

Calamariiiiii

After a couple mishaps, finally perfected fried Calamari :). The trick is to heat the oil to max (I put it on 6 on electric stovetop) and leave them in for a very short time (~1 min, until just golden). I also marinated the calamari with garlic, herbes de provence, salt and pepper a couple hours before frying them. I've read that they're also delicious when marinated with buttermilk. Will try that later.

Baked Hammour Fillets

I tried out this Baked Hammour Fillet Recipe, but instead of using chopped onions, I used chopped garlic because I <3 garlic!!

 Rawwwww                                                              Cooked (with amateur garnish :))

Made it with Freekeh (sorry no pics). I seriously love that stuff, but I followed a recipe online that called for 2.5 cups of water for every cup of freekeh and it was too mushy :( so next time, will decrease amount of water.

Also made a rocket salad to go with it (sprinkled sunflower seed and all bran buds on top)

 

Trip to the Grocery Store

Curious looking tomatoes from Tunisia. Didn't buy though...

Bought some mangosteen. Apparently very nutritious and quite tasty. Too bad we had an ant situation...tons of them hidden in the leaves and had to drown them to death.

Salad Dressing and Chicken Tagine

 
I finally made my salad dressing, but because we have nothing to make it in, I made it in a cup..

Regardless, Yum!!

Also made some Moroccan chicken to go along with it. A mix between Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Raisins and Moroccan Tagine of Chicken with Chickpeas and Raisins. Didn't have any raisins so put prunes instead and it wasn't so bad :-)
 

Seashells!!

Found a seashell in the shrimp today!

Made shrimp scampi for dinner but was so hungry, forgot to take a picture :-(

Recipe here

Amateur Tip #3

BBC Good Food is your go-to website for the most delicious recipes!! I only attempt ones that have been reviewed with 5 stars and have a binder to save all my favorites!

Go to BBC Good Food for a happier tummy!!

Today's Menu: Lamb Tagine Avec Couscous

Although I'm not really a fan of lamb, I decided to be experimental and bought some cubed lamb over the weekend.

Looked up some recipes and made a melange of the Easy Lamb Tagine and the Lamb with Lemon and Dill. Plus added some mushrooms. Turned out pretty deliciouso! Would have been better if I had something sweet to add to it...dried apricots or sweet potatoes...

Amateur Tip #2

Beware of worms in your lettuce! I butchered this bugger while chopping some up for today's salad

Hehehe

Hungry?

Amateur Tip #1:

Garlic is your new BFF. The more the merrier.

No household can call itself Egyptian without some Molokhia. Mine is no exception!

My first time making Molokhia!

Although being a nomad means I'm stuck using a tiny pot that the chicken barely fits into

and despite forgetting a key ingredient (dried coriander to go with the garlic), it turned out edible :)

Some tips to share: Molokhia is one of the easiest and most nutritious Egyptian dishes. The trick of the trade is to boil the Molokhia for as short as possible (3 min) in order for it to remain suspended in the soup. Otherwise it'll sink to the bottom and be a gloppy mess...yuck.

RECIPE HERE