Sahlab is a popular wintertime drink throughout the Middle East. The drink is made with milk and salep, a flour made from the tuberous root of a species of orchid, Orchis mascula. Salep has a faintly floral taste, but the drink is mainly consumed for its thick texture. Other flavorings, such as orange blossom water and rose water, are added to the drink just before serving and it is traditional to dust the cup with a couple pinches of cinnamon.

Pure salep is notoriously difficult (and expensive!) to come by outside of Turkey, so you’re more likely to find powdered mixes with cornstarch, sugar, and a small amount of salep sold in Middle Eastern groceries. I’ve also seen people ditch the salep altogether and use cornstarch in its place. Even when only made with cornstarch, sahlab is a great drink for those chilly winter nights and a good alternative for those who don’t like tea or coffee. Salep is also a key ingredient in Turkish ice cream (dondurma), which is known for its chewy texture and resistance to melting.

Sahlab

2 cups milk (Whole milk is my milk of choice, but use low-fat or non-fat if you’d like)
sugar, to taste (if using pure sahlab powder or cornstarch, most if not all pre-packaged sahlab mixes already include sugar)
2 tablespoons sahlab powder or cornstarch

Optional flavorings and garnishes:

Rose water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Orange blossom water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Almond extract
Vanilla
Shredded coconut
Chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
Ground cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg, for dusting

Add the milk (and sugar, if using) to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until hot, then add the sahlab powder or cornstarch and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. If adding extra flavorings, like rosewater, orange blossom water, almond extract, or vanilla, stir those in once the drink has thickened. Divide the drink into individual cups and garnish with chopped nuts, coconut, and dust with cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.

Serves 2

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Originally posted in February 2012

I spend a lot of time making Middle Eastern food. I spend a lot of time eating Middle Eastern food. I spend a lot of time thinking about making and eating Middle Eastern food (no really, it sometimes keeps me up at night). But I had never ever heard of balela, a bean-based salad with parsley and mint, until I saw it at Trader Joe’s a few years ago. The balela at Trader Joe’s comes in small 8 ounce containers, but at $3 or so a pop I decided it was time to start making it myself. Enjoy balela on its own or over a lettuce salad. It’s also super delicious in a wrap slathered with hummus, tzatziki, or tahini sauce.

Balela

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans
1 15-oz can black beans
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
3/4 cup tomatoes (I used sundried), chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and toss gently with the remaining ingredients. Serve right away if you must, but it tastes so much better the next day.

Serves 4-6

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Originally posted in May 2010

I’ve been givin’ my oven some lovin’ lately and experimenting with breadmaking. I’ve made a few loaves of sourdough, sourdough pizza crust, and pita bread. They’ve been moderate successes, but I haven’t been able to master any of them just yet. The problem lies with my ancient oven, which never gets very hot. I’m not ready to give up breadmaking until we move into another apartment just yet, though. I remembered that I saved a recipe for pan-fried naan a couple weeks ago and I thought I might have more success with that. I was so right. The fact that naan is so ridiculously easy to make is not a good thing. Now I don’t want to eat anything else ever again.

In case you’re unfamiliar, naan (which means “bread” in many languages, by the way) is a teardrop shaped leavened flatbread that is typically cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor. It is a stape food in Central and South Asia. Of course, I don’t have a tandoor but pan frying naan is the next best thing. And so ridiculously easy. If you can make pancakes, you can make naan. Try to eat just one, I dare you.

Naan
(adapted from The Little Red House)

1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling
1/4 cup olive oil (the recipe called for canola oil, but we usually only ever buy olive, peanut, and coconut oil)
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
oil or ghee, for frying

In a large bowl, mix together water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Add flour, salt, oil, yogurt, and beaten egg. Stir until you have a dough that’s easy to work with, add more flour if needed. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise until it has double in sized, or about an hour.

On a floured surface divide the dough into 6-8 pieces. Roll out each piece very thinly and set aside.

Heat oil or ghee (not too much! Just a little for each piece) in a large skillet. when hot, add the naan and cook until blistered and golden brown. Flip and cook until golden on the other side. Repeat with remaining naan. Serve with your favorite curry.

Makes about 8 naan.

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Originally posted in May 2010

Last September, Cory and I spent two weeks visiting family and friends in Indiana and Michigan. It was our first time “home” since we moved to San Francisco (Cory moved to SF in July ’08, and I quickly followed suit in May ’09 – I even skipped my college graduation just to get here a couple days earlier. The things we do for love!). We spent 5 days with Cory’s family and their beautiful corgi Evie in Northern Indiana, 4 days in Ann Arbor with my lovely friend Cristina, and spent the last 5 days in my hometown of Flint, Michigan visiting my parents.

Our trip was full of dog hair and gluttony – which is pretty much my ideal way to spend two weeks away from work.

Flickr albums:

Indiana / Ann Arbor, Michigan / Flint Real Estate / Flint, Michigan

This is a gallery post, so it looks funny if you’re reading on an RSS feed.

You’re probably with falafels made from chickpeas, but Egyptian falafels are made from fava beans. Fava beans are a staple of the Egyptian diet. So much so the Egyptian word for falafel, ta’meyya derives from the word “food”. I love the bitter and nutty taste of fava beans and prefer them over the more well known chickpea based falafel. Then again, I’m biased since I love all things Egyptian.

Although a straight forward process, falafel making is a time consuming task. The only special equipment you need is a food processor or blender, to blend the beans into a paste. There’s no need to use a deep fryer to fry the falafels, a large pot and frying oil will do the trick just as well. My frying oil of choice is peanut oil, but in Egypt sunflower oil or vegetable oil are more commonly used in cooking. As for baking falafels, you can’t see me right now, but I’m frowning. Some of the best things in life are fried, you know.

Just a heads up to anyone out there who is like me, the kind of person who doesn’t read recipes until I’m just about to start cooking – this recipe requires the beans to soak for 24-48 hours and there are a lot of time consuming steps involved. They’re definitely worth the effort, if you’re looking for a taste of Egypt… in fried form.

Ta’meyya
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s New Book of Middle Eastern Food)

1 pound dried and skinless fava beans (broad beans), soaked for 24-48 hours
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
cayenne pepper or chili pepper (optional, to taste)
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup parsley
1 cup cilantro
2 leeks, white and green parts
6 scallions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)
frying oil (I used peanut oil)

In a large pot, soak the beans in a generous amount of water for 24-48 hours. Change the water a couple times a day. After the beans have finished soaking, pour out the water into the sink and spread out the beans on a large towel on a hard surface. Let the beans dry for about an hour.

After the beans have had time to dry a bit, put them in a food processor and pulse until the beans form a paste. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Add the spices and baking soda and pulse a few more times until the spices have mixed through, or until the paste is smooth. Let the mixture rest for a half hour.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the parsley, cilantro, leeks, scallions, and mince the garlic. Add them all to a very large mixing bowl or stock pot, along with the bean paste and knead with your hands until mixed through. Take small clumps of the mixture and patties that are 2 inches in diameter roughly 1/4 inch thick or into balls the size of golf balls. Optionally, dip the falafels into a bowl full of sesame seeds just before frying.

Heat a large stock pot with at least 2 inches of frying oil. Working in batches, fry the falafels in batches until brown, turning over once. Transfer the falafels to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve hot.

Serving variations:

- With hummus or tahini
- With pickled vegetables
- In a wrap or pita bread with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and tahini sauce or hummus
- In a salad

Serves 6

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Originally posted in February 2011

This is the story of Umm Ali.

We all know of the Queen of the Nile and her affairs with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius and of the boy king whose otherwise unremarkable life left behind a remarkable glimpse into the Egyptian afterlife. But do you know who the name of the last woman to rule Egypt? Cleopatra is not a bad guess, but it’s not correct. Her name was Shajar al-Dur (sometimes inaccurately called Shajarat al-Durr). She ascended the throne in 1250 and ruled for a total of 80 days. Although Shajar al-Dur is a well-known figure of Egyptian history and folklore, she is not very well-known outside of the Arabic-speaking world. I first discovered her name in a footnote in a reading I had for a class in college. I then spent the following couple of months learning everything I could about her. I’ve read and been told so many versions of her life, I’m not sure what’s fiction or folklore. When I visited Shajar al-Durr’s mausoleum during my last visit to Cairo in 2008, I was heartbroken to find it neglected and covered in garbage.

Shajar al-Durr was originally slave girl of Turkic or Armenian origin. She was purchased by al-Salih Ayyub, who would later become the Sultan of Egypt. In 1250 CE, al-Salih Ayyub died suddenly of a fever at a turbulent time in Egypt’s history. It was the Seventh Crusade and Egypt under attack by King Louis IX’s army. Shajar concealed the fact that al-Salih Ayyub had died by telling people he was merely ill, making sure to have servants deliver food to his room so no one would suspect anything. She was then able to rule as the Sultana of Egypt. Friday prayers were read in her name and she even had coins minted with her name on them. During her short reign, King Louis IX was released from captivity after paying an enormous ransom and peace was temporarily made with the Franks as they recovered from their agonizing defeat.

After 80 days of rule, she announced her husband’s death and relinquished power over to Turanshah, al-Salih Ayyub’s son from another wife. The army, however, trusted Shajar and had Turanshah killed. Despite her support from the army, the Caliph in Baghdad (who, by the way, was murdered two years later by the grandson of Genghis Khan when the Mongols sacked Baghdad) refused to recognize a woman on the throne. So he sent a trusted army commander to Egypt, to marry Shajar and rule as Sultan. Defeated and humiliated, Shajar surrendered the throne over to her new husband, Aybak.

It is said Aybak and Shajar shared a great affection for each other, but she was clearly the one who dominated the relationship. Shajar was the jealous type. Before they married she had Aybak divorce his current wife Umm Ali, with whom he had a son. Shajar still continued to sign the Sultan’s decrees and made sure to have coins minted in both of their names. After seven years of marriage, Aybak wanted to take on another wife, the daughter of the amir of Mosul. Shajar felt betrayed and refused to share Aybak with anyone else, so… off with his head! She had Aybak murdered by servants while he was taking a bath. Now she could have Egypt for herself, or so she thought.

In vain, Shajar hastily told people that Aybak died in his sleep. Aybak’s men were suspicious of Shajar, and her servants eventually confessed to the murder after being tortured. Shajar and the servants were arrested. The servants were eventually executed and Shajar was beaten to death with wooden clogs by slavegirls – and Aybak’s former wife, Umm Ali and their son al-Mansur Ali (who became Sultan after Aybak’s death). Her half-naked body was dragged around the city and thrown into a moat. After wild animals feasted on her body for three days, her remains were gathered in a basket and she was eventually laid to rest in a mausoleum she had built for herself.

Umm Ali rejoiced at Shajar’s death and putting her son the throne and created this dessert to celebrate.

Or so the story goes.

A cab driver (yes, there was a time where I talked about Shajar al-Durr with just about anyone) once told me Umm Ali made rice pudding and not bread pudding to celebrate Shajar’s death. There are so many versions on how the dessert originated I prefer to pick and choose as I like. A popular theory is that a British nurse living in Egypt named O’Malley created the dessert. Hmph! Where’s the intrigue and scandal in that? Make this dessert and tell the story of Shajar al-Durr.

When it comes to desserts, I gravitate toward the homely and easy to make. Give me rice pudding or bread pudding and I’m over the moon. Since there are so many different versions of how and where Umm Ali originated, I figured there’s no harm in deviating from the usual recipe. I strayed from the norm by using puff pastry (it puffs! It’s magical!) instead of filo dough, decreased the amount of milk and cream, and added more nuts. I found that with less milk and cream, the texture held up quite well for leftovers for several days. Umm Ali is a rich and heavenly dessert that would taste even better with a scoop of ice cream, if you’re feeling decadent.

Umm Ali
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s New Book of Middle Eastern Food)

1 17-oz package of puff pastry, thawed
6 tablespoons better, melted
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups milk (I used whole)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon, for dusting

Let the puff pastry thaw for at least a half hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out the puff pastry, brush with the melted butter and transfer the puff pastry to the oven. Bake the puff pastry for 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat milk, cream, and sugar together just until the sugar dissolves – do not boil. When the puff pastry is cool enough to handle, break it into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large baking dish (I used an 8″ x 8″ baking dish, I’d recommend something a little larger). Toss in the nuts, raisins, and shredded coconut, making sure that everything is mixed evenly.

Pour the milk/cream mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly golden.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Serves 10-12

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Originally posted in February 2011

Guys, I done got hacked. Yes, I know I’m stupid. One of the unfortunate side effects of getting a full time grown-up job last April was that I more or less abandoned my food blog. Once I no longer had an abundance of free time to cook gourmet meals several hours a day, updating my blog on a regular basis became overwhelming. When I abandoned my blog, I stopped updating WordPress and my many plugins – which left my site vulnerable to an attack.

And it was attacked.

For awhile there, I thought I had lost everything (18 months and 150+ recipes). Many tears were shed. Luckily, I was able to retrieve all my posts and photos, but I still decided to start my blog anew. I’ve wanted to return to blogging for several months now, but I no longer have the desire to blog exclusively about food. avocadobravado.net 2.0 will be more of a personal blog, but yes, there still will be food. I’ll repost my favorite recipes in the coming weeks, for sure. Admittedly, there were some dudes in the old blog – and I’d much prefer to highlight my best recipes on the internets.

Hope to see you around.

-r