Classic Ramadan recipes from Ahram Online: VI

Sherry El-Gergawi, Sunday 12 Aug 2012

Ahram Online provides some of the most classic and unusual Ramadan recipes in this 6th series, starting with Mombar (Egyptian tripe), the Egyptian fattah, baklava and a wonderful, cool coconut drink, sobia

Soup: Leg Beef "Kaware"

2 leg beef "Kaware" (preferably veal, cut into 6pcs)
1 small onion (peeled and cut into quarters)
Celery bunch
1 litre water
2 bay leaves
3 cloves cardamom
3 bits of mastic resin
Salt and black pepper

Directions:

Clean the leg beef well with a mixture of salt and flour then wash with clean water.

Add the water in a pot and bring to boil then add the meat, onion, bay leaves, celery, cardamom, mastic resin and black pepper. Let it boil again, then cover and simmer for one hour until cooked, then season with salt.

Remove the leg beef put aside, strain the soup using a fine sieve then serve in bowels.

Kaware Soup

 

Salad: Tomato Salad

6 large tomatoes (cut into cubes)
2 large onions (peeled and sliced)

For dressing:
1 tsp cumin
 Parsley bunch
1 chili powder (optional)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt

Directions:

Add lemon, olive oil, white vinegar, salt, chili powder, cumin and chop them all together. Place in bowl.

Bring a serving dish and mix in the tomato cubes with onion, then add the dressing. Mix well and serve.

Tomato Salad

 

Main course: Egyptian leg beef fattah "Kaware Fattah"  (Fattah:  is rice with meat in vinegar sauce) 

6pcs beef leg meat "Kaware" (boiled, as mentioned in the above soup)
2 cups beef leg stock (heated)
4 loaves of Egyptian bread
2 cups white rice
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 whole bulbs garlic (peeled and finely crush)
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Black pepper

Directions:

Cut the bread into squares and put in a baking dish, then add 1tbsp butter, heat and stir until it is brownish and set aside.

In saucepan, heat 1tbsp butter then add garlic and stir until it turns golden. Add vinegar, salt, pepper and tomato paste, stir well then turn heat off.

Place the bread in a serving dish and pour the stock over it. Stir for a minute then layer the rice, spread the garlic mixture then add the meat (boiled only) and serve immediately.

Kaware Fattah

 

Side item: Stuffed Beef Tripe "Egyptian Mombar"

1kg cow tripe (cleaned by rubbing them with mixture of salt and flour)
3½ cups short-grain Egyptian rice
1 litre water
1 large onion (peeled and grated)
4 tomatoes (grated)
1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
1 bunch of dill (finely chopped)
1 bunch of cilantro (finely chopped)
2 tbsp of butter or oil (to taste)
2 bay leaves
Thread

Directions:

Wash the rice, drain into a large strainer then shake well to remove excess water. Place in a large bowl. Add tomato, parsley, dill, onion season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Using your fingers to carefully open the intestine from the top, push the stuffing inside with the other hand  (not to overstuff or it will crack when it cooks). Use thread to close the ends of the intestines.

In a deep pot add the water and bring to boil. Season with black pepper and bay leaves. Add the stuffed intestines to boil for around 20 minutes on medium heat, until the rice is cooked. Drain and let cool.

Melt the butter or oil in a frying pan. Add the tripe and keep turning until they are brown; roughly for 7-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mombar

 

Drink: Coconut with milk “Sobia”

1 litre full cream milk
1 cup coconut (peeled and grated)
1 cup white sugar (you may need more; to taste)
½ cup fresh cream
1 tsp vanilla powder

Directions:

In a pot add milk, coconut and sugar and let it boil on high heat for around 10 minutes while stirring so sugar completely dissolves. Set aside to cool.

Pour the mixture into the blender and add the fresh cream and vanilla. Blend until well-mixed, then refrigerate until you wish to serve it (or serve over ice cubes).

Sobia

 

Dessert: Baklava "Baklawa"

1 packet filo pastry (400g)
2 cups chopped nuts of your preference (almond, walnut, pistachio, ….etc) 
½ cup resin (optional)
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon (ground)

For syrup:
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick (optional to give a more Middle Eastern flavour)

Directions:

For syrup, add water and sugar to a pot. Bring to medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Add the cinnamon and the lemon juice and let it stay warm for around 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.

In small bowl mix nuts, resin, sugar and cinnamon then set aside.

Butter the bottoms and sides of baking pan then place two sheets of dough. Butter thoroughly and repeat until you've used half the dough. Place mixture of  nuts. Add another layer of dough, repeating previous step, until you've finished all of the dough.

Cut the dough into squares with a sharp knife, ensuring you reach the bottom of the pan. Brush with butter.

Bake the baklava in a pre-heated oven at 200 for about 15 minutes or until it turns golden then remove from oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over it.

Set aside to cool then serve.

Notes:
1- Must cover the rest of the dough with a towel or plastic film to keep from drying out while working.
2- After baking, leave the baklava uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped.

Baklava

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