This is a cook book I designed for a mockup Egyptian restaurant called Mahsy Masr which in English means "Grape Leaves Egypt."

1. Timeless Recipes
By Amal Moustafa
THE FLAVORS OF EGYPT

3. 3
Table of Contents
* Falafel........................... 04
* Hummus....................... 08
* Ful Meddames............... 11
* Grape Leaves................. 13

4. 4
FalafelFalafels are sold by street vendors and
fast food restaurants in Cairo They are a
representation of Egyptian culture.

5. 5
Ingredients
1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas/garbanzo
beans - you must start with dry, do NOT substitute
canned, they will not work!
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground cardamom
Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, and peanut oil work
well)
You will also need:
Food processor, skillet

6. 6
Falafel Steps
1. Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3
inches of cold water. Let them soak over night.
2. Drain and rinse the beans. Pour them into your food processor with the
chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander,
black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom. Pulse all ingredients
together until a rough, coarse meal forms. Once the mixture reaches the
desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir; this
will make the texture more even throughout. Remove any large chickpea
chunks that the processor missed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
3. Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. Meanwhile, form
falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a
falafel scoop.
4. Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of
the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side
to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot
and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center.
5. Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted
spoon.
6. Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; they go
best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce.

7. 7

8. 8
HummusHummus is a traditional Middle Eastern
food that is commonly known around
the world.

9. 9
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas/garbanzo
beans (1 1/2 cups dry)
OR
2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans (15 oz. each), drained and
rinsed - I prefer cooked beans
1/3 cup tahini paste
8 roasted garlic cloves, or more to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Paprika and fresh minced parsley for garnish (optional)
You will also need:
Food processor

10. 10
Hummus Steps
1. If using canned chickpeas, drain the chickpea water from one can into a
small bowl and reserve. If cooking the beans, follow my soaking and cook-
ing instructions here. Drain the beans after cooking, reserving 1/2 cup of
the cooking water in a small bowl.
2. Squeeze each chickpea gently to remove the skin, then discard the
skins before processing. While this step is not completely necessary, it will
ensure that your hummus turns out very smooth and creamy.
3. Reserve about 15-20 whole chickpeas for garnish. Outfit your food pro-
cessor with a blade attachment. Place chickpeas, tahini paste, roasted
garlic, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper into
the processor.
4. Pulse the ingredients for about 60 seconds, then process until smooth.
Taste the mixture and add more salt, lemon juice, or garlic to taste. Pro-
cess again to blend any additional ingredients. If the texture seems too
thick, add some of the reserved water from the chickpea can or cooking
liquid and continue to process until desired consistency is reached.
5. Transfer hummus to a shallow bowl and create a well in the center with a
spoon. Garnish with reserved chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprin-
kle of paprika and minced fresh parsley. Serve with pita, crackers, or fresh
dipping vegetables.

11. 11

12. 12
Foul
MedammasFoul Medammas is a traditional Egyptian
type of food that can also be found in street
vendors and fast food restaurants in Cario.

13. 13
Ingredients
2 cups (16 oz.) cooked or canned fava beans
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 raw or 4 roasted garlic cloves, chopped (to learn to roast garlic,
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup water
Salt and black pepper to taste
Juice from 2 fresh lemons (or more to taste)
Optional Toppings
Sliced hard boiled egg
Diced ripe red tomato
Raw onion sliced into rings
Fresh minced parsley or cilantro
Red chili pepper flakes
Paprika

14. 14
Foul Medammas Steps
1. Use either dried or canned beans in this recipe. If using dried beans,
soak them overnight, then cover with water and simmer till tender (this can
take up to 2 hours or longer and will prolong the recipe prep time signifi-
cantly). Drain and set aside, then proceed with recipe. If using canned
fava beans, pour them into a colander to drain. Rinse the beans in cold
water. Set aside, then continue with recipe.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Fry the diced
onion till it becomes translucent and golden. Add garlic and cumin, sauté
for 1 minute till fragrant. Add the fava beans to the pan, then add about ½
cup of water to the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium
low, season with salt and pepper to taste (I usually add about ½ tsp salt
and 1/8 tsp of pepper). Cover the skillet.
3. Let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes on medium low heat until the
beans are nice and tender. Remove lid from pot and continue to cook until
the liquid has reduced by about 75 percent. Remove from heat.
4. Pour the fava bean mixture into a mixing bowl. Squeeze in the fresh
lemon juice. Mash the mixture to a semi-smooth consistency; it should
be a little more chunky than hummus. For a mashing tool, I like to use my
spice pestle. You can also use a potato masher or the back of a large
metal spoon. Drizzle olive oil lightly on the foul medamma. Garnish with the
ingredients of your choice.

15. 15

16. 16
Grape
LeavesGrape leaves are a traditional type of
Middle Eastern that are also widely
known like hummus.

17. 17
Ingredients
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 ½ cups long grain white rice
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 cup fresh minced dill
1/4 cup fresh minced mint
6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth (a yellow broth is best), divided
50 large grape leaves (fresh or jarred)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mint leaves, lemon slices, and olives (for garnish - optional)

18. 18
Grape Leaves Steps
1. Pour the pine nuts into a skillet and lightly toast them over medium heat
till golden brown. Reserve.
2. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil into a medium pot and heat it over medium. Add
minced onion to the pot and sauté until soft. Add the rice to the pot and
stir to combine. Sauté for another minute. Pour in ¾ cup vegetable broth
and lower the heat; simmer the rice uncovered for about 10 minutes till the
liquid is absorbed and the rice is half cooked. Do not cook the rice fully, or
you’ll end up with mushy grape leaves! Just cook it to an al dente texture.
Remove pot from heat.
Add the minced dill, mint, toasted pine nuts, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and
lemon zest to the pot of rice.
3. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. As the water is
heating, trim the leaves by cutting the stems off, flush with the leaves.
Place the leaves in the boiling water and let them soften for 3-5 minutes
till they become pliable (fresh leaves may take a bit longer to soften than
jarred). Drain, then cover the leaves with cold water. Drain the leaves
again and pat them dry.
4. Place 2 tbsp of rice filling at the base end of the leaf, near where the
stem was. Fold the stem end up over the filling. Fold the edges of the leaf
inward.
5. Continue rolling the leaf till it forms a neat rolled package.
6. Squeeze the roll gently to seal.
7. Repeat the process with the remaining leaves till all of the filling is gone.
As you roll the leaves, you may find some leaves that are damaged or
have large holes. Place those
damaged leaves into the bottom of your saute pan to line it and create a
bed for the stuffed leaves.

19. 19

20. Amal Moustafa
Amal Moustafa was born and
raised in Alexandria Egypt. She
learned how to cook very well from
her mother when she was just 8
years old. She began to fall in love
with cooking even moreover the
years and she is now a very well
accomplished cook known all over
the world.
20

22. THE FLAVORS OF EGYPT
www.mahshymasr.com