Monday, March 12, 2007

Egyptian Food part 2!

I am so lazy about cooking... I put it off until i am starving and then I can't be bothered making anything that takes more than ten mins... so , to try and encourage me to eat more healthily, I asked my cleaner Romaya (who I know is a good cook!) to make me some food when she was here. On Thursday she made me a huge pot of lentil soup- which I lived off right up to sunday night... lovely. Todays food dish was to be a surprise though... not through intention but becuase my arabic couldn't keep up! I knew it was chicken........ I didn't expect Melokhya! (also spelt Molokhia)

For those of you not in the know- Melokhya is meat (usually rabbit- this time chicken) cooked in a slimy green soup (made from the melokhya - green leafy summer vegetable- a bit like spinach!) seasoned with lots of garlic and coriander, which you serve with rice.


When I went online to check my spelling of this dish I found it is also common in Sudan too, and seemingly the make a health drink out of the stuff in Japan!


So what do I think? well- I have had this dish in restaurants before and I prefer Romaya's receipe- but I am a bit nervous about having to eat the whole pot of it!!! A small plate is nice, unusual........ but the slimy element of it kinda gets to me.....although I know it is seemingly very high in iron therefore very good for you....... I do know people who swear by it.... maybe I can invite them round for tea over next day or 2!!!!

So what started as laziness- ie not cooking myself... is developing into a culinary cultural experience! wonder what she is planning to do with the lamb she is cooking for me on Thursday- watch this blog to find out!!!

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