ISO Egyptian Foods for Takeout

[lipoff]

I understand that Samira's in Belmont has Ful Medammes, but am wondering if any of the markets in Watertown, Norwood or elsehwere have other prepared Egyptian foods that would be appropriate to bring to a party.

I also heard that kushari, often called Egyptian national dish, has been spotted at the Bolton House of Pizza (?!?!), but a decade ago. I assume that pizza spot is or at least was under Egyptian ownership. Anyone have an update? =)

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Bolton House of Pizza
626 Main St Ste 7, Bolton, MA 01740

[opinionatedchef]

hi sam, i just posted looking for lupini beans in boston, and come to find out, they are also eaten in Egypt at certain holidays, so i thought you might be interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_El_...

did you try the Mulukhiyah yet?

[opinionatedchef]

sam, azama is owned by a very proud egyptian, and they have a number of 'salads' in their case, available as sides. my fav is the moos'kahAH (that's how it's pronounced, not spelled). I was also really impressed by their foul, which i had as a roll-up. If you go and if Ulysses is working the kitchen , plse say hi from me. He is a very interesting person.

Foul Rollup $4.49

Cooked fava beans, pomegranate(in season), chopped onions, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, with Azama

Seasoning and spices Served with Azama Salad, pickles

and tahini sauce

http://azamagrill.com/Menu.html

p.s. what is samira's?

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Azama Grill
54 Harvard Ave, Boston, MA 02134

[lipoff]

Oh, it's a little place in Belmont that sells Egyptian and Lebanese (mostly Lebanese) food and also sells it's own packaged dips and such wholesale for other Middle Eastern markets.

http://samirashomemade.com/

[katzzz]

I'm curious why you don't just go to Samira's? It's only minutes away from the Watertown stores. I keep driving by it but still haven't stopped in (it only just recently opened).

[opinionatedchef]

kat, their website only shows spreads fyi.

[katzzz]

In addition to spreads, the website shows ful medammes....as well as stuffed grape leaves, tabouli and pita bread....

[StriperGuy]

I don't think it is open yet.

[katzzz]

It was open when I drove by last week.

[StriperGuy]

Hmmmm. Will have to check into it...

[Madrid]

web site says under "where to buy"
Samira's Homemade. Authentic Egyptian & Lebanese Foods. Now Open. 10AM-6PM, Monday-Saturday. Take out, Wholesale
203 Belmont St. Belmont, MA 02478
Cell [phone]- B. [phone]

[galangatron]

they're definitely open but the selection is sparse

[lipoff]

Yes, I am planning to go there, it just seemed that the ful medammes and perhaps the stuffed grape leaves were the only specifically Egyptian foods on offer, and wanted to know if other items might be available elsewhere. I was not aware that Garlic 'n Lemons, one of my favorite restaurants, offers mulukhiyah on Thursdays, for instance!

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Garlic 'n Lemons
133 Harvard Ave, Boston, MA 02134

[trufflehound]

Wonder if Samira's is the same that was in West Roxbury.
The Egyptian national dish is Moulokhia, which Garlic n Lemons has every Thursday. It has many components and isn't great party food. If you can get T'amia, it's felafel made with Fava and Chick Peas. Azama may have them or be willing to make them.
Majadara and fatoush would be a great combo with bread. Can be hot or warm to room temp.

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Fava Restaurant
1027 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 02492

[opinionatedchef]

do you mean Chicken Moulokhia?like this one?>

http://gluttonyandgourmet.blogspot.co...

[trufflehound]

I mean Moulokhia with poached chicken,lamb, vinegared onions, rice,toasted bread like my Teta and my mother made and I continue to make. Each component served separate and the diner decides how to eat it and when to add what. I start as a soup, add meat, rice etc. Like turkey, one serving is never enough. It has been rumored to be a close cousin to cannibis. Munchies anyone?
Lerg, you are correct.

[opinionatedchef]

man, this is great to learn about. how come no CHs have reported this Thurs delight before? seems awfully unique. I sure know where i'm goin' this Thurs.

[trufflehound]

This is from their FB post
Garlic Lemon
Today's Special - Mlukieh- jute leaves & cilantro cooked with chicken over rice topped with onions, vinegar & pita chips $7.99 YUM!!!!!
LikeUnlike · · Share · November 10 at 3:16pm

[opinionatedchef]

turns out that the name of the dish is also the name for jute leaves.

Per wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulukhiyah

fyi, scroll down for a photo that resembles the dish we had from G 'n L(but imagine the thick green sauce filled with shredded chicken and served over a rice and vermicelli pilaf):

http://nowatanabe.wordpress.com/2010/...

For me, the Mulukhiya at G 'n L would have been delicious if not for one major flaw. The onion component- the onions should have been roasted or sauteed, but instead , they were grated raw or cuisinart-chopped and added raw. That awful acrid raw flavor from cuisinarted onions. I don't know if the chef was away during prep or if this is how they make it, but if the latter, I've a hunch that your Teta or mom would not have been impressed w/ this version. The acrid thing diminished a little as i simmered it awhile, but i couldn't cook it much, for fear of ruining the shredded chicken component. As for the toppings, we used the white vinegar from the raw minced onions in vinegar (but not the raw onions because we already had enough of those) and that made for a great piquancy. The deep fried saaj bread (tasted like fried wontons but were much thinner) was a neat counterpoint as a crushed topping.

I hope i get the chance to eat another version of this dish sometime; thnx all for telling us about it.

[lipoff]

I'm hoping to get there this Thursday to try the Mlukieh at Garlic 'n Lemons. I saw "Jute Leaves" at the Sure Pinoy Food Mart in Quincy. I wonder if they are from the same plant?

Finally, Russo's has Samira's Ful Medammes and Zesty Ful Medammes in their refrigerated case.

[opinionatedchef]

well sam, i will be interested to hear how yours is re the raw onion taste.

maybe you didn't see my response re jute on your pinoy thread. i think jute is jute. funny though, did you look at the wiki entry? it didn't mention the phillipines or anywhere near there for jute in their cuisine. maybe they carry it for other ethnic groups?

[galangatron]

jute leaves are also eaten in the philippines. mostly ilocano dishes like dinengdeng (jute leaves and vegetables in fish sauce), saluyot at labong (boiled jute leaves and bamboo shoots topped with grilled fish), and ginataang labong at saluyot (jute leaves and bamboo shoots in coconut milk)

[opinionatedchef]

galanga, how do you describe the flavor? is it somewhat like sorrel- lemony/tangy?
do you think frozen is HUGELY diff from fresh? if so, is that mostly because of texture, or flavor also? thnx for the education.

(p.s. is jute rope made from the stems?big industry in the Philippines?)

[lergnom]

I think you mean Samia's. She is Lebanese & now retired.