This is an Egyptian specialty sandwich, and even before I opened it, I could spell the aroma of spices wafting from the take out container. I got four half pita breads stuffed with minced beef cooked with finely diced onion, yellow sweet pepper, and slices of spicy green serrano peppers. The meat was flavored with a spice mix that almost certainly contained cinnamon (not an uncommon spice for savory food in North Africa) and probably coriander, garlic, and maybe even some mint. It came with tahini (sesame) sauce, tzatziki sauce (yogurt and cucumber), as well as optional hot sauce that definitely tasted home made. Even when I was full, the wonderful spiced ground beef kept calling out to me. The four sandwiches were placed on a bed of lackluster french fries; however, even if they'd been the best fries on the planet, they still would have been unnecessary! For flavor and aroma, I'm pretty sure that these were the best ground beef patties I've ever put into my mouth. Is it time for me to open an Egyptian burger joint?
Location: Super Shawarma, 69185 Ramon Road #D3, Cathedral City, California. Date: January 2, 2021.
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This was marinated and grilled beef liver served in tender strips on Arabic bread with tomato, cucumber, onion, lettuce, pickles, and tahini (sesame seed) sauce. There was a little spice and a hot (spicy) grilled green pepper on the side, along with some very decent potato fries. The tahini sauce consisted of sesame seed paste with some water to thin it down and lemon juice. It was probably seasoned with salt. This sandwich had a very Middle Eastern flavor; I'm thinking maybe a little cumin was in there. I like liver, and this Egyptian sandwich did not disappoint.
Location: Super Shawarma Mediterranean Grill, 69185 Ramon Road #3, Cathedral City, California. Date: December 13, 2019. This Egyptian restaurant is hidden away in the corner of a strip mall, and it turned out to be quite a find. I ordered the fava beans with pita bread, hummus sauce, baba ghanoush, house salad, lentil soup, mixed pickles, and grilled pepper. This was a vegan meal. The lentil soup was creamy and I could taste cumin. The hummus sauce was thin hummus with some delicious spice. The salad was cucumber, tomato, and red onion, and it didn't seem to be dressed. The pickles were giardiniera style with cauliflower, carrot, cucumber, and some spicy yellow peppers. The eggplant dip was tart and quite smoky. The beans themselves came separately in a bowl, and they were flavored with lemon juice, oil, and four different spices, though I wasn't told what they were. Some of the beans had been mashed, and they served as a sauce for the beans that had been left whole. The grilled pepper was peppery but not spicy. This meal was very inexpensive, but it was delectable and nutritious.
Location: Super Shawarma, 69185 Ramon Road #D3, Cathedral City, California. Date: September 13, 2019. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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