Saturday, December 29, 2007

Jejak al-Misr 4: : Food.

Baked fish fillet
tokasid Nokia
( on board cruise ship)


Before I continue about Luxor, am gonna sidestep a bit today. But,not to worry.Its still about Egypt but not about the sightseeing part.Not about the tombs or ancient temples or about the Pharoah's loo.

Its about food. The kind of food that we had while in Egypt. I can't remember when or where I've eaten so much and so frequent except in Egypt. Every few hours interval there's meal for us.
By the time we came back, I can feel my waist getting bigger and my face became, as my friend said: Kembang!

Egyptian food: some,like me and Hafiz we love it so much that we didn't complaint. Some became fed-up after a few days and it goes like this: " Ayoo...every meal we have bread,bread and bread!".
Or like my mem: " I don't want to see anymore chickpea.Ever!"(and I would say to her: Chickpea soup la paling sedap sayang!")


Pitta and bread
tokasid Nokia
(Luxor)


We had rice over there. But the main staple is bread. Any kind of bread as long as they are bread.And pitta bread.
When it comes to rice, its a bit sticky like the beras siam.

Then they served you with lots of vege in the form of salads. There's cucumber( so sedap and no bitterness like some of our cucumbers). Any red juicy tomatoes that you would want to stop picking up and chew it slowly to savour the sweetish sour taste. And they have smoked brinjal which is acceptable to me(otherwise I'll only take brinjal pajeri).

They steamed carrots and potatoes and broccolis.
And the chickpea soups. So ever delicious that I'm drooling while writing this.


Dessert in the desert
tokasid
Nokia

(Luxor)

On several occasions we had meatrolls that they barbecued . And somewhere in Giza we had barbequed pigeons! Thats really the best menu for me. The pigeon was tender and juicy.It was sweet.

The desserts were mostly sweet , so I rarely touch them except for the ice-cream cake and the fruits.

Fishes were smoked( on the ship and in Alexandria).

I know some of you are drooling at the moment. You would want a piece of tissue paper or your bath towel to wipe off your saliva.

Overall, the food on board the cruise ship was fantastic. It was tasty and the service was fast.The waiters were very helpful and friendly.

One negative remark though: We were told when we first arrived,by Muhammad, that for every meal we will be given 1 bottle of mineral water for 4 pax. 2 pax per small bottle. if you need more drinking water, then you'll have to pay extra. And the big bottle will coast you 4 EP.


Enjoy the food okay! Hmmm....I mean the photos of the food.

Kerp, your request dah fulfilled kan?


Papa,mama and 3 children
tokasid Nokia
(Luxor)




Jelly cream...sooo sweet
tokasid Nokia
(Luxor)



Steamed vege
tokasid Nokia
(Luxor)



...and a squeeze of lemon here!
tokasid Nokia
(on board cruise ship)



Help yourself
tokasid Nokia
(on board Nile cruise)



Healthy salads
Hafiz N73
(Kabab restaurant Luxor)




Simply delicious
hafiz
N73
(on board Nile cruise)



Kandungan posting mungkin ada kena mengena atau tidak dengan makhluk yang hidup atau yang telah tiada.Kalau sapa-sapa terasa nak buat macamana kan. Sapa makan cabai melaka dia pedaih laa

34 comments:

cakapaje said...

Salam Doc,

Oooh! The food really look delicious! Meleleq air liuq tengok :)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

nice one doc!

this is what i'm talking about. when you travel to a certain country, tasting its local delicacy is part of learning their culture. sure you can get the fast food joints there as safety nets but the point i'm trying to make is, you've spent your hard-earn and travel half the globe to experience new culture, better make the most of it.

you did not disappoint me. that barbecue pigeons is a case in point. thats exotic enough. a bizarre food material. sure our tastebud may find some of the food alien, but what matters is, you've experienced it.

*tapi sayur2 ni aku kurang sikit..hehehhehe...

thanks doc. great post.

tokasid said...

Shah:

memang delicious pun.
Apart from the sweet dessert, yang lain semua aku tibai.
Cuma frust they didn't serve lambs. I wonder why.
I was expecting sme lambs with briyani or Bukhori rice.

tokasid said...

Kerp:

You got it right. I like to taste the food from the places that you go coz food is actually a big part of their culture.

The pigeons was a suprised to us. Our guide took us to some suburban area near Giza for this. I took us about an hour to reach from Giza. That joint was very cozy. Its an open air restaurant in a village. As we enter its compound yu see village style decorations and many photos and memorabilia of the last monarchy( ?King Farouk). And they had a lion cub to greet us and the cub's handler will go like this: "Photo? 10 pound".

I really enjoyed the foods over there. Weeven had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in the Giza area with its noodle the size of our laksa!

The vege are actually good when you take it raw or semi-cooked.

Mat Salo said...

Oi ini travelogue ke 'jalan-jalan cari makan', Pak? I dunno Pak, when I was in Sudan understand the food is quite similar. Tidak cocok ama perut sy Pak. Agak susah semprot, keras. Apa tidak nya, ari-ari roti pitta ya Pak?

Anyway, looking forward to more of Luxor!

Nile cruise ni nampak mya mantep Pak. Hai, bila nak pergi nih...

Unknown said...

What, no tosai, roti jala, roti mengali?

I was looking forward for a photo of nice nasi briyani and whole lamb roasted dripping oil into the fire.

Dulu I makan jugak pigeon ni, tapi lani only chicken, beef, mutton and a handful of fish. Veges? Very selective.

tokasid said...

MS:

I dunno,I somehow like Middle Eastern food and the trip gave me the opportunity.Maybe if I have the same type for 3 weeks,I might throw up.

On board the ship, we have western cuisine too.There was a german group with us on the ship.

tokasid said...

Che'gu:

maybe if they have Malaysian chef on board we might heve roti jala or nasi lemak or roti canai.

I too was hoping for the briyani with lamb barbeque or mendi lamb for that matter. But unfortunately they didn't serve us that. I did ask Muhammad,our guide where can I get Mendi lamb. He said if we have time he can take me for some Mendi. But,our schedule was tight. But he did take us to that pigeon place which I sort of ganti my Mendi.

So it seems that I will have to go to Bukit Bintang for Mendi lamb.

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Tokasid
I was salivating all over my laptop when I saw the pictures!!! Memang food dia sedap especially the salads and the nuts like the chickpeas. Pita and hummus are good combination.
What I missed most now that I'm back is what they called tamia (fried minced chickpeas mixed with lots and lots of herbs).
I've got the recipe tapi belum ada masa nak membuatnya! Yums!

tokasid said...

Fauziah:

Yu are right,I do miss the food.We had tamia to. And thare was a dish by the name of Mousokka( I don't know if the spelling is right).

Need to go to Bukit Bintang......

( Mrs TA and bibik had taken the Middle East cook book out few days ago, and they are watching AFC at 703 more frequently.The other day Chef Wan was showing hpw to prepare Turkish meals)

Unknown said...

Doc,
Hmmm. Nice food. You sure ate a lot on this travel. But hey, this is the time anyway. Balik nanti balas dendam masakan tempatan pulak. Hahaha. Add some more inches on your waist(",).
Visiting people's place without tasting the food, that is a defect.
Have a nice day.

Mior Azhar said...

Tok Doc:
Looks delicious but I don't I can't survive on bread for more than five days. But my wife is salivating over the salads. Biar betul.
My aunt went over to Mesir a couple of years ago and she too raved about the chickpea soup. Sedap le tu ye.. dah lebih dari sorang kata begitu..

tokasid said...

Akmal:

Memang banyak makan kat sana. Masaalahnya , sejak balik sini asyik nak makan saja. Tak banyak sekali mengadap tapi selang 3 jam rasa lapar nak makan.Perut pun semakin boroi.

You got it right, kalau pergi tempat orang tak makan makanan tempatan seperti tak lengkap kembara itu.

tokasid said...

Pak Mior:

Memang delicious pun.
Main staple di sana roti, tapi bila lunch and dinner ada di berikan nasi pada kami. nasi mereka macam nasi beras siam, lebih kanji dan wangi sikit.
Cuma,rotu ni macam wajib. meja makan dah siap ada roti serta butter, sementara menunggu makanan di hidangkan pada kita. Ramai juga yg merungut: Balik balik roti,balik balik roti.
Tapi nasi memang ada. So, apa nak komplen nya? kalau tak mahu roti jgn lah makan roti tu, tunggu la nasi.

Chickpea soup memang lazat. kat sini susah nak cari, kena cari kedai2 makan yg keturunan Arab lah. kat sini kita panggil kacang pool or kacang bool. Dulu sebelum gi Mesir ada kawan ajak makan kacang pool ni tapi tak minat. Bila dah try di Mesir, rasa gian pulak.

Yes, the salads over there,MasyaALLAH. The cucumber kat sana ranggup ,juicy dan sedap,tak pahit langsung.jadi,pagi tadi kami sekeluarga pergi ke Tesco dan beli segala salad,tomato ,baby carrot dan macam2. tadi malam makan nasi dengan salad plus One -Thousand Islan and Tilapia goreng berlada(yg ni resepi malaysia laa..)

Anonymous said...

Oh my god! Sedapnya... (sliver drooling...)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yes doc, the pigeon was a surprise to me as well. i thought in desert countries their specialty has always been the kibas, the camels, dhabs and spices. but this is what we actually look for in our travels...the unexpected!

tokasid said...

Sis Elviza:

One day, you should go to Aswan and Luxor. Free your mind there and relax. maybe when luke is 10-11 years old he'll enjoy it very much.
(but maybe by that time Luke dah dapat adi kot....wink-wink)

tokasid said...

Bro kerp:

The pigeon was a suprised to all. We were not told that they will serve pigeons.

After taking our buffet, the waiters came carrying the pigeons in big trays with smoke and steam. The aroma was just sweet and spicy.

Then they brought a mini stove with charcoals still burning. They have meatrolls and chicken BBQ for us. I didn't touch any chicken that night.Bo layan.

Just imagine is they have roasted lamb?

ZABS said...

Salam Doc.,
The food simply look delicious and I don't have problem with the dessert either. That is one of the problem solved already. TQ. A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you and Family. Salam.

tokasid said...

Pak Zabs:
Selamat tahun 2008 yang bakal membawa kejayaan,InsyaALLAH.

Dari segi makanan dah selesai. Dari segi cuaca pun saya rasa Pak zabs tiada masaalah. Sekarang tinggal masaalah nak cari masa utk bercuti panjang sahaja.

Pak Zawi said...

Doc,
Thanks for the vivid description of the food there. My wife said she is OK with the food so it is OK with me cos she is the one who are selective about food. I can live on bread and salad alone.
Heard about the grilled pigeons. They are delicious. Do I need to bring any Chilli sauce Maggi to go with it?

de_kerinchi said...

salam saudara dr. tokasid,

Penuh betul makanan ..Lazat sungguh...huuuuu mahu kenyang tu...

apapun selamat menyambut tahun baru 2008, semoga terus diberkati Allah s.w.t. dan dilimpahi rezeki yang melimpah ruah....

Daphne Ling said...

Hi Doc,

I am taking a leave from blogging, and have not had the chance to actually read this post of yours...Will read it later...Just here to wish you and family a wonderful new year! Happy 2008!

tokasid said...

Pak Zawi:

I guess if we are not to choosy about food its gonna be okay.
My take on travel, eat whatever there is as long as it is halal. We must remember, we are travelling and we can't always get what we want esp choice of food.If we have a choice then thats fine or if yu are willing to pay extra for your choice of meal,then go ahead.

I remember when we were on our way to Alexandria. Our local guide Muhammad told us we will have lunch at a restaurant in Alexandria with a beachview. He asked us who wants chicken and who wants seafood. He said the seafood will be the fishes from Mediteranean. But I think some of our group members had misunderstood Muhammad about the seafood thing.I think the Malaysians thought it will include prwans,squids,lobster etc etc. What Muhammad meant by seafood is fish and fish alone.

When lunch was served, I can see many mouth gaping,for it was rice with some steam vege and a fried fish on the plate!! Some started to grumble bcoz it was only fish and no prawns and others.
I can't get it. The guide did asked us on the bus way before we reached Alexandria.And some started with: Everyday bread,bread and bread. Now this fish! I thought we can eat prawns and what not.They should give us something better.

( now,now....for less than 5K we get a 9 days fantastic experiences and a day before we catch a flight home, ppl grumble about 1 meal that doesn't suit their tastebud!Inside,I felt like telling them,they should take the most expensive package available and they will be treated like a king!)

Taking along Chilli sauce( I'll recommend Ummi, made in Machang Kelantan)is a good idea boz over here its Heinz or Tabasco and its not even hot by Malaysian taste. Someone did bring acar or sambal tumis.

So pak Zawi...I personally think pak will like the Egyptian trip if you take one.Make sure its the one which covers the whole of Egypt(along Nile) and just Cairo per se.

tokasid said...

Saudara de_kerinchi.

Memang jenuh makan semasa di Misr.

Selamat Tahun Baru pada saudara juga.

tokasid said...

Daphne:

Taking a break? Already going to canada is it?

Happy New Year to you too.

IBU said...

WHoooaaa... sedapnyaaa.... I could almost smell the aroma in the air. Looks like I have to drag Ayah for a quickie .. I mean, the Rawang version of such delicacies. err.. and I only mean tandoori chic & garlic naan la dey, doc. hehehe....

Mom, Dad & 3 little ones?! Hahah.. that brought a smile on me. Playing with your food eh? Tak suka olives ke? pssstt...I did the same thing with my food on board Gulf Air. tee hee hee...

tokasid said...

Ibu:

If you don't mind the traffic crawl,Bukit Bintang offers lots of Mid-Eastern food. There's Fortuna with the best Mandi lamb in KL,there's Tahjin with Moroccan dishes.
Few months ago a friend took me to Jalan Ampang for another Mid-East restaurant.

Olive? I can skip that.But the cucumbers and tomatoes...

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mokk said...

Salam Mamat
Banyak aku miss hang punya posting...bestnya pi Mesir..esp makan...and not to forget belly dancing...

2 hari ini baru dapat on line after my komputer kong and stremyx kat sini pun not very good....

so Tokasid..ikut advice u ..dah beli notebook baru...kat rumah pakai celcom 3g...

Dah ketagihan mamat

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

salam doc, senyap je...apa crit?

tokasid said...

Mamat:

Alhamdulillah selesai masaalah comp hang tu.
Memang la ni agak convinient kalau ada notebook terutama mat gian macam kita ni.

Memang syiok mamat pi Mesir. Badan kena steady tak perlu superfit. Mcm hang no problem walau ada IHD( bukan nak kena panjat piramid sampai 150m tu).This is one of the destination that you must go.

tokasid said...

Kerp:

Bro..thanks for the concern.Pagi tadi Shah ada sms tanya sama.

3-4 hari ni sibuk sikit sebab Hafiz masuk sekolah semula, so mcm biasa cari brg2 last minute and cari buku( dia tak dapat buku pinjaman. That's ironic right? When everyone should get buku pinjaman. But sekolah kata tak dapat borang dia so sekolah assume we don't want buku pinjaman.Jadi kena lah beli..at least puak UMNO tak boleh kata aku tak mengenang budi sebab dari std 1-form 5 ni kami tak pernah ambik buku pinjaman yg mungkin ada org anggap UMNO yg beri. I have had so many innuendos like that before from my UMNO friends(bukan semua laa,ramai yg faham) yg cannot differentiate btwn govt and party).

Today morning a bit busy sebab semalam klinik aku tutup(hantar Hafiz ke Kajang). Maybe tonight I'll write again with photos.

TQ bro.

Anonymous said...

salam to TA,
wah bestnya dapat menjelajah Mesir bersama keluarga...memang teringin sangat nak ke sana suatu hari nanti.
tak terlambat kot nak wish you happy new year
May this year bring us closer to Allah and His blessing.May Allah give us more victories, successes and happiness in many years to come and in the hereafter.