Al Fayoum: one of Egypt’s oldest cities and home to a large fertile basin in the middle of the desert. Often (erroneously) referred to as an oasis, the area is a charming amalgamation of lush farmlands, powder perfect dunes, glasslike saltwater lakes, and awe-inspiring archaeological sites. Our view on the drive over was littered with…
Vegan Istanbul Guide 2019
Ah, Istanbul. Dünyadaki en sevdiğim şehir. I’ve written time and time again about my love for this incomparable city, so I shan’t bore you again with mindless musings about Istanbul here. Before we dive into this year’s vegan travel guide, a few notes: I was in Istanbul for all of 72 hours ahead of a…
Eggplant and Lentil Bake
Can you believe it’s already Eid Al Adha? It seems like just yesterday we were bidding Ramadan farewell and celebrating Eid Al Fitr! For those of you who aren’t familiar, Eid Al Adha (which translates roughly to “festival of sacrifice”) is the second of two major Islamic holidays celebrated amongst Muslim communities worldwide. Needless to…
An Ode to Cairo
The thick fumes of gasoline swirled with the smell of deep-fried food. A wild, boisterous and seemingly endless racket comprised of beeping cars and zooming scooters, the shrill voices of scolding mothers, lofty claims from overzealous salesmen and the sweet sounds of Um Kulthoum and Abdulwahab singing love songs from yesteryear. Never before have I…
How-to: Brew your own Kombucha
My name is Nada, and I’m a Kombucha-holic. I kid, of course – but in all seriousness, kombucha is probably one of my favourite beverages of all time. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sweet tea and a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (also fondly referred…
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
For as long as I can remember, I have preferred savoury flavours to their sweet counterparts. As a child, there’s nothing I enjoyed more than the delightful crunch of a ready salted walkers potato chip. I wolfed down several helpings of home-cooked Egyptian food at lunch and shared my father’s addiction for salted…
Restaurant review: Hakkasan Abu Dhabi
It’s no secret that Asian cuisine is one of my all-time favourites. Having visited the likes of Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Bali over the last five years, my tastebuds have definitely developed a leaning towards oriental flavours which I often try to replicate in my own kitchen. One country I’ve yet to visit (and on…
Vegan Kousa Bechamel
Egyptians have a fine talent of elevating seemingly ho-hum vegetables by incorporating them into truly decadent (and by extension, not-so-healthy) dishes. Case in point, the infamous Kousa Bechamel. First of all, if you’re wondering what on earth Kousa is, it is a member of the squash family native to the Middle Eastern region. Many recipes…