Fried. Panne. Crispy. Breaded...and it's all about chicken.

I know fried chicken, we all know fried chicken. The world knows fried chicken. KFC has probably been the greatest monopoly of spreading this love of greasy, crispy, well seasoned piece of bird.
In Egypt, chicken is probably the most popular meat item and frying it, panne style, seems to be the favorite preparation style.
Panne in Egypt is a combination of filleting breast meat into thin, flat pieces, marinating them for a MINIMUM (this was a specified point of the recipe by my mother-in-law) of 2 hours and finally, breading the pieces with highly seasoned flour, egg and finely ground breadcrumbs. Egyptians serve this with white rice and cucumber salad, or with pasta, or most commonly in a sandwich with mayonnaise, tomatoe and lettuce on a long roll.

The marinade consists of onion, grated using a basic box grater, tomatoes, grated, garlic, crushed in a press, a mix of toasted and mortared cumin and coriander, chili powder and a touch of olive oil.
Seems like a lot of work just for a piece of fried chicken meat, but with all cooking in Egypt, there is a lot of love and care when cooking for family, friends, guests, anyone. Egyptian hospitality is heartfelt and generous. And the quality of food, and preparation is considered a rank among families.
With all of this talk about fried chicken, I am now drooling and longing for a piece from my favorite fried chicken spot in Los Angeles, Ca, USA.....Roscoe's Chicken! Yep, a longtiime favorite of Angelenos and now of many in California, this version has been my own inspiration in my kitchen. Here is my recipe that guarantees, crispy, well seasoned and supremely delicious fried chicken! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour for coating, plus 1 cup set aside
• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Take your cut up chicken pieces and skin them if you prefer. Put the 2 cups flour in a large plastic bag (let the amount of chicken you are cooking dictate the amount of flour you use). Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken). Put the chicken in the bag, seal and shake to coat well.
2. Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk, a few at a time. Mix the 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup rice flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch with paprika, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken).  Put the mix into a bag and place the buttermilk dipped chicken in the bag, seal and shake to coat well. Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet or tray, and cover with a clean dish towel or waxed paper. LET SIT UNTIL THE FLOUR IS OF A PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY. THIS IS CRUCIAL!
3. Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot. Put in as many chicken pieces as the skillet can hold. Brown the chicken in HOT oil on both sides. When browned, reduce heat and cover skillet; let cook for 30 minutes (the chicken will be cooked through but not crispy). Remove cover, raise heat again and continue to fry until crispy.
4. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Depending on how much chicken you have, you may have to fry in a few shifts. Keep the finished chicken in a slightly warm oven while preparing the rest.

 

Tamr Hindi (Egyptian Tamarind juice)

"A traditional food plant in Africa, tamarind has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare." - Wikipedia

Before coming to Egypt, I had used Tamarind in sauces and broths, but had never really tried an actual drink. A mistake of purchasing at the restaurant left us with a box of Tamarind concentrate that we desperately tried to make into an aqua fresca, but the results were never as quenching as we had hoped. Thus, the box sat and collected dust, and I am sure is still there, sitting in the office and used as a foot stool!
On that note, Tamr Hindi of Egypt is a delicious, sour, chilled drink made from tamarind and is widely popular in the summer. In the streets of Cairo you will find juice shops, stands, mobile carts and colorful vendors clanging their sagaats (finger cymbals) through the streets selling this drink for 1 LE. 
Tamarind is easy to find in all areas of the city and come in the form of a wadded up ball of tamarind "meat" or in the natural form of the pods.
My first experience with this drink came during Ramadan of last year. My husband and I were riding a microbus through Maadi just as the fast broke on the first day, and within minutes, boys with trays of Tang and Tamr Hindi came to the bus to offer quick relief from the day's hunger pains. Cool, tart and refreshing, this drink became a staple of the summer for me.
With summer here again, I have tried a few recipes at home and have found that this one works best.
RECIPE:
1 14-oz block wet tamarind
1-2 C sugar (I used 1 C and it’s still on the sour side, if you want something a bit sweeter, kick it up to 2 C)
10 cups water
- Cut tamarind into pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups of warm water into the bowl and let the tamarind soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop out one piece of tamarind from the bowl and place in a blender with another cup of water. Pulse for only a couple seconds – just to break up the large chunks and pour into a saucepan. Repeat with the other three pieces of tamarind and pour the water from the bowl into the saucepan.
- Add four more cups of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and stir in the sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take the saucepan from the heat and strain the mixture through a colander/sieve over a cheesecloth into a large bowl or another large saucepan. Once all the liquid has been strained (and has cooled down!), squeeze as much liquid as you can from the cheesecloth. Discard the pulp.
- Once the juice has cooled down, pour it all into a pitcher and refrigerate. Serve over ice.