May 4, 2024

The Mummy

Post Indiana Jones, 1999’s The Mummy might be one of the best adventure films made. If you feel compelled at any time to watch the sequel tho (or the crap retry with Tom Cruise), think again. But this one is aces.

Set in 1920’s Egypt, The Mummy tells the tale of an epic quest by a bunch of white folks to claim ancient Egyptian treasure. Deservedly, them greedy bastards come across a cursed mummy monster dude– who, coincidentally, you’re kinda rooting for throughout the entire film. Badass sorcery skills? Check. Able to withstand torture of the worst kind? Check. Long-term committment to his lady love? One thousand times check. Sure he sucks away people’s life juices but meh.

On the other hand, you’re also rooting for the actual protagonists– Brendan Fraser in his prime as studly Rick and Rachel Weisz as nerdy librarian Evie might be cliche, but they’re perfectly executed. And then you have the side-kicks, of which John Hannah as Jonathan is clearly the star, and Oded Fehr as Ardith a close runner-up. It’s a movie that follows tropes, but does so in a complex enough way that will ensure it holds up for a good long while (and hell, it’s been 25 yrs already!).

Thus, an Egyptian menu for The Mummy– and I’ve been told by my best friend (who is Egyptian) that the Koshari recipe at the very least is legit. Eat up, and remember– death is only the beginning (oooOOOooOoooOOo insert spooky mummy emoji here).

The Movie

The Menu

Blood and Sand

"My whole damn garrison believed in this city so much, that - without orders - they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt just to 'find' that city. And when we got there...all we found was sand, and blood."

And Evie's case, scotch.

Ingredients

3/4 ounce scotch (choose one that isn't too peated)
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce Heering cherry liqueur
3/4 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
Garnish: orange peel

Instructions

Add the scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.

Garnish with an orange peel.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Egyptian Style Pickles

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Bone marrow is SOOOO EASY-- and way simpler to eat than assimilating the life organs of anyone dumb enough to wake you up from a long nap. Served over some za'atar baked pita bread with Egyptian style pickles and parsley and you've got yourself a hell of an appetizer.

Ingredients

3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 small bay leaf
3 small Persian cucumbers (about 6oz with ends trimmed)
1 green onion, white and pale green parts chopped
1 clove garlic
sprig dill
beef or veal marrow bones (if you can't find canoe cut as pictured here, you can usually find the short ones-- they just won't take as long to roast)
salt and pepper for seasoning
whole wheat pita bread
za'atar seasoning
olive oil
parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Start with the pickles-- since, even though these are quick ones, they'll still take a bit to fully brine.

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, water, salt, sugar, mustard powder, coriander powder, peppercorn and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and lower heat, simmering for about 10 minutes until all of the salt and sugar has been dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool before pouring over cucumbers, green onions, pepper flakes, garlic and dill (packed tightly into a jar). Seal and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (but 5 is better).

Once your pickles are ready, preheat your oven to 450. Place the bones onto a parchment lined baking sheet with the marrow side facing up. Lightly season with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes.

Line another cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut your pita into quarters and brush lightly with olive oil, following by a healthy sprinkling of za'atar seasoning. Bake in the same oven as the marrow for 5-10 mins until just crisped.

Once the marrow is tender and bubbling slighly, remove from the oven. Serve immediately with pita, cucumbers, and chopped parsley.

Melty and with salt and acid-- just like those poor suckers who set off the booby traps in Hamunaptra. ... I know, I know I'm reaching here, just go there with me.

Koshari

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

So, even though Koshari is the national dish of Egypt, it actually didn't originate there-- the British colonists brought culinary ingredients and techniques from India and Italy with them, and thus was born this (a little bit bizarre) mix of spicy tomato sauce covered carbs.

But hey, The Mummy takes place during Egyptian colonization, so even if its not an ancient recipe, still a pretty legit match for the film.

Ingredients

Crispy Onion Topping

1/2 large onion, sliced thin-ish (about a third of an inch thick)
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil

Tomato Sauce

1/4 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
14oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tbsp cooking oil (reused from crispy onions)

Koshari Base

1/3 cup brown lentils
1/3 cup basmati rice
1/2 tbsp oil (reused from crispy onions)
1/4 tsp coriander
3/4 cup small macaroni pasta
3/4 cup chickpeas
2 cup + 1 1/4 cup water for lentils/rice

Instructions

Start with the cripsy onions. Sprinkle your slices with salt, then toss in flour to coat fully. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high, and add flour dredged onion slices.

Stir often, until you start to see the slices brown-- just note, you want these crispy, not burned! All in this should take about 15 minutes, after which you can drain on paper towels and set aside (reserving oil for the below).

On to the tomato sauce. Add grated onion to a saucepan with reserved onion oil and cook on medium low heat until translucent. Add the garlic, coriander, and pepper flakes, stirring for another minute or so. Add tomato sauce and vinegar and bring to a simmer-- cook until thickened slightly (about 15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now for the carbs.

Bring 2 cups of water and lentils to a boil-- reduce heat and cook until the lentils are just tender, but not fully cooked (about 15 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Next, rince rice in water and drain. Add to a pot with the lentils, 1 1/4 cup water, cooking oil, coriander. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat until both rice and lentils are cooked through (another 15 minutes or so). Remove from heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the pasta according to package instructions (ie boil in water with a little salt until al dente). Drain and set aside.

To serve, transfer your rice/lentil mix to a plate and top with macaroni pasta. Add tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally the crispy onions for garnish.

Mesh Om Ali (Phyllo Milk Pie)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

An Egyptian dessert recipe that conveniently looks like the Mummy's wrappings. Crumbly, but still filled with something... juicy.

Ingredients

1/2 package phyllo pastry (7 sheets)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/8 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400. Brush an 8inch pie dish with melted butter. Then, fold individual sheets of phyllo, fan-like, before twisting them into a spiral and setting them as rolls loosely inside of your pie dish-- perfection is not the goal here, they are mummy wrappings after all.

Brush your phyllo spirals generally with butter until fully coated. Bake for 17-18 minutes. While you wait, whisk cream, cinnamon, and condensed milk. When phyllow is just starting to get golden brown, take it out of the oven and poor your dairy mixture over it-- it will sizzle delightfully and smell even better.