Dinner in the African Sahara

Steve and I decided to create a dinner from the African Sahara. It was interesting to research the foods and regions. We decided to draw mostly from Egypt and Algeria.

Our dinner consisted of (starting from top left, clockwise) greek yogurt, koshary (a dish made with lentils, macaroni, and rice with a spicy tomato sauce), pine nut couscous, and African-style peanut chicken.

We also had finger foods consisting of peanuts (in the Sahara it's common to find them boiled), dried fruits, and pumpkin seeds. I doubt pumpkin seeds are native to the Sahara, but I'm too cheap to buy pistachios. =)

This last dish is called Salep or Sahlab, and can be made as either a warm drink or a pudding, popular in Egypt. Its consistency depends on how much thickener (cornstarch or rice flour) you use. Drinking it cold reminds me of eggnog. It's made primarily of milk, cornstarch, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon.

I'm thinking we're going to have a Thai night soon. Yum!