Nubian Arjeeh with Pigeon: A Modern Twist on an Egyptian Classic

Nubian Arjeeh with Pigeon
by Chef Mohamed Ahmed

Tender sous vide pigeon glazed in fermented garlic honey and crusted in spicy Egyptian dokka served over traditional 7-grain Nubian arjeeh with caramelized onion foam.


Scroll down for the recipe and to see how it's made.

Arjeeh

Ingredients:
20g fava beans
20g chickpeas
30g wheat
30g dried green peas
30g broom corn
30g corn
30g black-eyed peas

Method:
Soak all the grains separately for two hours and then boil separately until tender as each of the grains has its own cooking time.

Egyptian dokka

Ingredients:
5g cumin
10g coriander seeds
5g mustard seeds
5g sea salt
10g peanuts
15g white sesame

Method:
- Chop the peanuts into pieces as small as the seeds.
- Roast all the ingredients and combine.

Smoked Red Pepper

Ingredients:
3 pieces red bell pepper
300g natural charcoal

Method:
- ‏Put the red pepper in the oven at a temperature of no less than 200°C.
- After the skin has cooked, remove the peppers from the oven and wait for them to cool.
- Peel the skin and remove the seeds.
- Put the peppers on an oven-safe tray with the smoking charcoal.
- Add some oil to the charcoal to increase the smoke, then make an aluminium foil tent to keep the smoke inside.
- Leave for 20–30 minutes.

Caramelized Onion Foam with Pampas Grass

Ingredients:
500g onion
1 tbsp sunflower oil
50g sugar
100g pampas grass
200g water

Method:
- Julienne the onions and add to a hot pan with oil and sugar.
- Stir until the onions caramelize.
- Boil the pampas grass in water and strain.
- Add the pampas grass to the caramelized onion and let them cook until the onion is overcooked. Blend.
- Place the mix inside a whipping cream siphon if available. If not, use the blended mix as is.

Fermented Garlic Honey

Ingredients:

50g garlic
300g fresh honey

Method:
- Chop the garlic and mix with the honey.
- Place the mixture in a clean jar and leave at room temperature (approx. 20°C) from 3 to 10 days.

Note: The honey must be fresh in order to ferment. Sterilized honey does not contain the beneficial bacteria necessary for fermentation.

Pigeon Stock

Ingredients:
500g pigeon bones
50g onion
50g celery
50g carrot
10g herbs
50g pampas grass

Method:
- Place the pigeon bones in the oven on high heat until the caramelized.
- Roast the vegetables
- Transfer to bones and vegetables to a pot with ice to allow the collagen and flavour to leach out of the bones and into stock.
- Allow to simmer for 40 minutes and strain carefully to get a clear brown stock.

Sous Vide Pigeon

Ingredients :
Pigeon legs & breasts on the bone
200g butter
100g rosemary & thyme
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
- Roll the pigeon pieces in cling film after cleaning the bones.
- Enclose in vacuum bags with butter and herbs.
- Cook the legs sous vide for 10 minutes and the breasts for 30 minutes at 55° C.
- Unwrap the cling film and basting the pigeon pieces in a hot pan with butter and herbs.
- Glaze the legs with fermented honey garlic and dredge in the Egyptian dokka mix to form a spicy crust.

To serve:
- Spoon the arjeeh into a ring mould on a plate.
- Arrange the pigeon pieces around the arjeeh and top with the caramelized onion foam.
- Cover with a dome and infuse with red pepper smoke.