The unusual STUFFED birds, every Egyptian is OBSESSED with

This is one of Egypt's favourite meals thanks to its incredible flavour and super satisfying texture, but it's made with a special yet strange ingredient that you've probably never tried; Pigeon! Hamam Mahshi are rice stuffed pigeons that are filled with a fragrant herby rice mixture, and then fried until the skin goes crispy. They may sound unusual, but trust me, these stuffed pigeons are amazing.
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Serves 3 or 6
6 small pigeons 120-150g each (substitute with any other small game bird, avoid aged hung birds)
Offal and onions:
30g butter
3 pieces of mastic
1 medium onion
150g mixed pigeon offal (substitute with chicken liver)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Rice filling:
350g medium grain rice (calrose)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Stock:
1 tsp butter
3 pieces of mastic
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 cardamom pods
3-4 litres of water

[@internetshaquille]

squab squad

[@brendan3951]

Is this real

[@MiddleEats]

coo crew

[@Liliphant_]

tweet team

[@NafaratMiyaMiya]

I used to go an Egyptian restaurant that specialized in stuffed pigeons and I absolutely loved it, had it every Friday

[@Atemuoh1991]

sounds delicious! what was its name?

[@blktauna]

As a medieval cook, pigeon was widely popular. OMG YOUR BOOK IS READY!!!! I'm on it. Also Ramadan Mubarek!

[@MillhouseSpeaks]

Ramadhān Mubārak

[@MiddleEats]

Ramadan Kareem to you too!

[@littlebighumancom]

I have eaten it many times in the Netherlands, as my aunt married an Egyptian :) I also ate it in Egypt.

[@mehdisoozande8768]

I live in the Netherlands and would love to try this. Would you please send me the address of the restaurant you have had stuffed pigeon in?

[@noufook55]

Also from the NL and eager to know where this place is

[@diojiwoolf4723]

Call it Squab and you can charge an extra $50 for the dish. XD

[@romaindesavis8927]

+1

[@romaindesavis8927]

+1

[@faye76000]

In Macau city, there is a dish thats very similar but quail in lieu pigeon. They also debone the bird without puncturing the skin, then stuffed with a sticky rice filling

[@Amir_Hassan]

What is that dish called!!

[@UdamT_T]

is it named Lotus Leaf Wrapped Quail?

[@faye76000]

@@UdamT_T Maybe you are thinking "Lo Mai Gai" (literal translation is sticky rice chicken) which is a lotus leaf wrapped savory rice dumpling you find at Dim Sum places? That does not have quail typically

[@le2382]

This is my absolute favourite dish, since childhood. Watching this made me super hungry 😋🤤

[@wngimageanddesign9546]

We Chinese love them too. I ate them first as a child at a Chinese banquet. Yum! Roasted, and served with a squeeze of lemon.

[@balduccirichard]

Are they served whole like in this version? If you have the name of the dish, I'd love to look for it.

[@notfadedyet]

Thank you for the recipe. A long time ago I had pigeon soup in an Egyptian restaurant. It was amazingly delicious. I have been searching a long time for an authentic recipe but haven’t found one. I would really appreciate if you could do one please 🥹🙏🏻Thank you and Ramadan Kareem 💐🤲🏻💐

[@christopherjhall]

I’ve had stuffed pigeon in Cairo. Beautiful

[@ashleys637]

I love that you can just gnaw on these like a stuffed chicken wing when they're done. Amazing.

[@plantpun]

I'm so excited to see you have a cookbook, I'm buying a copy after watching this video! I'm also very thankful you are donating a portion of the sales to charity. You and your recipes are inspiring

[@smallspace7]

I liked that you washed them exactly as my mother would do and with vinegar 👍 the best thing about pigeons is rice i love it and whatever left of stuffing is mixed with white rice and served beside ❤ + the stock

[@JustJami74]

Ramadan Mubarek, my friends! Thank you for the amazing recipes.

[@hollish196]

I want to drink that stock! It is beautiful, and I love the tip about covering the broth to ensure it stays clear,

[@mmps18]

So excited you uploaded!

[@Ijustdo.]

Best recipe I seen on this dish, nicely done.

[@mikahist4155]

Thanks for the recipe...always wanted to know how to prepare them. 💛

[@stillakzo]

My egyptian neighbors would give these to us during Ramadan.

[@7Jasmine8]

Can you make a video about choosing high quality olive oils / which ones to use for large quantities/cooking and which ones to use for higher quality/eating (hummus , salads)

[@nicholasneyhart396]

My grandmother made a very similar preparation of pigeon but with mint rice kale and beans. I wish I could source pigeon but they don't sell any near me and there are none to hunt.

[@margaretcopeland1055]

Thank you for being so attentive to good hygiene when you clean poultry or for that matter anything ( veggies too ). I've watched other cooking shows that don't pay much attention to this and I really wonder if the dishes they created made them ill. No thanks! Food poisoning is no joke.

[@agentf672]

It did not. Washing does nothing except mask the smell your bird might have. Cooking is what's important. If you don't cook it well it doesn't matter whether you washed it or not. And if it doesn't smell weird don't bother washing. And if it DOES smell weird, maybe you shouldn't eat it.

[@robiuk666]

Extremely yummy! Beautiful! ❤

[@mariamelmarashly2368]

Delicious 😋😋😋

[@sarahhammad7812]

Where can I find them in London? It's the food I miss the most from Egypt and can't replicate

[@mujtabamohammed7264]

You can get them for free at trafalgar square

[@notactuallymyrealname]

Oh wow, thanks so much for this! I've always been curious about pigeon/squab, and I really appreciated the little tips along the way. Would it be overwhelming to do the final fry in clarified butter, do you think? Ramadan Mubarak!

[@susanc6402]

I've actually eaten this, on a vacation in Cairo :)

[@plasmman]

Love this recipe! Squab is eaten in France and it is basically quail that can fly.

[@louiselanthier5135]

We have Cornish Hens over here!

[@MiddleEats]

They'd be great for this! Young chickens and poussin are probably awesome too.

[@louiselanthier5135]

@@MiddleEats This dish looks very delicious!

[@Maiasatara]

@4:50-4:55 - when you were stuffing the pigeons, it looked like you were spoon-feeding a hairless animal that was shaking its fists at you. I had a good laugh and replayed it too many times! This dish looks great and I’m imagining a glaze with pomegranate molasses. (But I’ve not cooked with mastic so I’m not sure whether those flavors match.)

[@michaeltres]

I absolutely love pigeon. When I serve it, I always call it "squab", since Americans are horrified to think it's the same garbage-bird they see in the streets. Thank you for this great-looking recipe.

[@sevenandthelittlestmew]

I want the one with the broken skin!!! The crispy rice and crispy chicken skin, and (hopefully) some crispy bits of offal - ohhh it just looks so delicious in the video. 🤤

[@mariammoustaf9002]

This man's chanel is amazing

[@robertcollins1583]

👋hi Salma & Obi - where in London did you get the hamam? We will try and make this! Kamilia & Rob x

[@Ali-bu6lo]

I think like Duck, Pigeons also have dark meat so they are more similar to beef and lamb in term of safety and contamination, at least that's what I have heard.

[@Marcos.Poules]

Also The Taste Is Very Similar Like Miniature Duck 😅

[@AlRoderick]

Most birds that work for a living have more dark meat and more developed myoglobin in the breast meat. Chickens and turkeys don't really develop any because they don't fly.

[@Marcos.Poules]

There's My ❤️ Addiction 😋 Pigeons All The Way

[@thethpian]

Called squab in the west if you want to order online.

[@BriarLeaf00]

This looks amazing. I can get fresh quail and fresh cornish hen where I am, thinking the cornish hen would be the way to go.

[@Golden52330]

Y'all enjoy

[@theblackrose3130]

Crazy that pigeons are a fully domesticated animal but in the modern west they're seen by most people as a wild city pest.

[@frezzingaces]

I have never seen mastic before, that's wild. It's resin from a tree???

[@MK67934]

Yes

[@SamClouston-xm2ev]

Go to the Greek Island of Chios and everything's made from mastic - the honey, the alcohol, the chewing gum!

[@jadedfork1]

Is the pigeon deboned first before stuffing?

[@jxff2000]

why did i instantly think of the porg from star wars as soon as i saw the thumbnail 😅

[@break4love23]

I feel like I've heard your voice on Al Jazeera or some documentary. Do you do voice overs?!

[@SamTahbou]

I tried this with little hens, a bit cumbersome to fry, can we do the final step in the oven? Any tips? The frying was a nightmare as they were at least twice the size if the pigeons.

[@MiddleEats]

Good job in trying it. With larger birds I'd suggest frying in a bit more oil, and basting as they fry to improve the colour/frying time. However if you want to avoid frying, the next best option is an air fryer. Failing that, you could coat the skins in oil, and place them under your grill/broiler, then rotate regularly

[@Flydude614]

It’s like dirty rice, I love it

[@deathpyre42]

How do you buy pigeons in the UK anyway? Like what's the supply chain from Egypt to the UK and when are they slaughtered?

[@aguycalledshane]

What does the mastic do?

[@plantpun]

Mastic has a flavor like pine, and it can be used to thicken and emulsify liquids. It helps the rice filling stick together and flavors the dish!

[@Leto_0]

Mastic comes from the word for chewing so I'm guessing it adds body/chewiness

[@NicholasPellegrino]

Looks awesome! I'd love to try it if i ever find pigeon in a store!

[@mintykiwi]

i know this dish from huntcook catch and serve lol

[@TheTravisNewton]

Love the recipes, but I still wish the channel did not describe foods as addictive.

[@mimikrama]

Some people eat the bones? what?

[@smallspace7]

it is soft small and easily crushed 😂

[@wajeh1987able]

ليش تفرجت عليك بنهار رمضان .. وربي جععععععععععت حرام عليك

[@splendidsequiters]

where on earth did you even find halal pigeons in london/uk?

[@Golden52330]

Y'all Enjoy 👍🏽

[@Laura-mi3nv]

Mike Tyson is about to come after you for eating pigeon..... though, I hear its eaten quite often in Kings Landing.

[@MrRedFoxorMrelzorrorojo]

Pigeon.

[@chrismullin2522]

Squab and pigeon are not the same. The difference is age. Squab are young that's why they are smaller. Its like veal and beef, same animal very different age, and deferent cooking technique. Lamb and mutton are another good comparison.

[@jonjohnson2844]

I don't even think you're allowed to eat pigeon's in the UK?

[@decemberclouds]

They've made it on Masterchef UK!

[@littlewolf9049]

To think these are considered a nuisance in some cities because they poop all over everything.

[@455king4help]

People please don't forget about Palestine and support a ceasefire. Sudan is facing a food crisis where 90% of the population is effectively starving.

[@HelenE.Hunter5]

I appreciate the hard work that you put into making it so perfect. I would like to see a cooking video uploaded to Khal. ====================

[@masstwitter4748]

Odd intro - anyone that’s been to Egypt is likely to have this, given it’s touted as the national dish. I did - and that was back in the late 90s. Cooking it on the other hand, now that’s a different story…😂

[@trashboity8773]

Don't go new york

[@infullbloom3246]

I ate pigeon in Egypt. They lied to me it was a chicken. It was super dry and with not too much flavor, nor meat.

[@PianoOwl]

Probably wasn’t prepared well then.

[@somejerkbag]

I have had pigeon. Squab. Chinese cooking uses them also 😊

[@faye76000]

Fried pigeon is so good!

[@rachkate76]

I thought pigeons carry diseases.

[@user-xy5bc5mq4r]

You mean like chicken ? Or beef ?

[@TristanBehrens]

Pigeon meat harbours fewer pathogens than other poultry and is even safe to be consumed rare or medium rare. Pigeons you eat are not generally the same feral pigeons you find inhabiting major cities.

[@MiddleEats]

I think city pigeons just have a generally dirty appearance about them, not that they carry disease. European pigeon meat comes from wild wood pigeons, which are definitely cleaner than their city counterparts, and Egyptian pigeons are a smaller breed that are raised on farmland so less risk of disease

[@lady8jane]

If you are in Europe and especially the EU and buy them at a butcher's or in the supermarket, you can be sure that they are fine. Europe has very high food standards and a lot of rules and regulations around how to raise animals for consumption and various controls in place to make sure everything is a-ok.

[@rachkate76]

@@MiddleEats thank you for the clarification. I’m in Australia and eating pigeon is kind of unheard of so this was quite surprising for me!

[@ihateregistrationbul]

sky rats in america.