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Danielle Lachana

Fried cheese, served with bread, was a popular street food in Egypt in the Middle Ages and is still widely appreciated today. It is most commonly made from the local salty white cheese, Gibna Beyda, also known as ''Domiati'' cheese. A dry Feta cheese makes a good substitute although a little more flour may be needed to hold the shape. If the Feta cheese is mild, you could add a little grated Parmesan or Grana cheese.

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RECIPE

(Serves 6)

METHOD

Combine the cheese/s, flour, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl, mixing with your hands.

Roll the mixture into balls of around 2 cm.

Depending on the type of cheese/s  used, you may need to add some extra flour. If however it seems too dry you can add a little water or lemon juice.

Personally, at this point, I prefer to leave the mixture in the fridge for several hours to firm up so that it is easier to roll.

Liberally grease a baking sheet with the olive oil. You can first line it with baking parchment (greaseproof paper), if liked, for ease of cleaning later.  Roll the cheese balls around on the sheet until they are totally coated with the oil. Arrange on the baking tray with a small space in between each one since they tend to flatten out while cooking.

Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated moderately hot oven at 200^o C (400^o F, Gas Mark 6) then lift a little with a spatula or shake the baking sheet to check that they are not sticking. Cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes until golden brown on top. If you find that they are browning too much on the bottom or top you can turn them over.

Drain on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Although these are often eaten warm, personally I find them tastier at room temperature and even better on the following day!

Serve together with pita bread wedges. They also make a tasty accompaniment to last week's GRRrecipe, ''Egyptian Chickpea Salad'' http://www.grreporter.info/en/egyptian_chickpea_salad/11049

Enjoy!