Walnut Sauce, Sharkaseya, for Chicken or Veal

Typically served from the kitchen of Egyptian families with Turkish ties or ancestors, Sharkaseya is a silky rich sauce to use on top of boiled chicken or veal for that special elegant lunch or dinner.

When I got into cooking, my grandma called me into her bedroom and gave me a very precious gift. It was a hardcover cookbook by the famous Nazeera Nekoola. The book was printed in 1947. At that time, books were printed on demand. Since it was “her book”, her name appeared on the cover of the book just where the name of a publishing house appears today. This is a gift that I will cherish forever. And from this beautiful book, I discovered this delicious recipe. I’ve enhanced the recipe to make it faster and easier using the tools of this century.

Serving Ideas: Sharkaseya is a sauce that’s served with boiled chicken and white rice. You can substitute chicken with boiled veal. It makes for a yummy dip if you let it get sick. You can serve it as a dip with unsalted pita chips.

Serving Size: 3 cups of sauce for 6-8 persons

Ingredients:
2 large slices of white bread, edges removed and diced
2 cups walnuts
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs butter
8-10 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt
Paprika for decoration

Directions:

~ Put the white bread cubes in a small bowl.
~ Add enough water to cover the bread crumbs and let it soak in for 30 minutes.
~ Add the walnuts to a food process and process until it’s finely chopped.

~ Remove the bread from the water and add to the food processor.

~ Add 1 cup of broth. Process again until all the ingredients are well mixed.

~ OPTIONAL: Push the puree through a strainer into a large saucepan. This step will render a more silky sauce.
~ Add the mixture to a large saucepan. Add the remaining broth.
~ Mix together over medium heat and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes until it reaches a thicker consistency.
~ If the sauce is too thick, you can carefully add some broth or water, mix it well and let it simmer again until it reaches the consistency of a thick creamy sauce.

~ To make the garlic butter: In a small pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and the coriander and stir fry for 3 minutes.

~ Add the garlic butter to the sauce, salt and stir well.
~ Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Now the sauce is ready to serve with boiled chicken or veal, and a side of rice.
~ (Optional) It’s traditional to add a dust of paprika to brighten the colors of the dish.

Variations:
~ Use hazelnuts instead of walnuts or a mix of walnuts and hazelnuts.
~ For an express version, combine the breadcrumbs, the nuts and the 1 cup of broth and process all at once. Then follow the remaining steps in the recipe.

~ Bel Hana ~

Best Places to Try this Dish in Egypt:
~ My mom’s kitchen 🙂