With hopes of a better future for their family, Hanan Awadalla and her husband, Maged Abdelmalik, immigrated to the United States in 1989 from Egypt. “We came to America after we were just married, hoping for a better education and lifestyle for our children,” Awadalla said.
The land of milk and honey has proven to be the perfect venue for falafels, koshary and kebabs at their family-run eatery, Sphinx of PA. “Everyone likes my food” is the mantra that sparked Awadalla to open the small storefront along Paxton Street.
“I always liked to cook and entertain company. I have even tried out some of my recipes on customers at the convenience store and gas station that we own,” said Awadalla, who resisted modifying his recipes so that customers could get the authentic tastes and flavors of Egyptian cooking.
When you walk into the spacious room, you get the full flavor of the Egyptian experience. Customers seated at the back are hugged by walls with painted pharaohs and visually stimulated by an ongoing video of the history of the sphinx, the monuments, the mummies and the pyramids. The sparse and clean environment reflects the cooking as well. Shortly after we ordered, our overflowing trays arrived with scents of the Middle East. Egyptian cuisine stands out with its fresh herb flavors, nutmeg, allspice, garlic and onions.
At Sphinx of PA, the meats are all cooked using charcoal. Similar to gyro meats, the hanging vertical grills behind the counter contain marinated chicken breasts and seasoned beef steaks. The meats are hand- carved with a long knife and served with a yogurt, garlic and fresh dill sauce.
The Sphinx platter ($13.99) acquaints you with Middle Eastern fare. The platter has a sample of everything. The small, dark, hand-rolled log angled across the plate is kofta, made from ground beef, onions, parsley and Egyptian spices. The kofta had a very moist interior and it was delicately perfumed with Egyptian seasonings such as allspice, garlic and a whiff of cumin.
The platter comes with one salad, one side and crisp-tender sauteed vegetables. We had broccoli florets tossed with caramelized onions. Also cutting across the platter was a chicken shish kebab. Chicken shish kebabs, alternating with grilled peppers, come in either a sandwich ($5.99), atop salad greens ($6.99) or on a platter ($8.99). The chicken has been deliciously marinated and correctly seasoned with salt, pepper and a few Egyptian spices.
For the same prices as the shish kebab, shawerma chicken is freshly sliced from the shawerma or vertical grill. Inch-size pieces are drizzled with yogurt and spice sauce and served either plain or jammed in a pita pocket with condiments or on a salad. Falafels may be packed in pita pockets ($4.99) or served on a platter ($6.99). These hand- patted circular discs are not to be confused with the Jewish- style falafels made from chickpeas and sold on New York City street corners at falafel stands. This Egyptian version consists of fava beans, parsley and slight heat-inducing spices and then deep fried. They are then drizzled with tahini or sesame seed sauce. Fresh cucumber slices, tomatoes and greens enhanced this colorful platter.
Vegetarians have not been left off the menu. Koshary ($5.99) is a layered meat-free platter that contains stratas of pasta, rice, lentils and chick peas. A juicy tomato and garlic sauce cascades over all. Meat lovers will want to delve into the shawerma meat ($5.99), lamb shish kebab ($7.99) or penne bashamel ($5.99).
Hey, I recognized a word. Bashamel is actually the same thing as bechamel, the French flour-bound white sauce. This sauce is napped over ground beef and snuggled between layers of penne pasta.
Awadalla makes the most wonderful flaky yet not too sugary baklava ($2.49) for two. A mixture of ground nuts and honey anchor this triangular package. Equally as good, and just as messy to eat, are “kahk,” three for $2.49, or sugar cookies dusted with lip-coating amounts of powdered sugar. By Mimi Brodeur, Penn Live.