After asking a few foodblogger friends for recommendations, we decided on an small Iraqi restaurant in El Cajon that Cathy from Mmm-Yoso recommended (link at the end).
This was a two-fer. Lunch at Nahrain and dessert at Shakira next door.
We called ahead of time to order our dish, as recommended by Cathy. It would take us half an hour to get to El Cajon from down South. We told them "three people" so they would know how big of a fish to grill. We also specified the type of fish. They did not ask us if we wanted it already dead or killed "live" since they do have fish tanks in the restaurant. I think, by default, we got the dead version, for lack of a better term.
As you can see, bare bones. Decor was all fish related in keeping with the seafood theme.
Fish is sold from the cold case: white carp, tilapia, pompano (they spelled it as 'panpano"), and a few other types.
Their menu (click photo to enlarge):
This is what we wanted, the Masgoof (also spelled as 'mazgoof' and 'masgouf'), the national dish of Iraq.
The fish wasn't ready when we arrived. We ordered two types of salads for the price of one. One half of the Fatoosh (with the pita chips) and one half of Arabic. Both had different dressings. Both salads were very good together.
We also wanted to try their Eggplant salad and were surprised that it came with more than just eggplant. As you can see, there were also green peppers, zucchini, red onions, and tomatoes. It was very flavorful. There was also so much of this salad, we barely put a dent in it. TC liked this so much that she had some of it the next day with leftovers. I wonder if this is the typical preparation for Eggplant salad, because this sure seemed like a lot of "filler" for eggplant salad. The eggplant wasn't the main "star" in this salad since there were so many other ingredients.
The Masgoof with bread...
The fish is split down the middle and grilled with a special metal cage. It is basted with a marinade of olive oil, salt, lemon, turmeric, and tamarind....
The masgoof is served with a side of sliced tomatoes, onions, and ambar (mango chutney) which added a delicious sweet and sour element to the dish.
There was also a huge circle of bread (folded over) to eat with the fish and the sides. I put a fork on top so you could see the relative size. The bread was best when warm. It was thick around the edges and very chewy.
I like that Tilapia bones are pretty large, not like that Saury fish I had at Izakaya Sakura the other day. These bones are easy to pick out! The fish was grilled perfectly. The skin was crispy. I went for the dark meat first! We enjoyed every bit of this fish, as you can see...
Except for the eyeball (can you see the fat glistening from BEHIND the eyeball? Ugh! I had torn apart the fish's head to get to some of the meat behind the fish cheeks (if you could call it that).
Scraped clean as best as we could manage. I think my parents would love this place. As old school Filipinos, the grilled fish with the head on is perfect for them and would be eaten "kamayan" style (with their hands)!
All of the men working here were very cordial and accomodating. One guy was working the counter. Another was on the phone and in and out of the restaurant a lot. Another was in the kitchen but went out every so often. All wanted to know if we liked the fish and were happy when we said we did.
When paying at the counter, Bert asked one of the gentlemen which fish he preferred and he said, the White Carp was the best. So when we go next time, we will try masgoof with the white carp.
Notes if you go: Call ahead for the masgoof, but be prepared if it's not ready, as it was with us. They do not serve tap water here, only bottled water. If I knew that ahead of time, I would have brought in my own water.
Nahrain
1183 E. Main St., Suite A
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 334-3222
There is no website for Nahrain
Who else ate at Nahrain?
The one and only Cathy from Mmm-Yoso's post is what intrigued me in the first place. Her recommendations are usually spot on! See her post here.
Trivia about "Masgoof":
When I reread Cathy's post, the word "masgoof" was familiar to me. I shared with her that I first saw the word in a book I just read, "Mission Black List #1":
which was written by Eric Maddox. More on the book and author here.
This book will be made into a movie and will star my celebrity mancrush, Rob Pattinson (THE RPatzz)!
I normally wouldn't watch a movie like this, but if Eric Maddox is going to be played by Rob Pattinson, then OMG, I'm there! I'm so easily led down the dark path, ha ha!
The stare that can impregnate women and make their ovaries explode...
(photo courtesy of missionblacklistfilm.com)
Holy Hell! Can he have short hair like this ALL THE TIME???
Here are some passages from the book which feature 'mazgoof' which, in a roundabout way, also contributed to the downfall of Saddam Hussein.
*Note - the book describes 'mazgoof' as a type of fish. I think this was a mistake because from what I've read, 'mazgoof' is the name of the dish since any type of fish could be used for mazgoof. The author, Eric Maddox interrogated hundreds of detainees, many of them drivers, bodyguards, extended family members, and others just outside of the inner circle of Saddam Hussein.
Excerpt from p. 57:
"His name was Tashin and, as Saddam's personal servant his primary responsibility was serving meals. Saddam would normally eat twice a day, at two in the afternoon and seven or eight in the evening. His favorite food by far was a fish called mazgoof. Caught in the Tigris River, it was packed with salt and roasted over an open fire. Saddam couldn't get enough of it. It was all more raw data for the memory banks: Saddam liked mazgoof. Maybe these bits and pieces would come in handy one day."
Page 64:
"Over the next few hours Shaban told me a lot about Haddoushi. He gave us the names of a whole group of Little Saddam's buddies who would be invited to feasts hosted by Haddoushi when Saddam was i Tikrit before the war. Haddoushi was described as friendly, outgoing, and a real party animal, providing hookers along with his famous mazgoof."
Pages 180 and 181 describe the interrogation between Maddox and a couple of detainees who mentioned that their relatives (who ended up being close associates of Saddam Hussein) fished for relaxation. A fish pond is mentioned; one that is isolated and outside of town.
Page 182:
Maddox surmises that one of the men they interviewed is buying large quantities of food for Saddam.
"So where is he? Where's Saddam?"
"Wait, I pleaded, "Just hear me out. Remember that I told you how Saddam is partial to a certain kind of fish, prepared a certain way?"
"Yeah," he answered. "I remember. Mazgoof, wasn't it?"
"Very impressive memory...So supposed you're a dictator who is used to getting whatever you want, whenever you want it. Are you going to go without your daily serving of Long John Silver's?"
A raid is done on the fish farm. Turns out the fish farm is owned by Muhammad Ibrahim and Muhammad Khudayr (both men whom are close to Saddam Hussein). A couple of fishermen were captured at the fish farm.
Page 201: The first prisoner detained at the fish farm is identified as a "man known for being the very best cook of mazgoof". Another prisoner identifies who really owns the fish farm.
Eventually the top two targets, Muhammad Ibrahim and Muhammad Khudayr are detained, interrogated and information given to the military to pinpoint the location of Hussein. A raid is done and with Ibrahim's help, Hussein is captured hiding in a tiny spider hole on December 13, 2003.
"Mission: Black List #" was a very interesting and fast paced read. I can't wait to see how this plays out on the big screen.
And that my friends, is how we came to eat masgouf on our wedding anniversary.
2 comments:
Very, very nice post. I am so glad you enjoyed a seafood Anniversary dinner. It is so very good here, and the people working take great pride in everything they do; fresh and quality.
hi cathy - thanks so much for the rec. it is always fun trying something new. the folks here are very very nice and happy that other cultures enjoy their food.
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