Born in Australia to two Egyptian parents, Hesham El Masry migrated to Sydney from Cairo in the late 60s. As long as he can remember, his mother Camellia has been cooking for him, and still works in the kitchen at their casual, family-run eatery Cairo Takeaway in Newtown. Inspired by the feel and flavours of Cairo’s street food, El Masry has been sharing his Egyptian heritage with Sydney for more than 10 years.

What are the 10 ingredients you always have in your fridge?

Homemade ghee (by the 5kg jar), rose water, fava beans (for falafels and ful medames), dates (called ‘Ballah’ in Egypt), spices (lots of spices – the cumin aroma was very strong growing up). And 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 – the essentials: lots of onions, lots of garlic, lots of salt and lots of sugar.

What is your most memorable dining experience?

This one is too difficult to answer. What always stands out in my mind is eating with family and friends during Ramadan after fasting all day. There was, and still is, a huge variety of food and lots of happiness.

What influenced your love of food?

The cliché answer is, of course, Mum... and a huge appetite.

Who is the best cook you know?

Anyone can cook, but very few are naturals.

Who is on your dream dinner party table?

I recently saw a photo of Bassem Youssef (an Egyptian comedian) with Guy Pearce (my favourite Aussie actor). I think dinner with these fellas would be special. Two powerhouses, both very smart.

Share the menu of your last supper …

My wife is from a beautiful Greek Island called Lesvos. We love to visit as much as we can. On the menu for last supper would have to be fresh seafood from any random seaside village, with the best salads of all time.

What is your favourite vegetable (we believe it tells you everything you need to know about someone)?

Potatoes! Starch in all its forms. However, we do understand that it is not the healthiest of roots.

What are your top five favourite places to dine?

Whatever Mitch [Orr] is cooking up at Kiln is probably going to be some of the best food in Sydney. He also supports the same football team as I do, so we share similar pains. My Egyptian brother Paul Farag at Noor and AALIA. He is an absolute magician. Although we haven’t seen him for a while at any of his epic restaurants, Brent Savage. My family and I love good Italian food and you can't go past the old lady Fratelli Paradiso and the new kid on the block, Pelligrino 2000. XOPP is also a great experience with the family, but we have to get approval from our mortgage broker for this one as the market price lobster with garlic is too good to miss.

Recipe for Koshari (serves 4)

Koshari is a national Egyptian dish. It used to be a peasant dish for those who could not afford meat, but now it is eaten all year round and is also very popular during lent. It's an unusual mash up of ingredients that just seems to work. The vinegary garlic, tomato salsa and crispy fried onions are what makes it so special.

Pasta

1 cup mini macaroni
Handful thin spaghetti
2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oil

Method

Place boiling water in a pot with salt. Add mini macaroni and spaghetti (broken into half). Bring to boil then low cook for 15 minutes. When cooked, drain. Heat oil in a pot add the pasta, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute then take off heat.

Salsa

1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tsbp oil
3 tsbp tomato paste
1 cup water
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp white vinegar

Method

Heat oil then add minced garlic. Brown the garlic (5–10 minutes). Add tomato paste, cup of water, ¼ tsp of salt, ¼ tsp of pepper, and white vinegar. Mix well for a minute then cover and cook on low for 5 minutes or until boiling.

Crisp Onions

5 large onions
¾ cup oil

Method

Slice onions and add to a pot with ¾ cup of oil. Cook till really brown (30-40 minutes). Drain oil and place onions on paper towel for an hour to crisp up.

Lentils

6 brown onions, medium sized
1/3 cup oil
1.5 cups brown lentils
2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin
2 cups rice

Dice onions and place in a pot with oil. Cook till browned. Soak lentils for two hours, rinse then place in a large pot with water. Place on high heat and add the browned onions, oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Mix in washed rice and cover. Reduce heat and cook on low for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. To serve, place the lentil rice on a plate then the pasta, followed by the crisp onions and finally drizzle the salsa on top.