Our Favourite Food Moments From ‘Mat’am El Habayeb’

Sometimes in life, what one needs is not a 30-million-dollar inheritance, but rather just a simple feel-good drama. Over the past few weeks, 'Mat’am El Habayeb' on Shahid has been doing more than just delivering (yes, ladies and gentlemen, that pun right there was absolutely intended).

Starring Ahmed Malek and Huda El Mufti alongside a star-studded cast, 'Mat’am El Habayeb', directed by Essam Abdelhamid with a script written by Mariam Naoum, follows a group of unlikely culinary mavens as they join forces to bring one deprecated family restaurant back to life. Naturally, hilarity ensued.

From rice surprises to rat adventures, the first season of 'Mat’am El Habayeb' had its fair share of memorable culinary moments thus far, and we couldn’t help but replay these over and over again.

The Kebda Selfie | Episode 01

Malek’s Sobhy and El Mufti’s Didi did not quite get off on the right foot, to say the least. When Didi ordered a bunch of kebda sandwiches, Sobhy was quite ecstatic, only to realise mere seconds later they would just be props for her group selfie. The result? Well, let's just say it kicked off the enemies-to-lovers trope.

The…Questionable Red Lobster | Episode 01

A cooking competition? Easy peasy…except, not. Though Didi’s red lobster looked quite appetising - and even worthy of a partial Michelin star, what lied within sent the entire judging panel packing to the hospital. Oops. 

The World’s Most Expensive ‘Roz Me’ammar’ | Episode 02 

In Didi’s dictionary, ‘dahaleez’ equals rib eye steak, apparently. When tasked to pick up fatty meats for the restaurant’s ‘roz me’ammar’ order, Didi accidentally bought EGP 41,000 worth of rib-eye. The customers were happy, but the staff were certainly not. 

The Rice Surprise | Episode 04

A pebble in your rice? That’s just a rite of passage. When an influencer’s front tooth bid her adieu after a very short-lived encounter with an authentic Egyptian pebble (non-spiced), a chain of events that included a heist soon ensued, but without spoiling much, let’s just say all’s well that ends well. 

A Very Demure ‘Shah’a’ | Episode 04

Growing up in an Egyptian household, hearing your grandmother scream in the kitchen isn’t too much of a concern when you know she’s cooking up her signature molokhia. Following her late grandmother’s recipe, Didi gave a very ‘cute’ - according to Bayoumi Fouad - shah’a as she put the finishing touches on the soup. 

A Ratatouille Cameo | Episode 05

When a conniving interloper decided to introduce a stray rat to the Mat’am El Habayeb kitchen, the kitchen staff had quite the adventure chasing it down.  No Food Goes to Waste | Episode 06 Would you let good food go to waste if you’ve just been told that there was a one percent chance a rat had called it home if only for a moment? Well, any sane person would say yes, but not Islam Ibrahim’s Mo Bashandy, who argued that unless you could smell droppings, you’re good to go. Questionable, but sure, can’t let anything go to waste. 

The Roofied Bessara | Episode 09

Was it poison? Was it coke? Was it just flour? Well, we won’t spoil it. Once more the instigator, Islam Ibrahim’s Mo Bashandy ‘laced’ an unsuspecting - and very unwelcome - guest’s bessara. Things however didn’t go according to plan, seeing as everyone and their mother had a taste of the roofied bessara, setting forth quite the hallucinogenic chain of events.