Egyptian food without meat: choices from mahshi, salads and side dishes

Egyptians have meat-free dishes in their everyday life: ful medames and taameya for breakfast, koshary on the street, and bessara and lentils at home. The Coptic tradition of "siyami" (fasting) food has also made Egyptian cooking rich in meat-free dishes; the full story is in Siyami food in Egypt, and the story of koshary, ful and taameya is in Street food in Egypt.

But note: ful, taameya, koshary and bessara are not on Rokn Warda's menu; we mention them as food culture. What is on the menu is below.

On the menu, vegetarian items are marked "vegetarian". That mark is your first guide, but there are three things worth knowing:

• Vegetarian doesn't mean "siyami" or free of all animal products: the desserts, for example, are marked vegetarian, but their menu descriptions include milk, cream or ashta. If you avoid dairy, they are not for you.
• Some items are not marked: such as orzo soup and molokhia casserole (described as "in a rich broth"). If you don't eat meat, treat anything unmarked as not vegetarian until you ask.
• If your diet is strict or you have an allergy: ask the staff about ingredients and preparation when you order. The mark is a guide, not a substitute for asking.

Mahshi: the heart of the meal

Mahshi is the natural main dish for anyone who doesn't eat meat: a filling of seasoned rice and herbs in different vegetables. Mixed mahshi gives you more than one taste on one plate: cabbage, grape leaves, peppers, courgettes and aubergines. For the differences between kinds of mahshi, read Egyptian mahshi: grape leaves, cabbage, courgettes and mombar.

And watch the names: grape leaves with lamb chops and grape leaves with trotters casserole contain meat and are not marked vegetarian.

Salads: more than a "side dish"

The salad buffet lets you pick vegetables, sauces and pickles to your taste, and the arugula with pomegranate has a light sourness that wakes up the flavours next to mahshi.

Side dishes: soup and rice

Lentil soup is a warm start, and rice with vermicelli or white rice rounds things off if you want something more filling. But think: mahshi is already filled with rice, so if you order mahshi, you may not need an extra rice dish.

• Start warm: lentil soup.
• Something fresh: arugula and pomegranate salad or a plate from the salad buffet.
• The main: mixed mahshi or stuffed grape leaves.
• Rice? Only if you still want starch after the mahshi.
• The finish: a dessert, if dairy is not an issue for you.
• A cold drink from Warda's blends.

At Egyptian gatherings the food goes in the middle, which makes this easy: make the mahshi, salad and soup shared dishes for everyone, and the meat-eaters add a grill or a casserole. That way the vegetarian guest doesn't feel they are eating "sides" alone, and the whole table is varied. Give each vegetarian dish its own serving spoon so it doesn't mix with the dishes that contain meat. For choosing dishes for a group without repeats, read Egyptian dinner for two or a group of friends.

• Nut allergy: the descriptions of kunafa with cream and rice pudding include pistachios, and om ali includes nuts.
• Dairy: all the desserts contain milk, ashta or cream according to their descriptions.
• Preparation: if you avoid every animal product, or ghee or broth, ask how the dish is cooked.
• Spice: spicy items are marked "spicy" on the menu, and no vegetarian item is marked spicy. For Egyptian food without chilli, read Prefer your food without chilli?.

At Rokn Warda in Al Khobar on Al Yarmouk Street, you can sit in the family hall or the outdoor seating by the fountain, and book your table. Or order from the menu for delivery to Al Khobar and Dammam districts (the available districts appear when you order), or through HungerStation, Keeta and Ninja. To go straight to the sections with most of these choices: salads, soups and desserts. For Egyptian desserts themselves, read Egyptian desserts loved in Saudi Arabia.

Is your mahshi vegetarian? Mixed mahshi and stuffed grape leaves are marked "vegetarian" on the menu. If your diet is strict, ask how they are cooked when you order.

Is there a meat-free main dish other than mahshi? The items marked vegetarian are the mahshi, the salads, lentil soup, the rice, the desserts and the drinks. The other main dishes, grills, casseroles and specialities, are not marked vegetarian, and most of their descriptions include meat or chicken. So mahshi is the vegetarian main.

Is the orzo soup vegetarian? It is not marked vegetarian on the menu, so ask before ordering it. The alternative marked vegetarian is lentil soup.

Are the desserts suitable for vegetarians? They are marked vegetarian, but they contain milk, ashta or cream, and some include pistachios or nuts according to their descriptions. So they are not suitable if you avoid dairy or have a nut allergy.

Mahshi in the middle, a fresh salad, a warm soup and something sweet at the end. Open the menu, look for the "vegetarian" mark, and ask about anything you're not sure of.