Famous Traditional Egyptian Plates

Koshari

It is a mix of:
1. Pasta and rice
2. Tomato sauce
3. Lentils and chick peas
4. Fried onions
5. Hot sauce and vinegar sauce

1. Pasta and rice:
- 1 ½ cups dry rice (white)
- 1 12 oz pkg spaghetti (thin) broken into 1" pieces or use sharia (which is small "hair like" spaghettis)
- 1 8 oz pkg spirals or some small cylindrical, tube-shaped pasta
Cook all the pastas and rice individually and then rinse them all very well in cold water. Once most of the water has drained off, put all of them into a big bowl, with a little bit of salt and olive oil mixed in.

2. Tomato sauce:
- 4-5 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- salt and pepper, turmeric, cumin
- olive oil and regular cooking oil
Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half and then "scrub" them over a grater, to extract all the juice, without the skin. Or, you can put them in a food processor, provided they are peeled. Do the same with the onion (scrub or food process). Mix this together and add the spices and about 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Cook over medium heat until a low boil and then turn off. Make sure to taste to see if the sauce needs more salt, etc.

3. Lentils and Chick peas :
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 1 ½ cup dry chick peas (soak them overnight) or if cooked in a pressure cooker, no need to pre-soak
- salt and cumin
Soak the chick peas overnight and then place them in a pot of water and boil until almost cooked (a little crunchy)... it's fastest in a pressure cooker. Boil the lentils until almost cooked, as well. Drain and then place each separately in a frying pan with a little oil (1/2 tbsp) and fry over medium heat until "dried" and a little crunchy and slightly blackened. Should take between 15 and 20 minutes. Stir. Once cooked, season with salt and some cumin.

4. Fried Onions
- 1 big onion and (or two medium onions)
- Oil for frying
Slice the onion into fairly thin strips and place in frying pan with oil. Two ways to fry them: in a deep fryer (that way takes about 5 minutes) or in oil on the stove top (about 10 minutes).

5. Chili paste and Vinegar sauce
 Chili paste: any kind of hot pepper/chili paste from an Asian food store is fine
 Vinegar: Mix 1/4 cup regular white or rice vinegar with 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped), 2-3 tbsp salt, 3 tbsp cumin and 2 cups water. This is best done in a leftover wine bottle with a cork. Make sure to taste... it should be not too vinegary nor too salty. You may need to adjust the flavors.
Serve this in a big bowl with a spoon and the chili and vinegar on the side of the table. The order of layering is: pasta, tomato sauce, chick peas and lentils, fried onions and either chili sauce or vinegar (or both).

  The Egyptian Fool & Tameya

Fool
fava beans served with oil and lemon, sometimes also with onions, meat, eggs or tomato sauce, mixed with tahina,  olive oil, chopped parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon juice. 
 

Molokheya

spinach-tasting dish made by stewing the leafy vegetable with meat or chicken broth and garlic.
A leafy, green, summer vegetable, molokhiya is distinctively Egyptian, and locals will proudly serve you their traditional thick soup made from it. The chopped leaves are generally stewed in chicken stock, and served with or without pieces of chicken, rabbit, or lamb. This soup can also be served with crushed bread or over rice.

 

Fatir

Eastern Sweets