Recipe origin: Egypt
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1 cup rice
- 1 can (15-ounce) chickpeas (also called ceci)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
SAUCE:
- 1 cup canned tomato puree
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove, or to taste
Procedure
- Prepare lentils: Place the lentils in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Place them in a large saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Heat until the water begins to boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour until lentils are tender. Drain and set the lentils aside.
- Prepare the macaroni: Fill the same saucepan with water (add salt if desired). Heat until the water begins to boil.
- Add the macaroni and boil about 12 to 15 minutes, until macaroni is tender. Drain and set the macaroni aside. (It is okay to combine the macaroni and lentils.)
- Prepare the rice: Heat the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the same saucepan. Add the rice and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, thoroughly coating the rice with oil.
- Add 2 cups of water and heat until the water begins to boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Assemble koushari: Drain chickpeas and rinse. Add chickpeas, lentils, and macaroni to cooked rice and toss very gently with a fork.
- Make sauce: Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each half crosswise into thin slices.
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until onions are golden brown.
- Add garlic clove and cook 1 or 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato puree and heat until bubbly.
- Now pour the sauce over the lentil mixture and heat over very low heat for about 5 minutes, until completely warm.
- Serve with pita bread.
Serves 4 to 6.
Aish, the Arabic name for bread, means "life." It accompanies most meals and is served in various forms. The most common bread is pita, usually made with whole wheat (or sometimes white) flour. Long, skinny French-style loaves of bread are also widely eaten throughout the country. Traditional Egyptian cheeses, as well as feta imported from neighboring Greece, are frequently served alongside bread at meals.
Despite the country's dry climate and shortage of arable land (land that can be farmed), Egypt grows a variety of fresh fruits. Mohz (bananas), balah (dates), burtu'aan (oranges), battiikh (melon), khukh (peaches), berkuk (plums), and 'anub (grapes) are commonly grown.
Ful (creamy bean paste made from fava beans), one of the country's several national dishes, is a typical breakfast meal. It is often served in a spicy sauce, topped with an egg. Lunch, normally served between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M., usually includes meat or fish, rice, bread, and seasonal vegetables. Salad (mezza, or mezze if more than one is served), topped with typical Middle Eastern fare such as olives, cheese, and nuts, may also be eaten. Meat (usually lamb, chicken, fish, rabbit, or pigeon), vegetables, and bread make up a typical dinner in Egypt. Tea and a dessert, such as baklava (honey pastry), basbousa (cream-filled cake), or konafa (cooked batter stuffed with nuts), are familiar after-dinner treats.
Tea and coffee are widely consumed. Egypt's numerous coffee and teahouses brew very strong coffee and tea (often mint tea), usually offering both full of sugar. Coffeehouses are typically filled with men who gather to play dominoes or backgammon. Coffee is served saada or "bitter" (no sugar) or ziyada or "very sweet." Egyptians also enjoy a drink called sahleb, made from wheat, milk, and chopped nuts.
For a typical dessert, Egyptians may serve mint tea with sugar and a sweet, flaky pastry called baklava.
