Egyptian Fried Rice Recipes

EGYPTIAN KOSHARI RECIPE (THE BEST I'VE HAD)

Steps:

• Soak the dried lentils and dried chickpeas in water for 3 hours prior to making koshari.
• See note 3 if using canned chickpeas. Boil 1 cup of dried chickpeas until semi-cooked (about 45 minutes to an hour). Drain water.
• Add fresh water and 1/2 tbsp of cumin. Boil chickpeas a second time for another 30 minutes.
• Once chickpeas are cooked, squeeze 1/2 of a lime over chickpeas.
• Chop 2 medium onions into circles. Mix with flour and set aside for 30 minutes prior to frying.
• Fry in oil, preferrably sunflower oil. Using a frying spatula, remove the onions from the oil. Set onto a paper towel and set aside.
• Keep the sunflower oil to use some of it in other parts of the recipe.
• Blend 3 tomatoes, 1 bell pepper, 1/2 medium onion, and 3 garlic cloves in the food processor.
• If you would like a spicy sauce, add 1 spicy pepper.
• Add 1/2 tsp of ground cumin, 1/2 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tbsp of oil (from the fried onions), salt, and pepper. Add juice from 1 lime.
• Blend and set aside.
• Blend 1.5 medium onions in a food processor.
• In a high-rimmed stovetop pot, add 2 tbsp of oil (from the fried onions). Cook the onions on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
• Add the brown lentils (these will be about 2.25 cups after being soaked) and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Turn down heat to medium-low. Add 2 cups of dry rice and 1 more cup of water.
• Add salt and pepper. Mix the koshari rice and cover.
• Continue to cook on medium-low heat covered until the rice has finished cooking (about 12 minutes).
• Turn off the stove and allow the rice to rest covered for 5 minutes.
• Boil water and add about 1 tbsp of salt.
• Break the spaghetti pasta in half, then break the half again making quarter-size sections of spaghetti. Break about 15 spaghetti noodles at the same time.
• Add the spaghetti pasta and elbow pasta to the boiling water.
• Cook the pasta until desired firmness.
• Drain the pasta and set it aside.
• Blend 5 medium tomatoes in a blender. Strain tomatoes into a bowl.
• Fry 2 tbsp of oil (or ghee) with 1 tsp chili flakes (or chili powder) for 30 seconds then add 5 minced garlic cloves.
• Add 2 tbsp of tomato paste and 2 tbsp of vinegar for about 30 seconds before adding the blended tomatoes.
• Add 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of coriander, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp of ground pepper.
• Boil for about 10 minutes.

THE PERFECT EGYPTIAN RICE WITH VERMICELLI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add vermicelli; cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour in rice and salt; stir until coated with oil.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook the rice mixture, stirring constantly, until rice turns pasty white, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.
• Stir water into the rice mixture. Cover; cook until most of the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off heat; let sit until remaining water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

EGYPTIAN FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice under running water thoroughly and set aside in a colander to drain.
• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the rice and fry it until each grain is coated with oil.
• Add the water and salt to taste and stir.
• Cook, uncovered, over moderate heat until the water is absorbed.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes more.
• Spoon the top layer of rice into a bowl.
• Remove the browned layer with a spatula, break into pieces and serve alongside the rice.

EGYPTIAN FAATAH (RICE & MEAT WITH CRISPY BREAD ON BOTTOM)

Steps:

• To prepare bread for bottom of dish: Take pita bread and rip into bite size pieces. In a frying pan, add about a 1/4 stick of butter, add bread pieces and fry until golden brown and crisp. Put these pieces in a glass baking dish, preferably a square sized dish. Set aside.
• Then add to same pan, a little more butter, salt, approximately 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, and a teaspoon or so of cumin stir around a bit until you can smell aroma, then add fried bread pieces to this mixture, stir to coat bread and put back into glass baking dish. Set aside.
• To prepare meat: put some butter in a pot, stir fry meat until brown, add 1 onion quartered, salt & pepper, 1 cube of chicken bouillon and water to cover meat. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and cook until tender, approximately 2 hours. After meat has cooled, take out chunks of meat and put in a bowl, set aside. Reserve soup from the meat separately.
• To prepare the rice: Put some butter into a pot, add shareya (fideo noodles) like a handful or so, keep stirring until golden brown, not too dark, but very golden. Then add two cups of rice, stir a little bit until some of the rice turns an opaque white. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer, cook until tender. Test the rice tenderness after about 35 minutes.
• Now take some of the soup from meat and add to the top of the bread pieces in baking dish to saturate.Add cooked rice on top of bread pieces. Slowly spoon remainder of soup onto rice, looking at glass dish sides to see level of soup, should reach just to top of rice, don't worry, this doesn't have to be exact. Now you're ready to make the sauce and fry the meat to put on top.
• To prepare red sauce: In a pan, add a little oil or butter, crushed tomato, a half teaspoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper, 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and cumin. Add also approximately 3 tablespoons of vinegar, stir this until you smell aroma and it is a bit smooth. It should be a bit thick, not watery, but if too thick you can add a bit of water. Spread with a wooden spoon atop the rice to cover.
• To fry meat: In a pan add a bit of butter or oil, the meat, just a touch of tomato paste, about a tablespoon of fresh crushed garlic, salt & pepper, a teaspoon of cumin. Cook until meat is golden fried.
• Spoon this atop the rice and serve. Enjoy!

EGYPTIAN SAYYADIAH - FISH WITH RICE

Steps:

• Scale and gut the fish and leave the heads on. ( well, you don't have to if you don't want to).
• Rinse and wipe dry.
• Rub surfaces and cavities with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Cover and leave aside for 30-45 minutes. Prepare the garlic and mix with the cumin.
• Gently fry the onions in oil in a deep pan for 15-20 minutes until very soft and golden.
• Wash rice, drain and add to onions.
• Stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the hot water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook gently for 20 minutes.
• Make 3-4 deep slits on each side of the fish and fill slits with garlic-cumin mixture.
• Coat fish with flour and shallow fry in hot oil until golden brown and cooked.
• Remove fish and keep it hot.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of the oil in which the fish was cooked to the cooked rice. Stir through with a fork, cover pan and leave rice for 5 minutes.
• Pile rice on a platter, arrange fish on top and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.

KUSHERIE (EGYPTIAN RICE AND LENTILS)

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, brown lentils in 2 Tbsp oil, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the 3 cups boiling stock and the salt and pepper.
• Cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Stir in the rice and 1 cup stock.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes without stirring.
• Meanwhile make sauce: Heat all the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
• To make browned onions, heat oil in a small skillet.
• Saute onions and garlic over medium heat till browned.
• To serve, put rice lentil mixture on a platter, pour tomato sauce over and top with browned onions.

EGYPTIAN RICE FOR FISH

Steps:

• cook onion in the oil till it is dark brown but not burned (very important not to burn the onions).
• add the rice stir and the water and salt (as i said you could put a small spoon of cumin or a handful of raisins or prawns).
• boil then put on very low heat till the rice is cooked.