Josh and I wanted to learn to make koshari (Egypt’s national dish) before we left Cairo, but obviously with our abrupt return to the states, that didn’t happen. We didn’t let that stop us though. I found a few recipes online and based on what we knew it should taste like, we put together our own recipe tonight.
Cooked short grain rice, lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. (The oil keeps the rice from sticking together.)
The tomato sauce starts with crushed minced garlic, red pepper flakes and cumin sauteed in a few tablespoons of oil. Then add tomato paste and incorporate the seasoned oil. Add water and salt and simmer until flavors have developed and the sauce is the consistency of pasta sauce.
Serve up a bowl of the pasta/rice/lentil mixture and top with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce. Top with fried onions. The ones in the can are OK, but Josh was experimenting with frying our own onions and those were even better.
For a vegetable component Josh made a tomato cucumber salad. He added chopped parsley and mint to quartered cucumber and halved baby heirloom tomatoes. To finish, he tossed them with a little white balsamic vinegar and oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
We can’t go to Egypt, but we brought Egypt to us!