Koshari National Dish Of Egypt For E

To day the fifth day we are going to a take culinary trip to Egypt. Egyptian cuisine is one of the ancient cuisine. They use a lot of vegetables and legumes in their cooking because of the rich Nile valley and delta they produce large quantities of vegetables and lentils. Fava beans chick peas and onion will take a main part in this cuisine. In Mediterranean and  Nile river fish also consumed inn their cuisine. Bread will be eaten with almost all meals.

                                                       Usually Egyptian main course will be  mashed beans and a bean stew and with a rice dish this rice dish is called as Koshari. Which is a mixture of rice, lentils and pasta (macaroni). Koshari is a National dish of Egypt and very popular too. Koshari is usually served with a spice Tomato sauce and fried brown onion. Some times they served this with chicken. Some times spaghetti also used in the place of macaroni. And the dish was garnished with boiled chick peas. In olden days this dish is very popular among laborers and workers. Now you can find this in any restaurant, even in a road side food stall.  This is the one dish I found vegetarian in Egyptian cuisine, because they use any animal fat in this. This is my to day recipe For E from Egyptian cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:--- 

Olive oil  ---  2tabsp

Rice  ---  1 cup ( they don't use basmati rice, they have a medium grain rice their that looks like almost our ponni rice but little thick the ponni and little sticky (I feel). So for today I use Ponni rice. you can use any medium grain rice.

Macaroni --- 2 cups or you can use Vermicelli 

Vegetable stock  --- 2 cups

Garlic --- 10 pods chopped

Cumin  --- 1 tea sp

Bay leave  --- 1

Salt to taste

FOR TOMATO SAUCE:--

Olive oil  --- 2 tab sp

Onion -- one small finely chopped

Garlic   --- 4 cloves minced

Tomato puree  ---  400 ml

Bahart spice blend --- 2 tea sp ( this is a spice mix what we get in Middle eastern countries this smels like our garam masala, so you can use garam masala + red chilli powder in place of this masala.)

Red chilli flakes  ---  1/4 tea sp (optional)

Red wine vineger -- 1 tabsp

Salt to taste 

Pepper powder  --- 1/2 tea sp

Fride onion ---  from 2 larg onions

Boild chick peas  -- a hand full for garnishing. 

METHOD:---

1. Heat olive oil in a pan, add rice and fry for 2 minutes then add vegetable stock bring to a boil reduce the heat and cook till done.

2. In a other pan rinse lentils  add 2 cups of water and cook till lentils are soft but not mashe.

3. Cook macaroni or vermicelli  till done drain the water set a side and let it cool.

4. Now Heat oil add cumin, garlic, and bay leaf fry for a while and add rice, lentils, pasta or vermicelli, toss to combine well.

FOR TOMATO SAUCE:--

1. Heat oil in a pan add onions and fry till soft then add garlic and saute till golden brown, add tomato puree, baharat, salt and pepper to taste, red chilli flakes, red wine vinegar, bring to a boil and reduce the heat cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

For serving scoop out the rice in to a palate sprinkle little baharat top with some spiy tomato sauce and garnish with fried  onion and chick peas and serve warm. 

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