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Awesome new comfort food discovery

December 2nd, 2011 at 04:20 am

Actually, I tried this at the State Fair and have been meaning to try and make it for a while now. I finally did tonight.

Kushari is an Egyptian street/comfort food, and it's also pretty frugal because you can make a passable version using really common ingredients! The most exotic thing I used was ground cumin. Basically it's lentils, rice and elbow macaroni topped with a tomato-vinegar-garlic sauce and browned flour-coated fried onions. It was soo good. I pretty much nailed it the first time I tried making it!

In terms of healthiness I'd say it's half-and-half, because the lentil-rice mixture and the tomato sauce are healthy, the macaroni and the fried onions not so much. But it's filling and comforting and tasty and has cheap ingredients. Smile

EDIT to add recipe, in case you're wanting to try it.

Kushari Recipe

Kushari consists of four things, so the ingredients and instructions are listed separately:

Lentils + Rice
Macaroni
Garlic Vinegar Tomato Sauce
Fried Onion Topping

Serves about 8 people

Lentil Layer

1 cup of lentils
1 cup of rice
5 cups of water
1 tablespoon cumin
1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper

Put water in a large pot and add cumin. Boil the water and then add lentils. Close lid, reduce heat slightly and leave it boiling for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice onions for onion layer and start frying in batches (see below). Also mince garlic and start sauce (see below).
Add rice, salt and pepper and stir. Reduce heat to very low and simmer with lid on until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile start a medium pot of water boiling for macaroni (see below). Stir lentil-rice mixture a few times during cooking to try and reduce sticking. Turn off heat and leave on warm burner with lid on.

Fried Onion Topping

2 large onions (or equivalent), peeled and cut in half and then into strips.
3/4 t salt
1/3 cup flour
Plenty of vegetable oil for frying

Add salt and flour to cut onions. In a cast-iron frying pan add vegetable oil (3 T per batch?) and on medium-high, fry as many onion strips in pan as will fit in a single layer (you will probably fry 3 or 4 times total), turning fairly frequently, for 10-15 minutes until deep golden brown. (Try for crispiness, but don't let them burn too much.)

Garlic Vinegar Sauce

1 T vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 15-oz. cans of plain tomato sauce
1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper
3/4 t red pepper flakes

In a saucepan on medium-high, cook garlic in vegetable oil for a minute or 2. Add tomato sauce and then add vinegar and spices and stir. Stir on heat for a few minutes, until it boils. Reduce heat to very low until ready to serve.

Macaroni Layer

2 cups dry macaroni
Water

Throw macaroni into boiling water about 9 min. before last onion layer is done frying; cook until al dente and drain.

To serve, ladle layers of lentil-rice, then macaroni, then tomato sauce, then fried onions.

9 Responses to “Awesome new comfort food discovery”

  1. MonkeyMama Says:
    1322800402

    Sounds very yummy!

  2. baselle Says:
    1322800919

    Ethnic, cheap, and filling ... the great trifecta of fun food.

  3. My English Castle Says:
    1322804889

    Sounds fabulous. Yum.

  4. ceejay74 Says:
    1322842169

    I posted the recipe I used in case you're tempted to make it. I want to mention that, to get the onions well-browned and slightly crispy, I had to get the house kind of smoky. So turn on your oven vent and maybe open some doors and windows. Totally worth it! Smile

  5. MonkeyMama Says:
    1322850888

    Oooh - thanks for the recipe!

  6. MonkeyMama Says:
    1322850947

    P.S. I have to make ethnic coookies this weekend, too, for kids' school. I will be busy in the kitchen - want to try this!

  7. MonkeyMama Says:
    1322878003

    P.S.S. All I need is some tomato sauce from the store - so makes a cheap meal here! I am just asking my dh to get some tomato sauce tomorrow. Big Grin

  8. ceejay74 Says:
    1322888263

    Nice! Smile Yeah, I think all I needed to get was tomato sauce and a small bag of lentils to make sure I had enough. Big Grin

  9. MonkeyMama Says:
    1323052214

    Yum! & the kids practically licked their plates clean (double bonus).

    My dh commented it was cheap, but that he would be lazy and buy those pre-made fried onions. I argued at first, but I was wondering how the fried onions I made would reheat, so maybe he has a point. Then again - those aren't so cheap!

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