- 200 GRAM BROWN LENTILS, soaked
for 12 hours
- 150 GRAM MACARONI
- 150 GRAM RICE
- 1 ONION, chopped
- 2 CLOVES GARLIC, chopped
- 1 RED CHILI, chopped
- 3 TOMATOES, peeled and chopped
- 1 TBSP TOMATO PUREE
|
|
- 4 CHICKEN LEGS
- 50 GRAM OLIVES, in halves
- 1 TBSP PICKLED LEMON
PEEL, chopped
- 1 ONION, chopped
- 4 CLOVES GARLIC, chopped
- 1 TSP TURMERIC
- 1 TSP GINGER POWDER
- 1/2 TSP CUMIN POWDER
- 2 TBSP CILANTRO, chopped
- OLIVE OIL
|
Cook the lentils 45
minutes; cook the rice and the macaroni and plan the process so all
will be ready at Or les the same time. In the mean time, stir fry
the onion, pepper and garlic 15 minute on low heat. Add the tomatoes,
tomato puree and pepper and salt to taste and a cup of water and simmer
for 15 minutes. Mix the macaroni with the rice and lentils and put this
in a bowl; spoon the tomato sauce on top.
Koshary is a very popular food in
Egypt and you
can buy it on many street corners. Even though it is rather simple,
you will need a lot of pans. Some recipes advise to cook everything
together, but I would not advise that, because cooking times differ
and water quantities too - you don't need a recipe for disaster after
all.
This recipe reminds
me strongly of
macaroni with prunes
from far-away Limburg in
The Netherlands.
Probably the cooking is related by poverty background, when people need
to work hard for little money and thus prepare food with a high calorie
density and a low price.
|
Stir fry the onion
and garlic for 5 minutes in olive oil on low heat. Add the chicken and
fry until brown on all sides. Add 2 cups of water, cumin, ginger and
turmeric powder and salt and pepper to taste, bring to the boil and
simmer for half an hour. Add the lemon peel and onion and simmer for
again a half hour. Take out the chicken and reduce the liquid on high
heat to sauce thickness. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with
cilantro and serve with pilaf.
To prepare tajine,
in various countries in Africa (also
Morocco) they use a special covered clay pot also called "tajine.
The spelling sometimes varies, tagine is also one of the ways the word
is written. I used a normal pan with lid and the result was delicious.
I hope for a tajine birthday present one day, though, to perfect the
art.
|
