Koshari/ Kosheri - An Egyptian Delight

Being bought up in Dubai, I know a long list of dishes from different cuisines which I am yet to try. I always like to experiment once I try the authentic homemade ones so that I can figure out the real taste, which is not always practical for all the dishes I try. I have always seen this dish where ever I go in Dubai, a place where you have access to all sorts of cuisines. Alhamdulilah. We were neighbors to Egyptians a decade ago, they used to serve us their delicacy; stuffed grapevine leaves. But I never got to taste Kosheri, yet their whole house smells of this dish. When I cooked this I felt nostalgic of the childhood memories, when they used to open their door this smell used to gush into our noses. I was not too much into food when I was a child, always a picky eater. Don't ask when I developed a fondness towards food. 😄

So recently when I went for a gathering where all sorts of nationalities were assembled, a dear friend introduced me to Koshari. Was I delighted to try the authentic, homemade Koshari? I loved it! Couldn't wait to try it at home already. My dear friends helped me with the type of rice to look for in stores. I bought it the same day and tried it for Friday lunch. It was awesome indeed. I made a salmon side dish to go along with it.

Now lets come back to Koshari. Koshari is not only fun to say, but it is also definitely fun to cook too, with basic pantry ingredients, this dish defines how basic ingredients can form into a delicious and scrumptious meal. This humble bowl of comfort food might not seem very TASTY to the sight but the flavors that come from combining the tomato gravy and fried onions that has a vinegar hint to it (which I am usually not fond of) is out-of-the-world good.

Like I said, was I veracious when I said I wanted to try authentic Kosheri, I definitely said that because it-is-a-big-deal! Story ahead... Last week when I was roaming around Carrefour and I was dead hungry I came across Koshari and I bought it expecting it to be okayish. But when I tasted I felt so bad since the taste was not even up to the mark to say an okay. It was bitter. So next time you try from such stalls etc don't expect you can get the authentic taste. Here I have tried my take to replicate the one I tried from the gathering and I must say, it is very light on the tummy and addictive. 👌👌😋 Try my version and let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Ps: My hubsy cannot have anything vegetarian on its own, hence the salmon with coriander-butter sauce happened to show up🤣

Ingredients:

For the Rice:

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

2 Cups Calrose Rice
2 cup Dark Brown Lentil
1/2 cup angel hair pasta
1 small onion diced

1/4 cup oil
3 cup water 

1 chicken/veg stock cube

Salt

For the sauce:
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
Salt as required

For the dressing :
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt as required
2 minced garlic

Assembling Ingredients:
2 cups small elbow pasta cooked
1 cup chickpeas cooked
1/2 kg Onions sliced
Salt
1-2 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions:

• Immerse the 1/2 kg sliced onions in white vinegar. Cover and set aside for 1 hour.
• Now in the 2 cups crushed tomatoes add the ingredients mentioned under *for the sauce*. Mix, cover and put them on a medium flame till it boils and once boiled, put them on simmer for 10 mins.
  
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• To make the dressing, in a different bowl, mix the ingredients under the sub *for the dressing*. Give a good mix and set aside.
  
• Rinse the onions soaking in vinegar in cold water and drain off excess water. Now fry them in a deep pan with oil, check if the oil is hot enough and fry until the onion becomes a little more than golden brown but not dark brown.
  
  
  
  
• While the onions are frying, in a deep bottom vessel boil the dark brown lentil with some salt. 
  
• Next, boil the elbow pasta and check the tomato sauce in between and give a stir.
  
• In another vessel, let's boil the water with salt and Chicken/Veg stock (Optional) which will be used for boiling the rice and angel hair pasta.
• Next, sautee the diced onions in little oil and some salt, and once translucent add the angel hair pasta and stir fry for about a minute and add the calrose Egyptian rice and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Now add the boiling stock water to it. Once the water is bubbling, put the flame on simmer and let it get cooked covered for about 10-12 minutes.
  
  
  
  

• It's now time to plate! The most interesting part. First onto a serving plate put the rice and angel hair pasta mix first, top it with the boil dark brown lentils. Unto that add the cooked chickpeas and pour in the yummy tangy sauce and sprinkle the crispy fried onions on top.
• When serving, drizzle the dressing over the Kosheri and you are ready to feast on!😋

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PS: The recipe might seem a bit complicated, rather a lot of dishes to do but all that effort was well worth in the end. My family approved! 😃

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Chinese Take away style

Kung Pao Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 Cup soy sauce, divided
• 2 tsp cornstarch, divided
• 300 gm chicken breast, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1/4 Cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1-2 dry red chilli 
• 1 tsp  red chilli sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp peri peri sauce
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 green onions, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup Chopped peanuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Whisk until smooth then add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate 15 minutes.
2. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 teaspoons cornstarch, chicken broth, red chilli sauce, Sriracha sauce, and peri peri sauce. Whisk until evenly combined.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add chicken and cook until golden and almost cooked through about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Add more oil, if necessary, and add the bell pepper. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the dry red chillies  
5. Return chicken to skillet and pour in sauce. Stir to combine and bring mixture to a low simmer. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in green onions and peanuts. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Chicken Piccata

Looking for a lip-smacking side dish to along with your pasta or rice? This is the perfect side dish especially if you love Italian cuisine. I love love love Italian cuisine. I just cannot sum up how much I love Italian. Italian food is what made me love cooking in my teens. I just love how beautiful and aromatic it is when minced garlic is sautéed in butter or olive oil. My little brother just cannot wait on his legs when I start any dish starting with sautéing garlic in butter. He just doesn't leave until and unless he gets to eat it and I just get mad when I get interrupted while cooking, and he will come back every other minute to check if it is done to eat. Lol.

The chicken breast is cut lengthwise or in a butterfly shape and floured and then fried in olive oil to golden perfection. A sauce made from garlic-lemon-butter is poured over the chicken to make it slurpy good. The juice from the chicken gets combined in the buttery sauce when the sauce bubbles on a low flame for a minute or two. I know you might think, who has the time to make a side dish let alone a main dish. But I assure you this won't take much of your time, it is super easy. It only took me about 15 minutes only to make this. And the Mr. loved it. Alhamdulillah. The 15 minutes was worth it if you know what I mean. 😉 All a wife wants is a happy husband. ❤️

This juicy chicken can be served hot with pasta, rice or roasted veggies. This recipe is just too good yet so easy. This Chicken Piccata is going to be a family favorite in no time. I served it with some brown fried rice. The recipe of brown fried rice is on the blog.

Ingredients

For The Chicken:
2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts halved lengthwise to make 4
2 tablespoons flour (all purpose)
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Cracked pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro/parsley

For The Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons butter 
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth (stock)
1/3 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice - juice of 1 lemon (adjust to your tastes)

Instructions:

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the egg and parmesan cheese and cilantro. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in the flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted and the pan is hot. Dip the floured chicken into the egg mixture and fry the chicken until golden on each side and cooked through and no longer pink (about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate.
3. Add the garlic to the oil in the pan, add butter if required and fry until fragrant (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the broth. 
4. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer; season with salt and pepper to your taste; add in the parmesan cheese. Continue cooking gently for about 2 minutes until thicker. (If the sauce is too runny for your liking, add the cornstarch/water mixture into the centre of the pan and mix through fast to combine into the sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately).
5. Pour in the lemon juice, allow to simmer for a further minute to combine. Add the chicken back into the pan, allow to simmer gently in the sauce for about a minute to soak up all of the flavors in the sauce.

Serve with the sauce over pasta, steamed vegetables, white rice. Top with lemon slices and parsley.

Notes:

• You can make this chicken without using an egg instead you may just pat it in flour.
• You can make it more crumbly by using bread crumbs after the chicken is dipped in the egg/flour mixture.
• The parmesan cheese gives it a more cheesy flavor you may always avoid it; it becomes a classic delicious chicken Piccata.
• You may also make it creamy by adding heavy cream/Evaporated milk. 
• Use tender Chicken Breast for best results. It will be super juicy or you may always brine it. 
• Pound the chicken breast if it is too thick or else the inside of the chicken will not get done. 
• Be careful when you add salt, remember the stock already has salt in it.