Egyptian Fatteh

Method14 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Tear the pita into bite-sized pieces. Melt two tablespoons from the measured quarter-cup butter supply in a frying pan, add all the pita pieces and fry until golden and crisp. Keep the remaining two tablespoons butter available for the later bread seasoning, meat browning and rice stages.

   Uses 1 Pita Bread · 2 tbsp from the ¼ cup butter supply

2. 2

   Step 2: Move all the actual crisp pita pieces into a glass serving dish, preferably square, and hold ready.

   Uses All actual fried pita

3. 3

   Step 3: Peel and crush the first two garlic cloves. Add a little of the remaining available butter to the same frying pan with the bread-seasoning salt, these two crushed cloves and the first teaspoon ground cumin. Stir until fragrant, return all the actual fried pita and toss to coat, then put the complete seasoned bread back in the serving dish.

   Uses All actual fried pita · A little from the remaining butter supply · First 2 garlic cloves · First 1 tsp from the tablespoon cumin supply · Salt for bread seasoning, to taste

4. 4

   Step 4: Cut all the stew beef into chunks and peel and quarter the onion (1). Brown all the beef in a pot with some of the remaining available butter. Add all the quartered onion, beef-simmer salt and pepper, chicken bouillon cube and enough beef-simmer water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a gentle simmer for about two hours, until the beef is fully cooked and tender, at least 63°C / 145°F.

   Simmer beef until fully cooked and tender · 120 minUses 1 lb beef stew meat, cut into chunks in step 4 · 1 Onion · 1 Chicken Stock Cube · Some of the remaining butter supply for beef browning · Salt for beef simmer, to taste · Black pepper for beef simmer, to taste · Water to cover beef during simmering, as needed

5. 5

   Step 5: Let the fully cooked beef rest for three minutes until easier to handle, then lift all its chunks into a bowl and keep them warm. Reserve the actual hot cooking broth separately for moistening the bread and rice.

   Rest fully cooked beef before lifting out · 3 minUses All actual cooked beef and broth

6. 6

   Step 6: Melt some of the remaining available butter in a separate rice pot. Stir in all the dry fideo noodles until deeply golden without burning. Add both cups uncooked short-grain rice and stir until some grains turn opaque white.

   Uses Some of the remaining available butter for rice and noodles · ¼ cup dry fideo/shareya noodles · 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the measured two-and-a-quarter cups rice water (2¼ cups) and the separate rice salt to the actual toasted rice and noodles. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to a gentle simmer, checking tenderness after about thirty-five minutes.

   Simmer rice before its first tenderness check · 35 minUses All actual toasted rice-noodle mix · 2¼ cups water for rice · Salt for rice, to taste

8. 8

   Step 8: Check the actual rice after about thirty-five minutes. If it is still firm, continue covered cooking; if the pan is drying before the rice is tender, add only enough conditional extra hot water to finish it. Keep cooking until the rice is tender and the cooking water is absorbed.

   Uses All actual rice and fideo · Additional hot water if rice is still firm and drying before tender, only as needed

9. 9

   Step 9: Spoon some actual reserved hot beef broth over the seasoned pita to moisten it. Layer all the actual cooked rice and noodles over the bread, then spoon more actual broth over the rice until it is well moistened and the broth reaches about the rice top, stopping before it floods the dish and keeping excess broth separately.

   Uses All actual seasoned pita · Actual reserved broth as needed to moisten layers, retaining excess · All actual cooked rice and noodles

10. 10

    Step 10: Wash both tomatoes (2) and blend or crush them into a smooth puree, keeping the actual tomato puree ready for the red sauce.

    Uses 2 Tomatoes

11. 11

    Step 11: Peel and crush the remaining two garlic cloves. Heat only a little of the available olive oil in a pan, then add all the actual fresh tomato puree (½ tsp), half teaspoon from the available tomato paste, these two garlic cloves, the second teaspoon cumin, all the white vinegar (About 3 tbsp) and separate sauce salt and pepper. Cook and stir until fragrant, smooth, hot and a little thick, holding the remaining oil and paste separately.

    Uses All actual pureed tomatoes · A little from the available olive-oil supply · ½ tsp from the tablespoon tomato-paste supply · Remaining 2 garlic cloves · Second 1 tsp from the tablespoon cumin supply · About 3 tbsp white vinegar for tomato sauce · Salt for tomato sauce, to taste · Black pepper for tomato sauce, to taste

12. 12

    Step 12: If the actual cooked red sauce is too thick to spread, stir in a little of the separate conditional thinning water. Spread the complete actual sauce over the already layered bread and rice.

    Uses All actual cooked red sauce · The complete actual layered bread and rice dish · A little water for thick tomato sauce, only if needed

13. 13

    Step 13: Heat only a little more of the same available olive oil in a separate frying pan. Add all the actual cooked beef chunks, a small touch from the remaining tomato-paste supply, the separate additional tablespoon crushed fresh garlic, the final teaspoon cumin and separate final-meat salt and pepper. Fry until the actual cooked beef is golden and thoroughly hot, keeping any unused oil, butter and tomato paste separately.

    Uses All actual cooked meat chunks, separate from broth · A little more from the same available olive-oil supply · A small touch from remaining tomato-paste supply, keeping excess · About 1 tbsp additional crushed fresh garlic for final meat frying · Final 1 tsp from the tablespoon cumin supply · Salt for final meat fry, to taste · Black pepper for final meat fry, to taste

14. 14

    Step 14: Spoon all the actual golden-fried cooked beef over the prepared tomato-sauce-topped bread and rice and serve the complete layered fattah hot.

    Uses All actual layered bread, rice and sauce · All actual finished beef topping