Kushiri-A traditional Egyptian Street Food

I went to Cairo on vacation when I was single. I spent a whole day wandering around the Khan-Al-Khalili, an ancient market in the middle of town. It was totally enchanting, and I ended up eating lunch at a little stall in the market. They specialized in one dish: kushiri (pr. koo-shi-ree). When I got home, I searched the internet for several years, trying so many different recipes, until I figured out how to get it to taste like it did on the streets of Cairo. This dish has become a staple dinner in our house, and I was even pureeing it for our kids by the time they were 11-12 months old. Now it's one of their favorite dinners. It uses a lot of pots, but it's well worth it. :)

Kushiri

1 c. uncooked brown or white rice

1 c. brown lentils

1 lb. pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, macaroni or combination, whatever you've got!)

1 ½ T. olive oil, divided

2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 boxes tomato puree

½ c. water

¼ c. white vinegar

2 medium onions

Cook rice according to directions. Cook the pasta according to the directions. Rinse lentils and put them in a pot, covering them with water and bring to a boil. Then simmer on a low heat until almost all water is absorbed and lentils are well cooked (or cook in pressure cooker). Add extra water if longer time is needed. To make the sauce, first sauté the garlic in ½ of the oil until golden. Add all of the tomato sauce and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and add salt to taste. Finally, slice onion in thin, small pieces and sauté in the remaining half of the oil until brown and crispy.

To assemble, in individual serving bowls, arrange a layer of lentils on the bottom, followed by a layer of rice, then pasta, then sauce. Repeat the layers, and top with more sauce and onions before serving.

I'm pretty liberal with my oil in this recipe, I don't measure when I'm sauteeing the onions. :) I also have found that occasionally throwing a little salt on them while they're cooking makes them nice and crispy. I have started cooking the pasta first, then dumping it into another bowl to keep warm and cooking the rice in the same pot, just to reduce the number of dishes. Usually these two things take about the same amount of time as the lentils alone. In the meantime, I'm making the sauce and sauteeing the onions. Also, I realize it's a double carb with the rice and pasta and only one protein with the lentils, so you can go easy on the rice and pasta and double up on the lentils if that's better for you.

I hope you all end up loving this comfort food as much as our family does!