Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Egyptian fatteh: layers of crisp fried pita, fragrant rice and slow-cooked beef soaked in savoury broth, finished with a garlicky tomato vinegar sauce.
Egyptian fatteh is built in layers: crisp fried bread, fluffy rice and slow-cooked beef, all brought together with a sharp garlic and tomato sauce. You make each part separately, then assemble so every layer drinks in the rich beef broth. It is hearty, generous food, the kind that fills a table and gets everyone reaching in.
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Prep 30 min
Cook 150 min
Total 180 min
Hard
Scale:
- 1lb Beef
- 1 Onion
- 1 Chicken Stock Cube
- 2 Tomatoes
- 4 Garlic Clove
- 1 tbs Tomato Puree
- 2 cups Rice
- 1/4 cup Noodles
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 2 cups Olive Oil
- 1 Pita Bread
- 1 tbs Cumin
- 3 tbs White Wine Vinegar
- To taste Salt
- To taste Pepper
Preparation
- For the bread base, tear the pita into bite-sized pieces and fry in about a quarter stick of butter until golden and crisp, then put in a glass baking dish and set aside. Add a little more butter to the same pan with salt, 2 crushed garlic cloves and a teaspoon of cumin, stir until fragrant, then return the fried bread, stir to coat and put back in the dish.
- For the meat, melt some butter in a pot, stir-fry the beef until browned, then add 1 quartered onion, salt and pepper, the chicken stock cube and water to cover. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, until tender, about 2 hours. Once cooled, lift the meat chunks into a bowl and keep the broth separately.
- For the rice, melt some butter in a pot, add a handful of fideo noodles and stir until golden. Add the 2 cups of rice and stir until some grains turn opaque white, then add 2 and a quarter cups water and salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until tender, checking after about 35 minutes.
- Spoon some of the reserved broth over the bread in the dish to saturate it, then add the cooked rice on top. Spoon over more broth slowly until it reaches just to the top of the rice.
- For the red sauce, heat a little oil or butter in a pan with the crushed tomatoes, half a tsp tomato paste, salt, pepper, 2 crushed garlic cloves, cumin and about 3 tablespoons vinegar. Stir until fragrant and slightly thickened, adding a little water if it gets too thick, then spread over the rice.
- To finish, fry the reserved meat in a little butter or oil with a touch of tomato paste, a tablespoon of crushed garlic, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of cumin until golden, then spoon over the top and serve.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Toast the torn pita in butter until it is genuinely crisp. It needs to stand up to the broth without dissolving the moment it lands.
- Give the beef time. A low, slow simmer of a couple of hours is what gets it to fall apart.
- Add the warm broth over the bread and rice gradually, letting each layer absorb it before you spoon on more.
- Be generous with the garlicky vinegar sauce. Its sharpness is what cuts through all that richness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamb is traditional here and excellent, while chicken gives a lighter dish. Adjust the simmering time to suit the cut you use.
Classic pita or any flatbread does the job. Day-old bread fries up especially crisp, so it is a good way to use it up.
Its sharp, garlicky bite balances the richness of the broth-soaked bread and rice. It is the signature note of fatteh.
Yes, cook the beef and broth a day ahead, then assemble and warm everything through just before serving so the bread keeps some bite.
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