It's a long, long way from Hawaii to Italy. Living in the land of pasta, pizza, and wine is everything that you might imagine, but one thing remains true. You can take the girl out of the island but you can't take the island out of the girl
Sunday, November 15, 2009
I made it to Abou Tarek and back
That's what I'd have written on a tshirt if I ever had the chance to visit Abou Tarek in Cairo. Just stick me in a taxi with a speedy egyptian driver so I can make like Tony Bourdain and sample one of Egypt's favorite fast foods: kushari.
Pyramid souvenirs? Toy camels? Nefertiti figurines? Thanks, but I'll pass. Please give me a bowl of kushari (also spelled koshari or koshary) — a carb-loaded, gut-busting concoction of rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas that's seasoned with tomato sauce and garlicky vinegar. Its huge appeal among all social levels in Egypt deems it a national comfort food, but the overall appearance - not anything that would persuade me to order it off a menu - gave the impression of a pasta salad on steroids. The youtube clip of Bourdain's trek to the popular eatery was so intriguing that I had to try recreating it at home. What a meal! It's unlikely that Egypt will ever be in our travels, so a taste of this curious dish is the closest that I'll ever get to King Tut and spitting camels.
The ingredients are very straightforward, but I was still inclined to put a magnifying glass to any relevant photos on Flickr. In a couple of images the pasta looked like a mix of spaghetti and ditalini (short tube pasta), but most recipes will call for macaroni. All of the components, from what I could tell, are served at room temperature. The key parts to kushari are the caramelized onion garnish and the sauces. One was described as a savory tomato sauce (Bourdain thought it tasted of cumin) while the other is vinegar with garlic. I used plain tomato sauce and made my own flavored vinegar with a couple of smashed garlic cloves left to sit overnight in white wine vinegar. Potent smells coming from that bottle!
The special spice touch
Wanting more of a sensational experience on the tastebuds, I blended an egyptian spice mix. Baharat is a middle eastern seasoning and a recipe on Jaime Oliver's website mentioned it being good as a condiment on rice. Paprika, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, ginger - this is serious stuff, and I suggest sprinkling a small amount at first. The layering of kushari - rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, caramelized onions - is all that needs to be done just before serving. Add the desired amount of tomato sauce and garlic vinegar (don't forget the baharat!), mix & eat.
