Egyptian Fatteh

Instructions

1. 1

   Rip pita bread into bite size pieces. In a frying pan, fry the bread in 1/4 stick of butter until golden brown and crisp. Place in a glass baking dish and set aside.

2. 2

   In the same pan, add a little more butter, salt, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and a teaspoon of cumin. Stir until aromatic, then toss the fried bread pieces back in to coat before returning them to the baking dish.

3. 3

   For the meat: Brown the beef in a pot with butter. Add 1 quartered onion, salt, pepper, chicken bouillon, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for approximately 2 hours until tender. Reserve the soup/broth and the meat separately.

4. 4

   For the rice: Stir-fry the noodles in butter until golden brown. Add 2 cups of rice and stir until opaque. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and salt, then simmer covered for about 35 minutes until tender.

5. 5

   Saturate the bread pieces in the baking dish with some of the reserved meat soup. Layer the cooked rice on top and spoon more soup over the rice until it reaches the top level of the rice.

6. 6

   For the red sauce: Sauté crushed tomato, 1/2 tsp tomato paste, salt, pepper, 2 cloves crushed garlic, cumin, and 3 tablespoons of vinegar in a pan until smooth and thickened.

7. 7

   Spread the red sauce evenly over the rice layer.

8. 8

   Fry the cooked meat in a pan with butter or oil, a touch of tomato paste, 1 tbsp crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin until golden fried.

9. 9

   Spoon the fried meat atop the rice and serve.