Egyptian Fatteh

Video

Preparation

1. For the bread base, tear the pita into bite-sized pieces and fry in about ¼ 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.
2. 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 out the meat chunks into a bowl and reserve the broth separately.
3. 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 2¼ cups water and salt. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer until tender, testing after about 35 minutes.
4. Spoon some of the reserved broth over the bread in the dish to saturate it, then add the cooked rice on top. Slowly spoon over more broth until it reaches just to the top of the rice.
5. For the red sauce, heat a little oil or butter in a pan with the crushed tomatoes, ½ 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 too thick, then spread over the rice.
6. 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.