The Mystique of Egypt – Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Foul (Ful) and Koshari (Koshary)
In a Mood for Egypt – FUL MEDAMES (Foul)
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Egyptian Breakfast of Ful (Foul)
One of Egypt’s most popular, national dishes: Ful Medames. A truly delicious Egyptian break-fast with fava beans, lentils, chopped boiled eggs, garlic, onions, tahini, lemon, pickled vegetables served with Ful bread. Brought to you by the one, the only, amazing Anthony Bourdain.
In a Mood for Egypt – Koshari
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Egyptian Meal of Koshari
Koshari is very similar to Foul. Rice, Spaghetti, Black Lentils, Chickpeas, Fried Onions.
Anthony Bourdain, traveling chef extraordinaire. Anthony will take you on unforgettable trips to unimaginable places. His life is a culinary fairytale. Click HERE to see a selection of his books on Amazon. Special Favorites: A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach
Don’t ask me why, but this dish captured my memory and my heart the first time I saw it over a year ago. It stuck with me. That’s the power of Anthony Bourdain.
I’ve gradually collected the following items as if through osmosis without effort or thought:
* can of fava beans
* onions
* eggs for boiling
* seasonings
* spices
* rice
* noodles
It’s been in my dreams…
It might have been the vibrant energy of the street vendors… somehow the sights and sounds of Egyptian carts come threw the screen and you imagine the air fragrant and alive with sound and movement.
In all the excitement of these shows, I had mixed TWO Bourdain Egyptian recipes into one.
The first recipe is for Ful or Foul with fava beans and chili, oil, lemons, chopped eggs and plenty of Egytian flat bread.
~~~
The other recipe is for Koshary – an extremely popular dish of rice, noodles, garbanzo beans, lentils, special seasonings and plenty of oily fried onions. Heavenly. They are similar, and yet not…
Combined, the ideal Foul/Koshary Union would consist of the following authentic layers:
A wonderful cookbook with genuinely authentic recipes from Egypt; simple and easy to prepare.
Cooked Rice
Cooked Vermicelli
Mashed Boiled Fava Beans
Black Lentils
Spicy Red Sauce
Red Pepper
Cumin
Cardamon
dash cinnamon
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Rich, oily fried Onions
Chop Boiled Egg
Other Seasonings
Spicy Lemon Sauce with Black Pepper
Serve with Brown Flat Bread – Fresh and Hot
These incredible dishes have nourished nations.
~~~
Here’s my perfect Foul-Koshary Recipe
Directions
Incredibly delicious, filling, rich and nutritious – Feeds 20 for about $5.00
Wash and gently boil the following, separately:
* Rice with dash of butter and natural salt till fluffy separate Vermicelli until soft, drain and toss with oil and salt
* Fava beans until tender, then mash till lumpy (Canned, drained, simmered for 10 minutes is fine)
* Black Lentils until tender Garbanzo beans (canned, drained and simmered for 10 minutes is fine)
Simmer a sauce of tomato paste, dash chili powder, vinegar (adds sour, your choice), cumin, cardamon, tiny dash cinnamon, black pepper, salt, Olive Oil.
Season to taste. Add several cloves of garlic if you wish. Garlic is more Moroccan than Egyptian, they say.
Thinly slice and finely chop onions, fry in plenty of your favorite oil (mine is Organic filtered Peanut Oil) until brown and crisp – they will make your cooking area smell divine
Slice a boiled egg into thin slivers and cut crossways
Fresh slices lemon or lime
Red pepper spice, Black Pepper
Layer your small tub, bowl or dish as follows:
2 heaping tbsps Rice
2 heaping tbsps Vermicelli
1 heaping tbsp Lentils
1 tbsp Dash Red Sauce
2 tbsps Dashes Lumpy fava bean gravy
1 heaping tbsp sprinkling of tender chickpeas (garbanzos)
1 tbsp Dash Red Sauce Dash Red Sauce
Giant heaping tbsp (Plenty!) of Onion Bits with Delicious Oil
(Use organic oil so you don’t feel guilty)
(Don’t worry – oil is only 100 calories a tablespoon,
so a teaspoon is only 33 calories)
Top with heaping tsp of chopped egg
Perhaps squeeze of lime or lemon, dash black pepper
Serve with small chunk of flat brown bread
This dish will lodge in your stomach like a mortar and last you the entire day. You should feel sustained and strong.
If you ate this everyday, you would live long enough to build… a pyramid! These dishes are beloved in Egypt, where they originated from India and were adapted to Egyptian tastes and palates. The Brits call the Indian dish, Kitcheree.
NOTE
Separate out the fava bean stew and serve with bread, sauce, fried onions, boiled eggs and plenty of warm flat brown bread. Yummm Oh, as Rachel Ray would say! : )
Meanwhile, while I drool, it’s late. Off to bed… dreaming of Anthony Bourdain and his immemorable trip to Egypt.
Check out this video by the Egyptian restaurant (AbuTarek.com) visited by Anthony Bourdain HERE .
Cheers!
Original: Aug 18, 2009 – Updated Since : )