Egyptian Fatta

Fattaj meaning crushed or crumbs, Fatta is an Egyptian and Levantine dish consisting

fried crispy traditional bread, white rice, garlic, vinegar and meat all cooked with natural ghee.

Where did Fatteh come from?

Fatteh is a unique, historical dish that originates in Egypt and the southern part of what is called the Levant. In an area that includes Damascus, Beirut and Jordan, fatteh has been served for centuries - at royal dinners as well as in the homes of hard working farmers

Fatta is a rich dish that encompasses multiple layers of flavors and textures .

1.Bread

Egyptian whole wheat bread is toasted and added as the first layer of Fatta.

I like to season the bread with some sumac, paprika, and pepper. Yet, seasoning the bread is both optional and unorthodox.

You can just toast it without any seasoning and it would be fine.

2.Rice

Traditionally, Egyptians use Egyptian short grain rice .

For fluffy rice, fry the rice for a couple of minutes first in the hot fat (ghee, butter, or oil), before you add the hot broth. Bring it to a vigorous boil for 5 minutes, lower the heat and then let it cook for another 7-10 minutes covered with a tea towel wrapped around the rice pot lid. Uncover the pot when the cooking time is over, add some hot water or hot broth, like 3 tablespoons, and cover again after your turn off the heat. That last step will ensure that the rice remains fluffy and doesn’t get sticky.

3. Meat

You can either use lamb or beef for your Egyptian Fatta. The meat serves two purposes in this dish. 1- It is slowly simmered to yield the broth, 2- The meat chunks are served on top of the Fatta.

Using bone-in meat cuts enrichs the flavor and texture of the broth.

4.Broth

The meat broth is by far the foundation of this dish.

In multiple ways, a flavors-laden broth is fundamental to cook and impart its flavors into the meat, rice, and the tomato-vinegar sauce.

To elevate the broth flavor, sear your meat, onions, and garlic on all sides until they brown.

Add HOT water and NOT tap water as hot water eliminates the gamey taste in the meat and leads to a flavorsome result.

Skim with a serving spoon the foam that rises to the surface of the broth, while it simmers, to ensure a clean taste.

5. “Tashet el Toum”:

Garlic-vinegar Sauce

This garlic sauce spikes the flavor of the rice and the bread. It is simply a generous amount of garlic fried in hot ghee or butter and then splashed with some white vinegar followed with a ladle of the meat broth that we just made earlier

Using fresh tomato juice takes this sauce to the second level. That said, you can still use the store-bought one and it would be fine.

For fresh tomato juice/puree, blend 4-5 ripe fresh tomatoes with 1-1 1/2 cups of water in a blender.

Adding 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to the tomato juice, enhances the tomato flavor and gives it more depth.

Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, taste, and adjust the seasoning

Is there any other types of Fatta?

There are two main varieties of fatteh - Levantine and Egyptian. The Levantine version is traditionally topped with yogurt, chickpeas, olive oil, and cumin. After the main toppings, Levantine fatteh can additionally be topped with chicken, lamb, or pine nuts