Around the World in 80 Days - Egypt

Phileas Fogg and his companion Passepartout left the fish and chips behind in London and started their world-wide adventure by rail, catching a ride on the renowned Orient Express. Across the French Alps, and to Venice then to Brindisi where they catch a steamer across the Mediterranean Sea. You can image waking up to the stunning view of Suez, Egypt and here is where Phileas decides a walk through the markets shopping for authentic Egyptian food might do the trick. Of course, Passepartout carries with him the only essential in their bags—Toastilla. 

The Koshari

Koshary is a popular dish in Egypt, made of pasta, rice tomato sauce and a variety of other beans and veggies. It may have a lot of ingredients, but it is inexpensive, aromatic and delicious. Wrapped in a Toastilla Fogg and Passepartout have the opportunity to explore more than they had planned. 

For this recipe we recommend you make Koshary ahead of time and add it to your Toastilla as a mid-day snack.

Ingredients:

• Tortilla
• 2 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked
• oz. brown lentils, rinsed
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup cooked basmati rice
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups canola oil
• ¼ cup flour

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• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• Plain Greek yogurt. 

Directions:

• Cook macaroni; set aside.
• Put lentils and 4 cups water into a 2-qt. saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 20 minutes. Season lentils with salt, drain, and transfer to a bowl along with rice and chickpeas; set aside.

• Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Put flour into a bowl, add onions, and toss to coat. Working in 2 batches, add onions to hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to paper towels to drain; reserve oil.

• Spoon 4 tbsp. oil from skillet into a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin, cayenne, and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and vinegar and bring to a simmer; cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat.

• To serve, spoon mixture onto center of a tortilla, fold and toast. 

​We like to dip the Koshary Toastilla into plain yogurt which evens out some of the flavor of the Koshary and adds a bit of tang. If you thought Fogg’s trip to Egypt was full of flavor, just wait until he lands in Bombay and the world of curries.