Egypt's answer to the ubiquitous Fatta

 

Today I thought I'd make Fatta. It's a simple dish, that is cheap to make and very filling. It's also found throughout other Middle Eastern countries, namely in the Levant area. They usually use yogurt and tahina in their versions, and often it is without rice. I will do the Egyptian version, with rice. 

It's not a dish I grew up eating--at all actually. But during a trip to Egypt many years ago, I tried it a few times (thank you Nesma), and got the recipe from my cousin's mom. 

Meal from Nubia

The history behind this dish is varied. It is found in numerous communities. In the southern area of the country, near Aswan and onwards to Sudan, are the Nubians. Though they have a shared history with Egypt, they have maintained their own culture and community over many years since the Pharaonic times. 

Even after their forced displacement ahead of the completion of the 1970 Aswan High dam (all of Old Nubia is under water), they rebuilt their communities and maintained their traditions. One of their specialty dishes is Fatta. It is usually prepared for special occasions when there are many guests, such as a marriage, or a woman's first pregnancy. Molokhia is also added to Fatta, which is one variation of the meal. 

Bedouin tradition

Outside of Nubia, fatta is eaten by the Bedouins. They are the nomadic tribes found along the western areas facing the Nile valley and in the Sinai. Fatta is also a meal cooked for special occasions that starts off with the slaughtering of a lamb, that is then boiled with spices, then layered with bread and rice. 

Introduced into Christian and Muslim traditions

For the urban and country dwellers, fatta is eaten by both Christians and Muslims as the first main meal following a major fast. So for Orthodox Coptic Christians, after fasting for 40 days for Advent, fatta is eaten right after Christmas midnight mass. 

For Muslims, following a month of fasting, fatta is one of the main dishes eaten at the festival, Eid al-Fitr (Festival of breaking the fast), which marks the end of Ramadan. 

Easy peasy

Regardless of the origin, the main staples are: bread, meat, and rice. The word Fatta is arabic for crumbs, which may refer to the breaking of the bread in the dish. It's a dish that requires very few ingredients, and is layered depending on how many guests are attending. The main flavouring comes from the seasoned meat and also from the dressing made with garlic and white vinegar. 

Some variations in Egypt include tomato sauce, but I like the simplicity of this version. One of the keys to this meal is getting along with your friend butter: 

You and butter will make this dish tastier. Which is probably why you don't want to eat this meal too often. Yes, oil can also be used; but why choose oil when butter is right there? 

As with before, I would stay away from instant rice, as you want the starchier kind to soak up the flavouring from the broth and the dressing. When I made this dish for feasting, there were only two of us. So I didn't have a chance to slaughter my own little lamb. Instead I used lamb chops and it worked out splendidly.

The recipe should be good for four people though and you can use any animal of your choice.

RECIPE

Total Preparation time: 25 mins (not including stock preparation) Yield: 4 persons 

INGREDIENTS: 

Broth

stewing meat (lamb, beef) or chicken (enough for at least four people to eat) 

1 cinnamon stick 

1 star anise (optional)

1 quartered and peeled onion 

Handful of salt, peppercorn 

1-2 bay leaves 

Bread

2 small loaves of pita bread cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons of butter 

Rice

2 cups of Egyptian or Italian (aborio) 

2 cups of water 1 teaspoon salt (or more depending on taste) 

1 teaspoon butter (unsalted) 

Dressing

2-3 cloves of garlic, mashed a little 

white vinegar 

2 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil) 

DIRECTIONS: 

Broth

1. Add meat of choice into big pot.

2. Add spices (cinnamon, anise), onion, salt, pepper.

3. Leave on medium heat to cook until meat is tender and broth is flavourful (about 40 - 60 minutes).

Bread

4. Take meat out and break into small pieces .

5. Cut-up or tear pieces of pita bread. 

6. In a small frying pan, melt butter and fry bread until it is golden and crispy. 

7. Set aside 

Rice

8. Measure out the rice and rinse the excess starch under warm water. (water should run practically clear)

9. Add water, butter and salt to a pot and set to high heat.

10.  Once the water is boiling, add the rice and stir. 

 

11. Cover the pot with a lid and set the heat to low. It should finish cooking within 15-20 minutes.

 

Dressing

12. In a small pot, melt butter and add mashed garlic. 

13. When garlic starts to change colour (not burned!) add vinegar. 

14. Turn down heat and allow vinegar mixture to simmer a little (2-3 minutes).  

15. Add about half a cup of stock to vinegar mixture .

Layering 

16. In a deep dish, add bread to the bottom. 

17. Add about half a cup of stock on top. 

18. Add about 1.5 cups of rice, and pat down. 

19. Pour a few tablespoons of dressing over the rice. 

20. Repeat process until the rice is done. 

21. Add the meat on top, pour remaining dressing and a bit more stock 

22. Eat! 

Let's be honest, it's not an attractive looking meal. In fact, most Egyptian dishes are not attractive, but they are simple and tasty. But if you like garnishing or pretty plates, you can try to dress it up a little. Otherwise one bite of this and you'll see why you don't need to make it pretty. The tanginess of the vinegar and garlic mixed with the flavourful broth and crisp bread and salty rice make this dish wonderfully tasty and satisfying And simple. And filling. And cheap.