Wow! What a sensational match with Ronaldo scoring an amazing free kick to seal his hat-trick and clinch a draw against Spain- what a guy!
If you are feeling like a Spanish meal after that- you should check out my recommended Spanish Tortilla recipe from the 2014 World Cup Dinners here:
For today’s World Cup Dinner however, I head to the African nation of Egypt to celebrate the Pharaohs’ match with Uruguay which ended disappointingly for them with a late defeat.
Even thought their star man Mo Salah was missing due to injury, the Egyptians seemed to be the better team, though there was a sting in the tail when Gimenez scored a late winner for the South Americans.
This is the Egypt’s first appearance at the World Cup since Italia ’90, and to celebrate I made their national dish Koshari- a pretty crazy concoction consisting of Rice, Macaroni and Vermicelli topped with a spicy tomato sauce, chickpeas and crispy onions!
The immensely popular street-food dish has found some international recognition recently as the hyped-up Egyptian king of foods, making a grand entrance in the super popular London eatery Koshari Street.
I enjoyed the meal, though it is mega carb-y, so not one to have too late at night.
Enjoy!
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 cup small macaroni
- 1 cup broken up vermicelli (or spaghetti)
- 1 cup medium grain rice, soaked (I used basmati).
- 1 cup brown lentils (I used a micro pack of Puy Lentils)
- 1000ml chicken stock
For the Sauce:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 can unseasoned tomato sauce.
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- Spice blend ( ½ teaspoon of cumin, black pepper, coriander, clove, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg)
- Salt to taste
For the Garnish:
- Crispy onions
- 1 Can Chickpeas (boiled)
Method:
Kusahri:
- Boil the rice in the chicken stock, as per instructions on pack.
- Boil the macaroni in salted water till cooked al dente.
- Cook the vermicelli by adding boiled water for 2 minutes.
- Microwave the brown lentils.
- Once cooked, fry the rice and lentils in a pan with a tablespoon of oil.
Tomato Sauce:
- Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil, add the garlic and spice blend, and cook briefly, being careful not to burn. 30-45 seconds should do it.
- Add tomato sauce to the pan and cook for a further 15 minutes or so to thicken the sauce.
- Stir in the juice of 2 lemons, and some salt to taste.
To serve:
- Fluff the rice and lentils with a fork, then transfer to your serving platter.
- Top with the vermicelli, and then the macaroni.
- Top that with the tomato sauce.
- Finally add the crispy onions and chickpeas.
Enjoy with a nice green salad and glass of mint tea!
World Cup Dinners 