The best recipes often begin with someone standing beside you in the kitchen, teaching you how much garlic is enough, when the onions are perfectly golden, or what the finished dish should look like.
For my husband, Michael Hanna-Butros Meyering, those lessons came from his mother and grandmother in Egypt. These recipes are more than instructions; they are edible reminders of home.
And then there is the hummus. Our friend Tony Tayour’s homemade version, inspired by his Lebanese background, has become a party favorite and a staple at our gatherings.
Together, these recipes offer a taste of what makes Middle Eastern food so special: simple ingredients, bold flavors and, most importantly, sharing.
Egyptian Koshari
Koshari is one of Egypt’s most recognizable street foods. Rice, lentils, pasta, and chickpeas are layered with tomato sauce, garlic, vinegar, and crispy fried onions. It is inexpensive, filling, and gloriously carb-heavy—a combination that somehow works beautifully.
Michael’s favorite koshari spot was Tomm wa Basle, Arabic for “garlic and onion.” His strongest memory, however, is of his Tata (grandmother) Amal.He remembers watching her place a colander over a large bowl, pour in blended tomatoes, and press the mixture through with a large wooden spoon. The smooth tomato sauce passed through while the heavier pulp, skins, and seeds remained behind. It is a small kitchen memory, but those are often the ones that stay with us.
Chickpeas
Ingredients
• 1 cup dried chickpeas or two 15-ounce cans
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Juice of 1/2 lime
Directions
If using dried chickpeas, soak for three hours. Drain and boil for 45 to 60 minutes, until partially cooked. Drain, add fresh water and cumin, and boil another 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and add lime juice. For canned chickpeas, rinse and drain. Warm with cumin and add lime juice.
Crispy Fried Onions
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 pounds onions, about 2 large onions
• 6 tablespoons flour
• Sunflower or other neutral frying oil
• Salt, to taste
Directions
Slice onions into thin circles. Toss with flour and let rest for 30 minutes. Fry in batches until golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt. Reserve 5 tablespoons frying oil. Easily swap for bagged, crispy onions.
Lentil Rice
Ingredients
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, soaked and drained
• 2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 1/4 pounds onions, about 1 1/2 large onions
• 4 tablespoons reserved onion oil
• 4 cups water
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
Blend onions in a food processor. Heat reserved oil in a deep pot. Add onions and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until lentils begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium-low and add rice, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
Pasta
Ingredients
• 8 ounces elbow pasta
• 8 ounces dried spaghetti
• Salt, for pasta water
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break spaghetti into short pieces. Add spaghetti and elbow pasta and cook until desired firmness. Drain.
Traditional Vinegar-Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
• 2 1/4 pounds tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne pepper, optional
• 9 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Blend tomatoes. Set a colander over a large bowl and pour in tomatoes. Press and stir tomatoes against colander with wooden spoon until the smooth liquid passes through and the heavier pulp, skins, and seeds remain behind.
Melt ghee in a saucepan. Add chili flakes and cook for about 30 seconds. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomato paste and vinegar and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add strained tomatoes, cumin, coriander, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Assemble
Layer lentil rice, pasta, tomato-vinegar sauce and chickpeas. Finish with crispy onions. Serve fresh red sauce on the side.
Kofta
Kofta is familiar throughout Egypt and the broader Middle Eastern region, traditionally made with seasoned ground beef or lamb and shaped into long cylinders before grilling.
This version can be made with ground beef or plant-based meat and served with flatbread, hummus, tomatoes, and salatet zabadi (recipe below).
Ingredients
• 16 ounces ground beef or plant-based meat
• 1/2 red onion, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 wooden skewers, soaked in water
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine meat, onion, garlic, herbs, and seasonings. Divide into six equal portions. Form each around a soaked skewer, shaping into even cylinders.
Place on parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm. For additional browning, finish on a grill or grill pan for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Salatet Zabadi
In Egypt, this cucumber, yogurt, garlic, and herb mixture is called salatet zabadi, or yogurt salad. It is essentially the same family of ingredients as tzatziki, but with its own Egyptian identity.
Ingredients
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1 cup grated cucumber
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon za’atar, optional
Directions
Squeeze excess water from cucumber. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Hummus
Our friend Tony Tayour’s hummus is a way of connecting to his heritage, with his father coming from Lebanon. And now, it’s a party favorite; it is the kind of dish that disappears while everyone is still asking who made it.
The secret is simple: good chickpeas, tahini, fresh lemon, garlic, and enough reserved cooking water to create a smooth consistency.
Ingredients
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas or 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon tahini, stirred
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh herbs, red pepper, sumac, or toasted pine nuts, for garnish
Directions
If using dried chickpeas, soak overnight, rinse and cook until tender. If using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain. Boil chickpeas with additional water for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain, reserving the cooking water.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush garlic with a layer of salt until it forms a paste. Squeeze in 1/2 lemon.
Place chickpeas in a blender or food processor and add olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add garlic-lemon paste and blend again. Add tahini and blend until smooth.
Add reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add additional salt or lemon juice, if desired.
Transfer to a serving dish and create a well in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with herbs, red pepper, sumac, or toasted pine nuts.