Egyptian Fattah with Beef and Garlic Tomato Sauce
Fattah is built in layers: toasted baladi bread on the bottom, rice over it, then a garlic-and-vinegar tomato sauce, and boiled beef with its stock on top. The trick is pouring the sauce onto the bread while it's hot, right before serving, so it stays crisp underneath and soft above.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Calories
- 610
Photo: روتانا — CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fattah is Egypt's Eid dish, and it is really a study in layers: each one has a job, and the order is what separates crisp fattah from a soggy tray.
الوصفة بالفيديو 2:15 min
Method
-
1
Cook the beef
Simmer the beef with the onion, cardamom, bay leaves and salt until tender, skimming the foam. Keep the stock.
⏱ 75 min -
2
Toast the bread
Fry the bread squares in ghee, or bake them at 200°C, until golden and crisp.
⏱ 12 min 🔥 200°C - 3
-
4
The sauce
Fry the garlic in a spoon of ghee, add the tomato paste, then the grated tomatoes and salt. Let it thicken, add the vinegar at the end, and take it off after a minute.
⏱ 15 min -
5
Assembly
In a deep tray: toasted bread, two ladles of hot stock over it, then the rice, then half the sauce, then the beef, and the rest of the sauce. Serve immediately.
⏱ 5 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Don't pour the stock on the bread early — two minutes before serving, no more.
- Toasting the bread in the oven is lighter than frying and just as crisp.
- Add an extra garlic clove to the sauce if you like it sharp.
People also ask
Why did my fattah go soggy?
The bread absorbed too much stock, or the tray stood too long. Add the stock gradually and serve the moment it's assembled.
Can I make it with chicken?
Yes, and it's lighter and quicker. Poach the chicken the same way and use its stock.
What do I do with the leftover stock?
Serve it alongside in a cup — people like to add more — or keep it for cooking rice later.
Cook mode
Egyptian Fattah with Beef and Garlic Tomato Sauce
-
1
Cook the beef
Simmer the beef with the onion, cardamom, bay leaves and salt until tender, skimming the foam. Keep the stock.
-
2
Toast the bread
Fry the bread squares in ghee, or bake them at 200°C, until golden and crisp.
-
3
The rice
Cook the rice in the beef stock instead of water — it gives a far deeper flavour.
-
4
The sauce
Fry the garlic in a spoon of ghee, add the tomato paste, then the grated tomatoes and salt. Let it thicken, add the vinegar at the end, and take it off after a minute.
-
5
Assembly
In a deep tray: toasted bread, two ladles of hot stock over it, then the rice, then half the sauce, then the beef, and the rest of the sauce. Serve immediately.
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