Kushari/karkade recipe

I have watched people gobbling kushari so many times in the fast food places in downtown Cairo, but I confess that I have never eaten it myself yet. All of the ingredients are things that I eat, so it might be quite good.

Do you ever eat it, Mark?

K2, Thursday nights are non-cooking nights for me. So I always nip to the souk and buy the falafel type sandwiches or kushari, depending on what the kids fancy. So, yes, usually every one or two weeks I'll have a bowl full.
Bixa, she does make it quite simple, which is why I said about the idiots guide. I'm not a fan of watching cooking videos either but she seems to be about the only one I've seen who makes it in the 'proper' way.
On the karkade video she mentioned about how the drink was widespread and familiar in many countries, usually because it was brought from Egypt to Spain to the new world. You probably caught that bit.

With the kushari stuff here it is normally served with a small bowl in which is a blow your head off sauce. This you teaspoon on the top of the mix on your plate. I can't see any reason you can't splodge on some bottled hot sauce instead.
One variation in some places is not to bother with the hot sauce, but sprinkle a pinch of chilli flakes on instead, for some reason known here as 'salsa'.

Kerouac, if you ever come here again I'll take you for one. It wont be a dramatic talked about for years dining experience though, it's as you would expect, just normal day to day eating stuff.

I was looking at 'Google images' for an example to post, but there are so many different varieties that I simply could not decide which one was the most authentic, even though a number of them do resemble what I have seen in people's bowls and plates as I walked by.

Oh, the hot sauce, I've remembered, is called 'shattah'.
I'm not sure if it is an onomatopoeia. You certainly say something like that if you put too much on your tongue.

I can't find a recipe for shattah, although did find one reference saying that it contained tomatoes and lemon juice. Doesn't this pique your detecting instincts, hmmmm?

Stumbled across this. People in Cairo take their kashari seriously!
www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/koshary-confidential review

I am almost beginning to regret that another colleague was strongarmed into going to Cairo at the end of the month instead of me. This would have been interesting research. (Then again, it was only a 2-day trip, which would have considerably limited investigations.)

Hi Mark, I am so glad I watched those interesting videos - mainly because I wanted to see what the ingredients were.
Karkade : Well, Blow me down if it's not something I came across only three weeks ago at a wedding!!
They didn't make the punch drink but as guests arrived at the garden reception after the ceremony, we encountered a table set with ice buckets of champagne and in each long fluted champagne glass was a soft blood red hibiscus petal. As the caterers handed you a glass and topped it up with champagne the wine took on a beautiful rose tinge - as it does when ordering a Kir Royal. The petal being recently removed from its jar of thick red syrup stayed at the bottom of the glass whilst the champagne was being sipped.
Needless to say, my curiosty got the better of me and when I had finished my first glass ( Oh yes, weddings always have lots of bubbly!) I removed the petal and ate it.
It was divine! I then encouraged some of our table guests to do the same. We all agreed they were wonderful!

Now, in the video Amy strains the liquid and presents a glass of the Karkade. What on earth would she do with the petals?
Don't say they are chucked away!??

Thanks again for the wonderful videos.

tod, they are are a cheap thing here and they are generally just dumped.
There, I said it.
What actually happens is that very few make it from scratch. You just buy the syrup and dilute it to taste, adding sugar or not.

bjd, in my former life I used to stay regularly at a certain hotel in Aswan. As I had groups of people with me I would always have to book a week or two ahead, via a phone call. The owner/receptionist knew me after a while and knew that I'd spent several days out in the hot desert prior to my arrival.
As soon as I walked in the door, before booking anyone in or doing anything else he'd usher me into the kitchen, sit me down and give me and ice cold jug of karkade and say, "Leave them to me".

He'd then book everyone in, sort out their rooms and laundry and any other questions like where the bank was, internet etc, tell the group to meet in the reception at 6pm where they would meet their group leader again and it was free time up until then.
He'd then return to the kitchen and instruct the cook to feed me whatever I wanted - and keep me supplied during the stay with ice cold karkade whenever i wanted it.
Ho got plenty of money for us staying there but it was always a nice touch.

Forgot...Bjd, where is Sabah in Paris?

OK -just looked it up on PagesJaunes - I see there is a large one on the corner of Blvd de Belleville & 42 Rue de l'Orillon. I must have walked very near if not right past the one near Marche Aligre. Thanks for the reply!

It's a pretty plant to grow, although it gets quite tall. It would certainly grow in the areas where Bjd & Tod2 live. That said, it's a pain to pick the calyxes, so buy them dried if you can.

Depending on where one lives, jamaica/roselle can be found in stores catering to people who come from where it's popular.

It can also be bought online.

It's actually very good for you. Coincidentally, I recently recommended it to my mother for its diuretic properties without side effects.

The medical part of this link is long & technical, but definitely worth reading.

I have a sudden craving for kushari.

elbow macaroni? that's okay?

Tod, just saved the link you gave for the york puds. Thanks.