Fatta Egyptian Rice Dish
Fatta is an Egyptian dish of lamb, short-grain rice, pita and broth. It serves 6, takes 25 minutes to prep and 90 minutes to cook.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 115 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 800 g
- 400 g
- 250 g
- 80 g
- 2 tbsp
- 6 cloves
- 2 tbsp
- 4 tbsp
- 30 g
- 900 ml
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- 2 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 30 g
Process
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Pat the lamb shoulder chunks dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 tsp of the salt and the black pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb in a single layer, in two batches if needed, until deeply browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Set the lamb aside.
Lower the heat to medium, add the diced onion to the same pot and cook for 4 minutes until softened, scraping up the browned bits. Return the lamb, pour in the beef broth, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and simmer the lamb on low heat for 60 to 70 minutes, until the meat is fork-tender and shreds easily. Keep the broth at a bare simmer; boiling makes the meat tough.
While the lamb cooks, heat the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the torn pita pieces and fry, tossing often, for 5 to 7 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the tahini, yogurt, white vinegar, crushed garlic, and 4 tbsp cold water until smooth and pourable. Season with a pinch of salt. Set the tahini sauce aside.
Wipe the skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, and fry the thinly sliced onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until dark golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Remove the cooked lamb from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping it warm. Measure the broth: you need 700 ml for the rice. Top up with hot water if short, or simmer to reduce if over.
Return the measured broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the rinsed rice, tomato paste, minced garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Stir once, then cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes without stirring.
Remove the rice from the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork; the rice should be tender with a slight bite and all the broth absorbed.
To assemble, spread the fried pita pieces over the bottom of a large serving platter. Spoon the tomato rice over the pita, then arrange the lamb chunks on top.
Ladle the tahini sauce over the lamb and rice, scatter the crispy onions and toasted pine nuts over the top, and serve immediately while the pita is still crunchy.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is assembling fatta too early: the fried pita turns soggy within 15 minutes. Keep the pita, rice, lamb, and sauce separate and layer them only right before serving.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and do not stir it while it cooks. Stirring releases starch and makes the rice gluey, which ruins the distinct layers of the dish.
- The lamb is done when a chunk presses apart with light pressure from a spoon and no resistance in the center. If it still feels springy, simmer 10 more minutes.
- Tahini sauce seizes and turns grainy if you add the vinegar all at once. Whisk the tahini with the cold water first until pale and smooth, then add the vinegar and yogurt.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing constantly, and pull them off the heat the moment they smell nutty; they burn in seconds.
Substitutions
- lamb shoulder→beef chuck or bone-in chicken thighs (simmer chicken only 35 to 40 minutes)
- short-grain rice→medium-grain Egyptian or Calrose rice, rinsed the same way
- plain yogurt→labneh thinned with 2 tbsp water for a richer, tangier sauce
- pine nuts→toasted slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
- white vinegar→lemon juice, using 3 tbsp instead of 2
Storage & reheating
Store the rice, lamb, tahini sauce, and fried pita in four separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days; keep the crispy onions at room temperature in a paper-lined container for up to 2 days. Reheat the rice and lamb together in a covered oven dish at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes with a splash of broth, warm the tahini sauce gently in a saucepan over low heat, and add fresh or re-crisped pita at the last minute. Fatta does not freeze well because the rice and pita turn mushy after thawing.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my fatta turn out soggy?
The pita was almost certainly layered too far in advance or the rice was too wet. Fry the pita until fully crisp, drain it well, and assemble the dish no more than 5 minutes before serving. If the rice was sticky, you likely stirred it during cooking or used too much broth.
Can I make fatta ahead of time for a party?
Yes, cook the lamb, rice, tahini sauce, and crispy onions up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate them separately. Reheat the lamb and rice at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes, fry the pita fresh on the day, and layer everything just before guests sit down.
How do I keep the tahini sauce from turning bitter or grainy?
Whisk the tahini with cold water first until it turns pale and creamy, then add the vinegar, yogurt, and garlic. Adding acid to unloosened tahini makes it seize. If it does split, whisk in 1 tbsp ice water at a time until smooth again.
Can I use chicken instead of lamb?
Yes, bone-in skinless chicken thighs work well. Brown them the same way but simmer for only 35 to 40 minutes, since chicken overcooks and shreds into strings if cooked as long as lamb. Use the same 700 ml of broth for the rice.
How do I know when the lamb is tender enough?
Press a chunk with the back of a spoon; it should give way with almost no resistance and shred along the grain. If the center still feels firm or springy, simmer it covered for another 10 minutes and test again. Lamb shoulder usually needs 60 to 70 minutes total.
What can I use if I do not have pita bread?
Any thin flatbread works, including baladi bread, khobz, or even flour tortillas. Tear them into pieces and fry them in butter and olive oil until golden and crisp. Avoid thick fluffy bread, which stays soft and makes the base heavy.
Is fatta supposed to be served hot or at room temperature?
Fatta is served hot, straight from the pot, because the contrast between hot rice and lamb and cool tangy tahini sauce is the point of the dish. If it sits out longer than 30 minutes, the pita softens and the rice cools into clumps, so plan to eat it right away.
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