Egyptian Fatteh

Steps

1. Prepare the bread: Tear pita bread into bite-sized pieces. In a frying pan, melt 1/4 cup of butter, add the bread, and fry until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a glass baking dish and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add more butter, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, and salt. Stir until fragrant, then coat the fried bread pieces with this mixture and return to the baking dish.
3. Cook the beef: In a pot, melt some butter and brown 1 lb of beef. Add 1 quartered onion, salt, pepper, 1 chicken stock cube, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for about 2 hours until tender. Reserve the broth and set the meat aside to cool.
4. Prepare the rice: In another pot, melt some butter, add 1/4 cup of noodles (shareya), and stir until golden. Add 2 cups of rice and stir until opaque. Pour in 2 1/4 cups of water and salt to taste. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes or until the rice is tender.
5. Pour some of the reserved broth over the bread in the baking dish to soak it. Layer the cooked rice on top of the bread, then add more broth until it just reaches the top of the rice.
6. Make the red sauce: In a pan, heat oil or butter, then add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, salt, pepper, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Stir until aromatic and slightly thickened, adjusting with water if necessary. Spread this sauce over the rice.
7. Fry the meat: In a pan, heat a bit of butter or oil, add the reserved meat, a touch of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Cook until golden brown.
8. Spoon the fried meat on top of the sauce-covered rice and serve. Enjoy!