Cakes are enticing layered deserts known to all and savoured across the globe by people of all ages. There are a bunch of mouth-watering layered cuisines around the world that are served as the main course too! Some are cooked with rice, few with pita bread while others with pasta/noodles. Each dish is unique not only in their use of ingredients but also in their cooking method.
Without further ado, let’s check out the three-layered main course dishes from three different countries.
Fattah from Egypt
The Egyptian Fattah is a non-vegetarian baked cuisine. Along with the meat, the recipe uses pita bread, rice, and noodles. The bottom first layer of the baking tray is formed by the crispy bite-sized pieces of pita bread fried with some aromatic cumin and garlic. The flavoursome rich soup of cooked meat is layered delicately on the pita bread base. Third layering is that of the fried noodles followed by a layer of cooked Egyptian rice (fried lightly in butter and then boiled). Some more meat soup is poured on top of the rice layer, just enough to soak the top rice grains. A bright red tomato sauce layer (made with tomatoes, garlic, cumin, salt, & pepper) goes next. Finally, the meat pieces are laid on top and baked. So, 7 layers of flavoursome fragrant elements come together in a drooling cuisine from Egypt known as “Fattah”.
Biryani from India
The Indian Biryani is a slow pressure-cooked cuisine which is cooked both as a vegetarian and non-vegetarian dish. The delectable meat or vegetable curry is layered along with steamed rice, exotic saffron, fresh herbs, spices, barista (fried onions) and, dry fruits (optional). For the layering, the steamed rice (half-cooked) goes first, followed by a layer of dense chicken curry. The third layering is again of half-cooked rice. The saffron soaked milk makes the 4th layer on top of the rice making the steamed rice exotically fragrant and adding a slight pink hue. The barista is topped on that with a final sprinkling of fresh coriander.
The Biryani cooking process is vital to attaining its optimal flavours. The traditional technique is to layer it on a cylindrical cooking pot, cover the pots opening with soft flour flat bread and seal tight with a lid.
Lasagne from Italy
Italy’s lasagne is a baked non-vegetarian delight. It comprises of a vibrant red sauce, béchamel, some noodles/pasta, ground beef & Italian sausage and a generous amount of cheese. The half-boiled noodles form the base in lasagne followed by a nice layer of red sauce. The red sauce is made up of tomatoes, ground fried beef & Italian sausage. Next, it is topped with a lovely béchamel/white sauce (made of milk, flour & butter) layer. Finally, coating it with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese! This layering is repeated twice and baked till the top cheese coat melts & turns golden brown.
It is interesting to witness how diverse cultures have drawn their own version of layered delicious recipes to relish with family and friends over festivities and celebrations.
