AI-generated image
Da'ah garlic vinegar
Garlic vinegar dressing
Da'ah: the thin, sharp garlic, vinegar and cumin dressing poured over koshari and fried food
No plate of koshari is finished until it gets a splash of da'ah, the thin garlic vinegar every Cairo koshari counter keeps in jugs beside the shatta. Sharp, garlicky and warm with cumin, it cuts straight through the lentils, rice and fried onions, and it does the same for falafel, fried aubergine and cauliflower. It takes ten minutes and keeps for a week in the fridge. Chef's tip: fry the garlic only until it smells sweet and is barely coloured; brown garlic turns the whole sauce bitter.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garliccrushed to a paste
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Warm 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, add 8 cloves garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant and only just turning straw-coloured. Letting it brown is the most common mistake.
1 minStep 2: Stand back and pour in ½ cup white vinegar and ½ cup water; it will spit. Add 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp chilli flakes, if using.
Step 3: Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 2 minutes, until the sharp vinegar smell softens.
2 minStep 4: Take off the heat, add 1 tbsp lemon juice if you like, and cool. Pour into a jar or bottle and shake before using.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 20 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does da'ah garlic vinegar take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Sour cream dip
A simple, tangy dip made with thick home-made cottage cheese (hung yogurt) or ready-made sour cream, seasoned with garlic, chilli, black pepper and vinegar. Serve it cold with crisps, nachos and jacket potatoes. The book's other dips use this as their 'sour cream'.
Mint and onion chutney
Onions fried gently until soft and sweet, then blended with fresh mint, green chilli and lemon juice. It's a mellow, fresh-tasting chutney that is great with bhajias, samosas, kebabs and tikka, or spread in sandwiches.
Indian