Ergag be Adas: A Palestinian Recipe by Cheff JJ

Shared by Editor-in-Chief: Claire Watson

It’s so lovely to see you all popping out of hibernation. Welcome back lovely newsies, I hope you have all had a long and lovely rest over the winter break. I hope you’re all ready for another semester of the University Express!

I was scrolling through Tumblr as I have for the last decade, and found this wonderful recipe for Ergag be Adas, a gorgeous Palestinian ‘pasta’ dish. The recipe was shared first on TikTok by Cheff JJ, where he shows how to make this simple but absolutely delicious dish. I’ll leave his link at the end of this post.

@chefjjskitchen ergag be adas Basically Palestinian pasta. Very traditional recipe and super delicious My cooking lessons are launching soon. We’ll be cooking many middle eastern recipes and more! Click the link in my bio for more details.❤️🙏🏻 ingredients: 2 cups of flour 5 cups of water 4 small red onions 1 cup of brown whole lentils 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder salt and pepper 4-5 tbsps olive oil half a lemon sumac fresh coriander start by mixing 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of water. knead the dough very well and let it rest while preparing the rest of the meal. finely dice 3 onions and fry in olive oil, add a cup of washed brown lentils. season with cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and pepper add 4 cups of water and let it simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes. flour the counter top and roll the dough as thin as you prefer your pasta to be. roll the dough on itself and cut it into thin strips. flour the pasta and add it to the pan. cook it for about 5 minutes slice an onion and fry it in olive oil till it starts to brown and char, you want the char flavor. reserve some for garnish and add the oil and onion to the pan and mix. serve in a plate, garnish with the onions, lemon, fresh coriander sumac and enjoy #cooking #food #palestinianfood #pasta #palestine #recipe #onion #lentils @Chef jj ♬ Idea 22 - Gibran Alcocer

Cheff JJ’s recipe for Ergag be Adas

The following directions are copied directly from TikTok, but I’ve added prices to show how cost-efficient this low dish can be. Note: It isn’t stated, but judging by the ingredient amounts this dish is for 4 people. Either treat your housemates to a lovely dinner, freeze the extra portions, or adjust the measurements accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour – In most supermarkets this will cost roughly €0.80 - €1.50 and will last for many meals and baking endeavours.

• 5 cups of water

• 4 small red onions – €1.00 - €4.00.

• 1 cup of brown whole lentils – Between Asian supermarkets and Irish supermarkets, the price for lentils varies between €1.00 - €5.00. This might even be your excuse to check out a refill station! From experience, brown lentils can be a little harder to find than other kinds, but green are a really common substitute. Just note, they need to cook for a little longer.

• 1/2 tsp cumin powder – Spices are going to be the most expensive part of this dish, but once you have them, they’ll last months. For those that weren’t blessed with an abandoned spice drawer, cumin will cost between €2.00 - €4.00.

• 1/2 tsp coriander powder, salt and pepper – Cheaper than cumin, coriander is roughly €0.50 - €2.00. S&P are similar, but I am hoping that you already have those.

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil – I know the foodies will tell me that olive and vegetable oil are not interchangeable, but I don’t expect students to be buying different kinds of oil. That being said, olive oil is roughly €4.00, but if you want to make sure that you are using Palestinian olives, Izz Café sell a premium olive oil (beginning at €12.60) that is made with olives handpicked by Palestinians. If you’ve ever been to Izz, then you know that this is the good stuff.

• Half a lemon – Let’s be real, I know you have a dried-out wedge of lemon or lime lying in your fridge. (€0.50 - €1.00)

• Sumac – Sumac is expensive, and paying roughly €5.00 for a sprinkle, isn’t it worth it when we’re cooking on a budget. Lemon zest is a great alternative.

• Fresh coriander – If you fancy a bit of gardening, a pot of coriander costs about €1.00 - €3.00, but I wouldn’t worry about this part too much.

Once you’ve got all that, prepare as follows:

1. Start by mixing 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of water.

2. Knead the dough very well and let it rest while preparing the rest of the meal.

3. Finely dice 3 onions and fry in olive oil, add a cup of washed brown lentils.

4. Season with cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and pepper add 4 cups of water and let it simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Flour the countertop and roll the dough as thin as you prefer your pasta to be.

6. Roll the dough on itself and cut it into thin strips. Flour the pasta and add it to the pan. Cook it for about 5 minutes.

7. Slice an onion and fry it in olive oil till it starts to brown and char, you want the char flavour.

8. Reserve some for garnish and add the oil and onion to the pan and mix. Serve in a plate, garnish with the onions, lemon, fresh coriander, sumac (or lemon zest) and enjoy.

I am sharing this recipe because it looks absolutely delicious, because it isn’t like anything I’ve ever had before, and because spreading Palestinian culture is incredibly important. Cheff JJ is sharing even more Palestinian and Gazan dishes on his TikTok, and I urge you to check them out. It’s important to try new things, but it’s also important to embrace other cultures, especially ones that are currently under threat. In this conflict, Palestinian culture is being eradicated. Bloodlines have been destroyed, families separated, historical sites have been destroyed and artefacts have been stolen. We also can’t let ourselves fall into the trap of perceiving Palestinians as ‘just victims.’ They are survivors, people, with lives and stories and favourite dishes. Perhaps Ergag be Adas will become one of yours, too.

Check out Cheff JJ here.