Egyptian Koshari
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Koshari is Egypt's national dish and its most famous street food, rice, lentils and macaroni layered together, topped with a spiced tomato sauce, crisp fried onions and a sharp garlic-vinegar dressing. It is a dish of components, and none of them is complicated. What makes koshari work is that all of them are made separately and assembled at the end, so each keeps its own texture: the rice and lentils soft, the pasta firm, the onions properly crisp, the sauce sharp with vinegar and cumin. It is cheap, filling and entirely plant-based as standard, which is why it feeds an enormous number of people every day. Koshari shops exist across Egypt doing nothing else, and it is eaten as often at home. Its ubiquity is genuine, the comparison to macaroni cheese in the source is about how ordinary it is rather than what it tastes like. The daqqa, the garlic and vinegar dressing, is what stops the whole thing being stodgy, and it is the element most often underdone by people making it for the first time. Be generous with it. Chickpeas are usually added on top.
AFN Heritage Note
Koshari is regarded as Egypt's national dish, combining rice, lentils and pasta with a spiced tomato sauce, fried onions and a garlic-vinegar dressing known as daqqa. It is entirely plant-based in its standard form.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 6 minutes or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
- 2
Add cumin, cinnamon and mixed spice to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add stock powder, lentils and 1 litre of water. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes or until lentils are half-cooked.
- 3
Add pasta, rice and 1/2 cup water to pan. Cover. Return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for a further 15 minutes or until lentils, rice and pasta are tender.
- 4
Meanwhile, combine the tomato, eschalot, parsley, vinegar and remaining oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
- 5
Remove koshari from heat. Stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve topped with the caramelised onion and tomato salad.
Africook’s Notes
- Cook each component separately. The whole point is that they keep their distinct textures.
- Fry the onions slowly until deep brown and genuinely crisp. Pale, soft onions contribute nothing.
- Be generous with the vinegar dressing. It is what stops the dish being heavy, and it is the part most often underdone.
- Keep the pasta firm, it softens further under the hot sauce.
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