Koshari — Egyptian Lentils, Rice & Pasta
Egypt's beloved street-food national dish: a carb-on-carb marvel of rice, lentils, and macaroni layered with a spiced tomato sauce, a sharp garlic-vinegar daqqa, chickpeas, and a crown of crispy fried onions. Entirely vegan, endlessly comforting.
Cook brown lentils and rice (together or separately) and boil macaroni. Make a garlicky, spiced tomato sauce sharpened with vinegar, and a separate tangy garlic-vinegar daqqa. Deep-fry sliced onions until dark and crisp. To serve, layer rice-lentils, pasta, and chickpeas, ladle over tomato sauce and daqqa, and crown with the crispy onions.
- The crispy fried onions are the soul of koshari — fry them dark and shatteringly crisp; don't stop at golden.
- Two sauces: a spiced tomato sauce AND a sharp garlic-vinegar daqqa. Both matter.
- It's assembled in layers, not stirred together until you eat it. Build it tall.
Equipment
- Several pots (rice, lentils, pasta)
- Deep pan for frying onions
- Saucepan for the tomato sauce
- Sieve
Nguyên liệu
Grains & pulses
- 200 g brown or green lentils
- 200 g long-grain rice, rinsed
- 150 g macaroni or ditalini
- 240 g chickpeas, drained and warmed
Spiced tomato sauce
- 30 ml oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 15 ml white vinegar
- 5 g ground cumin
- 2 g ground coriander
- 1 g chili flakes, to taste
- Salt
Daqqa & onions
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 45 ml white vinegar
- 5 g ground cumin
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 240 ml oil, for frying the onions
Cách làm
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Toss the sliced onions with a little flour (optional, for extra crisp). Fry in the oil over medium heat, stirring, 15–20 minutes until deep brown and crisp — go past golden to a dark amber. Drain on paper. Reserve a tablespoon of the oil.
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Simmer the lentils in plenty of water 20 minutes until just tender; drain. Cook the rice (you can toast it in the reserved onion oil first, then simmer) until fluffy. Many cooks combine cooked rice and lentils into one pot.
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Cook the macaroni in salted water until just tender; drain. Warm the chickpeas.
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Heat the oil, soften the garlic, then add the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, cumin, coriander, chili, and salt. Simmer 15 minutes until thickened and savory.
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Sizzle the crushed garlic in a little oil for 30 seconds, then carefully add the vinegar and cumin (it will splutter). Simmer 1 minute. This sharp garlic-vinegar sauce is what makes koshari sing.
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Layer in bowls: rice-and-lentils first, then macaroni, then chickpeas. Ladle the spiced tomato sauce over, drizzle the garlic daqqa, and crown generously with crispy fried onions. Serve, letting everyone stir it together as they eat.
Make ahead
Koshari is ideal for batch-prep: cook the rice-lentils, pasta, tomato sauce, and a big batch of crispy onions ahead. Assembling takes 2 minutes. The onions keep crisp in an airtight container a couple of days.
Storage
Store components separately up to 3 days — they keep far better apart than assembled. Re-crisp the onions in a hot oven. Assemble fresh each time.
Variations
Extra protein
Double the chickpeas, or add black lentils, for a higher-protein bowl.
Spicier (shatta)
Serve with shatta — an Egyptian hot chili sauce — for those who want real heat.
Gluten-free
Swap the macaroni for a gluten-free short pasta or simply more rice and lentils.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Isn't it just carbs on carbs?
Yes, gloriously — rice, lentils, and pasta together, which is exactly the point. It's hearty, cheap, filling street food and Egypt's national dish. The lentils and chickpeas make it a complete protein, and the sauces and onions keep every bite interesting.
What's the daqqa?
Daqqa (or 'da'a') is the sharp garlic-and-vinegar sauce that distinguishes koshari from a plain grain bowl. Sizzled garlic bloomed with vinegar and cumin — it cuts the richness and ties everything together. Don't skip it.
How do I get really crispy onions?
Slice them thin and even, optionally toss in a little flour, and fry patiently over medium heat until they're dark amber and crisp — well past golden. Drain on paper. They crisp further as they cool. They're the crown of the dish, so make plenty.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes — it's perfect meal-prep. Keep the components separate (grains, pasta, sauces, onions) and assemble to order. Stored separately they last 3 days; assembled, the onions go soft and the texture suffers.
Is koshari vegan?
Completely — it's naturally plant-based, which is part of why it's such popular everyday street food across Egypt. Just fry the onions in vegetable oil (they always are) and you're set.
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