Koshari
Koshari is Egypt's national street food, sold from carts and storefronts across Cairo and Alexandria. The dish is a crossroads meal — rice, brown lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas all layered together — and its mix of ingredients reflects Egypt's history as a trading hub. Macaroni arrived with Italian merchants in the nineteenth century; the full dish took shape in the early twentieth as cheap, filling fuel for laborers. The starchy base is topped with two sauces: a spiced tomato sauce with cumin and coriander, and a sharp garlic-vinegar da'a. The crispy fried onions on top are the defining element — sliced very thin, fried in oil until genuinely crunchy. The dish is assembled to order in each bowl, layering textures rather than mixing them.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 200g long-grain white rice
- 200g green lentils
- 150g small macaroni or ditalini
- 400g canned chickpeas, drained
- 800g canned crushed tomatoes
- 3 large onions (2 for sauce, 1 for crispy topping)
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced, salt, cumin and vinegar to taste
How to make it
- 1Cook the lentils in unsalted water for 20 minutes until al dente, then drain.
- 2Cook the rice in salted water for 15 minutes.
- 3Cook the pasta al dente and drain.
- 4Slice the third onion into thin rings and fry in oil over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden brown and crispy — this is the prized topping.
- 5Drain on paper towels.
- 6In the same oil, saute the remaining chopped onions 10 minutes, add garlic, cumin, canned tomatoes, a splash of vinegar and salt.
- 7Simmer the sauce 20-25 minutes until thick.
- 8Add the chickpeas and simmer 5 more minutes.
- 9Mix lentils into the rice.
- 10To serve, layer rice-lentil mixture, pasta, tomato-chickpea sauce, and top with the crispy onion rings.
- 11Koshari is eaten at room temperature.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
