Koshari
Koshari, koshary or kushari, is the national dish of Egypt. It is a very popular street food and comfort food at its best.
In our house, Koshari turned into something of a joke. Kyle was coming home from his semester in Ghana and I asked him what he would like as his “welcome home meal.” After months of culinary experimentation and the consumption of so many unfamiliar foods, I was expecting his request to be one of his all-time favorites. Cheese fondue, corned beef and colcannon or a big, fat, juicy steak with a twice baked potato. I was ready! But no, Kyle sent me a TikTok link to koshari from an account he follows that is managed by a person committed to eating and rating every country’s national dish. Koshari is currently ranked #2, just behind Pakistan’s national dish of Nihari.
So I did what any mother excited for her child’s homecoming would do, I went out and bought all of the ingredients for koshari. None of the ingredients were obscure although the combination seemed somewhat bizarre. Rice, lentils, vermicelli, chickpeas, tomato sauce, onions…I wondered where we were going with this.
Well it turns out that Kyle was “joking” when he sent the recipe and he didn’t expect me to go to all the effort. Hmmm. The joke was on him when on his second night home I sent him into the kitchen to make koshari for the family. Yes, there were lots of pots used but I am sure that with repetition, things will become more efficient. The real surprise for all of us was that somehow this mishmash of ingredients was absolutely delicious. It works in a way that is unique to comfort food.
I will warn you that the recipe that we used makes a large amount of each element but as this is a “design your own bowl” type dish, feel free to lessen the amount of any individual element, but please don’t eliminate any one item. It all comes together like magic. After going back for seconds, we stored each element in the refrigerator in a separate container to eat for lunch all week long. Every bowl, customized and delicious.
So go ahead, and give koshari a try. I promise that you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
Koshari
Ingredients
- 2.5 c short grain rice
- 16 oz dry pasta ditalini or elbow
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
For the Lentils
- 2 c dry brown lentils
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1 16-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
For the Vermicelli
- 8 oz vermicelli I used fine egg noodles
- 3 Tbls olive oil or butter
- 1 c water
For the Tomato Sauce
- 1.5 tsp garlic, crushed
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- 1/4 c white vinegar
- 2 16-oz cans tomato sauce
For the Cumin Sauce
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbls ground cumin
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- 1/4 c water
- 1/4 c white vinegar
For the Fried Onion
- 3 large onions, sliced
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside
- Cook ditalini or elbow pasta according to package directions, drain, mix with 2 Tbls olive oil and set aside.
Lentils
- Rinse lentils in a colander under cold water. Place lentils in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 25-30 minutes until just al dente, making sure to check water level and add water if lentils become to dry. Drain but do not rinse cooked lentils. Set aside.
- In the same pot, sauce chopped onion in oil until fragrant. Add the lentils back to the pot with tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue cooking until lentils are done (soft but not mushy) and set aside.
Vermicelli (or fine egg noodles)
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, cook vermicelli in olive oil or butter until vermicelli turns golden brown, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Add water, little by little, and stir until you get the desired tenderness. Season lightly with salt and set aside.
Tomato Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, saute garlic in oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar, tomato sauce, water and salt. Mix well, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then set aside.
Cumin Sauce
- In a small sauce pan, saute garlic and cumin together until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vinegar, water, and a small pinch of salt. Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then set aside.
Fried Onions
- In a deep pot, heat 1-inch of oil. Add onion slices and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When onions are nicely browned, remove onions with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside and onions will get crispier.
- Stir 2 Tbs of the onion cooking oil into the cooked rice. Discard the rest of the oil once cooled.
To Assemble
- Line all of the elements on the kitchen counter or table and allow everyone to take each ingredient as they like. Or you can make domes (tarabeesh) by packing layered ingredients tightly in a bowl and inverting onto individual plates. Top with onion and sauces.