Egyptian · Cairo street food; eaten nationwide · lunch

Koshari (Egyptian Lentils + Rice + Pasta)

كشري

Koshari is Egypt's great equalizer — a towering street-food bowl sold from carts in Cairo for pennies and eaten by everyone from laborers to presidents. It sounds like a lot of components, but each one is simple, and the layered result is deeply satisfying: earthy lentils, tender rice, two kinds of pasta, chickpeas, shatteringly crispy onions, a punchy tomato sauce, and a sharp garlic-vinegar drizzle. Completely vegan, completely filling, and one of the most beloved dishes on earth.

• brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed

  3/4 cup

  150g

• medium-grain or jasmine rice, rinsed

  3/4 cup

  150g

  Substitution · authenticity note

  Original: Egyptian short-grain rice. Egyptian rice is very short and slightly sticky; medium-grain or jasmine rice is the closest widely available substitute — do not use long-grain basmati, which stays too separate

• ditalini pasta (short tubes)

  1 cup dry

  100g

• thin spaghetti or vermicelli, broken into 2-inch pieces

  1 cup dry

  100g

• canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  1 can (15 oz)

  425g

• large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons

  3 large (about 4 cups sliced)

  600g

• neutral oil (corn or vegetable) for frying onions

  1/2 cup

  120ml

• olive oil

  3 tablespoons

  45ml

• ground cumin

  2 teaspoons

  5g

• ground coriander

  1 teaspoon

  2.5g

• salt

  2 teaspoons, divided

  12g, divided

• black pepper

  1/2 teaspoon

  1g

• water for cooking lentils and rice

  3 cups

  720ml

• water for boiling pasta

  3 quarts

  2.8 liters

• canned crushed tomatoes

  1 can (28 oz)

  794g

• garlic cloves for tomato sauce, minced

  6 cloves

  30g

• tomato paste

  2 tablespoons

  30g

• red wine vinegar (for tomato sauce)

  2 tablespoons

  30ml

• ground cumin (for tomato sauce)

  1 teaspoon

  2.5g

• sugar

  1 teaspoon

  4g

• garlic cloves for garlic-vinegar sauce, minced or pressed

  4 cloves

  20g

• red wine vinegar (for garlic-vinegar sauce)

  3 tablespoons

  45ml

• lemon juice (for garlic-vinegar sauce)

  1 tablespoon

  15ml

• water (for garlic-vinegar sauce)

  2 tablespoons

  30ml

• hot sauce or harissa (for chili sauce)

  2 tablespoons

  30ml

  Substitution · authenticity note

  Original: Egyptian shatta (red chili paste). Shatta is Egypt's own fermented hot pepper paste — use any good hot sauce (Tabasco, Cholula) or a small spoonful of harissa thinned with a little water; adjust heat to your taste

• tomato sauce (for chili sauce base)

  1/4 cup

  60ml

1. 01

   20 min

   Start the lentils: Combine the rinsed lentils with 2 cups (480ml) of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 15–18 minutes, until the lentils are just tender but still holding their shape — they'll cook a little more with the rice. Drain any excess water and set aside.

2. 02

   30 min

   Cook the rice with the lentils: In the same saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained lentils back in along with the rinsed rice. Stir to coat. Add 1 cup (240ml) fresh water, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 10 more minutes. Do not lift the lid early. Fluff gently with a fork.

3. 03

   12 min

   Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the ditalini and the broken spaghetti together (or separately if you prefer more control) until just al dente — a minute less than the package says. Drain, toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.

4. 04

   30 min

   Fry the onions — this is the heart of koshari: Pour the 1/2 cup neutral oil into a wide skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add all the sliced onions. Spread them out and let them cook, stirring every few minutes, for about 25–30 minutes total. They'll soften, then turn golden, then (this is what you want) become deep brown and crispy in places. Season with a pinch of salt. Scoop them out onto a paper-towel-lined plate. They'll crisp further as they cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the onion-flavored oil in the pan.

5. 05

   18 min

   Make the tomato sauce: In the same skillet with the reserved onion oil, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium. Add the 6 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant and just golden — don't burn it. Add the tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon cumin, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir well and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the raw tomato smell mellows into something rich. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar.

6. 06

   3 min

   Make the garlic-vinegar sauce (da'a): In a small bowl, whisk together the 4 pressed garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water. This is sharp and pungent — that's exactly right. Set aside.

7. 07

   2 min

   Make the chili sauce: Stir together the hot sauce and 1/4 cup tomato sauce in a small bowl. Taste and add more hot sauce if you like heat. This is served on the side so everyone controls their own fire.

8. 08

   5 min

   Warm the chickpeas: Add the drained chickpeas to the tomato sauce pot (or a small separate pan) and warm them gently for 3–4 minutes. You want them heated through and coated in a little sauce.

9. 09

   5 min

   Build the bowls: Koshari is assembled in layers, and the order matters for texture. Into each wide bowl, add: a generous base of the lentil-rice mixture, then a scoop of pasta on top, then a spoonful of chickpeas, then a ladleful of tomato sauce over everything, then a big handful of the crispy fried onions on top. Bring the garlic-vinegar sauce and chili sauce to the table in small bowls so each person can drizzle as they like. In Cairo, the vendors drizzle everything in sequence — rice, pasta, sauce, onions — and hand it to you in seconds. At home, you can take your time.

• · LLM tiebreak failed for "water for boiling pasta" — picked first result as fallback; Could not parse amount_metric: "2.8 liters"
• · water for boiling pasta: no grams conversion

Reheating · Toss with a little oil or sauce before reheating; microwave covered, 1–2 min.

Source: foodkeeper