Koshari | Egyptian Rice with Lentils | كشري

Koshari | Egyptian Rice with Lentils | كشري

Koshari (Kosheri / Koshary/ كشري) is the National dish of Egypt and comes with a long history. A simple, yet filling and delicious dish, that is nutritious and easy to prepare.

The dish combines complex carbs; rice, lentils, chickpeas, and macaroni with a range of acidic notes from the homemade tomato sauce and an optional spiced vinegar sauce to serve with the Koshari. The homemade tomato sauce incorporates canned and fresh tomato, along with garlic and some spice mix. Vinegar is often added to make it more acidic.  The dish is served in layers and topped generously with crispy fried onions, which must not be skipped!

Many people raise an eyebrow, when they see how simple the National dish is, but take one spoonful and you will understand. The perfectly spiced tomato sauce and those fried onions, really bring about a harmonious combination with all the other ingredients. Although simple to prepare, it is important that you cook the rice, pasta, chickpeas and lentils to perfection. Seasoning is key!

Although Koshari is Egypt’s national dish, it isn’t actually Egyptian in origin.  Neither rice nor macaroni is indigenous to Egypt.It is believed that the dish traveled to Egypt from India when Indians accompanied British soldiers to Egypt in the early 1900s, following the first world war. The name “Koshari” itself is derived from “khichri”, which refers to an Indian dish of lentils and rice.   It is believed that the pasta added to the dish was influenced by a minority of Italians who lived in Egypt at the time.

Later on, Egyptians made the final tweaks to the recipe by adding the extra ingredients, including fried onion, chickpeas, cumin, chili, and vinegar. Baharat Spice Mix is added to the tomato sauce, which makes it really delicious. The rest, as they say, is history.

A frugal dish that crosses class distinctions; it can be found on the street side and yet at any high-end restaurant in Egypt. This is truly a historic National dish that touches hearts, and one that gracefully straddles the realms of both street food and Mama’s home cooking!

Scroll down for the Complete Recipe.

Koshari | Egyptian Rice with Lentils | كشري

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Watch the Video or click to read Complete Recipe – Below. 

How to make Koshari | Egyptian Rice with Lentils | كشري – Recipe at a glance:

• Cook the Lentils, Rice, Pasta, Chickpeas separately and simultaneously.
• Prepare the homemade tomato sauce.
• Fry Onions.
• Do the seasoning as needed.
• Serve in layers with extra sauce, fried onions, and optional spiced vinegar sauce/Da’ah Sauce on the side.

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups Brown Lentils
• 2 1/2 cups short-grain rice
• Fresh Parsley, to garnish (Optional)
• 2-5 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (or fresh puree from 3 large tomatoes)
• 3  and a Half Onions, chopped – divided (for lentils, chickpeas and for frying I use both red and yellow onions)
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 1/4 tsp ground Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 250 gms Mini Ditalini Pasta (Pasta tubes)
• 1/4 cup Sunflower oil (for frying onion)

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 1 can Tomato Sauce (or fresh puree from 3 large tomatoes)
• 1 Onion chopped
• 4 large cloves Garlic, chopped
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 large Tomato, chopped (ripe)
• 1/2-3/4 tsp Baharat Spice Mix(see notes)
• 1/2 tsp Coarse grain Pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 Bay leaf, optional
• ½ -1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

For the Spiced Vinegar Sauce / Da’ah Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 green chili, chopped (if you like it spicy)
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
• A pinch of Cayenne
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp Vinegar

Same Recipe Video is available on the Recipe page⇑.

On Laptop, is recommended that you open the recipe page and keep this page going if you like to WATCH / LISTEN to the video alongside the written instructions.

Key Ingredients: Rice, Lentils, Tomato, Onions, Garlic, Chickpeas, Pasta, Oil, Spice, Salt.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – Koshari | Egyptian Rice with Lentils | كشري