The dish to eat in Cairo · Egypt

Koshari

Name: Koshari (Egyptian rice, lentils and pasta)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Egypt
Ingredients: For the onions: 3 large onions, very thinly sliced, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil; For the lentils and rice: 1 cup (200 g) brown lentils, rinsed, 1 cup (200 g) medium-grain rice, rinsed, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 1/2 tsp salt; 8 oz (225 g) elbow macaroni; 1 can (15 oz/425 g) chickpeas, drained and warmed; For the tomato sauce: 6 garlic cloves minced, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 to 1 tsp chili flakes or cayenne, 2 cups (480 g) tomato passata, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 cup (240 ml) water, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt; For the da'ah (garlic vinegar): 4 garlic cloves crushed, 1/2 cup (120 ml) white vinegar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, chili flakes to taste

Photo: Basma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Egypt's street dish: rice, lentils and macaroni topped with spiced tomato sauce, garlic vinegar, chickpeas and crisp fried onions.

Koshari is Cairo's everyday lunch, cheap and filling and vegan by accident. Koshari halls serve it in metal bowls in seconds, and you add the garlic vinegar (da'ah) and hot sauce yourself.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Cairo

Abou Tarek
Champollion Street, Downtown
Order: A bowl of koshari with extra crispy onions and da'ah
Cairo's most famous koshari house, in a multi-story building downtown.
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Koshary El Tahrir
Tahrir Street and branches across Cairo
Order: Koshari, large, with hot sauce
A Cairo chain with a loyal following for its koshari.
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Sayed Hanafy
Bab El Louq, Downtown
Order: Koshari and a rice pudding to finish
An old-school koshari shop popular with locals for decades.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best koshari in Cairo, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Koshari (Egyptian rice, lentils and pasta)

Serves 6Time 1 hr 30 min

Several simple parts that come together in the bowl: crisp onions (and their oil, which flavors everything), brown lentils and rice cooked together, macaroni, chickpeas, a spicy tomato sauce and a sharp garlic vinegar.

Pans and tools

Wide skillet for the onions
Heavy pot with lid
Two more pots for pasta and sauce
Jar for the da'ah

You’ll need

For the onions: 3 large onions, very thinly sliced, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil
For the lentils and rice: 1 cup (200 g) brown lentils, rinsed, 1 cup (200 g) medium-grain rice, rinsed, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 1/2 tsp salt
8 oz (225 g) elbow macaroni
1 can (15 oz/425 g) chickpeas, drained and warmed
For the tomato sauce: 6 garlic cloves minced, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 to 1 tsp chili flakes or cayenne, 2 cups (480 g) tomato passata, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 cup (240 ml) water, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
For the da'ah (garlic vinegar): 4 garlic cloves crushed, 1/2 cup (120 ml) white vinegar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, chili flakes to taste

Steps

Onions: toss the onions with the flour and salt. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the onions in batches, stirring, 10 to 15 minutes until deep brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Keep the oil.
Lentils: boil the lentils in plenty of water 15 minutes until just tender but firm. Drain.
In a heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp of the onion oil. Add the rice and lentils with the cumin and salt and stir 2 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) water, bring to a boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes covered.
Cook the macaroni in salted water until tender, drain and toss with 1 tbsp onion oil.
Tomato sauce: heat 2 tbsp onion oil, cook the garlic 30 seconds, add the cumin, coriander and chili, then the passata, paste, water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Simmer 20 minutes until thick.
Da'ah: mix everything in a jar and shake.
To serve, spoon the rice and lentils into bowls, add a layer of macaroni, then the chickpeas. Ladle tomato sauce over, pile with crisp onions, and pass the da'ah and more chili at the table.

Chef’s tips

Fry the onions in batches; crowded, they steam instead of crisp.

Cook the lentils until just tender, as they cook again with the rice.

Be generous with the da'ah: its sharpness makes the dish.

Contains: Wheat (gluten).

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