Traditional Egyptian Koshari Recipe

Wash and soak lentils in water for 10 minutes.

In a deep bowl, add the sliced onions and cover with the flour.

Mix well, making sure to incorporate the flour into the onions.

In a deep-frying pan, heat up the oil and slowly fry the onions.

It’s advisable to fry on a medium heat until nice and crispy, stirring constantly. Drain the onions and reserve the frying oil.

Drain the soaked lentils and rinse. Then add to a small saucepan and cover with fresh water. Add to it two cloves of garlic…

…and ½ a tablespoon of cumin. Cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, thoroughly wash the rice until the water runs clear, and drain. Then, in a medium-sized pot, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of the onion frying oil, then add the rice.

Stir constantly until the rice is dry, then add the halfway cooked lentils.

Mix well to incorporate, then add 1 teaspoon of salt.

Cover with hot water and bring to a boil.

Once it starts to boil, cover the pot and bring the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked and fluffy.

Now for the koshari’s tomato sauce or (salset el koshari):

In a saucepan, empty the tomato sauce and to it add a ¼ teaspoon of cumin and the bay leaf.

Let it cook for 10 minutes then remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.

At this stage, if you’re planning on making a hot sauce as well, reserve around half a cup of the sauce before proceeding into the next step.

To finish off the koshari sauce and turn into the famous koshary sauce, add a tablespoon of the onion frying oil in a small sauté pan with one tablespoon of the minced garlic.

Now, it’s important to do this off the heat then add then place it over a medium heat to slowly cook the garlic into a beautiful golden color without burning it.

Once it turns into that beautiful shade of gold, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

Cook for 30 seconds before adding it to your tomato sauce. Season the sauce to taste.

Cook the pasta like you normally would, drain, and set it aside for later.

To make the famous koshary vinaigrette:

In a small sauté pan over low heat, add 2 tablespoons of the frying oil.

Add a ½ tablespoon of the minced garlic and stir for a minute.

Add the seasonings: 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cumin, and ¼ teaspoon dried coriander.

Add the vinegar and water and bring to a boil.

Add remaining minced garlic and turn off the heat. The kushary vinaigrette is now ready.

(Optional): To make the hot sauce, just add 1 tsp of dried chili pepper flakes to the half cup of reserved tomato sauce and cook for a couple of minutes.

Layer your kushari dish by:

• Adding a layer of the rice/lentil mix.
• Followed by a thin layer of pasta.
• Special tomato sauce layer. (Don't put too much at first so you'd be able to put more later on if you want).
• A layer of cooked and warmed chickpeas.
• Top with a layer of fried onions.
• Serve alongside the vinaigrette, hot sauce, and more of the koshary sauce.