Koshari Recipe: Egyptian comfort bowl of lentils, rice, chickpeas, with a special tomato sauce and savory crispy onions on top! SKIP TO RECIPE
Koshari is a fun word to say, isn’t it?
Koshari (also spelled, Kushari) is the national dish of my birthplace, Egypt. By far one of my favorite things to eat–EVER! No matter how far I’ve traveled, I will always crave a humble bowl of koshari as served in the streets of Egypt.
What is Koshari?
Koshri is another one of those genius solutions to using up pantry staples. It is a cousin to the Middle Eastern Mujadara. In a nutshell, it is a comforting bowl of simple pantry staples: spiced lentils and rice, combined with chickpeas and small pasta. All smothered in a tomato sauce that’s been spiked with vinegar (out-of-this-world tasty, by the way!) Then…wait for it…it’s topped with savory, crispy thin fried onion rings.
Although this koshari recipe takes some time to put together, each element is fairly simple to make.
It may not look like much, but this Egyptian comfort food has every bit a satisfying depth and texture to it. It’ll have you coming back for more!
What to Serve with Koshari?
At home, koshari is served family-style with additional tomato sauce and crispy onion rings to pass! To complete the meal, I typically add a side of this quick 3- ingredient Mediterranean salad dressed simply in olive oil and lemon juice.
Koshari Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hours 22 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Koshari is a traditional Egyptian staple, mixing chick peas, pasta, fried onions, and zesty tomato sauce, served on top a bed of rice and brown lentils! Flavor packed and not to mention healthy!
Ingredients
For the Crispy Onion Topping
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
- Salt
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
For Tomato Sauce
- Cooking oil
- 1 small onion, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 –1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 can 28-oz tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 1–2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
For Koshari
- 1 1/2 cup brown lentils, picked over and well-rinsed
- 1 1/2 cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 2 cups elbow pasta
- Cooking oil
- Water
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and warmed
Instructions
Make the crispy onion topping.
- Sprinkle the onion rings with salt, then toss them in the flour to coat. Shake off excess flour.
- In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat, cook the onion rings, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).
Make the Tomato Sauce.
- In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add the grated onion, cook on medium-high until the onion turns a translucent gold (do not brown). Now add the garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes, if using, and saute briefly until fragrant (30-45 seconds more).
- Stir in tomato sauce and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (15 minutes or so).
- Stir in the distilled white vinegar, and turn the heat to low. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
Make the Koshari
- Cook the lentils. Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes). Drain from water and season with a little salt. (Note: when the lentils are ready, they should not be fully cooked. They should be only par-cooked and still have a bite to them as they need to finish cooking with the rice).
- Now, for the rice. Drain the rice from its soaking water. Combine the par-cooked lentils and the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add warm water to cover the rice and lentil mixture by about 1 1/2 inches (you’ll probably use about 3 cups of water here). Bring to a boil; the water should reduce a bit. Now cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and both the rice and lentils are well cooked through (about 20 minutes). Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 minutes or so.
- Now make the pasta. While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the pasta according to package instructions by adding the elbow pasta to boiling water with a dash of salt and a little oil. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain.
- Cover the chickpeas and warm in the microwave briefly before serving.
Put it All Together!
- To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the elbow pasta and 1/2 of the tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally 1/2 of the crispy onions for garnish. Serve, passing the remaining sauce and crispy onions separately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 7 minutes
- Category: Vegetarian
- Cuisine: Egyptian
Nutrition
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Similar Recipes to Try
Mujadara: Lebanese Lentils and Rice
Spanish Chicken and Rice with Chorizo
Beautiful presentation! This was a staple meal for me during the couple years I lived in Egypt. Where I lived (Alexandria) the vendors always sold it with a little bag of hot sauce and a little bag of some very liquid garlic sauce to squeeze over the top – any chance you know what goes into the garlic sauce?? It’s the perfect accompaniment, would love to be able to recreate it!
Thank you, A.S. That so sounds like Alexandria food. The garlic sauce may have had some acidity to it, correct? I’m guessing the liquid had a little vinegar, lots of garlic, and perhaps a few spices including cumin.
I wonder if this is related to the Indian dish “khichuri”, given the similarity of the names and that both are mixes of rice and vegetables? Regardless, this definitely looks worth a try.
Hmmm, that’s interesting! I am not sure if there is any relationship there…but this is one of my favorite rice dishes
This is SO GOOD. I want to make a separate batch of the sauce to have on hand for other things!
Jules, we love the sauce here too! I totally agree, it can be used elsewhere too! Enjoy!
I’ve made this twice and it’s the best Koshiree recipe I’ve found! One note, definitely rinse the macaroni before combining to give it the perfect texture. The second time I made it I added a pinch of ground cloves and it was perfect!
Awesome, Heather! So glad to hear it!
So I’m hosting Xmas eve potluck tonight and mixing my fiancé’s family and mine (half Egyptian) I’m going to make this for the potluck.. do you think I could make it early in the day and pop it in my slow cooker? And tips? I’m hosting for 17 so I’m going to double the recipe. I’m just trying to get as much out of the way ASAP so I can get the house ready for the guests
Hi Jodi! I am so sorry, but I took Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off from work and just now saw your question. I hope everyone enjoyed this! Love receiving your questions, and I’m sorry it’s not always possible to get to them the same day.
First time Ive ever made Koshari and everyone loved it! they said it was just like Kosher Tahrir. Thank you for this great recipe. one comment though I used the same amount of pasta and rice and it worked very well 🙂
Hi i’m just wondering is it 28 oz of tomato sauce or 128?!
Hi! You need 1 can tomato sauce that is 28 ounces. Enjoy 🙂
Is the coriander in the “Koshari” section of the recipe fresh?
I have telling my partner about Koshari for ages, and I am so excited to have found a recipe that looks just how I reremember it being served in Egypt! ?
Hi, Bekk. Thanks for the question. No, it is coriander spice…when we use fresh, it is usually listed as cilantro. Enjoy!!!
Hi there!! will definitly attempt at doing the Koshari as well as the Shakshouka!! will bring me back to remembering the Egyptian food, we so much loved back in the 50’s in Cairo. Being born there as well as my parents….
Thank you for inspiring me with these recipies we were so used to from our ancestrel heritage!!!
Ma salama and salam eidek…..
Henry
Thanks for the recipe! It was pretty good, one thing though, I think more sauce was needed in proportion with the koshari and the onions of which there was enough.
Thanks so much, John! I enjoy more sauce too…I corrected that 🙂
I just love your blog. I make your Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe with Chorizo Sunday It was really good. It was easy and a pretty dish. It reminded me a little of Jamblaya . I had to use Mexican chorizo and it was still very good
Oh thank you so much, Shirley! I am so humbled to know that you’ve been enjoying the blog. Means a lot to me.
This is so DELICIOUS!!! Even my husband, Mr. Meat-and-Potatoes said it is awesome! Kudos to you Suzy!!!!
Oh wonderful, April! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
molokhiya is another famous Egyptian favorite dish I love…
Is there a source for this green leafy vegetable in the US that you know of
Oh yes it is! So few people mention Molokhiya to me! If there is a Middle Eastern or an Eastern Mediterranean or Persian grocery store in your area, that’s your best bet for finding it. It should be in the freezer section.
I really love Mediterranean food so am looking forward to your recipes. Thanks!
So glad you found us, Nancy! Enjoy!!!
This recipe looks so delicious as always.
Thanks so much, Carols! Appreciate it.
LOVE this! I had something very similar in Aswan and Cairo. Beautiful!
Awesome, Kevin! So you’ve been to Egypt?! Aswan and Cairo are two of my favorite places…lots of Koshari joints there!