Overview
Koshari is the dish that fed Cairo through the 20th century and still does today. A bowl of it costs the equivalent of half a dollar at a corner stall, and it remains the most ordered lunch in Egypt by a wide margin. The construction is improbable, rice, lentils, two kinds of pasta, chickpeas, all layered together, drowned in a sharp garlicky tomato sauce, and topped with a tangle of deep-fried onions for the best textural contrast in any Arabic dish. Vegan by accident, filling enough for a labourer, sophisticated enough that high-end Cairo restaurants now serve it as their lunch signature.
The Ingredients
For the base
- • 200g brown lentils
- • 200g long-grain rice
- • 100g small macaroni
- • 100g vermicelli, broken
- • 1 tin chickpeas (400g), drained
- • 1 tsp ground cumin
- • 2 tbsp ghee or oil
For the tomato sauce (daqqa)
- • 1 large Brown Onion (Crysp)
- • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- • 400g Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine (Crysp)
- • 2 tbsp tomato paste
- • 1 Green Hot Chilli (Crysp)
- • 2 tbsp white vinegar
- • 1 tsp ground cumin
- • 1 tsp ground coriander
- • 3 tbsp olive oil
For the topping
- • 3 large Brown Onions (Crysp), sliced
- • 200ml vegetable oil, for frying
- • 1 tbsp Peashoots (Crysp), to garnish
- • Salt & black pepper
Instructions
Fry the Onions Crispy
Slice the 3 onions paper-thin, separate the rings. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan to 160°C, the oil should sizzle when a single ring is dropped in. Fry the onions in 3 batches, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy at the edges, about 8 minutes per batch. Lift onto paper towel, season with salt. They will keep crisping as they cool.
Cook the Lentils
Rinse the lentils, place in a pot with 600ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, drop the heat, simmer 25 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid for the rice.
Cook the Rice with Vermicelli
In a separate pot, heat the ghee over medium. Add the broken vermicelli, stir 2 minutes until deep golden brown, this is the Egyptian rice technique. Add the rice, stir 1 minute to coat. Pour in 400ml of the lentil cooking liquid (top up with water if needed), the cumin, and salt. Bring to a boil, drop to low, cover, cook 18 minutes. Off the heat, leave covered 10 minutes more, then fluff.
Boil the Macaroni
Cook the macaroni in well-salted boiling water per packet directions. Drain, toss with 1 tsp olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside warm.
Build the Tomato Sauce
Halve the cherry tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium. Dice the brown onion finely, cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the crushed garlic and chopped chilli, cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin and coriander, cook 2 minutes until darkened. Add the cherry tomatoes, press lightly to release juice, season with salt and pepper. Cook 8 minutes until reduced and thickened. Finish with the white vinegar, the sharpness is the signature of Egyptian daqqa, do not skip it.
Layer the Bowl
In each deep bowl, layer in this order: a generous scoop of rice and vermicelli at the bottom, a layer of lentils, a layer of macaroni, a scattering of chickpeas. Each layer visible at the rim if the bowl is shallow enough. Ladle the hot tomato sauce generously over the top, drowning everything.
Crown with Crispy Onions
Pile a generous handful of crispy fried onions on top of each bowl, the onions should mound dramatically, this is the visual signature of koshari. Add a small pile of peashoots in the centre for fresh contrast. Serve immediately while the onions are still crispy and the sauce is hot. The diner stirs everything together at the bowl just before eating.
The Tradition
Koshari is the rare modern dish whose origins are well documented. It emerged in late 19th century Egypt as a fusion of Indian dal (lentils with rice), Italian pasta (left over from colonial-era trade), and Egyptian tomato sauce technique. The combination was popularised by street vendors in working-class Cairo who could feed a labourer for almost nothing. Within decades it became a national dish. Today koshari restaurants chains like Abou Tarek and Koshari El Tahrir feed thousands of people per day in Cairo, and the dish has spread to Egyptian diaspora kitchens across the Gulf, Europe, and North America. Vegan by historical accident, the dish has found a second life among modern plant-based eaters who recognised it as one of the most satisfying meatless meals ever invented.
💡 Pro Tip: The vinegar in the tomato sauce is non-negotiable. Egyptians serve koshari with a small bottle of garlic-spiked vinegar (called shatta) on the table so each diner can add more sharp acid as they eat. The dish needs the brightness to cut through the heavy carb base. If you want to be properly authentic, mix 2 tbsp white vinegar with 1 crushed garlic clove and a pinch of chilli flakes, serve in a small jug for guests to drizzle to taste.
