Koshari Recipe
Servings: 6
Ingredients
(1) The Crispy Onion Topping:
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin wedges.
- Pinch of Salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp of corn starch.
- 6 minced garlic cloves.
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander.
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional).
- 2 cups tomato sauce.
- Salt and pepper.
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar.
- 1 ½ cup brown lentils, picked over and well-rinsed.
- 1 cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, and drained.
- 1/3 cup vermicelli.
- 1 cup elbow pasta.
- 100g spaghetti cut into halves (optional).
- 1/2 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight.
Directions:
- Sprinkle the onion wedges with salt, then toss them in the flour mix to coat. Shake off excess flour.
- In a deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, fry the onion wedges until they turn crispy and golden brown, save the extra oil to use it for the rest of the recipe. Yes! It’s our little secret that makes all the difference by adding an unbelievably great smell and taste.
- You should have soaked chickpeas overnight or if you forgot you can soak for an hour in hot water and baking soda.
- Cook chickpeas by first draining the soaking water and washing them well then place in a pot, cover with water add some salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 60-90 minutes until it reaches the desired tenderness. Or simply you can use a can of chickpeas, just make sure to rinse and drain before use.
- Wash lentils with running cold water.
- Place them in a pot and cover with water 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 10 minutes until almost done. Drain.
- Traditionally, short grain rice is used. Some people like using Basmati rice or even Jasmine rice, this is ok but not the traditional way to prepare this dish.
- Roast vermicelli in some oil, then add the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and give it a quick stir with vermicelli, cover it with boiled water on medium-high heat . After 5 minutes add the lentils, gently mix them and reduce heat to minimum until it’s done. Save some lentils for serving.
- Now make the pasta. While the rice and lentils are being cooked, make the pasta according to package instructions by adding it to boiling water with a dash of salt and a little oil. Cook until the pasta is ‘al dente’. Drain and add 3 tablespoons of the oil we used to fry the onions so it doesn’t stick together.
- We need to prepare two types of sauces, tomato sauce which is a must and “Da’ah” or cumin sauce which is highly recommended for those serious Koshari eaters.
- For the tomato sauce, Sauté garlic in oil until fragrant, Add vinegar, tomato sauce, salt and cumin powder then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken it a bit.
- For “Da’ah” again we'll need to saute garlic and ground cumin in oil until fragrant, add vinegar, water and salt. This sauce will separate as it cools down, you'll notice that the cumin and garlic will stay at the bottom while water and vinegar rises to top. It is recommended to pour this sauce in a bottle and give it a good shake before using.
Now the fun part! Put it All Together!
To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter.
Top with the pasta and half of the tomato sauce, add the remaining lentils then the chickpeas, and finally half of the crispy onions for garnish.
Serve, passing the remaining sauce and crispy onions separately. Enjoy!
'Bel-hana We-elshefa’
This is how we say ‘Bon Appétit’ in Egypt, means ‘enjoy it with happiness and good health’!
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