Egyptian Koshari
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Egyptian
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For Tomato based Sauce
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 10 garlic cloves or 2 tbsp finely diced garlic cloves
  • 6 green chilies, sliced thinly
  • 1 tbsp of red chili flakes ( more if you want more heat)
  • 4 tbsp white vinegar
  • 8 large juicy tomatoes, pureed
  • 1 large red bell pepper, pureed along with tomatoes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
Dakkah Sauce
  • 7 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ⅓ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup boiling water
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
For the Crispy Onion Topping
  • 1 large onion, cut to quarters and thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • ½ cup cooking oil or air fry
Cooking the lentils
  • 1 cup brown lentils, soaked for 1 hour
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt
Vermicelli Rice
  • 1 cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup vermicelli
  • ½ tsp each salt and pepper
Pasta
  • 1 cup mini ditalini, traditionally used
  • Water
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and warmed
Instructions
Sauce
  1. Add oil in a large deep pot. Add the thinly sliced chillies and saute for 20 seconds before adding the minced garlic cloves and fry in the pot for a few minutes until fragrant and bubbly.
  2. Before the garlic browns add 4 Tbsp of White vinegar and deglaze the pot, add the pureed tomatoes and bell pepper. Season with salt and Pepper. Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened
Dakkah or Garlic Vinegar sauce
  1. Mince 7 garlic cloves and add to a cup. Add ⅓C White Vinegar, ⅓C water and ¼C Lemon juice, toss in your Cumin, Coriander, Cayenne pepper and salt and mix to combine
Crispy onions
  1. Sprinkle the onion rings with salt and let it sit on a paper towel to soak up the salt.
  2. 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). You can air fry at 260 for 20 minutes tossing every now and then. Set aside in one layer to keep them crispy.
Lentils
  1. Add 2 litres or quarts of water to a pot and boil, to that add Salt and Cumin to the water as well as your lentils. Boil for 30-40 minutes until cooked through but not mushy (al dente) Strain the lentils using a colander, and keep the lentil water for later when you cook the rice.
Rice Vermicelli
  1. Wash your rice till the water runs clear and allow to dry for at least one hour. In a pan add oil, and toss in your vermicelli to get toasty brown on low heat, about 3 minutes. Then add your rice, little bit of fried onions, 2 tbsp of dakkah sauce, another 2 tbsp of the tomato sauce, and add 4 cups of the reserved lentil water. Check for salt and season as you want. Bring the pot to a boil and cover, once water has evaporated from the pot turn the heat down to low. Allow to steam for 20 minutes.
Pasta
  1. Cook pasta in heavily salted water till Al dente
ASSEMBLY of the Koshari
  1. To serve, fluff the rice and vermicelli with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Add some lentils on top. Top with the pasta and ½ cup of the tomato sauce, the garlic vinegar sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally 2 tbsp of the crispy onions for garnish. Serve, passing the remaining sauce and crispy onions separately.
  2. Serve Warm.
Recipe by Food Fashion Party at https://www.foodfashionparty.com/2022/01/16/egyptian-koshari-recipe/