The Quintessential Egyptian Dish

From what I have read, koshary (pronounced ko-shar-ri) is one of three dishes consumed regularly by Egyptians. So being the food fanatic that I am, I had to find out all about it. I searched the web and read many a tales about how much it is loved, by Egyptians and foreigners alike. Naturally I had to consult my Egyptian maid, Shirin, about it as well.

The dish doesn’t sound immediately appealing to most people. Jim made the strangest looking face when I described it to him. But trust me, koshary is one of the most delicious dishes I have tasted. The ingredients are simply prepared, but when you combine them together, something magical happens. I love eating it and could probably eat it everyday. Even Jim changed his mind after one bite, so here’s the recipe and I hope you will find time to try it out!

When you look over the recipe, don't be put off by the number of steps in this recipe, it's well worth the effort! But then, my father has said that I like to cook dishes with a hundred ingredients and steps to it. I guess he is (sorta) right about that.

There are several (not a hundred) components to the dish:
1. the pastas (macaroni noodles and spaghetti noodles)
2. lentils (Egyptians use black lentil, which are smaller than lentils in the States, but regular lentils are fine)
3. chickpeas/garbanzo beans
4. rice (preferably Egyptian rice, but short grain white rice works just as well) – instruction follows
5. tomato sauce – recipe follows
6. garlic and vinegar sauce (da’a) – a must!! – recipe follows
7. fried onions – also, a must!!

Pastas for Koshary
2 C macaroni noodles
Half of a small package of spaghetti noodles

Cook noodles separately until done (al dente).

Lentils
1-1/2 C lentil

Boil in enough water to make them tender.
Should be slightly soupy.

Chickpeas
2 C chickpeas/garbanzo beans

Soak overnight.
Boil in enough water to make them tender, but not overly tender, there should still be a bite to them. I boil them for about 25 minutes. Then drain.

Rice for Koshary
2 TBSPN butter or vegetable oil
2 C Egyptian rice, sorted and washed
2-1/2 C water
1-2 TBSPN salt
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

Heat oil on medium high heat and add rice.
Stir rice and butter/oil around for a few minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil, then add salt and pepper to taste and lower heat to simmer and cover.
Cook for 18 to 20 minutes.
When done, leave pot covered for 5 minutes, then fluff rice with fork.

Tomato Sauce
3 TBSPN vegetable oil
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
7 tomatoes, pureed in a blender
3 TBSPN vinegar
1/2 C water
red pepper flakes (amount depends on your preferred level of heat)
1/2 tspn cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Fry garlic in oil over medium heat until golden.
Add tomatoes and stir.
Add vinegar and water.
Bring to a boil.
Add red pepper flakes and cumin.
Cover and lower heat to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until sauce starts to thicken, stirring occasionally.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garlic and Vinegar Sauce (Da’a)
6 cloves mashed garlic
4 TBSPN white vinegar
1/2 C water
2 TBSPN lemon juice
1 tspn cumin
1 pinch salt

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed.

Fried Onions
3 medium sized onions, cut in half and then sliced thinly
Vegetable oil (enough to fry the onions, approximately 1/4 inch of oil in the pan).
Vinegar

Heat oil on medium heat.
Add onions in batches, careful not to overcrowd them.
Add a small amount of vinegar (be careful when adding vinegar as the oil will splatter).
Cook until onions become light brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
**Vinegar is added to make the onions crispy during the cooking process.

After all of the components of the koshary is cooked, put everything together in no specific order. I like to start with the rice and pastas on the bottom, then sprinkle the lentils and chickpeas, and finish off with the tomato sauce. Have the da'a on the table for each person to put in amount that s/he desires. Top off with the fried onions (do not forget these, they are absolutely essential) and dig in!!!



I had proudly showed an Egyptian friend a picture of this and asked if he knew what it was. He looked puzzled and replied that he did not. When I told him it was a dish of the beloved koshary, he said "Oh! I was thrown off at first because it looks like the size of a cake! Ha, ha, ha!!!" To which I thought: very funny, smarty pants.