Egyptian Koshari
Very generous bowls of lentil rice, vermicelli and macaroni with tomato sauce, Dakka and crisp onions.
Preparation: 35 min · Cooking: 1 hr 5 min · Total: 1 hr 40 min · 4 servings
Ingredients
- 300 g dry Egyptian short-grain rice
- 300 g dry brown lentils, weighed before any soaking
- 300 g dry elbow macaroni
- 800 g crushed tomatoes
- large onions, thinly sliced — 3
- 80 g dry vermicelli
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 16 cloves garlic, 8 sauce + 8 Dakka
- 120 ml food-grade white vinegar, 5% acidity, divided equally
- 150 ml vegetable oil, 90 onions + 15 pasta + 30 vermicelli + 15 sauce
- 2 tsp salt, divided between components
- 2 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp lentils + 2 tsp sauce + 3 tsp Dakka
- 1500 ml initial fresh lentil cooking water, drained
- 3000 ml initial pasta cooking water, or package requirement, drained
- 600 ml initial rice and vermicelli absorption water
- 120 ml drinking water for Dakka
- lentil soaking water, only if package requires; discard (optional)
- additional boiling cooking water only as needed (optional)
Instructions
Crisp the onions
Reserve 60 ml of the total 150 ml oil before frying: 15 ml macaroni, 30 ml vermicelli and 15 ml sauce. Shallow-fry three sliced onions in the other 90 ml over medium heat in suitable batches until crisp golden-brown, not burnt. Drain; do not add recovered oil on top of the totals.
Drain; do not add recovered oil on top of the totals.
Cook the lentils
Sort and rinse 300 g dry lentils. Soak refrigerated only if their package requires, then discard soaking water. Cook in 1500 ml fresh water with 1 tsp cumin and 0.5 tsp salt, checking from twenty minutes until tender; top up if needed, then drain.
Cook in 1500 ml fresh water with 1 tsp cumin and 0.5 tsp salt, checking from twenty minutes until tender; top up if needed, then drain.
Check after 20 minutes: 1200 seconds
Boil the macaroni
Cook 300 g dry macaroni in 3000 ml water, or the package/pot requirement, until firm and cooked through. Drain and toss with the reserved 15 ml oil. No additional pasta-water salt is allocated.
No additional pasta-water salt is allocated.
Cook rice and vermicelli
Toast 80 g vermicelli in its 30 ml oil over medium heat until golden. Add rinsed, drained 300 g rice and cooked lentils. Add 600 ml water and 0.75 tsp salt; bring to a boil, cover and simmer from eighteen minutes until tender. Add conditional boiling water only if drying before rice is cooked.
Add conditional boiling water only if drying before rice is cooked.
Check after 18 minutes: 1080 seconds
Simmer the tomato sauce
For sauce, briefly sauté eight garlic cloves and 3 tbsp tomato paste in 15 ml oil over medium heat without burning. Add 800 g tomatoes, 60 ml vinegar, 2 tsp cumin and 0.5 tsp salt. Simmer from fifteen minutes until the sauce thickens.
Simmer from fifteen minutes until the sauce thickens.
Check after 15 minutes: 900 seconds
Mix fresh Dakka
Mix the other eight minced garlic cloves, 60 ml vinegar, 120 ml drinking water, 3 tsp cumin and 0.25 tsp salt for fresh Dakka. Keep cold until serving; vinegar does not sterilize or preserve this mixture.
Keep cold until serving; vinegar does not sterilize or preserve this mixture.
Assemble the bowls
Divide all lentil rice, macaroni, hot sauce and crisp onions among four very generous bowls. Add Dakka to taste from its measured batch. If waiting briefly, keep cooked components separately at ≥60°C and Dakka refrigerated. No chickpeas or chili oil are included in this master.
No chickpeas or chili oil are included in this master.
Store components separately
Cool unused components in separate shallow containers promptly in the refrigerator within one hour at ≤4°C. Use within 24 hours. Reheat cooked components at most once to 74°C; keep Dakka cold and separate.
Reheat cooked components at most once to 74°C; keep Dakka cold and separate.
Tips
- Instruction quantities are for the original base yield; scale the ingredient list for other servings. Times are checking reminders, not proof of readiness.
Common mistakes
- Adding unlisted ingredients or extra fat changes the confirmed master. Do not use exterior colour as the only cooking check.
Substitutions
- Follow the listed food states and product labels; a different ingredient may require different handling and invalidate the stated storage limit.
Storage
Keep refrigerated at ≤4°C; use within 24 hours from preparation, including chilling time. Refrigerate promptly within one hour. These are conservative household limits, not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat cooked components at most once to 74°C; keep fresh Dakka cold and separate.
About this recipe
Very generous bowls of lentil rice, vermicelli and macaroni with tomato sauce, Dakka and crisp onions.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.