The national dish of Egypt, this is Egyptian street food at its best!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT70M
Total time: PT90M
Rating
4.97 stars (136 reviews)
Keywords
Koshari, Koshary
Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup medium grain rice
1 cup brown lentils
2 cups small uncooked macaroni noodles ((Gluten Free: use GF pasta))
2 cups vegetable broth
1 garlic clove (, quartered)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salt to taste
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (, diced finely)
2 cloves garlic (, finely minced)
15 ounce can plain tomato sauce
2-3 teaspoons baharat spice blend
Homemade Baharat (, click link for recipe (strongly recommended for the best flavor!))
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes ((omit if you don't like it spicy hot))
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Crispy Onion Garnish:
2 large onions (, very finely sliced)
Oil for deep-frying
15 ounce can garbanzo beans (, rinsed and drained)
Categories
Entree
Main Dish
Side Dish
Cuisine
Egyptian
Steps
Make the Rice: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and fry it for 2 minutes, then add the vegetable stock. Bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.Make the Lentils: Rinse the lentils under cold water and add them to another medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Add the garlic, cumin and bay leaf and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Once cooked, add the salt and stir to combine. Strain any excess liquid if necessary.Make the Macaroni: Cook the macaroni according to package instructions until al dente.Leave each of these in the pot to keep warm and set aside.
Make the Crispy Onions: Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onions and fry until dark brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain and cool.
Make the Sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, baharat, salt and pepper to taste, chile flakes (if using) and red wine vinegar. Bring it to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Assemble the Koshari: Add the rice, lentils and macaroni to a large bowl and toss to combine (or simply scoop out desired amounts of each onto the plates). Sprinkle a little baharat over each portion and serve topped with some of the spicy tomato sauce. Top with garbanzo beans, the crispy onions and another sprinkle of baharat. Serve warm.Note: Each of the components can be made well in advance and then simply reheated and assembled.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 596 kcal
Carbohydrates: 97 g
Protein: 21 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 774 mg
Sugar: 6 g
Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
Reviews
MJB on 2026-09-18 (5 stars): Is the nutritional information listed for the entire batch or per serving? I am assuming it's per serving, but I wanted to verify.
Maunel Carot on 2026-07-06 (5 stars): por que en algunas recetas le ponen cilantro seco
Christina on 2022-02-24 (5 stars): In other words you've pretty much changed the whole recipe lol.
Mary Cookson on 2020-12-30 (5 stars): I have been living in Egypt for some years now, and I love koshary! But when I first tasted it, I really did not like it much. After tasting a few different koshari from different places, now I actually crave it. It is lovely with taamaya and sweet tea. My neighbor makes it with some ground beef in it and hers is the best I have had, of course. The original koshary is a cheap way to feed a big family and wonderful meal for vegans. Thanks for your recipe. If I ever leave Egypt, I will make it, but with all these koshary places, why should I? :)
Charles Azar on 2020-10-19 (5 stars): I’ve been to Egypt several times and love the country, people and koshari!! I’ve made this several times and the part I have most difficulty with is the proportion of each ingredients once mixed. Can you suggest what it should be?
P. S. Your recipe is on point
Sandra on 2020-07-31 (4 stars): The recipe varies depending on how each Egyptian family cooks it. My Egyptian food obsessed family did not add chick peas or red wine vinegar. They use more white vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes than most recipes call for in the tomato sauce; lus extra white vinegar and garlic on the side for each person to decide how much to use. (I add some red wine vinegar to the tomato sauce). Purists NEVER cook the rice, pasta and lentils together in one pot as it muddy's the taste and the colour of the rice and pasta. The lentils cannot be mushy. The crispy onions must be cut very thinly and sprinkled with corn starch before frying at medium heat max until they are very crispy and dark brown; then lightly salt after putting them on a cooling rack. The secret is in making the tomato sauce taste great and the onions crispy. It's all in the details which most recipes don't provide.
Alicia on 2020-04-16 (5 stars): When I saw this in the cold case in a Mediterranean deli I was told "it's an Egyptian dish" and was intrigued. I bought some and kinda liked it. Found your recipe and decided to make it since all the ingredients were in my pantry and I found the spice mix in the international section of my grocery store. I enjoy learning about ethnic dishes and this was a new one for me! Yes, it's a carb overload but I served it as a side to some oven baked chicken thighs and a salad. My husband and I both enjoyed it and I'll make it again, particularly since I have lots of time now staying home. I did use chicken broth for the recipe for more depth of flavor over vegetable stock. Thanks for the recipe!
Gillian Brako on 2020-04-05 (5 stars): I have lived in egypt for 15 years and went back home last year. This recipe was exactly like the Koshari made in egypt. Although it’s full of carbs and as one of the comments here . I don’t know if you lived in egypt but the Egyptian eat like this. I’d stand in d supermarket and stare at they carts full of pasta rice oil potatoes. When I say full I mean full , lots n lots of oil and packets of pasta. So maybe it’s just the way they eat but the recipe is spot on I just wanted you to know. It was really lovely and I enjoyed it this afternoon. I even stored the spice I ground it smelled divine..
