Koshari (كشري) — Egyptian Street Food

Middle Eastern Fast With Oil Published April 10, 2026

Koshari is the national dish of Egypt — a magnificent, chaotic pile of rice, lentils, macaroni pasta, and chickpeas, topped with a spiced tomato sauce and a crown of shatteringly crispy fried onions. It is sold from carts and shopfronts across Cairo and every Egyptian city, ladled into bowls or plastic containers for a few pounds, and it is one of the most protein-rich, calorie-dense, and satisfying fasting meals you will ever eat.

The genius of koshari is that every component is cheap and shelf-stable, yet together they become something genuinely exciting. The textures play against each other — soft rice and lentils, chewy pasta, creamy chickpeas, crunchy onions — and the tomato sauce, vinegary and slightly spicy, ties everything together with acid and heat.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (the crispy onions and tomato sauce require oil — for strict days, boil the components and top with plain tomato sauce and raw onion, though it will be a shadow of the real thing)
SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

For the base:
- 1 cup Egyptian or short-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup small elbow macaroni or ditalini pasta
- 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Salt to taste

For the tomato sauce (salsa):
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- Salt and black pepper to taste

For the crispy onions:
- 3 large onions, sliced into thin half-moons
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying (or more)
- 2 tablespoons flour (to coat the onions)
- Pinch of salt

For the dakka (vinegar-garlic sauce):
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of cayenne
- Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Start the crispy onions first, as they take the longest. Toss the sliced onions with flour and a pinch of salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes until they are deep golden brown and beginning to crisp. They will crisp further as they cool. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. These can be made ahead.

2. Cook the lentils: boil in salted water for 20-25 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.

3. Cook the rice: bring 1.5 cups salted water to a boil, add the rice, stir once, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15-18 minutes until tender. Let rest covered for 5 minutes.

4. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and toss with a tiny splash of oil to prevent sticking.

5. Make the tomato sauce: heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened and concentrated.

6. Make the dakka: whisk all dakka ingredients together in a small bowl.

7. Warm the chickpeas by adding them to the tomato sauce for the last 2 minutes of simmering, or heat them separately.

8. Assemble: in deep bowls, layer the rice, then lentils, then pasta. Spoon the tomato sauce and chickpeas over the top. Crown with a generous pile of crispy onions. Drizzle the dakka over everything. Serve with extra vinegar sauce on the side.

NOTES

- The layers are a suggestion, not a rule. In Egypt, the server often mixes everything together in the bowl before handing it to you. The point is the combination of textures and flavors, not the presentation.
- The vinegar in both the tomato sauce and the dakka is essential — it cuts through the heaviness of all that starch and protein. Do not omit it.
- Koshari is ideal for meal prep. Cook each component separately and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the base components, make the sauces fresh or warm them, and fry the onions fresh for best results (though leftover crispy onions stored in an airtight container retain their crunch for 2-3 days).
- For even more protein, add a second can of chickpeas. No one in Egypt would object.
- Hot sauce (shatta) is traditionally served alongside. Any vinegar-based hot sauce works well.