Egypt | Main dish

Koshari

Name: Koshari
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Egypt, North Africa
Ingredients: 1 cup Egyptian or medium-grain rice, rinsed; ½ cup vermicelli; 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed; 1 cup elbow macaroni; 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained; 400 g crushed tomatoes; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 4 tbsp white vinegar, divided; 2 tsp ground cumin, divided; 3 large onions, thinly sliced into rings; 1½ cups vegetable oil, for frying and sauce; salt and chile flakes, to taste

Egypt's iconic street food — layers of rice, lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas topped with a spiced tomato sauce, garlicky vinegar dressing, and shatteringly crispy fried onions.

Country

Egypt

Region

North Africa

Time

70 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Egypt recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Main dish

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Knife & board

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Egypt

6 steps 20 min prep 50 min cook (check method) 70 min total medium

Cook the lentils

Boil lentils in salted water until tender but still holding shape. Drain and set aside.

Lentils 20:00

Cook rice and pasta

Toast vermicelli in a little onion oil if using, then cook with rice. Boil macaroni separately until al dente.

Rice and pasta 20:00

Fry the onions

Fry sliced onions in batches until deep golden and crisp. Drain well and keep the onion oil.

Onions 10:00

Make tomato sauce

Cook half the garlic in a little onion oil. Add tomatoes, some vinegar, cumin, salt, and chile, then simmer until thick.

Tomato sauce 15:00

Make dakka

Sizzle the remaining garlic in oil, then add vinegar and cumin. It should smell sharp and garlicky.

Dakka 01:00

Assemble

Layer rice, lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas. Spoon over tomato sauce and dakka, then finish with crispy onions.

Some cooks fold vermicelli into the rice, some keep the rice plain. The tomato sauce, dakka, and fried onions carry the soul either way.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Everyday lunch, street food. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Extra crispy onions and hot sauce

Follow the collection

Koshari appears in 3 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Vegetarian Africa if you want more dishes in the same mood. Vegetarian Africa

Regional lane

Egypt national table. A structured Egypt dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Koshari recipe from Egypt — Koshari finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Koshari

Extra crispy onions and hot sauce

Best route from here

Egypt national table

Collections to keep cooking

One-Pot Family Meals Vegetarian African Classics Across Africa Showstoppers

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