koshari is Egypt’s national dish and a widely popular street food. The dish is well-suited to mass catering events such as conferences, and it can be considered vegan, as long as all frying uses vegetable oil. This particular recipe is taken from Chef Abdul Kayum Chowdhury.
KIRUNA MAY 2025: koshari is Egypt’s national dish and a widely popular street food. It is a traditional Egyptian staple, mixing pasta, Egyptian fried rice, vermicelli and brown lentils, and topped with chickpeas, a garlicky tomato sauce, garlic vinegar, and crispy fried onions.
In 1853, in his book “Journey to Egypt and the Hijaz”, explorer Richard Burton documented koshary as the breakfast meal of the people of Suez. It consisted of Egyptian lentils, rice, butter, onions and pickled lemons. Koshary was sold on food carts in its early years, and was introduced to restaurants later.
This dish is widely popular among workers and laborers and the dish is well-suited to mass catering events such as conferences. As traditionally prepared koshary does not contain any animal products, it can be considered vegan, as long as all frying uses vegetable oil.
This particular recipe is taken from Chef Abdul Kayum Chowdhury. He has a popular YouTube Channel where he explains Egyptian Cuisine in a simple and straightforward way (without any quick nonsense), that is well worth visiting.
Koshari Ingredients
Heat ghee 1/2 cup (around 125ml)
Vermicelli 1 cup
Egyptian rice 4 cups (soaked before 30 mins)
Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Black pepper 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Green lentils 1/2 cup (soaked before 30 mins)
Hot water 5 cups
For Pasta Boil
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Macaroni 200gm
Spaghetti 200gm
Cooking oil 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tbsp
For Daqoos Sauce
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Oil 1/8 cup (around 30ml)
Cloves garlic
Tomato 2 medium
Garlic minced 2 cloves
Vinegar 1/8 cup (around 30ml)
Tomato paste 1 tbsp
Tomato puree 3 medium
Pinch black pepper
Salt to taste
For Garnish
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Bolied chickpeas
Fried onion
Alexandrian koshary is quite different from other koshary recipes, with significant variations in taste and form. The cooking process includes yellow lentils and rice; it also uses curry and cumin in the rice, giving the koshary a uniform color. Also included are Egyptian fried eggs, which are boiled and then fried in butter, as well as lightly pickled tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, and French fries on the side.
